Weekly Prayer – July 20, 2022

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of July 20, 2022

Rev. Jan Buxton Wade

Good and gracious God, Lord of the universe, Lord of all that is, Lord of our hearts, our souls burst forth with gratitude for your astounding love and care. Your name is written throughout your glorious creation – upon each star and planet, upon the sun and moon, upon our blessed earth, and upon space which expands into infinity. Where we fit into your divine plan remains in part such a profound mystery, yet we know enough to bow in humility for the gift of life itself, for the fact that you have included us in your majestic ordering, and for your wondrous goodness that is written out for each of us in the ordinariness of our days.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.

Good and gracious God, we cannot detect the intricacy of the ways in which you are working in our individual lives, but the influence of your Spirit bears witness to your enlivening power all around us. When we find the misery of the world overwhelming, we see those who never lose heart. When our own voices are too weak to speak out against injustice, we hear resounding echoes of those who will not rest until equality is manifest. When we become weary of those who are marring and polluting the earth, there are your ceaseless followers bringing about the sweet waters of change. Tune our hearts also, we pray, to the spirit song that intones holy hope and restoration; then we, too, will become part of that resilient company bringing about your kingdom on earth.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.

Good and gracious God, Lord of family and community, deflate our insensitivity in taking your gifts of relationship for granted; for truly our reliance upon our brothers and sisters is part of your sacred plan. Into our anxiety, plant your peace; where there are divisions, sow unity; where there is indifference, may concern blossom; and where anger rules, let understanding flourish. All things are

possible through your grace, so bestow that grace upon your people, we pray, until all hearts beat with your incomparable love.

Loving Lord, hear our prayer.

And remembering our bond with each one connected with our Church Street family, we offer their specific prayers on their behalf:

  • Prayers appreciated – family felt steady support during bereavement
  • Thankful widowed friend is returning to worship
  • Grateful for prayers: medical mission in support of women & children in Namibia was successful & many were blessed
  • Thankful for a father’s 84th birthday
  • Gratitude: a sister’s hip surgery with no complications
  • Celebration by one whose hand ailment has been cured
  • Thanksgiving for an exceptional family vacation
  • Family grateful: father’s cancer surgery went smoothly
  • Gratitude for prayers: frail friend survived July 13 surgery
  • Thanksgiving for Holston Conference & its outpouring of aid for disaster relief both in our nation & throughout the world
  • Prayers for wife having heart surgery this week at Mayo Clinic
  • Solace for family mourning the recent death of a nephew
  • Pray for miraculous healing of infant (10 months) -brain cancer
  • Continued prayers for a very ill brother & guidance for family
  • Prayers for a grandson (10) making a profession of faith July 24
  • A very ill cousin; beloved sister beginning radiation soon
  • Courage for member with dementia at home & her family
  • Lift up a daughter having eye surgery today – that all may go well
  • Leaders of all nations, that they might work for the good of the people
  • Prayers for ending the killing & evil destruction within Ukraine
  • Healing of anxiety of a divorced friend
  • Spiritual intervention needed: a mother & children in dilemma
  • Courage & guidance for dear friend with breast cancer
  • One seeks guidance in conversing with an atheistic friend
  • Healing for an invalid son suffering with Covid
  • One in deep depression, for insurance to pay for his medications
  • Peace for one who feels as if God is not answering his prayers
  • Safety & protection for one traveling great distances this week
  • A family in grief – have been shunned by their rural church

Good and gracious God, even as we are scattered, bind us together into one human family. Help us to be the body of Christ, loving and serving the world. And as you have created us all, we lift our voices in prayer, as Jesus taught us:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

HAVE A PRAYER REQUEST?

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Weekly Prayer – July 13, 2022

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of July 13, 2022

Rev. Tim Best

Friends in Christ, God invites us to hold the needs of our sisters and brothers, as dear to us as our own needs. Loving our neighbors as ourselves, we offer our thanksgivings and our petitions on behalf of the church and the world:

Gracious God we give you thanks for the wisdom and knowledge you have poured out upon us through your church. We are thankful for minds that wonder and souls that search for you. Guide our learning and our teaching that through it all you might be made known and glorified. Where our knowledge is lacking and our wisdom deficient, strengthen and nurture our spirits and minds by your wise and loving grace. 

We pray for our neighbors. For those neighbors whom we know well and cherish we are thankful; For those neighbors that we do not know or that make us fearful we pray that your Holy Spirit would teach us to love and learn alongside them and from them, giving us eyes to see the gifts that you have given to each of them. May we truly live as those rescued from the power of darkness and live peaceably with all our neighbors in sure confidence that the kingdom of your beloved Son is a reality for us here and now. 

We lift all of those who suffer, are alone, or are in any kind of trouble, to your care. Comfort and heal those we hold in our hearts and grant them courage and hope the midst of their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation. May your Spirit draw close to those who mourn and those who feel distant from you. Draw each of us closer to your heart, as we name so many gifts that have brought us joy, and also name the specific concerns of your people of Church Street UMC: 

  • Thankful for prayers: Pathology report shows no cancer cells
  • Aunt grateful for prayers: Healthy nephew born on Tuesday
  • Gratitude: Commissioning of 3 new Stephen Ministers & 2 Stephen Ministry Leaders
  • Thanksgiving for stellar worship experiences
  • Celebrating successful Children’s Choir Camp this week
  • Family celebrates birth of healthy baby boy, appreciates prayers for both newborn and mother with gestational diabetes
  • Family thankful for the gentle death of a beloved father on Sunday
  • Young mother with shingles appreciates prayers – now healed
  • Grateful for our Youth involved in outreach ministry in Knoxville this week – “Making a Difference in the City”
  • Courage for member with dementia at home and her family
  • Healing of member in assisted living recovering from surgery 
  • Prayers for friend in failing health, having surgery July 13
  • Endurance and peace for all families in mourning
  • Leaders of all nations, that they might work for the good of the people
  • Prayers for ending the killing and evil destruction within Ukraine 
  • Spiritual intervention needed: A mother and twin children in dilemma
  • Please pray for dear friend (age 40) diagnosed with breast cancer
  • One in deep depression, for insurance to pay for his medications
  • Sustaining of member in longterm cancer treatment at home
  • Families deeply desiring children
  • Peace for one who feels as if God is not answering his prayers
  • Brothers & sisters around the globe enduring hardships due to flood and famine, victims of natural disasters and exploitation, for unselfish hearts to rise up, helping and healing
  • Prayers for families grieving violent losses of innocent children 
  • God’s care for a brother in skill nursing facility & strength for his family caregivers
  • Hope and healing for a mother with advanced eye disease
  • A new job for a son in a healthy environment
  • Continued courage for mother entering chemotherapy
  • A family in grief – have been shunned by their rural church

God of salvation, who sent your Son to seek out and save what is lost, hear our prayers on behalf of those who are lost in our day, receiving all our petitions and thanksgivings with your unending compassion as we join offer the prayer that Jesus taught:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

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Weekly Prayer – July 6, 2022

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of July 6, 2022

Rev. Jan Buxton Wade*

This is my song, oh God of all the nations, 

a song of peace for lands afar and mine. 

This is my home, the country where my heart is; 

here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine. 

But other hearts and other lands are beating 

with hopes and dreams as true and pure mine. 

 O God of All Nations, the poet speaks truth as we acknowledge our land comes to us as a gift of grace, entrusted to our care.  Indeed, as we celebrate our independence this week, we lift our hands and hearts in thanksgiving to you, for our country and for its people, for its vastness, its rich diversity and resources to nourish and sustain.  May we join in this song of homage, knowing that our freedoms were forged by others willing to lay both livelihoods and lives on the line for liberty’s sake.  Yes, we cherish our nation, but we remember that other hearts burn just as deeply with love of their homelands. Your dream is for all peoples to know the freedoms we have inherited. So guard us, we pray, lest we cross the threshold to worship of America.  May we heed the words of the prophet: O God, others have ruled over us, but we worship you alone! (Is. 26:13).   

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, 

and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine, 

but other lands have sunlight too and clover, 

and skies are everywhere as blue as mine. 

Oh, hear my song, oh God of all the nations, 

a song of peace for their land and for mine.  

O God of All Nations, we confess that despite all you have done for our states united, our history haunts us, for it brims with the sordid parts of our past.  No longer dare we brush aside our longtime exploitation of persons of color, our indifference to the plight of the weak and poor, our love affair with money, our apathy in correcting inequalities, our tolerance for violence, and our hunger for world supremacy at all costs. Our Savior spoke of humility, kindness, and love for the stranger. His was a peaceful walk, but we have soiled Jesus’ path with our own selfishness. Lord have mercy upon us once again. Point us toward that new, untainted thoroughfare, and we will move forward with you as our resilient guide.  

O God of All Nations, as we depend upon you as our ultimate sustenance, may our very breaths this day become prayers of healing and peace for those across the globe who are hungry or thirsting, threatened, nearing death, and in need of your holy counsel. We place our own prayers beside our brothers and sisters in every land who lift their private yearnings toward the gates of heaven: 

  • Thankful for prayers: Niece’s July 1 cancer surgery went well 
  • Gratitude: Family arrived safely home from Europe on Monday 
  • Mother with ovarian cancer feels our prayer support 
  • Thankful a Thursday surgery was successful 
  • Member grateful for church support in dealing w a family death 
  • Family gives thanks for a daughter’s engagement 
  • Five families celebrate safe July 4 celebrations with family 
  • Mother in heart failure now improved, prayers appreciated  
  • Gratitude for Stephen Ministers supporting those who struggle 
  • Resilience for a son searching for a healthy work environment   
  • Healing of a young mother suffering with shingles 
  • Prayers for unborn nephew, that he may receive the best of care 
  • Prayers for two adult sons grieving death of fathers 
  • Member in deep depression, for healing and reassurance 
  • Safety & success: Medical team helping women & children in Namibia 
  • Safe delivery of baby boy, mother with complications 
  • Safety & resilience for friend boldly speaking out for children’s safety in classrooms & for protection of voter rights  
  • Strength, faith, & hope for aunt entering new phase of cancer treatment 
  • God’s presence with Highland Park shooting victims & their families  
  • All working to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis  
  • Patience, continued humor, healing for an uncle recovering from a stroke 
  • Hope & healing for a mother with advanced eye disease 
  • Solace for daughter grieving the recent death of her mother   
  • Continued courage for mother entering chemotherapy 

As those who follow the Risen Christ, we believe your loving hand will ever be upon us.  And we shall not forget that our true citizenship is in the kingdom of heaven, our eternal home. 

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth’s kingdoms:  

Thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done.  

Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,  

and hearts united learn to live as one. 

 O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations;  

Myself I give thee, let thy will be done. 

Amen. 

*Verses excerpted from hymn, O God of Every Nation, authored by William W. Reid, Jr. and Georgia Harkness, UMC Hymnal, Hope Publishing, 1958, 1989. 

Have a Prayer Request?

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Weekly Prayer – June 29, 2022

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of June 29, 2022

Rev. Palmer Cantler

Holy One of Israel, covenant-keeper, you restore what is lost, heal what is wounded, and gather in those who have been rejected. Give us the faith to see you at work in all aspects of our lives. We know that you desire relationships to be restored, the hungry to be fed, for outcasts to be welcomed and all people blessed.

As we listen to the Old Testament story of Joseph, we know that you do not cause the unpleasantness and the hurt in our lives; you do not make it happen for a reason. But we have seen evidence in scripture and in our own lives that you can take what we make a mess of, you can take the results of our sin, our greed, our fear, and breathe your spirit to open new ways and possibilities. You are always leading us through and leading us to renewal.

When we find ourselves asking “why, Lord?” may we sense your spirit asking other questions, such as: Who can we help? What can we do differently? How can I point others to your steadfast presence?

We are thankful for a wonderful Vacation Bible School at our church this past week. We know that children all over our community attend their own church, friends’ churches, and granny’s church for VBS. Thank you for these experiences of snack and songs, of caring adults, for crafts and games, but more importantly the opportunity children have to feel safe, to feel like they belong, and to hear that God loves them.

In a world of complex emotions and issues, we pray that our church might continue to be a place of safety and support, especially for families facing crisis. Guide us through the Holy Spirit to remain faithful to our call to care for our neighbors with respect, dignity, grace, and love. Hold us accountable for showing compassion to one another and seeking understanding rooted in relationship.

