Opportunities for Prayer at Church of the Redeemer – Fall/Winter 2020

The modifications in daily life the pandemic has required of us are myriad. Some have forced us to go deeper with the Lord. Others, to be more intentional in our care for one another.  Both of these are true in the realm of prayer. Personally, I’ve noticed how much I depended on our various gatherings which provided natural opportunities to hear from you a word of encouragement, or to give one. I’ve missed the natural settings where we would talk before or after any kind of a church event, and then pray about whatever we’d just spoken of together—be it a prayer of thanksgiving, or a prayer of trust in the Lord.

What I have missed most of all, are the opportunities we had to minister in prayer during the Eucharist and following the Sunday service. When I would be at the front as the Deacon and look to the back of the sanctuary and see heads bowed in prayer and a small line of people waiting for prayer, my heart would sing. When I was privileged to be in the back, being prayed for, or praying for others, I was humbled by the Lord’s deep love and concern for all of us.

Last week a small gathering of regular and new prayer ministers gathered on Zoom to pray for one another and to talk about the challenges of offering prayer on technological platforms—phone, Zoom, whatever. An obvious challenge is privacy, a less obvious one, but no less huge—is not being able to ‘read’ how another is responding in prayer. This later one, though, is more than sufficiently met by the presence of the Holy Spirit as we pray! Praise God!

We want to continue to pray with and for one another. Listed here are the names of people of Redeemer who not only love to pray for others but feel called to do so. PLEASE, as you have concerns in your life you should not carry alone, call or text one of these people. Make a plan to pray. (Contact info on Breeze.) In our usual context, we would pray with a team of 2 prayer ministers. That is still most ideal. It may not always be possible. We leave it to your discretion and the discretion of the person you contact, to make a plan to include another or not, depending on the prayer need in your life. This prayer opportunity is intended to be 5-10 minutes long—as it might be at the end of the service. If a longer prayer appointment is indicated, please contact Deacon Dawn, Deacon Liz, or Father Paul. 

Blessings,

Deacon Dawn