Preston St Matthews - prayer meeting December 7th 2016

A group of us met as our regular monthly parish prayer meeting.

We talked about and prayed the prayers passed on my the churches of Morecambe. but managed without a fish supper..

Then we wrote down and prayed our local prayers:

THANKS

ABOUT ISSUES IN OUR PARISH

About Parish and Community Projects

AND ABOUT PARTICULAR PEOPLE

 ABOUT OUR CHURCH LIFE

Northern Prayerhouse 2016 Prayer booklet

The final edition of the Northern Prayerhouse 2016 Prayer booklet is here!

 

Gillian Beeley

Development Co-ordinator (East Lancashire)

TOGETHER LANCASHIRE

Tel: 07904 919413

 

Registered Office: Diocesan Offices, Clayton House, Walker Park, Blackburn, BB1 2QE

 

 

Registered Charity Number:  1147848

Registered Company Number: 07966145

 

Prayer from Skelmersdale

Our prayer for those in Skelmersdale

 

Some people don't know who they are

Some people don't know where they belong.

We love your people Lord

And we thank you for placing us here in Skelmersdale

 

Our identity in You

Is more important than who we think we are

Or who others think we are

 

We want to be light

So that Light can banish the darkness.

 

Grow us, woo us

Love us, live in us.

This is your town

And your people.

We claim them for You

And we seek to grow Your kingdom here.

 

Cerys Smye-Rumsby

Community Development Worker

West Lancs CVS

 

Tel 01695 733737   |    www.wlcvs.org

 

Prayers from Davyhulme, Manchester

Prayers from Christ Church, Davyhulme, Manchester at their Harvest Service

 

Prayer for Christ Church Lunch Club

 

Lord, we pray for people who feel lonely and for organisations working to cater for their needs.

 

We pray for the people in our community of Davyhulme who come to us on Wednesdays for companionship and a hot meal. We pray for our volunteers who give their time, showing kindness and patience and making people feel welcome. We ask that you will bless Ann, Graham and Olga who are responsible for the lunch club.

 

Hold them all in your hands, Lord, and help us to serve you in our community making Christ Church a welcoming place to come to.

 

Lord, in your mercy – hear our prayer

 

 

Prayer for the wider community of Manchester

 

Heavenly Father, open our eyes to see the needs of those caught in the web of poverty and open our hearts to respond to those needs.

 

We ask your blessing on those who work for Lifeshare, Cornerstone and Barnabus and those who help in the Foodbanks that are so necessary for many.

 

Help us to see you in every person in need; the homeless, the dispossessed. We ask your blessing on the work of those involved with Shelter, Night Shelter, The Big Issue and the Salvation Army. We ask that you would honour and prosper the work of Wood Street Mission as they seek to relieve the plight of needy families in Manchester.

 

Lord God, you have no hands but our hands, help us to be willing servants to those in need.

 

Lord, in your mercy – hear our prayer

 

 

Prayer for the relief of poverty in the world

 

Lord, help us to see the need in our world and to respond.  We can too easily take for granted the food that we eat and the clean fresh water available to us.  Lord, we ask that you would help us to remember those who have little or nothing who, because of injustice in world trade, go to bed hungry and struggle to earn a living.

 

Bless those who work for justice and Fair Trade; may they know your support as they show your love in serving others.  We pray for workers producing Fair Trade goods asking that their lives will improve as they earn a fair wage for their work.

 

Lord, we pray for a change in the attitude and hearts of all consumers that they will understand the consequences of their actions.  Help all consumers to remember that everyone in our world is connected and that Fair Trade is a positive way of turning the tide of injustice.

 

Lord, in your mercy – hear our prayer

 

 

 

 

Gillian Beeley

Development Co-ordinator (East Lancashire)

TOGETHER LANCASHIRE

Tel: 07904 919413

 

Registered Office: Diocesan Offices, Clayton House, Walker Park, Blackburn, BB1 2QE

 

 

Registered Charity Number:  1147848

Registered Company Number: 07966145

 

 

 

Prayer from the Chairman, Together Lancashire

Loving, generous God,

We praise you for our creation, your sustaining grace and your loving
forgiveness and redemption.

The beauty of the world around us this autumn is marred by our fears,
anxieties and the results of the greed which consumes us. We have failed to
live our lives as we have been taught. Forgive us, gracious God.

Grant us, O Lord,

- the trust to live our lives as Jesus teaches us still,
- the courage to put others before ourselves and not to count the cost
- the vision to be prophetic and creative in ways which honour You
- the assurance of knowing that your guidance will always be before us.

In the name of Christ, we offer this prayer.

Amen

Ken Wales, Chair, Together Lancashire

Morecambe Churches Forum - Fishes, Chips and baskets of prayers left over

A dozen or so of us from a wide range of churches across Morecambe met to pray on October 18th..

These are our prayers.... and us praying and eating together...

Just click on the photos to enlarge them.

Prayers from Blackpool Children

Prayers from Blackpool St John’s CofE Primary School

 

Dear Father,

In Blackpool there are hundreds of homeless young people, some of them have argued with their families and others have no money and no jobs.

They feel sad, hungry, cold, lonely and bored.  The streets can be very dangerous places.  They sometimes hate themselves and take risks that mean they aren’t safe.

We thank you for everything that God has given to us - we are so lucky.

We pray that you will keep the young homeless people in Blackpool safe and we pray that other people in Blackpool will share a little bit of what they have at Harvest Time to help young people who attend Street Life Centre.

We put this prayer into your hands.

Amen

Tyler, Amelia and Mille-Lou (Blackpool St John’s CE School)

 

Prayer from Liverpool

Prayer from Together Liverpool, committed to welcoming the stranger


Lord Jesus, born in a family displaced by powerful forces,
we pray for those displaced today.

For asylum seekers and refugees fleeing war and persecution,
for those being resettled from Syrian camps
and for lone children trying to find their families or any family to love and support them.

Work a miracle of hope in us and through us to grow a network of love, to start rebuilding lives in our own communities.

For your Name's sake.
Amen

John Davis
Together Liverpool Development Officer
St. James House
20 St. James Road
Liverpool
L1 7BY

Tel: 0151 705 2163
Mobile: 07826 554889
Website: www.cuf.org.uk/together-liverpool


Working in Wigan, West Lancashire, Warrington, Halton, St. Helens, Knowsley, Sefton and Liverpool.

A wonderful prayer written in 1551,

This was probably written by Bishop Hugh Latimer at a time of economic crisis and the enclosure of common land.  

 

It pulls no punches in the way it talks about landlords who exploit the vulnerable…"

 

We heartily pray thee to send thy holy spirit into the hearts of them that possess the grounds, pastures, and dwelling-places of the earth, that they, remembering themselves to be thy tenants, may not rack and stretch out the rents of their. houses and lands, nor yet take unreasonable fines and incomes, after the manner of covetous worldlings . . . but so behave themselves in letting out their tenements, lands and pastures, that after this life they may be received into everlasting dwelling places.".. 

 

Maybe we should pray like that today.

 

Greg Smith

 

Development Co-ordinator Together Lancashire

Dave Andrews' Reflection -

at Together Lancashire we take this prayer particularly to heart, and repeat it often and loudly!

 

I dream of a world

 

in which all the resources of the earth

 

will be shared equally

 

between all the people of the earth,

 

so that even the most disadvantaged

 

will be able to meet their basic needs

 

with dignity and joy.

 

I dream of a great society of small communities

 

co-operating to practise

 

personal, social, economic, cultural and political

 

integrity and harmony.

 

I dream of vibrant neighbourhoods

 

where people relate to one another

 

genuinely as good neighbours.

 

I dream of people developing

 

networks of friendship

 

in which the private pain

 

they carry deep down

 

is allowed to surface and is shared

 

in an atmosphere

 

of mutual acceptance and respect.

 

I dream of people

 

understanding the difficulties they have in common,

 

discerning the problems, discovering the solutions

 

and working together for personal growth and social change

 

according to the visionary agenda of Jesus of Nazareth.

 

And I dream of every church in every locality          

 

acting as a catalyst to make this dream come true.

 

 

Compassionate Community Work, Dave Andrews (2006)

 

Prayers from Trawden St Mary, near Colne

We prayed these on Sunday, 9 October – please pray with us!

 

 

For refugees – Pendle has just welcomed several Syrian families

 

Heavenly Father,
you are the source of all goodness, generosity and love.
We thank you for opening the hearts of many

to those who are fleeing for their lives.

 

Help us now to open our arms in welcome to our families who landed safely in Pendle,

and reach out our hands in support.
That the desperate may find new hope,
and lives torn apart be restored.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord, 
who fled persecution at His birth
and at His last triumphed over death.

 

Amen.

 

 

For those in debt

 

Father, we pray for the many who are trapped by growing burdens of debt,

 

who see no way out, and who despair for their future:

give them courage to tackle the problems they face,

clarity in taking decisions which will turn their situation around,

and faith that, as they cry to you in their trouble,

you will deliver them from their distress;

we pray that you will provide for Christians Against Poverty and Open Door

in their work to support those who need help and advice.