Because of your generous outpouring of grace, we share these personal prayers on behalf of your people and Church Street, believing that your great love can penetrate each circumstance, bringing hope and renewal:

  • Gratitude: Visit from a grandson living on the West Coast
  • Thankful for prayers: Brother with kidney disease stable
  • Thanksgiving for our nation as we celebrate Independence Day
  • Member grateful for safe travel home from Europe last week
  • Family grateful for a wonderful wedding celebration
  • Member appreciates prayers as she continues role of caregiver
  • Dear friends adjusting to assisted living facility
  • Prayers for adult son and family grieving recent death of his father
  • Wisdom, safety for members suffering from Parkinson’s
  • Member in deep depression, for healing and reassurance
  • Brother and family mourning the death of his sister
  • Safety and success: Medical team helping women & children in Namibia
  • Safe delivery of baby boy, mother with worrisome complications
  • Safety and resilience for friend boldly speaking out for children’s safety in classrooms & for protection of voter rights
  • Safe travel for family of 3 traveling from Europe July 4
  • Strength, faith, and hope for aunt entering a new phase of cancer treatment
  • God’s presence with all who are in mourning
  • All working to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis, for healing, help, and hope for these suffering people
  • Healing of mother in heart failure, for her caring family and physicians
  • Guidance for the leaders and people of our nation, that we might find the right road once again, as we address the fissures within our society
  • Patience, continued humor, healing for an uncle recovering from a stroke
  • Healing for a brother in severe kidney crisis
  • A same home environment for an at-risk 5-year-old
  • A strong bonding of all races within our community
  • Guidance, courage for mother with ovarian cancer
  • Prayers for niece’s cancer surgery July 1
  • Prayers for couples longing to have children
  • Member recovering from hip surgery and colon perforations
  • A new position needed: Adult son in unhealthy work situation
  • For reliable caregivers to be found to help an infirm husband

Open our eyes and hearts O God that these words would be our guiding principle: Always looking to see what you are desiring for us and for your world. Refocus and clear our vision that we do see your miracles: the beauty of your earth; the power of cool water to quench our bodies on these hot and humid days, news of babies being born and stories of families coming through difficult times. Teach us to look around us for how you are at work and then say to others: “Come and see what God has done!”

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

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Weekly Prayer – June 22, 2022

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of June 22, 2022

Rev. Tim Best

Gracious God, as we reflect upon Father’s Day, we are grateful for all men who have nurtured us and helped us learn more about your love: fathers, grandfathers, uncles, teachers, brothers. Thank you for special relationships and bonds that reflect your image of grace, acceptance, wisdom, and growth.

We pray for children everywhere – may each child know that they are loved by you. Open our eyes that we may know how to care for children – not just our own – but those in our community, in the schools around us, in our neighborhood. May our decisions and our actions all be done in an effort to guard, guide, and defend them. Give us the strength to protect them from dangers seen and unseen; give us the faithfulness to live holy lives in front of them; to never stop trying to be spiritually alive members of the church and ambassadors for Christ everywhere we go. 

Loving God, bless us that we may be a blessing to our children. Help us remember who we are and from where we have come. Help us remember the things you have done for us in the past so we can teach them to our children. May we give them hope and enthusiasm for the future. May we give them openness to your holy message of forgiveness, grace, and love. May they too want to walk in the paths of righteousness. May your word live in them and for generations to come. Hear this prayer we offer today. We give thanks that Covid vaccines are now available for our youngest children.

Our Juneteenth observance just past reminded us of our shortcomings as a nation, and how we exploited the vulnerable, and have not traversed the road to equality as we have promised.  Therefore, we pray for all who are still in bondage … may they hear good news that there is freedom in Christ – whatever their bondage. Forgive us when our own prejudices and fears have kept people labeled as other or “less than.” Overwhelm us with your grace that we might embrace all others as fully blessed, beloved, and created. Reveal to us the ways in which we benefit from the oppression of others and transform our thinking and our living. Embolden us to declare with our words and our works that through Christ all are made free. 

