Mission Statement for The Ark House of Prayer

IHOP-LI: the Ark House of Prayer

Home is where the Heart is . . .
And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisees house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him; that she is a sinner. And Jesus answered him . . . For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little. Luke 7:37-49

Our Prayer
Lord, that You would be loved; That the nations would flock to You; That Your Kingdom would come.

IHOP-LI is bent toward nurturing and cultivating a community of lovesick worshippers who willingly pour out their lives as a love offering to Jesus and humanity through worship, intercession and deeds of justice-mercy in the power of His Love. This has three clear benefits: 1. Blessing the Bridegroom and exalting His Beauty 2. Blessing the Bride and calling her into her identity 3. Blessing the Land; creating an atmosphere of love expressed in power that is conducive to healing and evangelism with a sober understanding of the urgency of the hour we live in. In a time of prayer, the Spirit of the Lord laid these words on our hearts: I long for Long Island. See what I will do with an Island that longs for me. We are responding to His desire by asking that He establish a House of Worship/Prayer on Long Island that will move Him like a kiss blown straight to His heart. The Father is coming . . . and we long for Him.

Our Vision:
IHOP-LI: The Ark House of Prayer is just a baby. But it will, in its maturity, be a regional prayer base that we pray will carry Gods Heart for Long Island, NYC and the Nation in worship-filled prayer. IHOP-LI is ultimately intent on being a people who, in worship, prayer and practice, partner with our Bridegroom-King as He reveals and establishes His Kingdom and wonderful will on earth as it is in Heaven. As a dear friend prayed, we long to be the amen to Jesus prayers. Our hearts desire is to create a House that is first: completely focused on loving on the Lord, filled with worship of every diverse, expressive form and focused intently on the intercessory movements of His heart. We pray that people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds will come and lavish love freely on the Lord in worship-filled prayer 24/7/365. Second, within this Housewe desire to live out the second commandment Jesus gave to us: i.e., to love one another deeply(see also 1Peter 4:8) and to discover the joys of deep love revealed as Body of Christ in unity. We know that wont always be an easy endeavor, but its a goal we long for and have set our hearts toward nonetheless. Finally, we desire to be a House that facilitates refuge, safety, healing and freedom in Christ; a place where engagement with the Lord is unencumbered by artificial restraints and people are equipped to pray in the confidence of His love. In other words, we have set our course to be a place where people can freely come in just as they are, make themselves at home night/day, worship God and engage with Him in prayer till their knees are knobby and lives are changed which may include their own. We envision a vibrant mission base on Long Island where the Spirit of the Lord loves to be; an environment that pulsates with the energy of His Love and Presence. In the mix there will be mourning that leads to joy, deliverance and healing of the spirit, soul and body, evangelism, education and edification, freedom in all of its diverse expressions, unbridled creativity, playfulness and a clear sense of communal identity as an Ark of Refuge and an Ark of His Presence. In particular, we want to be a safe haven for the tax collector and sinner (i.e., you and me; the weak, the poor, the orphan, the alien, the widow, the broken and the untouchable, and the average Joe Christian just trying to find his way home) to meet with the Father in the dignity that Jesus righteousness imparts and to take their place as worshipping intercessors on behalf of their families and communities. Ultimately, the House of Prayer on Long Island is meant to be an extravagant love offering to both God and humanity, an extended invitation to come to Jesus and even a stark reminder that each of us, in Christ, are called to impact our sphere of influence with love, prayer and practice. As we meet, we will intentionally create sacred space that focuses on the Beautiful God in worship . . . and on His powerful love for the nations through prayer. Come pray with us. Lets be a people who say to Jesus We love You so . . . come here - come home.

