Prayer Of Gratitude For the Church Family

2. For all the Church Family

Prayer Of Gratitude For the Church Family

Type of service

¶    A non-eucharistic service designed for use when all ages are present throughout;

¶    Fully worked out sample, suitable for local reproduction;

¶    Designed to be suitable for regular use and for a variety of contexts.

This service follows the same structure as the Morning Praise sample service, but makes different choices of texts and uses headings of a different style.

Opening Prayer

If it is desired to make connections between this service and services of Holy Communion, the opening prayer printed here could be replaced by the Prayer of Preparation from Common Worship Order One.

Praise

The rubrics have been phrased to allow a hymn or songs either to replace or to follow the ‘Blessed is the Lord …’ responses.

Readings

No responses have been printed after the readings. This would not necessarily mean that they could not be used.

Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer is used in this service to sum up the prayers of intercession.

The ‘Lord in your mercy hear our prayer’ response, and the concluding ‘Merciful Father, accept these prayers …’ have been included as options to facilitate connections being made between this service and celebrations of Holy Communion. If these forms are not used in communion services, other choices could be made.

Dismissal

The use of ‘Go in peace …’ is designed to connect with Holy Communion services. Other options could be used instead.

If it is desired to give a blessing, the section, ‘Let us bless the Lord …’ should be omitted.

Greeting

Let us worship God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

All   Amen.

The Lord be with you

All   and also with you.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

All   We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Words of welcome and introduction may follow.

Opening Prayer

All   Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray.

Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Hymns or songs may be sung.

Silence is kept and the Collect, the prayer of the day, is said.

Confession

God our Father,

we come to you in sorrow for our sins.

For turning away from you,

and ignoring your will for our lives;

Father, forgive us:

All   save us and help us.

For behaving just as we wish,

without thinking of you;

Father, forgive us:

All   save us and help us.

For failing you by what we do

and think and say;

Father, forgive us:

All   save us and help us.

For letting ourselves be drawn away from you

by temptations in the world about us;

Father, forgive us:

All   save us and help us.

For living as if we were ashamed to belong to your Son;

Father, forgive us:

All   save us and help us.

The minister declares God’s forgiveness.

Praise

These words may be said

Blessed is the Lord

All   for he has heard the voice of our prayer;

therefore shall our hearts dance for joy

All   and in our song we will praise our God.

A hymn or song(s) may be sung.

Reading(s)

A psalm, hymn or songs may be sung between readings or before or after the Response.

Response

This may include a sermon or talk, discussion, and activities for different age groups. It continues with the Affirmation of Faith and the Prayers.

Affirmation of Faith

Do you believe and trust in God the Father,

source of all being and life,

the one for whom we exist?

All   We believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in God the Son,

who took our human nature,

died for us and rose again?

All   We believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,

who gives life to the people of God

and makes Christ known in the world?

All   We believe and trust in him.

This is the faith of the Church.

All   This is our faith.

We believe and trust in one God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

The prayers may include one of these responses

Lord, in your mercy

All   hear our prayer.

(or)

Lord, hear your people

All   and answer our prayers.

The prayers may end with

Merciful Father,

All   accept these prayers

for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

All   Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be 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.

Going out to serve God

A hymn or song(s) may be sung.

This prayer may be said

Let us bless the Lord:

All   thanks be to God.

Blessing, honour and glory be yours,

here and everywhere,

now and for ever.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

All   In the name of Christ. Amen.

A service from New Patterns for Worship. Compilation copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2002.

Источник: //www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/common-material/new-patterns-worshp/sample-services/2-for-all-the-church-family

6 Prayers For A Church Family or Congregation

Prayer Of Gratitude For the Church Family

One thing I am learning as I get older is just how much I care about and appreciate my church family.  My church is very active in helping those in it wherever it can.

  If you are part of a church then I think you will agree that it is so important to pray for those in your church family.

  There are many different areas of life that we all go through, some good and some bad, but prayer is always a great thing!  Here are 6 prayers you can pray for your church family!

For Our Pastors

Dear Father In Heaven,

I can’t say enough words to thank You for the men you’ve placed in pastoral roles in my church.  I pray that You would continue to mold them into the children You have called them to be.  Grow their intellect.  Empower them to be bold.

