Weekly Prayer – January 2, 2025

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of January 2, 2025

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

God of all time, as we kneel before you in prayer on this second day of the New Year, we find ourselves letting go and holding on …. 

We had good intentions yesterday to make our list and to observe practices and disciplines, but then the tragic news from New Orleans jolted us into reality. Yesterday did not go as we planned; and now, our plans seem trite. 

So many things we want to change, so many things we would like to fix, so many hopes, and so many people in our lives …. As we kneel before you on this Ninth Day of Christmas, may your Spirit help us take a deep breath and begin again.  

We turn to words that have been prayed many times, especially at the beginning of a New Year. O God who makes all things new, maybe today, we will offer them with a willingness to hold on to you, and to let go of our pride that causes us to think we can change ourselves and our world on our own. May our lists of practices always begin with you. With “thine.” 

Thank you, Lord, for this prayer from John Wesley, a renewal of covenant. May it be our prayer each day of this new year: 

“I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.” 

We pray for….

  • The families of victims from the violent attack in New Orleans; for all who are following up with care, investigations, and all of the things that we cannot even imagine
  • A sister who is grieving the death of her brother; prayers for all of the family as they deal with this sudden loss
  • Children who are grieving the death of their mother after another diagnosis of cancer
  • One who is having triple bypass Thursday morning
  • A sister who is having radiation for stage two cervical cancer
  • A brother -in-law who is receiving chemo daily for stage four lung cancer
  • A long-time friend who had kidney removed last week due to cancer; pray that she will be out of pain
  • A family whose daughter was killed in car wreck
  • Families who are having funerals this week

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…

  • Safe travels during the holidays
  • The birth of a baby – first child, first grandchild, first great-grandchild!
  • The life of President Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn; for their humble witness to serving Christ

We continue to pray for….

  • One who has been diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer
  • All families who are dealing with cancer diagnosis and the unknown; waiting for more testing and seeing which treatment options are offered.
  • All who are caring for a loved one – especially a spouse – with dementia
  • Those who are in hospice care; their caretakers and families, also
  • A friend beginning treatment for stage 4 esophageal cancer
  • Successful heart bypass surgery at Cleveland Clinic
  • Friends who are dealing with depression and knowing how to help and how to be there.

Have a Prayer Request?

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Weekly Prayer – December 25, 2024

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of December 25, 2024

Written by Rev. Tim Best

God of Heaven and Earth,  

On this day that you come near to us, this day where you have shown that no distance is so great that your love cannot cross it, help us to receive you with joy. Our hearts burst with song and rejoicing at your love. The words of Charles Wesley give voice to our gladness at the entrance over your word made flesh. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the newborn king. In the darkness of the world let your birth remind us that you are the author of all things, and that you have declared them good. May we give you glory and praise wherever we may be.  

“Peace on earth, and mercy mild”: We know by our own experience and the news from around the world that there is much need for your peace. Make us to be bearers of your peace. Where there is frustration or tension between us and friends or family, set your peace at work. Transform our hearts heal brokenness and disagreement. Where violence and hatred divide communities and nations, set your disciples to be at work to proclaim and embody peace and to show mercy always.   

“God and sinners reconciled!” We trust that any division amongst people can be overcome, because that which has separated humanity from your love has been overcome in Jesus Christ. Humanity is redeemed and remade in Jesus Christ. Where we feel distant from you love, remind us most of all on Christmas that you love us and desire to draw us close to you. For those who feel far from you, for those who do not know you, we pray and ask that they would know peace and mercy on this Christmas Day. We pray for those who are distant from others today; for the sick, for the hurting, the lonely, and those in any sort of trouble. May they feel your mercy present with them.  

“Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies;” We glorify you for your love of all peoples and your redemption of the world. You draw people of all ages and races to be your disciples, and to witness to your mercy and grace. May all who would follow your Son adopt the same mind, seeing worth in all people. Make your church to stand against the forces of racism and fear of others. May your church across the world, speaking different tongues and existing in varied cultures be united in praise, and celebrate your reign over all heaven and earth.  

