Prayer is an essential part of the life of the church.
In it’s simplest form, prayer is talking with God and this can be done anywhere and at any time. You might be alone or in a group setting, in a public space or privately.
In the Bible it tells us to pray continually with all sorts of prayers: thanksgiving, adoration, confession and to bring our requests and petitions (intercessions) before a loving father who loves it when we communicate with him.
Jesus taught his disciples to pray by giving them the Lord’s prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed by your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
And the glory are yours
Now and for ever. Amen.
We sometimes use this prayer within our church services. It also provides a great framework for our prayer life.
As well as a sense of continuous communication with God we have opportunities within the life of the church for intentional focused prayer.
Prayer within the Sunday service:
As our services are informal so we don't have any set formats or use a common book of prayer. Sometimes we will use responses as a way for all to participate in praying as wll as the occasional opportunity for open prayer where anyone is welcome to lead us by saying their prayer out loud. During the service we seek to cover every aspect of prayer, thanksgiving and adoration, confession and intercession. The intercessory prayer, where we bring the needs of our world, community and church before God are led each week by different members of the church.
Weekly prayer:
We meet together on Zoom every Wednesday from 7.30-8.00pm to seek God’s guidance for the life of our church to be shaped by God’s purposes and join in with what God is already doing in our community.
Monthly prayer:
Once a month (see the diary for dates and venue) we meet to pray together. At these meetings we cover a number of topics and themes across the year for example, our local schools, world needs and care for others.
24/7 prayer:
On occasion when a deep need is identified, such as someone connected to the church suffering from cancer, or facing a serious medical operation, the church covers a 24 hour period by each person taking an hour to pray.
Prayer WhatsApp group
There is also the option for those who regularly worship with us to join a prayer WhatsApp group ‘Prayer needed’. Here needs can be shared throughout the week in the confidence that as a church we will lift the request before God.
Minister’s prayer
At the start of each week, our minister also privately messages each person connected to our Sunday congregation asking if there is anything that she can be praying for in the coming week.
All these ways of encouraging prayer helps to keep communication with God at the centre of all we do.