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 Pharisee’s 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 God’s 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 heart’s 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 “House”we 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 won’t always be an easy
endeavor, but it’s 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. Let’s 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 Father’s 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 Father’s House there are many dwelling places”, He
was illuminating something about His Father, Himself and about us.
First, let’s 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 He’s 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, He’s 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 full-
time 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 Father’s 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 Father’s 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 Intercession
• H Holiness of Heart
• O Offerings of justice, mercy and generosity
• P Prophetic hearts crying out for Jesus to return
• L Love
• I 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 Father’s 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 heart’s 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 Father’s heart that we are made holy.

Offerings of Justice, Mercy and Generosity are incredibly significant to God’s 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. It’s 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 God’s 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 Christ’s 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, it’s all meaningless, irritating noise. God, help us love one another…” 24-
7 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?
We’re 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 we’re 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 we’re 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 society’s
“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 didn’t – 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 Father’s dreams rather than our enemy’s; 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 else’s 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 70’s; 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 people’s stories and affirm their value;
Veggie Tales, Dr. Seuss, Star Wars, Star Trek and Van Gogh’s Starry, Starry Night – not
necessarily in that order; being a source of blessing to Long Island and the local
churches/ministries; seagulls when they’re 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; God’s amazing
imagination and ingenuity expressed in the extravagant diversity and genius of creation at
a microscopic and macroscopic level – there’s a mouthful; engaging, challenging
speakers that give it their best shot to do what they teach, lead you to where they’ve 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 they’re 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?