MEET THE MINISTRY
Pray the Word Ministries is an interdenominational, Christ-centered ministry committed to teaching and training believers to pray more powerfully, confidently, and effectively using the Word of God.
Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
- Ephesians 6:17-18
Areas of Ministry
Consulting/Teaching
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Mobilizing
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Working Partners
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MEET THE FOUNDER
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Mary Ann BridgwaterPresidentMary Ann Bridgwater, Founder and President of Pray the Word Ministries, is very committed to expanding and enhancing prayer activity in her community, our nation, and throughout the world. A frequent speaker and prayer consultant, her passion is leading others to experience a prayer life where they walk in the awareness of the presence of a Holy God.
She and her family served as members of Houston’s First Baptist Church for 38 years. During that time, she served as a weekly bible study teacher and the Prayer Chair of the HFBC Missions Council. She also began the Sanctuary Consecration Ministry, Praying During the Worship Services Ministry, and the Staff Intercessory Prayer Ministry; as well as mobilized prayer for the annual church-wide Mission 1:8 Project, Pastor Sabbatical Ministry, various Women’s Ministry Events and to Houston’s refugees from throughout the world. |
Be it speaking, facilitating, and/or organizing, Mary Ann has led cross-denominational citywide prayer for spiritual awakening and mobilized prayer gatherings throughout the fifty states. In 2013, Mary Ann served as the Prayer Coordinator for the city-wide Loving Houston Project, and for both the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastor’s Conference and the SBC Annual Meeting. She also provided prayer covering for Pastor Prayer Summits in Houston, and taught and mobilized prayer for Pastor Conferences and gatherings in Israel, India, Philippines, Ukraine, Russia, and Romania.
For more than 25 years she has partnered with various ministries to provide prayer covering, including 17 years for Living Proof Ministries and 12 years for KSBJ, Houston’s leading Christian radio station and several years for Inspire Women. In addition, Mary Ann is recognized as a member of the National Prayer Committee.
Her writings include prayer guides for pastors, pastor wives, salvation, healing and wellness, marriages, as well as a variety of other topics. Some of her writings are: Being Still and Knowing God (a seven-part devotional), Consecration Prayer Journal, Personal Consecration Cards, Building a House of Prayer (a 10-week Bible Study), Praying for Community Transformation, and a 52 week devotional entitled Prayers for the Faithful.
Mary Ann has been happily married to her husband, Roger since 1975 and they have enjoyed serving together on many short-term international mission trips. They have two daughters and two sons-in-law, all in love with the Lord. They also have two grandsons, who took their first international mission trip with their parents at the ages of 3 and 5, and a very precious granddaughter whose brother was born in 2018.
For more than 25 years she has partnered with various ministries to provide prayer covering, including 17 years for Living Proof Ministries and 12 years for KSBJ, Houston’s leading Christian radio station and several years for Inspire Women. In addition, Mary Ann is recognized as a member of the National Prayer Committee.
Her writings include prayer guides for pastors, pastor wives, salvation, healing and wellness, marriages, as well as a variety of other topics. Some of her writings are: Being Still and Knowing God (a seven-part devotional), Consecration Prayer Journal, Personal Consecration Cards, Building a House of Prayer (a 10-week Bible Study), Praying for Community Transformation, and a 52 week devotional entitled Prayers for the Faithful.
Mary Ann has been happily married to her husband, Roger since 1975 and they have enjoyed serving together on many short-term international mission trips. They have two daughters and two sons-in-law, all in love with the Lord. They also have two grandsons, who took their first international mission trip with their parents at the ages of 3 and 5, and a very precious granddaughter whose brother was born in 2018.
MEET THE BOARD
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PASTOR LEE HSIAPTW Board Chairman
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Lee was first introduced to Houston's First Baptist Church because of Pray the Word Ministries. In 2008, Lee joined the staff of Houston’s First Baptist Church as Minister of New Initiatives, a role created for him, leading change in the church to engage the postmodern culture. Lee is responsible for its new initiatives of postmodern evangelism equipping, diversity outreach, new technologies, and ministry expansion. As a part of this expansion, the church launched a second location in the center of Downtown Houston, where Lee currently leads the diverse congregation as its pastor. In October 2012, on the occasion of its first anniversary, the church received a Recognition Award from the United States Congress for its role in forming a diverse congregation to help revitalize the Downtown Houston community.
Below is Lee's testimony about Pray the Word:
"Back while I was a college student at Rice, I visited many different churches around Houston on Sundays. The first time I visited Houston’s First was when the message was based on prayer. I remember the core of the worship service was getting in small groups and praying for each other, our city, and our world using a prayer guide. This prayer guide was full of Scriptures applied to us personally. It was so powerful to pray the Scriptures for ourselves, for each other, and for our community. I remember thinking to myself, for a church to be doing that, it must highly value the supremacy of the Bible and the power of prayer. That’s when I fell in love with the Houston’s First family.
This college student experience didn’t even dawn on me until recently, after 8 years of serving on staff at Houston’s First, and after being asked to be a board member of Pray the Word Ministries. Little did I know back then, that prayer guide that I so loved and cherished was developed by Pray the Word! I have really come full-circle"
~ Pastor Lee Hsia
Below is Lee's testimony about Pray the Word:
"Back while I was a college student at Rice, I visited many different churches around Houston on Sundays. The first time I visited Houston’s First was when the message was based on prayer. I remember the core of the worship service was getting in small groups and praying for each other, our city, and our world using a prayer guide. This prayer guide was full of Scriptures applied to us personally. It was so powerful to pray the Scriptures for ourselves, for each other, and for our community. I remember thinking to myself, for a church to be doing that, it must highly value the supremacy of the Bible and the power of prayer. That’s when I fell in love with the Houston’s First family.
This college student experience didn’t even dawn on me until recently, after 8 years of serving on staff at Houston’s First, and after being asked to be a board member of Pray the Word Ministries. Little did I know back then, that prayer guide that I so loved and cherished was developed by Pray the Word! I have really come full-circle"
~ Pastor Lee Hsia
PASTOR GARRY BLACKMON
Sr. Pastor, Crossway Christian Fellowship
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ILLY BLAISDELL
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ROGER BRIDGWATER
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