Our Mission Statement: From Montauk to Manhattan: Every House a House of Prayer
In My Fathers House there are many dwelling places/rooms/mansions. John 14:2 Biblically, the house motif has always referred first to individual people and then to families, communities and nations. In Jesus all are brought together in unity. Jesus is the House of Prayer; the true intercessor and the meeting place of the Father and His children. When Jesus said, In My Fathers House there are many dwelling places, He was illuminating something about His Father, Himself and about us. First, lets ponder the revelation of Father. Father is His most magnificently inclusive revelatory name. Jesus demonstrated that truth with His whole life so we would grab a hold of it in reality. Father reveals that Hes all about having Sons and Daughters, a Family, a Body, and a Bride for His Son. It expresses a big bang love and the capacity for communion in and with Him. Second, He desires to dwell in and with us and third, that we will in fact dwell in and with Him. As Father, Hes really not interested in us (IHOP-LI) being an individualistic project or an independent ministry. All of this to say, the House of Prayer on Long Island belongs to the Father. So, in line with His heart From Montauk to Manhattan: Every House a House of Prayer is indeed our over arching goal. Ultimately, our prayer is bent toward every human being on Long Island, every family, every household, every church/synagogue and every community at large to be a House of Prayer until Long Island is one huge worship/prayer furnace of love toward the Father and humanity. It will require prayer, wisdom, patience, endurance, education, equipping and lots and lots of humility, meekness, forgiveness and love along the way. Because of this focus, we've set our hearts to serve any one bent toward being a house of prayer and we will lend our time, prayers and resources toward that end. This includes individuals, other Houses of Prayer, campus ministries, churches, synagogues, home groups, businesses, etc. Wherever there is a desire to meet with the Father in worship-filled prayer and we can help, we will. This way, we trust that eventually those who hear the Lord calling for them to become fulltime intercessory missionaries on Long Island will find a place to express that SOMEPLACE - whether here at IHOP or in another House on Long Island. As long as the Fathers House gets built, however it expresses itself in the end is ultimately going to be cool by us.

However, there is a subordinate mission that we believe will lend itself toward fulfilling the larger mission; creating a House of Worship-filled Prayer that is a centralized, regional mission base. It is here that we will: generate night and day worship and intercession, live in community, provide education/equipping and launch outward expressions of love, justice and mercy. Here we will create a space open 24/7 where people can intentionally marinate in the presence of the Lord and in love, He will set them on fire to passionately carry His intercession in/for their local church community. The bulk of our energy will be focused upon achieving this goal in order to facilitate the larger goal for the Island. In this mission base, we have deliberate intentions, an identity that we desire to cultivate and clear arenas of prayer and set values that we will focus upon. They are as follows:

Our intention in Mission is:

1. Learning to love God; ministering to Him night & day in worship and prayer 2. Learning to love people; partnering with Jesus to minister to them 3. Learning to champion true freedom: communicating the gospel in word and deed

Our identity in Mission is:

1. To be a love magnet; deeply attractive to God 2. To be in a love affair by facilitating worship-filled prayer 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year until Jesus returns in the fullness of His Glory. 3. To be a declaration of love; dreaming the Fathers Dream over the region in our thoughts, prayers and actions; i.e., caring about and responding to what God cares about deliberately focusing our energy in prayer on Long Island, NYC, the Nation and Israel. 4. To be a love story; calling people out as treasures, partnering with the Holy Spirit to release them into their identity as a Bride and relating to them in their beauty; stoking burning hearts into a united, consuming fire of passion for God and His delight and facilitating His passion for humanity by effectively releasing justice for the orphan, the widow, the alien, the downtrodden and the outcast; turning their hearts toward Jesus, their Kinsman-Redeemer and Bridegroom King 5. To be a love furnace for the Church and Israel; burning for God; worshipping corporately; covering the one new man in prayer, catalyzing evangelism and providing a sanctuary of rest, refreshing, healing and refuge for the saints 6. To be a love light; providing a revelatory environment for the purpose of encouragement, equipping and exhortation for intercessory missionaries that come to take up their watch enabling us to be available and watching at all times; i.e., to labor with Him wherever and whenever He pleases; beginning in worship and prayer and culminating in practical expressions of His love through justice, mercy and generosity. 7. To be a love bridge for the generations and the nations to pour love into one another while building a house that will prevail.

