Asking the clergy: Is a house of worship the best place to pray?

Pastor Gary Stevens, New Beginnings Christian Center, Coram:

Sometimes, but not always. There are times when individuals need to touch God in prayer in their everyday life when they are not gathered with the church in a building. There is an invitation in the New Testament to come aside and be alone with God. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus said to shut your door and enter your closet of prayer to do business with God alone. Psalms 145:19 says, "He will hear their cry." It is special to God when we cry out in prayer to him for special needs in our lives. The best place to pray is in the place of need. The best altar is the one you build in you heart when you want to talk to God. The lord is waiting for the heart cry of his people so he can release his heart back to us. So don't hesitate to pray whenever and wherever your heart needs God.

Vicar John Flack, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church of Floral Park:

I have lived in many houses. Some were tiny, some big. One had a view of Lake Michigan, another of a brick wall. I don't remember every house as much as I remember what happened inside them - eating Sunday dinner, fighting with my sister about doing the dishes, opening presents on Christmas Eve, beginning a new family with my wife. The house never mattered as much as the combustible combination of my family living there, bursting sometimes into heat, sometimes into light. We think of worship houses as sacred spaces. They are as sacred as any other house. But they are special because of what happens inside them. There, God gathers us together into a more potent combination: God's family, set on fire with his spirit. So pray: pray wherever you are, pray without ceasing. But pray also in worship, together with all of God's family. You never know what might happen.

The Rev. Mavis E. Stephenson, pastor, Unity Temple of Christ, Laurelton:

One can pray anywhere and everywhere because God is omnipresent. His spirit dwells in each one of us, therefore, he is always available to us. Every time that we turn our thoughts in acknowledgment of his presence and power within us as the source and substance of our lives, we are praying and worshiping him. However, we come together in a house of worship, a designated sacred space, to honor God collectively, to have fellowship with each other, and to share our spiritual gifts with each other. The master teacher, Jesus Christ, said in Matthew 18:19-20 that where two or three are gathered in his name, and are in agreement concerning anything, he is there in the midst. It is understandable then that the energy for prayer and for worship is much greater in unity with others. We have a responsibility individually and collectively to raise humanity to a higher level of awareness of the presence and power of God, and I believe that we can do that in a greater way as a collective body, the church.

Rabbi Art Vernon, Jewish Community Center of West Hempstead:

What is the "best" place to pray? A place which inspires awe and holiness and which encourages the worshipers to reach out to God. Our tradition teaches that wherever the congregation gathers to pray, God is present. Judaism puts emphasis on the group of worshipers rather than the place. The synagogue has no special holiness; it is not consecrated space. However, we do require a quorum, a minyan, 10 adult Jews, in some Jewish groups 10 adult men. There are circumstances in which the synagogue may be the ideal location, but not always. For example, when mourners are observing shiva, the week following the burial of a family member, the service is brought to the house of the mourners. Moreover, Judaism recognizes that the natural world inspires prayer and therefore requires that a place of worship has at least one window. Some of the most inspiring services take place at Jewish summer camps in outdoor facilities, which many youth find very meaningful. While the synagogue certainly is a good place to worship, it is neither the only place nor the "best" place for Jews to pray.