Week of Prayer 2019
Helen Christie,
Welcome!
Once again, we have some prayer stations set up in the church and I have prepared some prayer points some of which are requests from those involved in the ministries and some of which are suggestions. This is not an exhaustive list, so please don’t be constrained by it but pray as the Spirit leads you. You may like to begin by reading a psalm of praise and praising God for all He is and has done for us in Christ. (Some suggestions – Psalm 8, 96, 103, 145, 146.)
Please set aside time each day to lift the ministries of our church to God in prayer whether in families, in a group or individually. If you would like to make use of the prayer stations or come into the church to pray, please see the notice sheet for times when the church will be open.
LEADERSHIP TEAM AND STAFF
Eddie L, Rob D, Dan O, Alan C, Ian H, Norman F, Adrian P, Roger H, Martin S, Mark E, Rhiannon P, Tim S, Louise dT.
Pray for them in their:
- Leadership roles
- Work life
- Home life
- Their walk with God
- Wisdom as they continue to lead a growing church
- Wisdom and discernment in decisions and sufficient attention to detail so that nothing is overlooked
- Guidance and wisdom for “passing on the baton”
WHERE NEXT? GOSPEL EXPANSION
- Praise God for the work He is doing in Corsham and Rudloe
- Where is God opening up doors to further His work?
- Pray for the courage to pursue opportunities when they arise
- Praise God for the work He is doing in Wadswick Green – pray for Norman and Pat F as they share the gospel there – that hearts would be softened and eyes opened in that community
- Pray again for Norman and Pat as they faithfully lead the prayer group that meets to pray for gospel expansion
- Pray that God would so fill our hearts with the love of Christ that it overflows to those around us
MID-WEEK SERVICE
- Praise God for His continued blessing on this congregation
- Pray for those faithfully leading and running the service e.g. Eric Seager, David Morrell, Norman Fuggle, key-board players, tea and cake makers, lift givers
- Pray for at least one more keyboard player and some more helpers for catering
- For wisdom and strength for the team of pastoral visitors as pastoral needs are endless
- That the congregation would grow both spiritually and numerically and that they would see more conversions and baptisms
9.15 CONGREGATION
- Pray for the congregational leaders – Tim S, Vicky S, Joey P, Matt G and Eddie L
- Wisdom and guidance for an additional leader
- Praise God for bringing new people
- Pray for new and existing members to bond closely as a family and support one another through the highs and lows of their daily walk
- As leaders and as a congregation that they would grow to be a “people of prayer”
11.15 CONGREGATION
- Pray for the congregational leaders – Alan C, Joan C, Martin S, Ian H, David M, Catherine D, Wendy R and Eddie L
- That they would faithfully seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in all that they do in helping to lead His church
- Wisdom on how to make the service more inclusive, not just for children but for the whole congregation
- Praise and thank God for the growth and size of the congregation
- That the congregation would deepen their commitment to one another and to the Lord
- Praise and thank God for the many faithful and gifted people He has blessed them with
- Pray that they would remember to thank God for all He is doing, because it is God who builds His church
- Pray for more Junior Church teachers and helpers and more worship leaders
CHURCH ON THE GREEN
- Pray for the leaders – Rob D, Adrian P and Paul G and for their families
- Wisdom to lead and disciple the congregation well
- That COTG would be a “compelling community” within Rudloe, proclaiming the Gospel and shining a light into the community
- Pray for more fruit as they continue to share the Gospel and build relationships in Rudloe
- Thank God for the present venue and pray that He would provide a more suitable venue as they grow in numbers
- Give thanks for the new families who have been joining them
- Give thanks for the recent baptisms
- Praise God for the blessing of many children and the expanding Junior Church classes as they now cater for Year 7s
- Pray for the three Life Groups
- Their involvement in the Heart4Rudloe Messy-Church
- Pray for the Frys (posted to Northern Ireland), the Matthews (posted to Germany) and the Littles (Mercy Ships)
MEN’S MINISTRY
- Praise God for His continued blessing on this ministry
- For the men of CBC to be zealous for Christ
- For the men of CBC to step up as leaders in gospel outreach
- For the Monday Night Meeting to grow and to be a good place of fellowship for men from every walk of life
- For the men of CBC to be hungry for the fellowship and teaching provided at the Men’s Evenings
- For the men of CBC to be zealous in prayer and for overwhelming numbers to turn up for “Fight Night”
PRISON MINISTRY
- For those members of CBC working in prisons to be effective in sharing the gospel and to see many turn to Christ as their Lord and Saviour
- Prison guards and prisoners
LADIES’ MINISTRY
- Praise God for His continued blessing on this ministry
Pray that the women of CBC would have a deepening desire to know God
That friendships would continue to develop and deepen
Pray for the new series of studies from Colossians called “Rooted” - For those who will teach from the front at each of these sessions: Sharon D, Kathy L, Anne H, Vicky S, Victoria K, Esther K, Jill H and Hannah S
- Pray that as we gather around God’s Word, we would indeed become “rooted”
- Pray for those who prepare and serve refreshments, contribute to the blog etc.
