Inspired by the story of Joshua and the Israelites marching around the city of Jericho until God miraculously destroyed the city walls (Joshua 6:1-27), the Jericho Prayer March involves marching around the block where your Planned Parenthood facility is located, praying for God to deliver your community from the evils of abortion.
- How to hold a Jericho March
- When to hold your Jericho March
- Plan your Jericho March route
- Make your own Jericho banner
- Use “battalions” for a large crowd
- What if there is no way to circle the abortion facility?
How to hold a Jericho March
In its simplest form, your group will simply march around the block in silent prayer. However, there are several ways you can make this event more elaborate and memorable.
Start with an opening prayer after participants have gathered, possibly led by a local clergyman, then lead your marchers in hymns and prayers as you march around the block.
Designate individuals to lead the group in hymns or prayers for different segments of your march—such as clergy from different denominations.
Carry a special banner with a cross on it (instructions below), reminiscent of the Crusaders, or other religious images.
March around the block seven times, just as the armies of Joshua circled Jericho seven times on their final day.
At the conclusion of your march, gather for a final prayer or hymn, and share any marching orders for your group.
When to hold your Jericho March
You can hold your Jericho Prayer March any time during the day, but we generally recommend the morning on a Saturday. People tend to have many activities on a Saturday, and you are likely to draw the largest crowd with a morning event.
Plan your Jericho March route
Well in advance of your event, map out the route you plan to take and do a walk-through to see if there are any logistical concerns.
For example, if there are streets to be crossed on your route, youll need to be aware of that and designate leaders to facilitate a large group crossing. If you have a particularly large crowd, you may want to send them out in smaller groups to ease these kinds of concerns (See Use battalions for a large crowd below.)
Youll also want to take into account any regular sidewalk counseling presence at the facility, to ensure your event does not disrupt this life-saving outreach.
Make your own Jericho banner
To make your Jericho March more visually appealing and inspire your volunteers, you can make your own Jericho banner, like the ones depicted in the photos on this page. Some groups will use multiple banners, having a group process behind each one. Get your Jericho banner instructions here [PDF].
Use “battalions” for a large crowd
If you have a very large crowd, larger than one hundred people or so, you may wish to lead people around the block in “battalions” or “waves” of people. This is especially important if you have to cross streets along your route, as a very large crowd crossing streets can cause traffic problems.
Designate battalion leaders, ideally carrying a banner or some other kind of standard, to lead the crowd in smaller groups around the block. Be sure to provide each battalion with any prayer or song materials you have as they leave.
If using a battalion approach, you may wish to only circle the block once instead of seven times as the multiple waves will have a similar effect.
As each wave returns, encourage them to stay until all the waves are complete so that you can all join together in a closing prayer or song.
What if there is no way to circle the abortion facility?
It may be the case that there is no convenient route for circling the block on which your abortion facility is located. In such a case, you may wish to map an alternate route in the area, starting and ending at the abortion facility. If youre having difficulty with this, contact the Pro-Life Action League for help.
