Please come and pray for the life of our parishes and seek God’s guidance for the New Year ahead. This will take place in the Canterbury Room at St Thomas’. Coffee and croissants from 8:15am, followed by prayer for the life of our churches. Finished by 9.30am. Please do join us.
St Andrew’s coffee morning A reminder that there is no coffee morning in January. The next one takes place as usual on the fourth Wednesday of the month on February 25th.
Phone free childhood – ask your MP to support raising the social media age to 16 This week the House of Lords has backed a move to ban under-16s from social media platforms. The government may try to overturn the amendment in the House of Commons while it holds a consultation on this. You have the opportunity to shape what happens next. You can e-mail your MP now so they know how much this matters to their constituents: https://smartphonefreechildhood.eaction.org.uk/raise-the-age This provides a pre-written email (that you can personalise or just send as-is) and takes 60 seconds. Anyone can send this - parents, carers, grandparents, aunts, uncles or young people.
Join in Morning Prayer together. Please do. We offer ourselves in worship, listen to the Bible and pray for our world and church members in turn.
This week we are asked to pray:
Prayers for the week from Roots on the web The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. We pray for the places of your world that are experiencing great darkness now: where there is war, unrest, confusion, repression. Shine your light particularly upon Ukraine, the Middle East, Venezuela, Greenland…. we pray. Illumine the way forward for a safer, fairer, peaceful world, where people’s gifts may be shared. Lord, in the same way that you chose to be with us, May we choose to take your message of love to our neighbours. Lord, we lift those areas of our local community that are struggling in darkness now… We pray for situations where there is unemployment, trauma, abusive relationships, hopelessness, hunger. Show us how we can bring your light into one of these places this week: as individuals, families or as a church congregation. Go before us to illumine our way so that we follow your lead rather than our own initiative. Give us eyes to see where you are working and the courage to follow. Lord, in the same way that you chose to be with us, May we choose to take your message of love to our neighbours. Lord, we thank you for calling each of us to be your disciples. Lord whatever we are feeling, help us to remember that each of us is known by you, precious and deeply loved. And each of us has a calling to follow your lead. Open our eyes to see how we can serve you in the places you have put us: our schools, our workplaces, our homes and families, and with our neighbours. Thank you that you know our strengths and our weaknesses and still have a role for each of us to bring your kingdom closer. In the stillness now, show us one person or place that you particularly want us to share your love with this week. Lord, in the same way that you chose to be with us, May we choose to take your message of love to our neighbours. Lord, may your light dawn on those we know who are struggling, whether with physical pain, anxiety, fear, depression or sadness. We particularly remember… Lord, increase their joy in miraculous ways this week. Touch them with your compassion and your tenderness. May they find you in new ways. