The Power of Prayer

Prayer has always been an important part of our ministry. From my first days here we had an ongoing weekly prayer meeting that focused on the needs of the community. In the late 1990's we transformed that group into a mid week prayer service. For the first time in twenty one years we ended that long line of weekly meetings in the summer of 2006. Since then we have had regular Bible Studies but their focus has been on other things. Prayer is always a part of the meeting, but for example, now we have a small group studying C.S. Lewis' "Meer Christianity." It is bathed in prayer but it is not the same.

The good news is that prayer has become a more integral part of our worship experience each week. In the last ten years we have had a dedicated time of prayer in the middle of our worship service. People often lift up friends, neighbors, situations in the community and world during this time. Our time of prayer is no longer just pastor led, but community driven.

I am hoping that we will once soon have another regular mid-week opportunity to gather for prayer. Look for an announcement sometime after Easter.

For today I want to lift up a few people for you to keep in your personal prayers; God knows the particulars so I won't go into them here. But please lift up their names before God when you pray in the coming days. Thank You.

Christian Fitchett and his family

Jennifer Marcy and her husband and daughters

Jean and Steve Roscoe

Michelle Lord

Donald Schoepfer

Judy Dupont

Bill Rossoll

The Lucien family, especially Noah and Benjamin

Bethany Stone

Melinda Brick

Robyn J. Choate, Jean and Tom Smith's daughter

Marge Booth

Doris Adams

Bob Duntz

Jim Volpe's dad

Luis Pabon

Michelle Jette

Gary Coborn

Thanks, Cal

P.S. I recently read the book "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Donald Piper and it is a wonderful testimony to the power of prayer. I am ordering a copy for our Church Library and I highly recommend it.