And may that same overwhelming grace spill over into all the lives of these friends who call upon your name, both in thanksgiving and in need this week.  In whatever way you will, surround them with the peace and confidence for which they long:

  • Gratitude for safe passage home for Master Arts European travelers
  • Family elated: Youngster with head trauma is now home, much improved since his accident, ask for prayers for complete healing
  • Wife, caregiver, appreciates prayers & offers of assistance from friends
  • Nephew thankful for prayers, his uncle died peacefully
  • Thanksgiving for a festive church wedding on Saturday
  • Happy couple celebrate their second wedding anniversary
  • Couple thankful for their 53rd wedding anniversary on Thursday 
  • Family deeply appreciates prayers during a bereavement
  • One grateful for all remembering him throughout his hospital stay
  • Thankful for eager & energetic children attending VBS  
  • Church & family celebrate the baptism of 2 young daughters Sunday
  • Thanksgiving for the life and witness of a remarkable Christian woman who succumbed to cancer on Sunday
  • Prayers for adult son & family grieving recent death of his father
  • Wisdom, safety for members suffering from Parkinson’s
  • Safe delivery of baby boy, mother with worrisome complications
  • Safety & resilience for friend boldly speaking out for children’s safety in classrooms & for protection of voter rights 
  • Prayers for member grieving death of wife, safe travel for a daughter & family traveling to area to offer support
  • Continued prayers for all pastors in transition this week & for the congregations they will serve
  • Strength, faith, & hope for an aunt entering a new phase of cancer treatment
  • All working to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis, for healing, help, and hope for these suffering people
  • Patience, continued humor, & healing for an uncle recovering from a stroke
  • Healing for a brother in severe kidney crisis & for his family
  • A strong bonding of all races within our community
  • A fractured family relationship
  • Wisdom and insight for leaders at every level to end gun violence 
  • Easing of pain & infirmity – member recovering from knee surgery
  • Prayers for couples who long to have children  
  • Member recovering from hip surgery & colon perforations 
  • A new position needed: Adult son in unhealthy work situation  
  • For reliable caregivers to be found to help an infirm husband
  • All working to end violence, hunger, and poverty in our community

We thank you for accepting these prayers offered in sincerity, and, as those made one in Christ, we offer that prayer he taught us, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

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Senior Spotlight – Reece Wood

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One of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors.  And this year, we have a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog.  Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!

Meet Reece Wood!

What high school are you graduating from?
Bearden
What are your plans for next year?
Going to the University of Tennessee
What is your favorite bible verse?
Numbers 6:24-26
If you could choose one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Chicken tendies with Mac n cheese
If you could give some advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Whatever you are doing make sure you are having fun
What are your top 3 favorite movies?
Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2, Rush Hour 3
What is your favorite Church Street memory?
Can’t decide, so all of it! (If I have to pick something I have always liked working at the Wesley house with the kids, it was especially funny seeing some BOLT out of the theatre when a jumped scare came)
What are you most excited about going into the next season of your life?
Meeting new people and using what I have learned to be a better person!
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Senior Spotlight – Josiah Libby

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One of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors.  And this year, we have a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog.  Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!

Meet Josiah Libby!

What high school are you graduating from?
Fulton High School, Communications
What are your plans for next year?
Pellissippi
What is your favorite bible verse?
John 9: 3
If you could choose one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Chicken and Pineapple Fajitas
If you could give some advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Take that leap
What are your top 3 favorite movies?
How to Train Your Dragon Series 1 through 3
What is your favorite Church Street memory?
Walk Through Bethlehem (and even played the youngest Baby Jesus!!)
What are you most excited about going into the next season of your life?
So many sweet challenges
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Weekly Prayer – June 15, 2022

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of June 15, 2022

Rev. Catherine Nance*

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, 

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.

As we observed this past Trinity Sunday, we became more keenly aware that there is really no adequate way to explain how you are Three in One; One in Three. And so, we do not attempt it, but simply marvel at the mystery of Blessed Trinity. We see in you, O God, in your very expression, the desire for community. Because we are created in your image, we need community and thrive in community. Forgive us, when we have said that we need no one or that we can go it alone or, “I am responsible only for me and mine!” We are a people who seem to care about only ourselves. Open our hearts and minds and eyes and ears to your desire for us to live peacefully with one another. We cannot be who you created us to be until we see your image in others.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Holy, holy, holy God, in calling forth creation from the void, revealing yourself in human flesh, and pouring forth your wisdom to guide us, you manifest your concern for your whole universe. You invite us, as your people, to gather the world’s needs into our hearts and bring them before you.