YOUTH & CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
- Thank God for the many children and young people connected to the church
- Pray that they would all come to know Jesus and gain a solid faith in the Lord
- Pray for Dan O, Rhiannon P and the many teachers and helpers involved in this ministry
Junior Church that children would come each Sunday with open ears and hearts, that they would come to know Jesus and that God’s Word would be deeply planted in their hearts - children would build relationships with one another and God would deepen relationships between leaders and children
- God would raise up people willing to fill the gaps in rotas across the congregations
- that the teachers, helpers and children will continue to learn about God and grow in faith and love for Him
- Friday evening groups – Encounter, Engage and Energize
- Thank God for the mix of CBC, other church and non-churched children who regularly attend and for the visible growth in relationships between the children
- Pray for the immediate need of a regular helper and in the future to grow a team and train up a leader to take over
- Pray the children would learn about God and find Him for themselves
- St. Patrick’s School Praise God for the continued enthusiasm that the children have each week as Rhiannon visits to tell Bible stories to years 1-6
Pray that the teachers will be challenged by what they hear too - Corsham School Praise God for the opportunities to witness in Corsham School
- Lunchtime group – that new year 7s will go along and older pupils return and hear the difference Jesus can make to their lives
- Pray that God would inspire Dan as he takes assemblies, that He would enable Dan to deliver them with clarity and faithfulness
- That the assemblies would prove fruitful for the Kingdom
Lackham College Outreach - Pray for Dan and Adam (vicar) at Freshers’ Fayre (September 9th)
That they would form a rapport with staff and students and be bold and deliberate in conversations - Restart of Cornerstone (evangelistic youth café), bible study groups and social activities That the young people would re-connect after the summer break
- God would guide leaders in what to cover
- Young people’s lives would be challenged and re-orientated around Jesus
- Youth Weekend Away (October 25th-27th)
- That God would be at work prompting young people to sign up
- That God would work through other leaders by the way they conduct themselves and conversations they have with the young people
- For God’s inspiration in Dan’s talks and that God would speak powerfully to the young people
- For open ears and receptive hearts
- Beyond Soul Survivor (finished this summer) – wisdom and guidance
TODDLER GROUP
- Pray for the team – Kathy L, Heather C, Helen C, Vanessa N, Jean P, Margaret H, Zelda R, Julie K, Claire K, Roz T, Colin W, Ian R and Franchi P
- Praise God that He has continued to provide enough helpers each week for the number of children and carers who come
- Thank God for the three men who take it in turns to move the “heavy stuff” before each session. Pray for more to join them.
- Continue to ask God to provide a leader and enough helpers each week
- Team will reflect God’s love and everyone will feel welcome and cared for
- God will be at work in people’s hearts and will use the Bible verses and songs to speak to them
- The team will have wisdom and discernment when talking to the adults who attend
- The children will be safe in their play and will have fun
- People will want to go to the Ark and other Christian activities and that God will be drawing them to Himself
THE ARK
- Pray for God’s continued blessing on this ministry Thank God for all those involved in running this ministry – Heather C, the puppeteers, those providing refreshments, those involved in craft, music, sound, lighting etc.
- Thank God for all the non-church and church people who have attended and pray that they would continue to come and that God would work in their hearts drawing them to Himself
- Pray for wisdom and guidance for the team as they plan each session and advertise and invite people
- Pray that God would bind them together as a team and that they would all grow closer to God
- For the Ark-run family service
- For wisdom, guidance and strength for all involved
- Pray for spiritual fruit from all the activities
- For those children aged 8-12 years who are too old for the Ark that God would continue to draw them to Himself – perhaps to the Friday Clubs or an Ark for 8-12 year olds?
MISSION AND THE PERSECUTED CHURCH
- AIM Tanzania – Steve and Ruth Lancaster – particularly for their residents’ permits to be issued soon
- WEC – Gill and Steve Bryant – conferences in the US (September 5th to 14th) and Spain (October 17th to 20th)
- Oasis – team in Austria, refugees, possible building team from CBC Compassion and the children sponsored by church members
- The Bible Society – Sue W and Esther K who work there
- Open Doors – persecuted Christians around the world
- The Littles – as they again settle into life on-board Mercy Ships, this time in Senegal
- Tearfund – particularly Eagles Relief and Development Programme in Malawi
- BMS – particularly for good health and protection for Benjamin Francis and his family as they labour in God’s vineyard
- Short term mission
- Praise God for the trips to Spain and to Tanzania earlier this year
- Rhiannon P and Natalie O – Spain September 11th to 14th – pray for safe travel, good health etc.