 With th’angelic hosts proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” Join our voices, Gracious Lord, with all the company of heaven. May our praises on this Christmas Day be joined with the praises of your church across time and space and sing with angels and saints. Let us proclaim the brith of your Son in the humble city of Bethlehem. May we seek to sing his praises and serve his kingdom in all the places we find ourselves. May Christ be known in Bethlehem and in every community and town. We join our praises and prayers with the church on earth and in heaven, as we pray that prayer that our Lord 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.

We pray for….

  • A mother who is back in hospital after a fall
  • A member who was admitted to hospital yesterday
  • One who is grieving the death of his father
  • Family members and friends who are having a difficult time
  • Members of a Sunday School class who are holding one another close in prayer
  • People in other countries who do not know about the Christian faith; a prayer request specifically for China

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…

  • A cousin who had successful liver transplant!

We continue to pray for….

  • One who has been diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer
  • One has in midst of radiation treatments
  • All families who are dealing with cancer diagnosis and the unknown; waiting for more testing and seeing which treatment options are offered.
  • All who are caring for a loved one – especially a spouse – with dementia
  • Those who are in hospice care; their caretakers and families, also
  • A friend beginning treatment for stage 4 esophageal cancer
  • Successful heart bypass surgery at Cleveland Clinic
  • Friends who are dealing with depression and knowing how to help and how to be there.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

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Advent Devotional Week 4 –Love

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The Heart
Monday, December 23

By Andy Ferguson

_____________________________

In our family, we have a treasured recipe for making fruit pies; it was written down by my sister-in-law, Rachel. It lays out piemaking in three sections: “The Crust,” “The Filling,” and “The Heart.” Ten years ago, I decided that there were not enough pies made, so I asked Rachel to teach me. This recipe was her gift. Occasionally, we make pies together. We talk about the task, of course. We talk about rolling the piecrust just so. At some point, Rachel will ask me who I’m thinking about as we are making pie. Are they worried? Are they going through a hard time? How am I grateful for them? What happiness am I hoping this pie will give them? She asks me about my love for them… as we make pie. The heart is our extra ingredient in every pie.

 

This year, I updated the family recipe for our grandchildren. Yesterday, we FaceTimed many times: when they were at the grocery, when they were making piecrust, and to answer a crucial question: “Salted butter or unsalted?” It occurred to me that just getting the steps in the recipe right was only half the pie. I know who their pies are for, and I know the love that motivates them to make the perfect pie for the family.

 

When the angels were preparing their songs of joy for the first Christmas, I imagine that they worried about the details: where to stand, how fast to fly, and how loudly they should shout to the shepherds. I can imagine God slipping into the Choir Room of Heaven and catching them fussing over their notes and the details. When God had heard enough, he raised a hand to get their attention. “Get Christmas right, of course. But, more: tell the world how much I care for them. Tell them I see their hard times. Tell them that tonight I am bringing joy. Tell them, ‘Your God loves you dearly.’”

 

For too long, we have assumed that a life of faith is living by rules that we might not even know yet. The gift of the Christ Child on Christmas shows God’s heart – and ours. On Christmas, God tore open the skies to shout out that God loves us profoundly, and joyfully.
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Weekly Prayer – December 18, 2024

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of December 18, 2024

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

 

O God, we know your love came before any calendars!

We church folks want to dig in our heels and say, “The twelve days begin on December 25! We’ve got plenty of time!” But, we know the world will not wait. Family is coming. Workers have scheduled time off. Plane tickets have been bought. And the tree is quickly losing its needles.

We will not pray the same prayer we prayed this time last year, O God. Remember? The one that began with, “O God of Advent, give us patience to look for your coming … let us not fall prey to the Christmas Rush the world puts before us….”

Christmas is Wednesday – a week from tonight – for some families it will be over by 10 a.m. that morning! And we have a sense of panic tonight. We know better, God. We really do!