We skim headlines and scroll past images from the news, but the images remain in our hearts and minds. Instead of ignoring or wanting to forget, we pause this day to focus and to pray – for Ukraine, for Russia, and for all who are still hurting from the effects of wars that we have forgotten about. We pray for veterans who are still struggling from past wars. We pray for families in communities who have been devastated by gun violence. Forgive us, O Lord, for placing our trust in platitudes about rights and ignoring your demand to care for one another. We pray that those who are in power and who have power to make changes would lead with reason and not fear. 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We remember Nehemiah who held leaders to accountability, O God. Too often, we blame our leaders for everything, forgetting that we are citizens. We live in community; may our concerns not be only for those who have the same home-owners association as we do; may we not care only for the students who in our children’s classes. O God, may we truly care for all people.  Regardless of whether we voted for our current leaders or not, we know we have a responsibility to be aware of the challenges they face, to know about decisions they must make. We wait until a crisis and then proclaim – “Look what they have done!” So, we pause in these moments to pray for our leaders. It is our duty as part of community to offer our leaders to you in prayer: 

We pray for our President, Joe Biden; we pray for Vice-President Kamala Harris. We pray for their families. We pray for Senators Blackburn and Hagerty; and for Representative Burchett. We pray for their good health and pray that you would give them wisdom in leading. Place on their hearts the desire for all people to live healthy and meaningful lives free from fear and want. We pray for Governor Lee and for State Senator Briggs and other legislators. Give them a strong sense of your purpose for the community we call Tennessee. We offer prayers for Mayors Kincannon and Jacobs as they face decisions, conversations, and problems that we know nothing about. As we call for leaders to be accountable to us, may we be accountable to you, O God. May we be the kinds of citizens that model your kingdom values. 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

And to all these petitions, Holy Lord, we lay before you the thanksgivings and the concerns that are on the hearts of your people of Church Street: 

  • Family appreciates prayers: Mother completed testing at Mayo with no incidents
  • Gratitude: 10-year-old grandniece completed delicate spinal cord surgery
  • Family offers thanks for prayers: A healthy baby born on Friday 
  • One expresses gratitude for a coveted summer internship
  • Young husband has accepted a new position and is thankful for all prayers
  • Gratitude that national leaders are nearing an agreement to limit the sale and distribution of firearms
  • Young couple celebrate their engagement
  • Celebrating our youth who helped with home repairs for the indigent through Operation Back Yard
  • Thanksgiving that a dear friend, longtime cancer sufferer, was able to die at home surrounded by all family members
  • Prayers for member whose wife died on the weekend; comfort for him and his family as they make plans to gather in remembrance
  • Prayers for all pastors in transition this week & for the congregations they will serve
  • Comfort for member & all family burying cherished mother this weekend 
  • Healing for a brother in severe kidney crisis & for his family
  • For an end to the destruction of Ukraine & the terror thrust upon its people
  • Complete healing for youngster recovering from head trauma
  • Member recovering from hip surgery & colon perforations
  • Member mourning death of favored aunt & the family pet 
  • Dear friend with cancer; husband with bouts of depression
  • A new position needed: Adult son in unhealthy work situation 
  • Safety & good health for CS Master Arts European travelers 
  • For reliable caregivers to be found to help an infirm husband
  • Continued prayers for youngster recovering from side effects of spinal surgery
  • All working to end violence and poverty in our community
  • Member in pain, recovering from knee surgery 
  • Pray for all young people making transitions this season & their families 
  • Young couple very much desiring children

Holy, holy, holy God,
fill us with strength and courage, with discernment and compassion, that we may be your instruments of justice and love in this world, that it may be on earth as it is in heaven. 

We gather our hearts and voices as one, joining with Christians around the world as we offer the prayer our Lord Jesus Christ taught us:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

*Prayer adapted: Vanderbilt Divinity School Lectionary Website

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Senior Spotlight – Ann Clark Bellamy

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One of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors.  And this year, we have a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog.  Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!

Meet Ann Clark Bellamy!