- Building Team to Sanga Sanga September 21st to October 6th – Martin S, Martin D, Tim P, Coleen F, Tony S, Clive S, Cath S and Neil F – pray for safety for them as well as safety for the nationals working with them
WELCOME AND IN-SERVICE MINISTRY
- Praise God for the many services we have
- Pray for the many people involved in serving before, during and after our services e.g.
- The Welcome Team on the door
- Those who prepare and clear away Communion
- Those involved with taking up the offering and counting it afterward
- Those who serve teas and coffee
- Those involved in prayer, leading worship, the overhead, the sound desk, preaching………..
- The duty elders and deacons
PA MINISTRY
- Pray for the sound system operators and Ben Ross who leads this ministry
- Praise God that The Gathering Weekend was a success from a technical standpoint – that the recently bought equipment has been right for the job
- Ask for wisdom to spend allocated funds wisely and to correctly prioritise various projects
- Pray for help to sort out current PA issues
- Pray that people would have the courage to step up to serve on the words’ projection and the PA desk – that people would not be stopped by their fear of failure
WORSHIP AND MUSIC MINISTRY
- Praise God for the many gifted musicians and worship leaders He has given us
- Pray that they would all grow in their walk with God as they serve in this ministry
- Ask God to raise up others gifted to serve in this way
- Pray for David M as he oversees the 11.15 worship teams and Joey Pillinger as he oversees the 9.15 worship teams
- Pray that we would all grow in worshipping God in spirit and truth
LIFE GROUPS
- Praise God that there are so many Life Groups but pray that more people would join groups and grow through the fellowship of being together
- Praise God for the many Formation Groups and ask that God would use these groups to transform us by the renewing of our minds
- Pray for the leaders of all the groups that they would grow in wisdom and strength
- Ask God to raise up more leaders
- A growing balance within the groups across all four areas in the LIFE principles i.e. Loving God, Individually known, Fellowship and Evangelism
PASTORAL MINISTRY
- Pray that God would help us all to reflect His love in caring for our brothers and sisters
- Pray for the sick and housebound and those who visit them
- For Joan C as she oversees the 11.15 congregation
- Those organising, preparing and distributing meals
- Pray that God would help us all to reflect His love in caring for our brothers and sisters
- Pray for the sick and housebound and those who visit them
- For Joan C as she oversees the 11.15 congregation
- Those organising, preparing and distributing meals
PRAYER MINISTRY
- Praise God for the many opportunities to meet together to pray
- The Prayer Chain – many answered prayers – those who administer it and those who pray
- Those who lead us in intercessory prayer and those who pray with us after services
- Pray that God would give us all the desire to draw closer to Him in prayer
CORSHAM MONEY & DEBT ADVICE CENTRE
- Praise God for the increasing number of people involved in this ministry and pray that their training needs will be met
- Pray for Alan S as he leads the ministry and for all the advisers and volunteers: Colin W, John G, Brenda N, Tom L, Lucy L, Graham S and Coleen F
- Ask God for guidance in how best to reach those in the community who need financial advice
- Pray for help to cope with the increasing amount of paperwork involved with GDPR and the Financial Conduct Authority
- Clients – their financial situations and opportunities to speak the gospel to them
- Pray that their contact with the Centre would lead them to turn to Christ
- Pray that the advisers would be bold in speaking of Jesus to the clients and in praying for them
- Keep the ministry rooted in prayer and gospel centred
COMMUNICATIONS
- For all those involved in assisting our church in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and giving God all the glory e.g. those who design and distribute flyers, those who produce banners, those who provide information about our church and our ministries
- That all our communications, whether online or by traditional media, would always bring glory to God and always point to Him, not us
- Wisdom on how best to use the website to build community and encourage one another’s spiritual development between Sundays
- Pray that the online sermons would bless people further afield
HEALTH AND SAFETY
- Praise God for a good health and safety record within our congregations
- Thank God for the opportunities that have been taken to improve Health and Safety
- Tim M as he oversees this ministry
- Pray for the first aiders
- Raise up others with the necessary gifts to serve in this ministry
CRAFT GROUP
- Pray for Hazel Hammett and Pam Mitchell as they lead this group that they would be God-minded in all that they do
- Pray for any ladies attending who do not know the Lord that the fellowship and conversation will be a way of encouraging them to seek God.
- Thank God for the creative giftings He has given us all and ask that we may always seek inspiration from the Holy Spirit and always bring glory to God
- Pray for wisdom in finding ways to encourage other non-church ladies to join us
OTHER ACTIVITIES
- Christianity and Discipleship Explored groups, walking groups, one-to-ones etc.
- Pray that in all our activities we would seek to point others to Jesus, to share the gospel with unbelievers, to encourage and disciple one another and to give all the glory to God
Tim Stephenson,