So, we will pause tonight, and say, thank you God for tonight. Thank you for the people I love. Thank you for hot tea from the hospital cafeteria. Thank you for new windshield wipers on a rainy evening. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that whispers comforting words when we have run out of words to use. Thank you for the child at the store who was having a giggle fit. We pray for the parents who looked so tired, but started giggling too.

Thank you for the ability to look back over the day and say, “It is good to give thanks.”

Forgive us, God, when we take your son’s name in vain by cursing how quickly Christmas is coming. May we celebrate the birth of Love into our lives each day, regardless of the date on the calendar. We do thank you for cookies that were brought to the office and for left over apple cider that can be heated later. Christmas is coming, O God, and we are thankful.

Christ is coming! Let us give thanks!

Christ is with us! Let us give thanks!

 

We pray for….

  • One who has been diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer
  • One in midst of radiation treatments
  • All families who are dealing with cancer diagnosis and the unknown; waiting for more testing and seeing which treatment options are offered.
  • Family members and friends who are having a difficult time
  • Members of a Sunday School class who are holding one another close in prayer
  • People in other countries who do not know about the Christian faith; a prayer request specifically for China
  • A friend beginning treatment for stage 4 esophageal cancer
  • Successful heart bypass surgery at Cleveland Clinic
  • A mother who has pneumonia and is in hospital
  • Answers from doctors
  • The school community in Madison, Wisconsin

 

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…

  • Beautiful music from our Parish Adult Choir last Sunday – and the brass, tympani, and organ!
  • School being out soon!
  • A couple who is expecting! Prayers for a healthy pregnancy!

 

We continue to pray for….

  • All who are caring for a loved one – especially a spouse – with dementia
  • A member who is going through radiation treatments
  • A member whose husband is in hospice care whose parents are in hospice care

 

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?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

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Advent Devotional Week 3 – Joy

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Joy
Monday, December 16
By Laura Still
_____________________________ 

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” 

John 1:4-5

 

You’ve got to be kidding, joy? Right now?

When Catherine asked me to write an Advent devotion about Joy, I was not in a good mood. It was a gray, gloomy day that turned suddenly cold, making the short hours of daylight even shorter. I had an evening event that I felt insufficiently prepared for, I had been chilled all day, and it was spitting rain. And the state of the nation and the world—let’s not even go there, except to say I’d been in a struggle with existential dread most of the year, looking for light in a tunnel that keeps stretching away into the darkness.

And yet, even in the deepest shades of night, there are points of light, far away like the stars. But also near, sparks kindled and candles lit by others who are on the same journey as I am, trying to find a way forward. Small as they are, these tiny glimmers form a chain that lets me put one foot in front of the other, looking for that next glow of radiance that lifts up my soul. So, on a day when I’m dragging my feet, feeling my way along the wall in a black funk, here comes Catherine, reaching for my hand in the dark, and holding out a candle, to rekindle the fire I’ve let go out.

Joy is like that. It appears ephemeral, a brief glow, a warm moment. But it’s really like a string of bright beads, each adding its particular color and brilliance to illuminate the whole. It is contradictory because it somehow takes intention and work, but it is also unexpected, appearing in circumstances no one can foresee. It cannot be forced or caged, but it can find its way through every barrier, physical or mental, and ignite in the lowest places of the spirit.

It can happen without warning, anywhere, at any time, but it comes most often in the presence of others. Of people reaching out to lift up someone else. Joy cannot exist without love, which means focusing not on ourselves and our own needs, but finding ways to help those around us. We become the people of God in community, not by being brilliant in ourselves, but by reaching out in the night to take someone’s hand and pass the light along the chain.

 

A candle goes out

but its light is not gone.

Changed, it rises

carried by currents

we cannot see,

expands

from existing in one place,

one time,

into all places, all times.

