Peter, Doug, and I started meeting in the basement of the Catholic Church in Rowley, not too far from Peter’s house. We would talk, pray, and worship to CD’s that Peter played at first on his boom box, and later used the church amplified system. We would listen and worship to some of the best worship music in the world. It was amazing. Three guys wanting to get together to do this. We would sing our hearts out to the Lord, pray for each other and the church. Monday night, every week.
Others found out about our meetings. Some we invited. Others heard about them. It was nothing super formal. We would say hello and chat with each other and put on a CD. Some would sit. Some would stand. People would ask for prayer and often people would just get prayer during worship.
Everyone kept coming for worship and prayer and brought their friends. They said they could feel the presence of God there. People from all different church groups came.
There was a point when things changed. Peter’s daughter, twelve years old, began coming to the meetings and at one meeting, while we were all worshiping, began to dance. She was dancing to the Lord!
Many started dancing during worship after this.
Gordon Conwell Seminary was only one town away, and at one point, after hearing about our meetings in the basement of this Catholic Church, ten to fifteen came to participate and see if what they heard was true: that you could feel God’s presence.
During one particular worship time, with many arriving after we were all worshiping, this overwhelming heaviness came over me. I knew it was the Lord, so I just laid down on the floor. This was not unusual and often people would lay down to worship or pray. There came a point lying there that I felt like I could not move, and the music had stopped. There was no noise. I started thinking about what these new people would think. There was not a sound. I was finally able to get up on one elbow. Most of the room was on the floor like me and others were slouched over in their chairs. No one was standing.
I looked at the clock on the wall and twenty minutes had gone by with not anyone making a sound. I could not understand this at the time. I thought maybe five minutes at the most had gone by.