Durban North prayer warriors take to ‘frontlines’ outside hospital
Pastor, Arianne Hayes-Hill said they had received permission from the hospital and the prayer meeting is open to everyone in the community who wants to join.
MEMBERS of His Vineyard Church braved the inclement weather to gather outside eThekwini Hospital in Newlands East on Wednesday last week.
The church goers gathered to pray for the many Covid-19 patients, medical practitioners and staff battling this virus.
The weekly prayer meeting is hosted on a Wednesday at 5.15pm in the parking lot of the hospital.
Pastor, Arianne Hayes-Hill said they had received permission from the hospital and the prayer meeting is open to everyone in the community who wants to join.
“We pray for the patients, for their health. We pray for the frontline workers that they would be strengthened, encouraged and protected. We pray for supply of resources that are required, such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), oxygen and beds. We also pray for any other patients that are here, so it’s really about speaking life and hope into the people that are behind the walls,” she said.
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“We have health care workers in our church and we know people who have worked in this hospital as well as some of the patients in this hospital,” added Hayes-Hill. Staff at the hospital appreciated the gesture, said Michelle Stephen, a member of the church.
“We know that there is power in prayer. I know someone who works here and I told them about the prayer meeting and they were overwhelmed. They said it meant a lot to them,” she said. Jen Yates, who was at the prayer meeting said she was touched when a woman who was waiting outside the hospital had joined the meeting last week.
“There was a patient here last week, a young boy. His mother was in the hospital with him, but his grandmother was out here, not able to go in. She came and joined us and it was the most amazing powerful thing. She prayed in different languages and when she walked away she said she needed this so much. “There is a need for this, whether it’s prayer for people that are inside those walls, who don’t know we are doing this or people who are in the car park who are able to join us,” she said.
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Another member of the church, Peter Blake added: “I think there is too much fear and not enough faith. People are focused on the fear behind Coronavirus. When people stand up and pray, we can put God in charge of this pandemic. We want to encourage people to fear God instead of fearing the Coronavirus.”
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