Ektenos (ἐκτενῶς)
17 – 19 April 2026

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QCCC Mapleton
Cost: $215

For this season, we’ll be gathering on tranquil farmland, inviting you to bring whatever accommodation suits you best; a tent, swag, camper van, caravan, or just your sleeping bag. It’s a chance to slow down even further, sleep under the stars, and draw near to God in the beauty of His creation.

We’re creating space for simplicity and connection with nature as we come together to PUSH in persistent prayer.

The Effectual, Fervent, Prayer

Saved by grace and grace alone, we are not only forgiven but empowered to live like Christ, for Christ, in Christ, with Christ and through Christ. Grace is not passive; it is the divine strength that shapes our posture and fuels our pursuit of God. With Christ as our example, fervency becomes more than emotion. It becomes a way of living and praying with wholehearted devotion.

Hebrews 11 recounts the heroes of faith, and Hebrews 12 reminds us that we are surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses.” This cloud is filled with men and women who sought God with intensity, humility and unwavering trust. Their lives testify that fervent prayer is marked by deep conviction, persistent dedication and an earnest longing for God’s presence.

Throughout Scripture we see individuals who prayed with this “boiling-point” devotion, hearts fully surrendered, voices lifted in faith, and spirits anchored in hope. Their stories invite us not merely to admire them, but to join them in the same posture of expectancy and surrender.

You are warmly invited to step into this legacy of prayer.

Join us for a prayer retreat, a sacred space to pause, seek God deeply, and rekindle fervency of heart. Together we will reflect on the prayers of those who have gone before us, learn from their example, and create room to encounter God personally and powerfully. Come ready to be refreshed, renewed, and reminded that the same grace that sustained them is available to us today.

Some heroes of our faith:

  • Jesus: He is the ultimate example, often rising early to find solitary places for prayer. In Gethsemane, He prayed so fervently in His agony that His sweat became like drops of blood.
  • Hannah: She prayed with such “bitterness of soul” and silent intensity for a child that the priest Eli initially mistook her for being intoxicated.
  • Elijah: He is explicitly cited as a model of “effectual fervent prayer”. On Mount Carmel, he prayed persistently seven times for rain with his face between his knees until a cloud appeared.
  • Daniel: Known for his unwavering discipline, he prayed fervently three times a day, even when it risked his life. He also famously fasted and prayed for 21 days for understanding.
  • Jacob: He “wrestled” with an angel until daybreak, refusing to let go until he received a blessing.
  • Moses: He spent 40 days and nights in intercession and fasting for Israel, successfully pleading for God to spare the nation.
  • Nehemiah: Upon hearing of Jerusalem’s desolation, he spent days mourning, fasting, and praying before the God of heaven.
  • Epaphras: A coworker of Paul mentioned in Colossians 4:12 as “always labouring fervently” in prayers for others.
  • Anna: A prophetess who served God with “fastings and prayers night and day” at the Temple for many years.
  • Hezekiah: When faced with a terminal illness, he turned his face to the wall and prayed so fervently that God added 15 years to his life.

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much

James 5:16

Meditation Scriptures

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.
Acts 12:5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God intensely by the church.
1 Timothy 2:8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Mark 12:30-31 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart

1 Peter 1:22

To register for the upcoming retreat, simply fill out the  Registration Form with your details, and we’ll let you know once your spot is confirmed.