Wesley-isms: Encouragement Rooms

Have you ever felt distant from God and wished you could have an immediate phone conversation with Him?

If you’ve ever felt unsure of whether God really knows who you are or what you’re dealing with—or if you’ve never even entertained the idea—you might want to try out the ‘encouragement rooms’ held after Wesley’s Wednesday night service.
 
It’s not exactly a phone call, but Natalie Griffin, a second year intern serving Wesley’s Encounter ministry, said the rooms can be helpful for students that are struggling to believe God knows them or is close to them.  

“When He uses a stranger to speak about something in their life, I think it is really powerful, and it brings them back to a place where they know God really is present in their life, really near to them. He knows what's going on,” she said.

What exactly is an ‘encouragement room’ you ask?

Wesley’s Media team reached out to Natalie and Blake Wiggins, the associate director over the Encounter ministry, to find out a little bit more for you:

What would I experience?

If you come to an encouragement room, you would just experience someone praying for you then telling you what they think God is saying. You would usually sit with a group of Wesley interns—and that’s all you have to do, sit and receive. (And maybe bring a phone or a pen and paper to record what the interns say.)

What is the goal?

The main goal of an encouragement room is exactly as it sounds—to encourage you. We believe God has something good to say about everybody. No one is going to tell you anything you have done wrong or know about any secrets you have. All the room is designed to do is to help you leave more hopeful about your life and your relationship with God than when you came in.

This is weird, isn’t it?

This might seem very new-aged or mystical, but the idea of an encouragement room is rooted in the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul talks about the need for Christ followers to strengthen, encourage and comfort others through the spiritual gift of prophecy. Prophecy is just listening to God’s still, small voice for information you do not already know.

What do I do with what I receive?

After receiving words, it's important to go to the Bible, go to your personal prayer time and go to a discipler. If the word lines up with the truth in the Bible, and if it makes sense through the discernment God gives you in your own prayer or through your discipler, it's a safe bet that the word was from God.

The cool thing is, you don’t have to stop hearing God like this once you leave the encouragement room. All the interns are doing are asking God what He thinks about you and what He has to say to you. You can do the exact same thing on your own by asking Him the same questions.

OK I think I’m ready. How do I do this?

You can sign up for an encouragement room at the beginning of the Wesley service on Wednesday when you sign in for Lead or Grow. After the service, come out to the left side of the hallway surrounding Tate Grand Hall.
 
Author | Lindsey Conway