 

A transformation

not seen but felt,

in our deepest darkness

we hold the spark

inside us

join hands to form

the chain of light

darkness

cannot

overcome.

~~~

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Let me remember your word is a light on my path and a lamp to my feet, and you are beside me every step of the way.

Open my heart to your gift of unfailing love and the joy you offer in Christ in all times and all places, in doing work to glorify your name.

Amen.
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Weekly Prayer – December 11, 2024

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of December 11, 2024

Written by Rev. Tim Best

Below is a prayer based on Prayers used in “The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer.” This selection comes from “Week 2: Peace” and incorporates the Morning Prayer of Petition and the Evening Prayer of Gratitude. Peace is the theme of the second Sunday of Advent.

Holy God, your son is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, an Prince of Peace. Today I pray for peace, plead for peace, and ask you to fill the places in my life and in our world that need your peace:

• I pray for peace in my inner spirit where I am distracted and anxious.

• I pray for peace in my relationships with family, friends, coworkers, neighbors.

• I pray peace in my community, city, and country where divisiveness seems to reign.

• I pray for peace among people globally, especially where conflict and war are an expected way of life.

• As we prepare to celebrate the coming of your son into the world, may the peace He embodies and offers be made real on earth as it is in heaven.

Gracious God, as I look back on this day, it is too easy to focus on places of discord and division. Instead, I give you thanks for the ways you are working in my life for peace and wholeness. Today God, I thank you for:

• The ways you are working to bring peace to my emotional and mental being,

• The way you are working my relationships, especially those that are strained or fractured,

• The ways you are offering a picture of peace in my church or community.

As I rest and look forward to a new day tomorrow, may I have the eyes to see where you are at work for peace in the world, and may I have the courage to join you in that work (1).

Help us to trust in your peace that we may with confidence and hope pray the prayer your Son Jesus taught us to pray, 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.

We pray for….

  • Complete healing from cataract surgery resulting in corneal swelling.
  • Healing from recent surgery and good prognosis.
  • A father’s surgery and all of the medical staff
  • Feelings of guilt for not being able to alleviate pain of loved one; prayers for peace of mind
  • One who asked for an ‘unspoken’ request; Lord, hear her prayer and comfort her.
  • The women at Susannah’s House and their babies. Grateful for this ministry of healing from addiction!

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…

  • Good report from neurologist for a member living with Parkinson’s. Thankful for no new progression in the past eight months!
  • Being at home after surgery!
  • Family being able to travel this season.
  • Our new Preschool director! So glad we are opening soon! Praying for children we will welcome!

We continue to pray for….

  • A young mother of three who is awaiting breast cancer surgery
  • A member’s mother who fell and has two broken vertebrae; prayers for healing and ease of pain.
  • A family member whose dementia is progressing rapidly. Prayers needed for direction regarding his care.
  • A member’s cousin who has been hospitalized; awaiting liver transplant
  • One to have a successful journey on his path to sobriety
  • Family members and friends who are going through a difficult time
  • Family making decisions about long-term care for parents
  • Our church members dealing with cancer treatments
  • A man who was involved in car accident; fractured four cervical vertebrae
  • A four-year old waiting on a heart transplant
  • All who are caring for a loved one – especially a spouse – with dementia
  • A member who is going through radiation treatments 
  • A member whose husband is in hospice care
  • Those whose parents are in hospice care
  • Those whose parents are in hospice care
  • Friends and family members going through difficult times.

(1) Miofsky, Matt, Ed. The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer, Abingdon Press, Nashville 2023. Pg. 7

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Advent Devotional Week 2 – Peace

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Seeking Peace, Offering Peace
Monday, December 9
By Steve Richardson

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Read: Luke 1:67-79

 

Angels proclaimed to the shepherds, “Peace on earth…”

Hmmm? Realizing century after century of war, since that Bethlehem night, will that ever happen? Can it ever happen as long as freewill-driven mortals have dominion over the earth?

Even on a personal, individual level, thieves of peace are always lurking: Stress, pain, fear, uncertainty, guilt, separation, deadlines (just to name a few).

Despite all this, faith and prophecy give us confidence that peace spanning the earth and among all people is inevitable, when God’s ultimate will for all creation is done. In one of this week’s lectionary readings, Luke recorded Zechariah’s (father of John the Baptist) pronouncement that echoed prophets before him and foretold later Biblical writers: “…the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

In the meantime, until these things happen, each of us knows moments of inner spiritual peace. Thank God for that! Some of the ways we find that spiritual peace include:

Reading scripture and sacred writings

Prayer and meditation

Worship

Interacting with nature

Quiet time

Movement and exercise

Playing or listening to music

Creating or contemplating art

For ourselves, all these are fine ways to find peace. But what about extending peace to others? What about living out acts of peace? These are some good starting points: Forgiveness, compassion, inclusivity, respectfulness, justice, kindness and benevolence.

This Advent season, this Christmas and this coming new year, consider giving yourself special gifts: Peace through acts of helping others. It’s one of those harmonious win-win-win expressions of kingdom living – a way to love God, to help our neighbors and to experience spiritual peace for yourself.

