As a church community, we want to surround each other in prayer. In association with our 24 hour prayer vigil, we wanted our community to have the opportunity to share any prayers requests you have so that we can be specifically praying for what is on your heart.

Please refrain from sharing other's last names in your request (God knows!).

“What to look forward to learning about”
The difference in types of prayers, moving from Petition (Praying for ourselves) to Intercession (Praying for Others).
In Intercession, believers go before the Lord and make requests on behalf of others, kind of like being a friend in the middle for someone else. Many hurting people need what only God can give them. And God chooses to give his good gifts in response to the Intercessory prayers of his people.

We can be friends in the middle to God’s lost and hurting world. God seeks intercessors not because he lacks the wisdom or power to govern the world without them, but because he, in his sovereign good pleasure, has chosen to govern the world through the prayers of his people.

Intercession is not optional. It is a necessary and important part of God’s way of working. Things will happen when we pray that would not have happened if we had not prayed.

Think of the 5 letters in the word BLESS to recall how to intercede in prayer for Family, Friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. Refer to page 49 in your Love To Pray devotional.
We are to also pray for those who do not know Jesus yet. Prayer Evangelism is when God moves in the hearts and minds and lives of people in response to earnest prayers of believers.

Let us know your “Ah Hahs” as you read this week’s de optional pages.

Post and share what message you are hearing.

“What to look forward to learning more about”

Unconfessed sin cherished in our hearts, inhibits our prayer life. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful, and will hear our prayers, and answer our prayers in his time. Believing God will respond to our prayers in accordance with his nature, his purposes, and his promises, turns all control over to The Lord. Through prayer, we can align our hearts and prayers with what God desires. Read James 1:5.  Be joyful when we face trials and temptations because they produce faith that can persevere and be strengthened. Seek God’s wisdom through reading and reflecting upon His word in scripture, then applying it to our lives. Ask in Jesus’ name for anything that you need in order to accomplish God’s will in your life, and in your world. There is great need today for powerful persistent prayer. God has much to accomplish through you in your world, in your church, in your family, and neighborhood. Partner with God through passionate persistent prayers.

Let us know your “Ah Hahs” as you read this week’s devotional pages. Post and share what message you are hearing.

I don’t have to “think” prayers up. I don’t need  God’s attention. I already have it. God is in control and I have to give everything over to Him so that He can use me. God has a will for us. He will make it known if we listen and put our own selfish wants and needs aside. Once we start “asking” the right things, the blessings are abundant. This has never been more true or displayed itself more than through the prayers and Gods will bring shown to us through our Recovery center. Once we handed it over to God, and prayed for his will to be done and let him lead us through prayer the blessings have been incredible. God is always listening, we just have to “listen to God’s whispers, tune our hearts to Him and respond to his promptings.”

This week we look forward to learning more about:

How God is at work in our praying. He makes his will known to us so that we will ask for the very things he longs to give us. Out of love, he burdens us to pray for others so that, in response to our intercession prayers for them, he can pour out blessings on them. We are welcome to come to God with our concerns too and the needs of our families, friends, and neighbors. God wants to hear from us like a friend. Christ has opened the door for God to hear our prayers, Jesus has wiped away our sin, and we are beloved sons and daughters. God knows us by name and we have a place in his royal family.

We invite you to respond to what you are learning. Please post your thoughts and any “Ah Hahs” you are experiencing too!

Love To Pray is a 40 Day Devotional created to be an invitation to experience a deeper personal relationship with Jesus. It is our gift to you, we hope by reading it, that it will help transform the way we think about the practice of prayer.

This year a Guest Preacher at The Way Church said, “ I hope you are a praying church, seeking a deeper personal relationship with the God of all Creation.”
I recall thinking I don’t know yet, we are pretty new here, but I hope so.
At our Join The Circle event, we were asked how often we prayed, and I learned the practice of prayer is an area where further growth is desired by many people.

A friend gave my husband a copy of Love To Pray and we both wanted to learn more by reading a two page devotional daily. What we found were a series of “Ah Hahs” as we read with deeper understanding of what prayer is, and a clarity we never knew.

Our hope is that every person will want to join together and focus on giving our attention to Jesus as we read our daily 2 page devotional and reflect on what message God has for each of us. God desperately loves us and desires to be a part of our everyday lives.

This invitation is for us to be a Powerful Praying Church. That through our prayers God will respond in his mighty way with blessings as we Learn How To Love To Pray because…”People love to do the things they know how to do.” David Butts, former Chair of America’s National Prayer Committee.

Join in and experience Jesus’ love and guidance for us in our everyday lives.

Dear Followers of The Way Church,

1. Worship & Pancakes: Be sure to join The Way Church this Sunday, December 31st at 10 a.m. for the last worship gathering of 2023.  Then stay after worship and enjoy our all you can eat pancake bar.

