Prayers of our People - June Word & Deed

As we enter the summer months, school semesters wrap-up and regular church activities change pace. As a result, many of us experience a more flexible schedule for vacations and other special activities. This month I will begin leading Morning and Evening Prayer in the Sanctuary on Wednesdays at 8am and 7:15pm, respectively. These times of prayer, lasting 20-30 minutes, will include Scripture reading, silence and intercession for others. Everyone is invited to join me in this ancient discipline of praying in community at specific times of the day.

Whether we pray together in person or from a distance, I ask you to join me specifically in prayers for our Vision Team. This summer we are working hard to complete the process we began in March 2015 (it seems like so long ago!) Over the past year, we have put countless hours in listening to Scripture, our church, our community, and–through all our listening–to God. This team led our church in describing a disciple of Jesus Christ as “a person who loves God and others by giving unconditionally and accepting ALL.” Our task is now to articulate our strategic plan for making new disciples through the ministries of our local church. Please pray for wisdom and perseverance of our team members. Please also pray that the vision we articulate will connect with the hearts of our church members. Finally, pray our vision will lead us to connect with those people who have yet to become disciples of Jesus Christ!

Of course, our work isn’t complete once we finally put our vision into words. We then start living it out! Our disciple making mission won’t be complete until Jesus returns in final victory. But as we were reminded on Pentecost, God gave us the Holy Spirit, adopting us as his children that we might fulfill our Father’s Vision in the prayer his Son Jesus taught us: “Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Once again, thank you for your prayers for our Vision Team as we lead in discerning God’s vision for our church: Betty, Gene and Dalton Arnett, Roy & Dana Bearden, John & Emily Carpenter, John & Joan DiMartino, Ian Markham, Matt & Heather Headley.

– Matt

Download the June Word & Deed: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4Hvefa9h-SARVNERUtmcXdvdkk