Prayer at St Jo’s
Prayer must be at the heart of church life. It is like the boiler room which heats the whole house. Or the wind which catches the sails of the boat.
In January 2009 our Bishop encouraged us and all of the churches in the diocese to deepen our prayer life together. “All we do as Christians comes from the inner nourishment of God’s active and invisible presence. And that means that it’s a first duty of every church to nourish itself in its invisible life and to teach others to pray.” Click here to watch the whole video
And so we take this commitment to prayer seriously. In each of our services there are times to ask for God’s help in the world around us. In our community and our families. And in our own lives. In addition to this:
There is a group or “prayer chain” of people who are committed to praying for people and situations on a regular basis.
There are opportunities every Sunday for someone to pray with you before, during or after the services. Through his Holy Spirit God brings healing of our physical, emotional and spiritual needs, and draws us closer to himself. Ideally, you will be prayed for by two people, at least one of whom is the same sex as you. There is a prayer room if you would like privacy.
There are opportunities to receive prayer for healing. The book of James says “Is anyone sick? They should call the elders of the Church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord…” (James 5:14) So if you need help in this area the focus may be on prayer during or after a service, within a Home Group, or visiting and giving of Holy Communion by authorised visitors to those who are sick and housebound.
There are opportunities to be prayed for regularly as part of the parish bulletin. If you wish to receive prayer in the weekly intercessions – or know someone who would appreciate this – contact the Parish Office.
