Play & Pray meetings are times of prayer and meditation, during which classical & jazz musicians use their instruments to pray with and without words. Using Bible passages as inspiration, the musical prayer often resembles a flow seen in the book of Psalms, with extended times of selah – instrumental music that meditates on the Word.

These sessions are creative due to the spontaneous improvisations, yet at the same time contemplative, as there are frequent moments of silence in which we reflect on the words and sounds. Everyone is warmly welcome to listen and to join in prayer using their own instruments or voices. The musical sound scape of a Play & Pray meeting includes sung and spoken words, Scriptures, hymns, worship & lamenting songs, and can also include painters, dramatized texts, and dancers.

As different cities have different types of groups, the experience and sound scape can vary. In some cities, the Play & Pray movement has partnered with Houses of Prayer. A model of this can be experienced every month in Basel (Switzerland), where the Play & Pray team leads a 2-hour ministry time at hop Basel. This partnership also draws on the Harp & Bowl approach.