What high school are you graduating from?
Webb School of Knoxville
What are your plans for next year?
I plan to attend the University of Tennessee and I am currently enrolled in the Haslam College of Business.
What is your favorite bible verse?
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 28:11
If you could choose one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Waffles
If you could give some advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Ask smart questions and know how to ask for help!!! The world is waiting to help you!
What are your top 3 favorite movies?
1.) Secretariat
2.) Talladega Nights
3.) The Blind Side
What is your favorite Church Street memory?
Children’s Worship with Mrs. Sue will always be special to me! The mentors that I have grown to know and love in the youth program are some of my favorite parts of Church Street!
What are you most excited about going into the next season of your life?
I can’t wait to make new friends and join new organizations in my community! I am excited to see what opportunities there are for me to explore my faith with on-campus Christian groups!
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Weekly Prayer – June 8, 2022

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of June 8, 2022

Rev. Jan Buxton Wade

O Loving and Creating Spirit, we gaze at your enchanting world, observing your mysterious Vine of Newness working its way through every living thing.  What a testament to Who you are! Christ’s announcement, “Behold, I make all things new!” reverberates within our very beings as we drink in the explosive beauty you display so liberally. Enshroud us with those green tendrils of grace this day, we pray, that we might nourish that fresh growth until its fruit ripens deep within us. Then, someday we might also stand as resilient witnesses who know they have no life in themselves apart from that rich and verdant Vine. 

Lord of Life, hear our prayer.

We do confess and lament, Holy Life-Giver, that we are part of that which continues to desecrate the peaceable kingdom you created.  We cherish what we have, yet we do not want to share. We prefer the convenience of living in a throw-away culture, neglecting our responsibility to refrain from polluting and wastefulness. We pray for peace, but harbor personal grudges and do not work for concord within our own families and communities; nor do we risk lifting our voices on behalf of the voiceless. Spur us on to become the living ambassadors of the resurrection we claim to be.

Lord of Life, hear our prayer.

We long for your healing and holy comfort for friends, family, and neighbors in need this day. Sustain all caregivers, we pray, for they are your very own anointed. May those who are hurting somehow feel your presence and companionship through your servants who offer tender support. May all who are grieving and isolated find rest in your very own corner of comfort. And knowing that all life begins and ends in you, we turn to you with these prayers on behalf of our church community:

  • Gratitude: Holy Land leaders now home safe, free of Covid
  • One grateful for Vanderbilt eye exam & news that vision impairment may be arrested
  • Celebration of the work & witness of our Youth Choir & their leaders
  • One offers thanks for prayer support during her 8 months of chemo
  • Prayers appreciated: June 3rd surgery was successful 
  • Family grateful for safe extended vacation to visit family
  • Thanksgiving for successful & renewing Annual Conference
  • Gratitude for the extensive ministries & missions of the UMC
  • Member grateful for prayers: A job with benefits has been obtained
  • Thanksgiving: Cancer meds are still being tolerated by member
  • Please pray for cherished wife in heart failure
  • Prayers for all pastors in transition this season
  • Safe delivery for mother & newborn to be delivered this weekend
  • For an end to the destruction of Ukraine & the terror thrust upon its people
  • Complete healing for youngster who suffered a head injury
  • Dear friend with cancer; husband with bouts of depression
  • Young friend who mourns the loss of her unborn child
  • A new position needed: Adult son in unhealthy work situation 
  • Safety & good health for CS Master Arts travelers in Europe 
  • For reliable caregivers to be found to help an infirm husband
  • Prayers for cherished mother at Mayo for heart exam
  • 10-yr-old niece undergoing very serious spinal cord procedure on Friday
  • Increased funding at all levels for treatment of mental illness 
  • Guidance for a young husband seeking new employment
  • Pray for all young people making transitions this season & their families 
  • Young couple very much desiring children
  • Comfort for a good friend in final stages of cancer 
  • Elderly husband who is ill at home, wife who offers care
  • Healing of broken relationships within two families 

Lord of Life, to all these prayers, we add the truth of ourselves. Keep us aware of the tangible signs your newness all around us. And give us the courage to live as Easter people, called to live into the fresh forms of ministry you are creating. Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and hands to joyfully serve our Risen Christ, who taught all disciples to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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