~~~

Prayer

Lord of peace, for the peace we pray for, give us the grace to labor for.*

*With gratitude to Sir Thomas More for this prayer
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Weekly Prayer – December 4, 2024

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of December 4, 2024

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

Loving God of Advent, we pause on this cold Wednesday evening to ….  

Honestly God, is it okay if we just pause? 

No words.  

Just a quiet pause to remember that we are not alone. That we are in God’s world. That you love us.  

Have we paused at all today, O God? 

Thank you for an email from the church that causes us to stop, whether we read or pray to the end or not, it is a pause, nonetheless. We are reminded that there is a congregation, a church family, who prays for one another. Who cares about the week we are having. Who is looking forward to being together this Sunday. 

Thank you for other reminders that we have received that assure us your spirit is at work and moving through, in, and around us. The patience showed us by the clerk when the debit card didn’t ‘go through’ the first two times …. the joy we saw in children’s faces at the Advent Craft Festival and the bit of glitter we cannot shake from our sweater… the kind word from the nurse who pricked our finger for one more test …. 

Thank you, Loving God, for coming to us in so many ways. We sing, Come, thou long-expected Jesus … let us find our rest in thee ….  

We get weary this time of year and complain that we do not have time to pause. Some are good at taking intentional moments; others will notice looking back over the day that there were moments. 

Thank you for this bit of a pause O God, to hear us offer thanksgiving for the hope of this season. Thank you for this pause as we offer the prayer 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.

Thank you for this pause in our evening as we pray for one another … 

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…

  • A promising report from Thompson Cancer Center
  • The doctor who has kept working to find cause of symptoms
  • Improved health … slowly but surely!
  • Successful open heart surgery and positive reports from surgeon and cardiologist

We pray for….

  • A young mother of three who is awaiting breast cancer surgery
  • A member’s mother who fell and has two broken vertebrae; prayers for healing and ease of pain.
  • A family member whose dementia is progressing rapidly. Prayers needed for direction regarding his care.
  • A member’s cousin who has been hospitalized; awaiting liver transplant
  • One to have a successful journey on his path to sobriety
  • Family members and friends who are going through a difficult time
  • Family making decisions about long-term care for parents
  • Our church members dealing with cancer treatments
  • A man who was involved in car accident; fractured four cervical vertebrae
  • A four-year old waiting on a heart transplant
  • All who are caring for a loved one – especially a spouse – with dementia

We continue to pray for….

  • A neighbor who is in critical care; prayers for comfort and support for her family
  • A young couple who is wanting so badly to conceive; Lord, bless them!
  • A member who is preparing for radiation treatments and meeting with oncologist
  • A member whose husband is in hospice care
  • Those whose parents are in hospice care
  • Friends and family members going through difficult times.

Have a Prayer Request?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

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Advent Devotional Week 1 – Hope

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Hope

Monday, December 2, 2024

By Elaine Eberhart

_____________________________

Read: Luke 21:35-36

 

This autumn was not easy for most of us. Regardless of the candidates my family and friends favored, there was uneasiness about what would happen. We waited for the next speech, the next prediction about post-election life, and we hoped for the best, whatever that meant for us.