  Give them peace in the midst of difficult sermons to preach.  Lead them Father, as they continue to lead the congregation for You!  Lord, You are sovereign over all things and I pray that You will open the hearts of this congregation as our leaders lead us in song and sermon.

  Thank You for them, Father!  Amen

Your Close Brothers/Sisters

Dear Lord,

Thank You for leading me to my church family!  I am surrounded by a few extremely close brothers and sisters that I love with my whole heart.  I pray that as we get older and closer that we will never lose sight of what brought us together and that was You, Father.

  I pray that You watch over them and keep them safe, Lord.  May we always be accountable to one another and never demean one another but always encourage each other in the times of blessing and of trials.

  I thank You for my brothers and sisters, Lord!  I love You!  Amen

Those In Conflict

Oh Lord,

The church has been the same since its beginning.  There have been disputes among believers since the beginning.  Paul opposed Peter in Galatia. (Galatians 2:11-14) Paul reminded the church of Philippi to do nothing rivalry (Philippians 2:3).  There is a reason why You are in charge, Father.

  We could never keep order in the church without Your presence there.  Father, I pray for those in conflict right now that they would not give the devil a foothold in their lives, but that they would come together in Your Name to resolve any conflicts between them.  I pray that You will be glorified in everything they do.

  I pray this in Your Son’s precious Name!  Amen

Those Whom Are Ill

Father In Heaven,

I pray for those who are hurting in my church family today.  Lord, some have minor health problems while others have some very serious ones.  I pray that You will be with them and heal them, Father.

  You are the Great Physician and I believe in Your power to heal!  Lord, please give peace to those who are in the midst of serious health issues.  Father, I pray that they turn to You and know that You are right there beside them in their time of crisis.

  May Your will be done in their lives this day.  Amen

The Workers Are Few

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. (Luke 10:2)

Dear Lord,

Our congregation is struggling so much.  The ones who are leading are exhausted because they are being stretched so far.  I pray that You will convict others to rise up and help lead.  We need more worship leaders, teachers, greeters and other positions to be filled.

  Lord, so many want to be fed the Word of God but they won’t raise a hand to help carry the flock.  I pray that You will bring about a passion in the hearts of those who are sitting by idly knowing that they could be doing something to grow and nurture the church.

  I pray for strength for the ones that are giving so much to keep the church running.  Be with them, Father.  Amen

Expanding And Growing

Father,

We are in an exciting time in our church!  Our family is growing so much and I have seen personally so many things happen for Your glory here!  We are at a crossroad and it looks an expansion is necessary.  Father, I pray for Your wisdom to overflow into the congregation as we hold our congregational monthly meeting to talk about this.

  May we not expand the church for our own pride or accomplishments.  You are the One who has accomplished the growth of this church.  You are moving big time right now and we all need to focus on You and not ourselves.  Give us wisdom as to what to do in this expansion.  May we build exactly what You are leading us to build.

  I give You all the praise in this, Lord!  Amen

Conclusion

The church has many functions and it is a job for us all to be in prayer.  Whatever issues your congregation is facing, pray about them.  Pray for your close brothers and sisters.

  Pray for those you don’t know well.  Just as we are washed by the Word, we can cover the church congregation with prayers and petitions before God.

   May God bless you as you continue to live a life worthy of the calling!

Read Derek Hill’s personal testimony here: From the Muck and Mire to a Higher Calling

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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as: Church family, congregation, Prayers

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Источник: //www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/6-prayers-for-a-church-family-or-congregation/

12 Months of Prayer Ideas for Church Families

Prayer Of Gratitude For the Church Family

Use these 12 months of prayer ideas for church families to encourage and nurture prayer at home. What better way to start the new year than with great ideas to get families praying together.

January: Special Delivery

Distribute a postcard to each family. A family can be one person. Ask families to write their names and any special prayer requests on their cards.

Encourage families to return their cards over several weeks. A “prayer administrator” makes sure every individual or family is represented.

If any families haven’t filled out a card because of their absence, the prayer administrator can fill one out on their behalf.

Mail a postcard to church members so each family has a different family to pray for during the month of January.

