Hinsdale House of Prayer

[Key Guy]

From the Pioneer Local (suburbs of Chicago, USA)

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/clarendonhills/news/1568864,clarendon-hills-towncolumn-051409-s1.article

Quote:

The bungalow on 427 E. Walnut St. in Hinsdale would be unremarkable except that the former home is a sanctuary of sorts. A big crimson banner on its outside proclaims it the Hinsdale House of Prayer, and it is meant to be a place where you can leave your struggles in erasable chalk and mark your hopes and blessings in permanent ink. It is meant to be a place to "Seek God and all he is about, and he will supply all your needs," as an inside wall reads.

"This is meant to be a place in our community where anyone can stop at any time and talk to God," said Lidija Djordjevic, an associate pastor with the Hinsdale Seventh-day Adventist Church , which is located just next door on Oak and Walnut and which owns the bungalow. Djordjevic (pronounced George-o-vich) is one of the people responsible for the creation for the House of Prayer, or "HOP" as it has been nicknamed, though she will immediately explain that it is the result of inspired praying on the part of a group of people from different churches and occupations.

The House of Prayer has been busy since its February opening. On May 7, the National Day of Prayer, the former homestead was an end point of the Hinsdale Adventists Academy prayer chain, which consisted of the school's 270 kindergarten through high school students holding hands and praying. The day also marked the endpoint of a Week of Prayer the House of Prayer had commemorated starting with a celebration on May 1.

The peaceful, quiet and calming interior of the House of Prayer is the work of Milton Coronado, who is both the youth pastor for the Hinsdale Fil-Am Church on 59th and Garfield and a trained artist. His inspiration came not as a bright light moment but was itself the result of careful and thoughtful prayer, he said.

Upon entering, guests' eyes are drawn to the "Come to me..." invitation above the passageway into what is called the Journey room. "All who are weary and burdened...." is the message above the doors just to left leading to the Struggle Room. The Struggle Room would have once been an enclosed sun porch, and one of its walls is a chalkboard where visitors can note those specific issues weighing on them.

"It's great because it can be erased, just like our sins," Coronado said.

"Please help my mother feel better," one visitor has written. "Help me to know your will for my kids," asks another. Taped to the wall are news clippings labeled "Cries to God" and reminding us of the dire times seemingly outside of our control: swine flu, economic crisis, casualties in Afghanistan, violent and unprovoked crime.

To the other side of the Journey Room is the Hope Room where guests are encouraged to record in permanent ink their hopes, their thanksgivings and blessings. One wall is dedicated to prayers for the nation and the world, and guests have charted their prayers to specific spots on the world map: "I am praying for my son going to do mission work in French Guyana." "I pray for my family in Croatia." "Please help my sister with her surgery."

The House of Prayer also has a children's room where children can color and do crafts. A large and joyful mural on one wall is the donated work of a Korean professional artist.

The effect of the House of Prayer is meant to be relaxing and restful, Djordjevic said. If a guest were to doze off while visiting, that's OK.

"Sometimes, the holiest thing we can do is take a nap. We're on the go -- moving, moving, moving. God may be speaking to us, telling us just to take a break" she said.

Djordjevic, who is originally from the former Yugoslavia, joined Hinsdale Adventist in November 2007 after a nine-year career as a software engineer. So, when she says that sometimes we just need to rest, she knows of what she speaks.

Like Djordjevic, Cornado came in to his ministry after pursuing something else. In his case, it was four years of art school. But, he has come to see that the artist in him is a vital part of his ministry. The House of Prayer is one example of how art will work in that ministry, and he continues to learn how the two avocations will work together.

The hours for the House of Prayer are not easy to remember as it is normally closed on Mondays and Wednesdays, open from 3 to 10 p.m. on Sundays; 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays; 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays; 6 p.m. to midnight on Fridays; 2 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays. Visit www.hinsdalehouseofprayer.com for more information but more importantly, visit Hinsdale HOP, 427 E. Walnut, if you need to take a break from the world's cacophony.

"If you feel pressured out there, come in here and the pressure is off," Coronado said.