2. College Football Playoff Championship Game (Sponsored by The Way's Men's Ministry): Everybody is invited to gather at The Way Church on Monday, January 8th at 6:30 p.m. to watch the college football playoff championship game. We'll be providing food from Brett Hull's Junction House. Bring some snacks and/or soda to share. We can't wait to see you there. Register to attend by going to: https://thewaywentzville.org/events?sapurl=LytxYmtzL2xiL2V2Lys1YjV2anhrL3JlZ2lzdGVyP2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZSZyZWNlbnRSb3V0ZT1hcHAud2ViLWFwcC5saWJyYXJ5LmNhbGVuZGFyJnJlY2VudFJvdXRlU2x1Zz0lMkJtY3NiM2pz&fbclid=IwAR1Lk51Qlbg4fi1mofDEmxcF3lMMD7XqVmoy1NCOSBSw7nbhxD5ddxQSwHg

3. Women of the Way Soup & Salad Dinner: We hope you’ll join the women of The Way on Saturday, January 20th at 5 p.m. for some great food and fellowship! Let us know you are joining us by filling out this link: https://thewaywentzville.org/events?sapurl=LytxYmtzL2xiL2V2Lys3YzV6eGNyL3JlZ2lzdGVyP2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZSZyZWNlbnRSb3V0ZT1hcHAud2ViLWFwcC5saWJyYXJ5LmNhbGVuZGFyJnJlY2VudFJvdXRlU2x1Zz0lMkJtY3NiM2pz

Have a great weekend.  I'll see you Sunday for worship & pancakes.  Until then, be DIFFERENT for Jesus.

Jimmy Cooper
Lead Pastor, The Way Church

Ten years ago today—on September 15th, 2013—293 people showed up to Peine Ridge Elementary School for the first public worship gathering of The Way Church.  Happy anniversary to The Way Church.

I want to say a word of thanks to everyone who has played a part in what God has done through The Way over the last ten years.  Your commitment, sacrifice, and service mean a lot to me personally.  More importantly, it has made a huge difference for Jesus and His kingdom work in the world.  I hope you can hear Him saying these words to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25.23).”

As The Way’s enters its 11th year of ministry, I hope that all of us will also take to heart what I shared this past Sunday. If you missed my message, I’d love for you to listen - the recording is available here. While God has been so good to The Way throughout the last ten years, we have only scratched the surface of what God wants to do TO and THROUGH The Way.  I believe with all my being not only that the BEST is YET to come, but also that much of God’s best is SOON to come.  

But what that will require is for every person who calls The Way their church home to get in the game.  Rather than coming to worship to “get fed,” how about we continue to create a Church community that makes people HUNGRY for a DEEPER, DIFFERENT relationship with Jesus.  In light of what the founder of the Methodist movement John Wesley once said (“Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”), I shared last Sunday that we are looking for folks who are FLAMMABLE.  Are you on FIRE for Jesus?  We should live in such a weird, strange, and DIFFERENT way that our lives don’t make any sense…unless…unless Jesus is Lord!

One of the ways we DEMONSTRATE a DIFFERENT way of life to a watching world is when we WORSHIP WITHOUT WALLS.  The Way’s next Worship Without Walls is on Sunday, October 15th.  We’ll be loving our neighbors and serving our community through a variety of mission and service projects.  You can sign up to serve at this link.  

Another element of your and my witness is showing up for worship every Sunday.  This weekend we’ll be hearing from Dr. Richard Knopp.  Rich Knopp is the Executive Director of Room for Doubt, which is the creator of our current “Basic Questions” series.  You can read more about Rich here.  

On your way to worship this week, be sure to grab some food for the kids we help feed who are on free and reduced-price lunch at Journey and Peine Ridge Elementary Schools.  You can find our “Operation Backpack” shopping list here.

I can’t wait to see you on Sunday at 10 a.m.  Until then, be DIFFERENT for Jesus.

Jimmy Cooper
Lead Pastor of The Way Church

Eight years ago today, 293 people showed up to Peine Ridge Elementary School to celebrate the launch of The Way Church in Wentzville.

On the one hand, it seems like only yesterday. At the same time, it feels as if it was so long ago. Then again, isn’t that usually true for most of those milestone moments in life?

Some of you reading this right now have been with The Way since the very beginning. You’ve run through a wall to help make God’s dreams come true. You mean more to me than words could ever say.

Others of you joined us at various points in this journey. No matter how long you’ve been with The Way, I’m so grateful for who you are and all you’ve done.

Church plants are built by the grace of God on the backs of the faithful. These are not your run-of-the-mill, fair-weather church fans. No. The ones I’m talking about are…different. They pray for their pastors everyday because they know he or she needs it. They make weekly worship a priority. They generously give of their financial resources. They serve both within and beyond the walls of their church building. They enthusiastically invite others along for the ride. Oh yes, the people I pastor are far better than I deserve.

The Way isn’t perfect. Particularly our lead pastor. Far from it. But each day we passionately pursue our mission of “developing disciples who declare and demonstrate a different way of life to a watching world.”

With that in mind…hey followers of The Way, would you do me a favor? In the comments section of this post, I’d like to know your biggest hopes and dreams for The Way.

As for me, my answer to that question remains the same: I want to be a part of a contagious community that is…different. I’ve got better things to do than play church. I want our life together to be curious and compelling to others because of our tenacious spiritual practices, authentic community, sacrificial generosity, tangible compassion, and above all our unconditional surrender to Jesus. Jesus went “All-In” for you and for me, and I want us to go “All-In” for Him.

Now, I know some of you reading this do not have a relationship with God. You may not even believe in God, but I want you to know that God believes in you. God loves you. God is with you. God is for you. God has good plans for you. Your best days are yet to be written. And if you ever want to have a conversation about any of these things, I’m listening.

I’d love for you to join us this Sunday at 9:30 & 11 a.m. at 1404 W. Meyer Road in Wentzville. They’ll be a cupcake waiting for you.

Happy 8th birthday to The Way Church. The best is yet to come!

Your Pastor,
Jimmy Cooper