 

Though I believe that God is moving in our world with justice and love, I had moments when the news I read brought despair. One night when I was unable to sleep, I realized that I was repeating the last line of a creed we often affirm as a congregation: In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. *

When I can believe little else, I cling to those words. And if I watch, I see those words come to life even on the most difficult day, sometimes through a simple kindness that I did not expect. Hope in God’s abiding presence enables us to see signs of love reborn in us and in our world each day. Hope in God’s future empowers us to live faithfully, knowing that God will be present in whatever that future brings.

We who are united by our call to follow Jesus, and are sustained by the Spirit, are not alone on the road to Bethlehem this Advent. God is with us.

Thanks be to God.

~~~

Prayer

Holy One, enable us to wait with hope, watching for signs of your transforming love and aligning our lives to the movement of your Spirit.

Amen.

 

*”A Statement of Faith of The United Church of Canada”, 1968

 

~~~

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Weekly Prayer – November 27, 2024

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Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of November 27, 2024

Written by Rev. Tim Best

Gracious God,

On the eve of Thanksgiving, we offer our gratitude to you for your mercy and love over the last year. It is good that our nation, our community, and our families set aside the last Thursday of November each year to give thanks. The traditions and rhythms of this holiday are important to us for so many reasons. Help us to always be mindful of all that for which we should be ever thankful and exude gratitude year-round.

We pray for those who will travel this week. Grant patience for those stuck in airports, those who will navigate traffic, and those who work to ensure the safety and reliability of our infrastructure. We are thankful to live in a place where we may move freely to see relatives and friends. We are thankful for systems that work to regulate and maintain our highways and airspace.

We are thankful for the work you give each of us. Labor can allow each of us to feel accomplished, to provide for those we love, and to tend to the needs of our neighbors. We offer thanks for all of those who will be able to rest from their work this week. We pray for those who do not have meaningful work, those unable to work, and those who work and so rarely have rest. Be with those that will work tomorrow. We pray for those in the service sector, for firefighters, police, and other emergency workers, and for those who will rise early to work retail. May they all know our thanks and gratitude for their willingness to work while others rest.

Gracious God,

See the needs of each of our hearts. As many prepare to fill themselves with turkey and stuffing, fill us with humility and mercy. Tend to those who are brokenhearted, guide and direct those filled with energy and joy. Use your church, including all of us connected to Church Street UMC, to show the world how being a people that gives thanks daily, transforms hearts and changes the world.

We offer prayers for those who suffer from illness, loneliness, disease, or oppression. We trust that you see the needs of all your people, and work for the good of all creation. It is with that trust that we offer these concerns of our community to you now:

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…

  • A promising report from Thompson Cancer Center
  • Our Knox County teachers! May they have a good Thanksgiving!
  • Family being able to visit this weekend.
  • A new job for my son!
  • All the people who helped make the Thanksgiving blitz possible
  • A grandmother who was able to be here for her granddaughter’s baptism

We pray for….

  • Family members and friends who are going through a difficult time
  • Everyone who is traveling this weekend; prayers for safety!
  • A family making decisions about long-term care for wife/mother
  • Our church members dealing with cancer treatments
  • Caregivers who feel extra stress this weekend; especially from family members who show up once a year! Lord, have mercy!
  • A young couple who is wanting so badly to conceive; Lord, bless them!
  • A neighbor who is in critical care; prayers for comfort and support for her family

We continue to pray for….

  • Our young adults and college students who are under so many pressures
  • Young people struggling with anxiety and depression
  • One who is grieving after the death of her pet; prayers for comfort as she misses her companion
  • A member who is preparing for radiation treatments and meeting with oncologist
  • One who has been in hospital with heart issues; prayers as doctors discern best medications and next steps
  • A member whose husband is in hospice care
  • Those whose parents are in hospice care
  • A member who will have open heart surgery early in December; prayers for peace as she waits
  • The homeless in our community; especially those who were housed at Magnolia UMC and Vestal UMC

And now we join our hearts with Christians the world over as we pray the pray 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?

Submit your prayer request confidentially by clicking here.

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