First of all a massive thank you to those who contributed to our Gift Day and Harvest Appeal and an extra thank you to all those who helped prepare, serve, wash up for our harvest lunch we had together. We will let you know the full amount that has been donated next week, but I can see already how generous and kind the parish is.
So Thank you.
It is not long now till we come to the point where we commit 24hours to praying to God as a united church. What a wonderful thing we can do! Praise God that we can do this without fear of persecution or attack. The only challenge might be from those who are not Christian who question why you are not responding to their text/ email/ phone call! But then again afterwards what an opportunity to share your reason for being out of contact! So yes it is soon TIME TO PRAY – starting at 5pm on 11th October – 5pm 12th October
I am thrilled that so many of us are signed up to pray over 24 hours between 5 pm on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th. The primary purpose of this time is to ask God to lead and direct us as Christ’s people at St Peter’s, into knowing what we should be doing and setting foundations for the coming years in our mission and outreach.
Suggestions for what you may ask God for:
- Ask God to help you to pray
- Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your prayer time
- Ask God to show us the needs of our community and how we might respond to them
- Ask God to show you what part He wants you to play That as we explore the ways forward, we are provided with the necessary resources and people to do what He wants us to do
- Ask God to show us the way…
- Ask God to give the leaders of St Petes wisdom and discernment
I appreciate that it isn’t an easy thing to pray for an hour. I always like to have worship music in the background and have a pen and paper close to hand. I also want to emphasise praying doesn’t mean you just have to be still and talk to God for your allotted time. For some of us, we find that God speaks to us when we are being creative – I like drawing or playing with clay, others find knitting or walking in a place where they can focus on God away from the normal distractions of life. The key thing, is that it is a dedicated time for you to be talking and listening to God, without things such as emails/texts/Facebook/TV/radio etc. It is an hour for you to be with your Father God.
Some scripture verses you might like to reflect on are:
- Romans 8
- Isaiah 43:18-19 – God calls us to let go of the past and cling to our new identity in Christ.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 – Each morning is a new opportunity to reflect on God’s work in your life.
- Jeremiah 29
- John 17:20-26
It’s still not too late to sign up either at the back of the church or online to pray for one hour or sign up online via this link: 24-7 Prayer International – Sign-Up .