 

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

 

For the Homeless

 

 

God of compassion,

your love for humanity was revealed in Jesus,

whose earthly life began in the poverty of a stable

and ended in the pain and isolation of the cross:

 

we hold before you those who are homeless,

particularly young people who are no longer able to live in the family home.

 

Draw near and comfort them in spirit

and bless those who work to provide them

with shelter, food and friendship, particularly Nightsafe and Safe Space, who are threatened by cuts.

 

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen

 

 For Justice

 

 

 

Living God,

 

deliver us from a world without justice
and a future without mercy;
in your mercy, establish justice,
and in your justice, remember the mercy

revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Amen

 

 

 

Christians Against Poverty Sunday Prayers

From Calvary Christian Fellowship, Lostock Hall, Lancashire, Jill Jackson

 

CAP Debt Help

 

Give thanks for

• the 85 people who have become debt free over the last 8 years

• the amazing volunteers we have at CAP Community drop-in

• the development of Lifeskills

 

Please pray for

• Clients suffering from depression & anxiety

• Clients with physical health problems

• Clients who have come to faith to be baptised

• Clients who are open to God to come to know him

 

Events

• Novembers Discovery Break. That clients enjoy a short break, find rest and God’s love

• Client Open Day Tuesday 29th November. Pray for clients to be better connected to CAP as they tour around Jubilee Mill and see where work is done on their cases, hear John Kirkby’s story of all God has done in his life and in CAP and enjoy a Bradford curry. May God’s hand of blessing be upon this day and may many clients come to faith.

• Christmas Celebration. Thursday 15th December. This lunchtime gathering of CAP debt help, Job Club, Release Groups and Lifeskills group. May we have a fun time and share God’s love at Christmas. May the Regional Evangelist Dave Tudor speak God’s word into the hearts and lives of clients who come along.

 

Lifeskills

This is a new initiative from CAP. It seeks to provide “New ways to live for a brighter future”. It teaches practical money saving techniques, such as cooking on a budget, living healthily on less and making your money go further.

Please pray for the trained coaches of this course-Jill Jackson, Mel Hollaway, Julie Gilpin and Audrey Waring. Pray also for the volunteers Keith Waring and Marie Clough supporting this work.

We have a dozen people we have invited to be part of this course starting on 20th October. Please pray we would build stronger community and encourage and support one another in the goals we set.

Please pray we have fun in preparing for our celebration on 15th December.

Pray we are able to encourage and celebrate the skills people already heave.

 

CAP Job Club

Please pray for those attending the Steps to Employment course. May these skills help people applying for jobs and build their confidence. Pray for the team as they welcome new people each week & keep supporting current members.

 

CAP Release Group

Please pray for those who have set themselves goals for becoming free from life controlling habits. Pray for all supporting & coaching them through this process.

 

 

 

POVERTY IN CARLISLE - PRAYERS

PRAYERS FOR CARLISLE
For people in Carlisle and round about who are living rough with no roof
over their heads and nowhere to wash or cook.
For people who are living in urgent and desperate need, excluded from normal
social activities and struggling to put food on the table.
For people living in the most deprived areas of Carlisle, income deprived,
employment deprived, education and health deprived.
We pray for the building of connection in our community so that people can
flourish and thrive, embedded in networks of supportive relationships.
For all those who work towards building community.
People who need the foodbank and people who work in the foodbank.
For people who need the Citizens Advice Bureau and those who work for CAB.
People who have fallen into debt and people who work for Christians against
Poverty and other agencies which help others resolve and become debt free.
People who are drawn into criminal activity through poverty and people who
work with them in the courts and probation service.
We live in hope that we can move towards a more equal distribution of the
gifts of life. Help us to use only our fair share and no more.
Lord, hear our prayer.

In Friendship,
Annie Foster
Northern Prayer House Hub

Prayer for children

Prayer for children from the Stephen Whittaker, Director of the Board of Education, Diocese of Blackburn

 

Loving Father,

As you reminded us through your Son that every child is special to you,

Help us to see the world through their eyes and bring their needs to You.

Where there is injustice; help us fight for what is right,

Where there is poverty; help us have generous hearts,

Where there is fear; help us to offer protection,

Where there is pain; help us to bring relief,

Where there is sadness; help us bring joy,

Where people are unloved; help us share the unconditional love of Christ

To enable His Kingdom to truly come on earth.