Our focus in Mission is Love, expressed through worship-filled prayer for:

1. The revelation of Jesus to and through our region and nation 2. The release of justice, mercy and healing to our area 3. The resolution of the corporate/individual needs of Long Island, NYC & the Church 4. The redemption of the generational, cultural and ethnic relationships of our people 5. The restoration of Jewish people/Israel on Long Island and in NYC 6. The reformation of the international influence of NY on the world arena 7. The resounding collective Spirit & Bridal cry Come; praying in the return of Jesus

Our values in Mission:

The House of Prayer on Long Island embraces six fundamental values in the expressions of our mission: I H O P L I Intercession Holiness of Heart Offerings of justice, mercy and generosity Prophetic hearts crying out for Jesus to return Love Intimacy

Intercession is based upon our bridal partnership with Jesus and filial relationship with our Father through Jesus and facilitated by the Holy Spirit. It springs from intimacy in worship. Worship is not a thing we do but something we are and we see worship, prayer and the prophetic as inseparable expressions of intercession. From this perspective, we have set the gaze of our hearts toward moving in sync with the Fathers heart. Our King is at all times making intercession on our behalf. (John 5:19ff, 1John 2:1, Romans 8:26) It is our great privilege to engage with Him in His labors as Lord of the Harvest. Holiness of Heart is also based upon our intimacy with God. He is the treasure we set our hearts gaze upon. We desire to be a people who love God and honor His faithfulness. We rely on the power of His love to make us what we can barely believe but hope fully for; i.e., that He is marvelously committed to being our Savior and our righteousness day by day . . . and that He loves us SO. Truly, it is by intimately drawing near and resting our head upon our Fathers heart that we are made holy. Offerings of Justice, Mercy and Generosity are incredibly significant to Gods heart. Biblical Justice is not about punishment; it is about making wrong things right and spending our strength on behalf of the weak and oppressed. Its about championing the cause of those who cannot advocate for themselves. It is always expressed synchronically with mercy and generosity. He is just, merciful and generous toward us in every capacity.

(See Matthew 5:45) He desires us to do and be the same toward others. Therefore, what we do with our resources reveals a great deal about our own hearts. The remarkable serendipity is that we are blessed and see increase beyond our own immediate provision when we grab hold of the riches of Gods love, grace, mercy and strength and release them on behalf of those in need. We want to be a people who sow freely and generously into His Kingdom. Trusting that He owns every resource in the universe and joyfully provides for all of our needs, we fast our time, energy, money and prayers for the purpose of engaging in Christs redemptive work and generously releasing justice and mercy on Long Island. We see our offerings as directly related to souls that He desires to reach with His great love. Blessed are the
merciful for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7) For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Prophetic relationship with God is vital to our effectiveness as a people in community. We seek to align ourselves with the testimony of Jesus; to hear His heart for His people by means of a thorough meditation on Scripture and sensitivity to the instructions that the Holy Spirit breathes through us corporately and individually. We desire to be a people that are moving with/dancing in step with His rhythms of grace. Truly, the song we dance to is the song of the Spirit and the Bride singing Come.
The Spirit and the Bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17

Love . . . is the true north point on our compass that we seek alignment with at all times. (See John 17, 1Corinthians 13, Ephesians 3:14-21) We believe true love is the hallmark of true revival. Without Love, our values are at best meaningless, and at worst damaging death even. Mission without Love is undignified and patronizing and all about numbers. Justice without Love is merciless and unforgiving and often violent. Creativity without Love is arrogant and pretentious and self-centered. Hospitality without Love is begrudging, ungrateful and bitter. Learning without Love is puffed-up, proud and disconnected. And Prayer without Love is manipulative and formulaic. Money and buildings and great stories and prophecies and healing and popularity and networks and whatever else without Love, its all meaningless, irritating noise. God, help us love one another 247 Prayer Website Intimacy with God and each other means transparency and unpretentious reliance upon His Love, Mercy and Grace. That means that we need to provide a sense of safety where we can come undone without the fear of judgment and reproach. There is no identity based upon sins. In truth, we are defined by relationship. Who we ultimately call Father and Savior is the defining matter. Is it the father of lies or the Father of Lights?

Were intent on true freedom and releasing people from shame. Anyone who would choose to shame or condemn someone else has truly not understood the mercy and grace extended to him or her.
The secret (intimacy) of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. (Psalm 25:14) But God, being rich in His mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:4-5) Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Our desires more fully expressed:

