Some Prayers from the Parish of the Risen Lord Preston - November 1st 2017]

We printed out and prayed some of the prayers from the blog and wrote our own on the same themes alongside them

 

Intercessions used in Blackburn Cathedral - Sunday October 15th

 

As we meet in prayer, we remember those who are held in changed and pray with the response to:

We are all shackled being

May chains be broken.

Refugees & Asylum Seekers

God beyond borders

We bless you for making us a world of different people and different places;

We bless you for the friendship of strangers

The richness of other cultures and

The painful gift of freedom.

We pray for those who find themselves in strange places;

Those fleeing war and famine;

Hatred and abuse.

Help us to welcome them as you welcome us;

Confront our prejudice and stretch our narrowness.

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery

Lord of the lost, we pray today for all those who are victims of human trafficking:

people lured from their homes and families;

people deceived while trying to find a better life;

people who are desperate to trust anyone.

Help us to be more vigilant and watchful;

to be aware of those who may need our help,

and those who do not know where help may lie

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

Debt

Debt drives people to desperation, suicide, isolation, hunger.

Lord, your generosity provides an example for us all;

To be stewards of all we have, spending wisely and avoiding greed.

We bring before you those who are trapped in debt by the greed of others;

Those who find it difficult to control their own spending.

We pray for those whose income is too low to support them;

And those who spending is not wise.

May they find hope and encouragement in those they meet;

May their debts be forgiven

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

 

 

Food

Lord, you provide for us abundantly; yet people are starving.

Your resources are greater than our needs; yet people still need foodbanks.

We give thanks for the generosity of those who seek to provide for the needs of others.

But let us not be complacent.

Guide us to a better system where their needs are met – and none go hungry.

May those who hunger now find true and lasting refreshment.

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

Loneliness

 

Trials and tribulations are not restricted to the Urban areas.

Heavenly Father, we pray for those who are fearful of their feelings.

Fearful to seek help, trapped in darkness and devoid of hope.

We pray for those who are gripped by guilt and weighed down by low self-esteem,

Believing their life is a failure.

We pray for those who stand alongside others as carers, companions and loved ones;

Who feel exhausted and lonely.

We are all shackled

May chains be broken.

Illness

 

Heavenly Father, we pray for those who find that illness restricts them.

Those living with chronic pain, those facing terminal illness.

Those whose ability is restricted by their physical health.

We glory in the gift of health and yet face our own limitations.

Help us to see those who need support and give from the gifts you have given us; for

We are all shackled

May their chains be broken.

 

Prayers to launch the Autumn 2017 season of prayer

To get the Northern Prayerhouse under way we re-post two prayers from last year.

 

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)

 

 

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.

 

Northern Prayer House - Autumn 2017 Season

Once again this autumn Together Lancashire will be promoting and co-ordinating the idea of a Northern Prayerhouse.

We are looking for churches, or groups of churches across the North of England who are willing to organize events, or make use of existing regular prayer meetings or prayer groups.

The commitment we are asking for is:

1. to offer prayers not only for your own local situations and people, but also for at least one other parish, neighbourhood or town that has agreed to participate in the network.

2. to document the prayer needs and requests, and any answers to prayer, from your own church or community and send these to us. You could simply send an email, or photographs, or even a video recording from your event or prayer meeting so that we can post them on this blog, and pass them on to be prayed over by another group in our network.

If you would like to take part we would like to hear from you before September 15th. Just send an email to gillian.beeley@together-lancashire.org.uk and we will get back to you. 

If you wish we can advertise details of your forthcoming events.

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