February: A Heart for Prayer

Have the children decorate pink and red construction paper hearts. Then write the names of your church families on the backs of the hearts-one name per heart. Suspend the hearts from your church foyer ceiling.

Ask every family to take a heart and pray for that specific family during February. Recruit a crew who’s willing to pray for more than one person in case some paper hearts remain.

March: Leave Your Burden

Cut out a large cross from foamboard, and display it in a visible area in your church building. During the last week of February, distribute sticky notes to church members–adults and children. Ask each person to write a burden to give to God on the note. People can do this anonymously.

Encourage church members to attach the notes to the cross. It’s a good idea to attach a few notes ahead of time to encourage participation. Each individual can take home one of the notes and pray all month for that burden to be lifted from the person who’s carrying it.

Allow time at the end of the month for people to tell about answers to prayer.

April: Handle With Prayer

For each family or child, you’ll need six plastic eggs and half an egg carton with spots for six eggs.

Paint the halved egg cartons. Use a permanent marker to write “Fragile: Handle with Prayer” on each carton top.

Photocopy family names from your church’s phone directory or pictorial directory. Add the names of those not listed in the directory. Cut apart the names, and put one family name in each plastic egg. You can also simply write the name of each family on a paper slip.

Give each family six eggs in a carton and encourage them to pray for a family each day.

May: Flower Power Prayer

Give a long-stemmed rose to each family. Encourage them to choose one person or family to pray for through the month of May. They can deliver the flower and ask for any specific prayer requests.

June: Rockin’ Prayer

Collect enough small rocks for every child to have one. Then give a rock to each child to carry around in a pocket during the month of June. The rock is a reminder of Jesus, our rock, and it can remind them to talk to Jesus daily.

July: Pop! Pop! Pop! Prayers

You’ll need one empty 20-ounce soft drink bottle per family, plastic disposable plates, a fine-tip permanent marker, glitter or Mylar confetti, corn syrup, water, and scissors.

Have families create this fun prayer reminder craft together by following these steps.

1. Cut six half-inch ovals from the plastic plates.

2. Write “Family,” “Neighbors,” “Church,” “Our Government,” “World Crisis,” and “Peace” on six different ovals. Then put the ovals into a bottle.

3. Add a teaspoon of glitter to the bottle

4. Fill the bottle three-fourths full of corn syrup and top with water. Tighten the lid on the bottle.

Encourage families to shake the bottle every day during the month of July and pray for the item that comes up first.

August: Schooltime Prayers

Print labels with “Pray for Our Children’s Education.” Attach the labels to school supply boxes and give them to church members.

During the month of August, families can pray for education issues or people associated with schools when they buy school supplies to put in the boxes.

When school starts, donate the supplies and boxes to a local school for children who may not have school supplies.

September: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Give each family a white pillowcase and fabric pen. Encourage families to pray for a different person each night for bedtime. Then have them write the person’s name on the pillowcase.

October: Leafing It to God

Pour prepared plaster of Paris into a medium-size bucket. While the plaster is still wet, place a tree branch in the center of the bucket to create a self-standing tree. Write the names of children on fall-colored construction paper leaves, and tape the leaves to the tree branch. Have children select a leaf and pray for that person during October.

November: Make a Clean Sweep

Purchase tiny whisk brooms at a craft store or print whisk broom images on card stock. Add a label with the words “Make a Clean Sweep.” Attach a self-adhesive magnet to each one so they can be placed on refrigerators. Distribute these as a reminder to pray for inner cleanliness as the Advent season approaches.

December: Family Advent Calendar

Print December calendars with the name of a family or individual in each square. If your group is smaller than 31 people, repeat names. If your group is larger than 31 people, put more than one name in each square. Copy a second blank calendar sheet on red or green paper.

Use an X-Acto knife to cut three sides of each calendar square, but don’t fold any squares back. Glue around the outer edges of the blank sheets and place them over the name sheets.

Show the kids how to fold back each window, revealing a different family to pray for each day in December. cm

Authors Melissa Plowman and Cheryl Stewart are children’s ministers in Wichita Falls, Texas.

For loads of great ideas this, subscribe to Children’s Ministry Magazine today!

Источник: //childrensministry.com/year-of-prayer-ideas-for-church-families/

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