To love, honor and dream with God enjoying Him moving freely in our midst and recognizing that hanging out with Him and doing whatever He wants to do is always much more fun and life-giving than any of the stuff we try and come up with on our own To minister to God and people in and through worship-filled prayer 24/7/365 To set our hearts on knowing God; seeking to understand Him and caring about what He thinks To operate from the assumption that He loves people and therefore we need to love people To practice love and transparency in all of our relationships recognizing that although were probably going to mess that up regularly, practice makes permanent To know our own weakness and lean on His strength To recognize our insecurities identifying them for what they are and finding some peace in the fact that although we are currently immature lovers of God, the Author and Perfecter of our faith is able to mature us into our true identities To recognize that our true identity is in Christ and walk in the security of who He is To foster a community that lives, breathes, talks and walks in unpretentious intimacy with God and people To fan the flame of desire for Him and encouragement for each other To express this reality in healing & prophetic ministry as a norm for Christian life To foster the love life of kingdom living in every sphere of influence we have To provide a safe, mutually honoring forum for the body of Christ to interact, encourage, equip and support one another To cultivate depth, maturity, servant leadership and the fully expressed gifts of the people serving with us To communicate ardent support for the local church in prayer and deed

To nurture a ready sense of belonging for all who seek to minister to God with us in what ever capacity they can To meet people where they are rather than where were tempted to think they ought to be affirming them with tears, comfort, laughter and playfulness, the mundane Hey, how ya doin? Ok, how bout you? and the powerful depths of transparent honesty; communicating to a truly listening heart To stay the course through the doldrums of I got nothing and delightful bursts of creative exploration and expression To pursue relationship over religion To intentionally communicate a mold free environment for prayer i.e., not obsessing over regulating each others dress, behavior or speech leaning hard on the law of love rather than the shackles of shame to guide our interactions To be an extension of justice, mercy and generosity that is sensitive to and welcoming to people on/off the street To engage and care for people - nurturing an atmosphere where all of us can engage more freely and deeply with God because of the expressed tenderness and kindness of His body - the church To cultivate an understanding that Jesus not only hung out with societys untouchables, i.e., prostitutes, women, lepers, thieves, tax collectors & a plethora of other truly first rate sinners but He actually liked them, cared for them and loved them - a lot - healing them joyfully - unencumbered by the fear of contamination To invite these - our fellow sinners- to come to Jesus; understanding that he who is forgiven much loves much . . . and we have been forgiven much To operate from the paradigm that because of Jesus, we can run into God without shame in honesty and transparency, confessing our sins and receiving mercy and grace to overcome them; that we can audaciously and extravagantly kiss His feet in worship understanding that He knows us including all the things we secretly wish He didnt and that He really, truly, freely does love us To marvel daily that He has, with seemingly reckless abandon, paid the price for our sins, transgressions and iniquities imputing and imparting His righteousness . . . to us To be a place where the poor have the gospel preached to them and relief provided for them To love people fiercely up close and personal To refrain from judging others - understanding the overwhelming mercy God shows us in forgiving us daily To remind ourselves regularly to be the 1 out of 10 lepers the one who comes back to thank Him To be a people who understand the grace of God and the God of grace To celebrate and enjoy our identities as a motley crew of average Joe Christians just trying to make our way home To abstain from the temptation to try and be the latest Hot Christian thing in favor of promoting Jesus the Real Thing

To seek out the hidden intercessors and the misunderstood in the Body restoring dignity to their identities and relationship to the Church and providing a safe haven for them to explore the callings of God To diligently look for God in people and circumstances To embrace those who believe they have no way of belonging to the church To love, heal, equip and restore people to the glory God intended for them To worship God, pray intently and hasten the return of our King by being part of the collective cry of the Spirit and the Bride saying Come.

