Who: Especially those not accustomed to praying aloud with others
When: The 6 weeks of Lent
What: Weekly praying with another Christian for their joys & concerns – possibly at church on Sundays, or over the phone
How: Sign up and be connected to a prayer partner from the congregation and receive weekly emails with encouragement and guidance for prayer.
Prayer can be understood as “faith breathing” – it’s just something that Christians do as part of the life of faith. However, at times we could use encouragement, discipline and the experience of the communal nature of prayer. God gives us the gift of the communion of saints so that no Christian need to bear burdens (or joys) alone. This is the purpose behind this year’s Lenten venture to partner in prayer.
During Lent, you will be encouraged to sign up to be paired with somebody in the congregation that you can meet or phone on a weekly basis. You will be encouraged to share when you typically attend church in case that would be a good time to meet (before or after worship). When meeting for prayer, you would briefly share any concerns and joys of the week, and then pray for one another aloud, which could take anywhere from 5 – 15 minutes. I’ll send a weekly email to all prayer partners with encouragements and even suggestions for prayers, especially at the beginning.
—Pastor Ingrid Wengert