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ELMC Prayer July 2009
We are thankful for this month's prayer
offering which reminds us of the blessings of summer. It comes from
our ELMC colleague, Kirsty DePree, Coordinator of Discipleship for
the Reformed Church in America.
Gracious and Loving God,
You are the giver of life and all that
it brings, a life in which every breath we take is a gift from you.
During this summer season, we inhale the beautiful summer air, and
we exhale our anxieties, worries, doubts and fears as we find
refreshment and renewal in you.
You
are the air we breathe. We thank you, God, for the touch of the
wind and the delight of the breeze, for times to ponder and rest in
the midst of your creation, for times to peer into the sunset and
stand in awe, breathing deeper and deeper, and in doing so realizing
the power of your presence with us. We thank you for the long days
when we truly embrace the words of the psalmist who reminds us that
from the rising of the sun to its setting, your name shall be
praised
You are the one with us in all times
and places. We thank you for opportunities to travel and visit with
friends, family, and brothers and sisters in other countries. It is
our joy to learn from one another, to live together and to seek that
which brings unity, reconciliation and justice. We thank you that in
other lands and places we get a greater sense of who you are, and
that through your people we experience your presence.
You are the joy giver. We thank you
for camps, vacation Bible schools, summer programs, and mission
trips. We give thanks for laughter and learning, for new
relationships and aha moments, for swimming and amusement parks, for
vacations and opportunities to serve.
You are the great physician. We pray
for people who long for healing, who seek reconciliation, who search
for answers. We pray for people who are suffering from poverty,
desiring that they will seek your loving arms of protection, mercy
and healing.
You have poured out your Spirit upon us
so that we may dream dreams and see visions. Help us in the
quietness of summer days to imagine what could be, to hope for what
may be on the horizon for autumn, to embrace times to ponder and
think, and to be awed by your power to enliven us and stir
creatively within us.
You are our yesterday, today and
tomorrow. Thank you for being present, real and at the center of our
daily lives.
Amen.
Concerns/Observances:
-
Family, friends, and
former colleagues of
The Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Bragg, Jr. at his
recent passing. Dr. Bragg, Jr. was a long time valued colleague
in Ministries in Christian Education and publishing and the
former Vice President and Director of the General Editorial
Division for the Christian Board of Publication. A few years
ago Bragg lent his name and support to a fund for Christian
Education within ELMC--the Joseph H. Bragg Jr. Fund for
Christian Education. Memorial contributions have begun to come
into the office in his honor. A memorial service will be held
at Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville on Sunday, July 12th.
-
Courtney
R., Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), former EYAMT
Co-Convener who also served on the ELMC Administrative Board
as she now recuperates at home from some recent, serious
health challenges resulting from recent surgery.
-
Charlotte S.,
Committee on Disabilities, as she recovers from surgery
-
Summer camps,
vacation Bible schools
-
Various gatherings
and general meetings of our member communions as they struggle
with important issues and seek to discern God's will
-
Governmental
decision-makers and all citizens as we engage in debate about
health care reform for the good of all
Ecumenical Prayer Cycle:
|
Week 27 |
Bolivia, Chile, Peru |
28 June - 4 July |
|
Week 28 |
Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela |
5-11 July |
|
Week 29 |
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua,
Panama |
12-18 July |
|
Week 30 |
Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico |
19-25 July |
|
Week 31 |
The Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda,
the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic,
Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and
Tobago |
26 July - 1 August |
ELMC Prayer Archive
2009
ELMC Prayer
Archive 2008 |