Additional values:
The Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit; people, worship, prayer, playfulness, laughter; a tear and a smile; loving fiercely, enjoying life/each other; growing in faith and wrestling with the change that comes alongside it; hope; dreaming with God and each other; dreaming the Fathers dreams rather than our enemys; relationship; families; cultural distinctives & diversity; equipping the body of Christ - from the little ones to the gray ones; artistic freedom and diversity in worship; relational evangelism and the joy of introducing someone to Jesus; reality, transparency and unpretentiousness; poverty of spirit; extravagant generosity, the fast of Isaiah 58, kindness; the mystery of God, keeping our eyes on our own paper and not judging everyone elses answers; the MOMA, Nassau Coliseum, Madison Square Garden; the Yankees and the Mets; Central Park, the Vanderbilt Planetarium; the Arboretum, cruising on the North Shore, the Robert Moses Causeway, Montauk Point, Fire Island and every beach that faces the Atlantic Ocean; safety for people to expose their hearts and their emotions; the Shinecock Nation; an occasional moment of silence for Elvis thank you, thank you very much; Swing, Salsa, the Hustle, the Stroll, and sometimes even the Electric/Cha-cha slide; dancing in the kitchen, on the back deck, in the yard or any place we find our groove, and of course . . . watching people freely and gleefully making fools of themselves in order to do the Chicken Dance; being a safe haven for young people and those who care for them; family style meals; nickel and dime poker with friends who will always be family; power evangelism; listening to and talking with God; dreams, visions, translations, transfigurations and walking through walls; the suddenlies of God; daydreaming and enjoying shapes in the clouds; barbeques, good music, the hits of the 70s; dinners over looking the Long Island Sound; front yard football, backyard volleyball, the smell of suntan lotion and frying our skin at the beach; laughter and stupid humor; Romance; chick flicks, comedies, llamacamelcow puppets, Saturday morning cartoons, Pixar animation and the occasional gratuitous violence of a good action/adventure movie; reading a good book; taking the time to hear peoples stories and affirm their value; Veggie Tales, Dr. Seuss, Star Wars, Star Trek and Van Goghs Starry, Starry Night not necessarily in that order; being a source of blessing to Long Island and the local churches/ministries; seagulls when theyre not stealing our food; Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches; crisp bacon in the morning; did I mention dancing in the kitchen?; Delis, fresh bagels, Chinese food, authentic Pizzerias; Starbucks, ATMs and 7- Eleven; walking on water, running through water, swimming in water, floating on water and then, of course, sunlight dancing on water; singing stars, clapping trees, rocks that praise and waves that bow at His feet; clear, accurate, biblical, love-filled teaching; Gods amazing

imagination and ingenuity expressed in the extravagant diversity and genius of creation at a microscopic and macroscopic level theres a mouthful; engaging, challenging speakers that give it their best shot to do what they teach, lead you to where theyve been and point you lovingly toward Jesus the whole way through; half-way decent concerts that host relatively obscure gems and on your face worship leaders that really, truly just adore God; Jesus Rainbows and True Love; finding new ways to avoid traffic jams; getting lost with the strange comfort that all roads eventually lead back to the LIE; spontaneous music jams under a star-lit night; sitting around the fireplace laughing and talking - while all the wannabe pyromaniacs badly practice self-restraint; baby bellies to blow bubbles on and tiny fingers and toes to nibble on; the laughter, joy, healing and peace that comes from doing that; colorful meals; Ronald McDonald House; the House of Blues; the House of Worship; the House that Love Builds i.e., the House of Prayer; freedom for the Holy Spirit to do His thing; the gifts of the Holy Spirit moving in stereo; people who are falling in love with Jesus and love Doin the Stuff with Him; being a people in love - with God and each other; giggle fits and gasping, side splitting laughter mostly at inappropriate times and especially in the middle of prayer, weddings and funerals; intimate, transparent, engaging small group ministries; wonderful, deep, late night conversations that make you question whether going to sleep at this hour is really worth it; ministry to the poor in spirit, the poor in possession, the lonely, the widow, the orphan and the broken hearted; seeing the mentally ill fully restored; physical, emotional, relational and spiritual healing; exploring, creating and releasing multi-media expressions of worship; all sorts of missions and ministries at home and abroad; other Houses of Prayer and the people crazy enough to do them; kids that are confident enough to interrupt because they know theyre loved, they belong and therefore - they can; the satisfaction of hard work and a job well done; an understanding that God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose; joy in adversity; the promise of victory and hope; the unity of shared identity and purpose within the whole body of Christ; love and respect between the Catholic and Protestant Church; Synagogues and the bonus of Jewish Holidays in September; watching God and His kids move in sync; living and loving on Long Island & NYC; and . . . adding you and your quirky distinctive to this list.www.IHOP-LI.com

Our Specific Goals and Objectives:

How will we facilitate and promote Every House a House of Prayer in spirit and truth? How will we build a regional mission base? How will we build a community of intercessory missionaries? Individual Prayer Slots Sacred Trusts Small Groups Prayer Leaders Worship Teams Burns Internships Playtime Discipleship What will we teach?

Harp & Bowl Intimacy End Times Bridal Paradigm Kingdom Living Spiritual Gifts Artistic Worship How will we build outward missions of justice and mercy? How will we finance the House of Prayer? What is the leadership structure necessary to fulfill this mission?