OTTAWA, ON—Rob and Fran Parker are the unlikely impetus behind a vision to establish a Christian presence in the nation’s capital dedicated to praying for government. And now their dreams are coming true.
A decade ago, Rob was pastor of a Baptist church in Vernon, B.C. when “God put on our heart a need to increase prayer.” The couple took that message to heart personally and professionally. Within a year their entire church was keenly involved in a major prayer emphasis. “It became front and centre of everything we did,” says Rob.
“In the midst of that, God gave us a burden for the lost and for the nation,” he continues, pausing to explain that “burden for the nation” means taking a “greater interest in governmental decisions that affect us all.”
Rob’s commitment was so keen that in 2000 he led a prayer walk from Calgary to Ottawa. Two people covered the full distance in 73 days. “We celebrated when we arrived in Ottawa,” he recalls. “As we prayer-walked around embassies, I felt God say to me there needed to be an embassy of prayer in Ottawa.”
The idea deepened over the next few years as Rob looked for people to take up the call and make it happen. It took a while, but in October 2003, “God made it clear it was me He had called.” A few months later the Parkers moved to Ottawa and began looking for a place to establish the National House of Prayer.
One of the buildings they saw had been vacant for two years. Built in 1920 as a residence for priests and nuns, it had most recently served as a convent for the Daughters of Wisdom. The Parkers liked the building and its location quite close to Parliament Hill, but it carried a hefty $1.8-million price tag.
“China behind you”
But strange things happen to the Parkers. At a prayer conference they met a “prophetic-words” preacher named Bobby Connors, who told Rob some strange things. “He said, ‘I see this antique lantern, and I see the wick coming higher and higher. Then I see an archway, and a poster behind you, which says “China.’”
“And then he said: ‘I see China behind you. I see Chinese people around you. I see you in China in the midst of revival,” recalls Rob. “There was more, but he repeated ‘I see the archway’ and ‘I see China behind you’ three or four times.”
Five weeks later, in May 2005, Rob was at the former convent with a realtor and a team of people who came to pray about the building. As they stood on a second floor balcony and looked toward the Parliament buildings, Rob heard the agent casually tell him, “there’s China behind you.”
“I said, ‘What did you say?’ He repeated it. I spun around and looked through an archway and saw the front door of the Chinese embassy. It’s the only place in the building you can see it from.”
With quickened spirits the Parkers and their partners determined this was indeed the building to buy. “The figure I had in mind to offer was $900,000,” only half the asking price, says Rob. But then, “the owner, without a word from me, said: ‘I don’t know why I’m going to do this, but I’m willing to let the building go for $900,000.’”
They put in the offer and then set about the task of finding the money—$500,000 needed in three months. With supporters like the Miracle Channel in Lethbridge, Alberta getting behind the project, they raised $350,000. But as the closing date drew near, they were still short. And the roof required $50,000 for repairs.
On a Sunday evening speaking engagement in Toronto, Rob described the House of Prayer vision to a Chinese congregation. He didn’t mention the financial need. But after the service, the pastor asked the group of about 150 if they would give the project an interest-free loan. “They came up with $275,000,” says Rob. “None of them were rich; none own their own business. They gave sacrificially. They amazed us.”
Teamwork
The Parkers took possession of the building in mid-October and launched into a series of improvements and renovations. Donors provided appliances, beds and labour and the building has been in almost constant use. With more than 30 beds, they are equipped to host prayer teams from across the country, providing accommodations and the staging ground for prayer walks throughout the capital.
“Ottawa is a spiritual gateway to the rest of the nation. It is the seat of government. Decisions made here affect us all,” says Rob. “1 Timothy 2 commands us to pray for those in authority,” he continues. “When we do that it starts to change the climate of a city or nation so that the gospel becomes more effective and powerful to bring a harvest into God’s Kingdom. This is a strategic place of prayer.”
According to Rob, the prayer teams (including many young people) come to Ottawa “to pray for Parliament and the decisions that affect our whole nation.” They aim “to bring a positive presence of a praying Church” so that God will “influence those decisions for righteousness and the good of our nation.”
