Topics for Prayer

Our new PCCs
The membership of our PCCs may look very much the same as last year!  However, Westerfield now has two churchwardens, so please pray for both Judy and Cynthia in their shared roles.  Although some folks have been regular members of their PCC for many years they still need our prayer for this responsible position in our churches.  Pray, too, for those who have taken up responsibilities as wardens, treasurer and secretary, and that each PCC member in each church receives tangible blessings from God through the work they do.

Ministry Team
Following on from our day together at Otley the ministry team wants to make sure that we grow from this.  We have a half day at the end of the month where the three PCCs will meet together and also have their own meetings, and we will have a day away later this year.  Please pray that we in the ministry team are able to discern the way forward and prepare appropriately for these events.  Pray, too, for everyone's diaries to be free for the days and for positive outcomes

Elder
Julia was re-commissioned at our joint benefice service last month. Please pray that God will continue to bless her and inspire her in her work as elder.

Our Benefice
We are able to meet together most Sundays at our parish churches.  Each blue moon we have a fifth Sunday in the month.  It is a day of worship, and it is also a chance for benefice members to come together at one of the three churches in the benefice.  It is no secret that attendance at these services is poor.  As all PCC members are included generally in this email I will pose a couple of questions for your personal prayerful consideration and to help you to encourage fellow church members to be there at these services.

Whose Sunday is it?
Do I go to church for what I get out of it, or what I put into it?
How can I help people with transport problems to get to these services?

Growing
One of the things that is on the hearts of the ministry team is growth.  That's personal growth and church growth.  Through courses and other events we want to help and challenge people to grow in their faith and to be able to share their faith with other people.  Our calling (and this is not just for the ministry team!) is to proclaim the Kingdom of God, to share our faith, to grow in wisdom and understanding, and to commit to prayer and Bible reading.  We may need help to accomplish all of these.  Please pray that God will reveal and lay on your heart what He has planned for you personally.  He may be calling you to some ministry within our churches.  It is good to share this with others - ministry team members are always ready to listen and to pray with you.

Cells (aka the Book Groups)
Not the iron bar type. We are planning a continuing series of two-month courses based on Bible themes for small home groups.  Each course has four meetings and each participant receives as preparation for each meeting a set of three or four Bible readings similar to the Home Lent Course in style.  Meetings will last for no more than an hour and during these we meet to read a little more together and to chat and pray. 

Each course is complete in itself.  Groups can continue into the next course or can re-form or split into new ones as appropriate.

Would you be interested in leading or hosting such a group?  We will provide leaders with materials and scripts for the four meetings along with questions to ponder and prayers to read.  As a host you would provide a place to meet and some refreshments, and you would also invite one or two (it can be more) people to come along to share with you and the leader. You choose the dates and times - it can be any time of day. You can imagine how easily a husband and wife team could pick up both roles, but we're not all married! The initial commitment is to the first course only, which will run from June to July.  The next one will start in September.

Please pray to seek out how God may want to use you in this venture.

 

If you have other requests for prayer, please E-mail us.