Amen

 

Stephen Whittaker Director of Education Diocesan Offices Clayton House Walker Office Park Blackburn BB1 2QE   Tel: 01254 503070

Serve Christ. Share the Gospel. Support, Equip and Educate

 

Prayers from Blackburn Diocese

Prayers from Blackburn Diocese Parish Mission and Support Dept

Dear Lord

Your Son Jesus Christ said blessed are the poor.

May the poor be blessed

With opportunities

With hope,

With transformation,

With justice

With compassion

With new beginnings

For the sake of your glorious kingdom.

Amen

I’m also a fan of the prayer attributed to St Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Every blessing

David

Revd Canon David Banbury

Parish Mission Support Department Leader and Diocesan Missioner

Prayers for Burnley

Prayers from Burnley

 

1. God of Love, help us as your people, to show your love in practical ways to those in need, particularly those  who are trapped in the web of poverty, give them hope . In Jesus`s name . Amen.

 

2. Lord Jesus, you came into the world to bring freedom, may all who are trapped in poverty and hunger know that freedom. You came to bring justice, may all find  justice. You came to be love , may we give love to all we meet, by caring for them in their need. In Jesus`s name . Amen

 

3. Gracious God, may we serve those who are suffering poverty, help us to feed, clothe, shelter those who have nothing. Help us in our serving to treat them with respect and as equals in the sight of God,   and not to look the other way or cross over the other side of the road . In Jesus`s name . Amen 

 

Love and blessings

Bea Foster 

Together Lancashire Trustee and Burnley Methodist Circuit

 

 

Prayers from Garstang, Lancashire

Garstang URC 24^th October 2016

 

Prayers 1: For our town and the rural communities around it

We offer our prayers for the people of our town and its surrounding villages affected poverty and deprivation.

We pray for those on low incomes affected by fuel poverty, particularly those living in isolated communities away from mains services, often in houses with poor insulation. We pray for them and their families recognising the impact that this can have on their health and well-being.

We pray for those feeling increasingly isolated in their own homes often without their own transport, for example as reductions in public transport particularly in rural areas increasingly restrict their ability to visit friends or families; or to access social activities that they have traditionally enjoyed.

We pray that we may become a beacon of community in which all are included and are enabled to live life in all its fullness.

 

Prayers 2: For organisations working in our area

We pray for organisations working in our area to help people overcome poverty or isolation. We pray for the services from the public and from the voluntary sector working to provide opportunities for people to meet in community and for those working directly to address the impact of poverty on individuals and families in our area; offering our prayers for those working in:

• Food banks
• Money and other advice services
• Service supporting people’s health and mental wellbeing
• Community networks providing places to go and things to do accessible to people in their local setting

We pray that they may be sustained and enriched by God’s blessing on their work, particularly as reductions in public spending appear to make their tasks more challenging

 

Prayers 3: For our Church and its partners

We pray for our Church and the other Churches of our town.

We thank you for their witness to your kingdom here in Garstang, in the opportunities they provide for people to meet locally as communities in our buildings either as part of church activities or in their own social groups.

We thank you for the partnerships we have, working with other local organisations to address issues of poverty and disadvantage; praying particularly

• For the work of the churches to support local food banks
• For the offer of coffee and chat in many of our church halls
• For our church’s long standing links to the work of the Lancaster and District Homeless service

We pray that we will continue in our ministry reaching out to the needy and isolated in our community in your name.

 

Amen

A Challenge

A challenge....

I was hungry and you formed a working group and discussed my hunger.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so holy, so close to God.

But I’m still very hungry and lonely and cold.

 

Gillian Beeley

Development Co-ordinator (East Lancashire)

TOGETHER LANCASHIRE

Tel: 07904 919413

 

Registered Office: Diocesan Offices, Clayton House, Walker Park, Blackburn, BB1 2QE

 

 

Registered Charity Number:  1147848

Registered Company Number: 07966145

 

 

 

Together Lancashire invites faith groups across the North of England to take part in series of prayer events and activities with a focus on tackling poverty and deprivation.

The North of England has a long history of being a House of Prayer.  From the Celtic saints of Northumbria, the great abbeys, the Cathedrals and Minsters, the early, dissenters and Quakers, the Methodist revival in the midst of the industrial revolution, there has been a deep spiritual longing to transform the world as it is into the world as it ought to be.

Why do we need the Northern Prayerhouse?

Christian organisations and networks are addressing challenges of poverty.  As austerity measures continue to bite, faith groups continue to respond, ever more stretched through lack of resource, and burdened by the higher expectations from the public sector that we can pick up the pieces.