[1] Initially founded in Washington D.C. to focus on prayer for the 2004 United States presidential election,[2] Engle credits a series of dreams and visions with inspiring him to start a house of prayer in Washington D.C.[3] They choose to operate in locations that are considered religiously or politically liberal, rather than in more conservative parts of the country.
[4] JHOP organizers attempt to locate their buildings near areas that they deem to be spiritually significant, such as the United States Supreme Court or Harvard University.
[5] Neocharismatic in theology, JHOP members often interpret dreams, speak in tongues, and claim to have occasional visions.
[5] In 2006, a writer for the Boston LGBT newspaper Bay Windows accused JHOP of bigotry against the gay community, citing their practice of praying that same-sex marriage would not be legalized.
[10] In 2008, a group of Christians regularly met for prayer meetings on a street in the Castro District, a largely gay neighborhood of San Francisco.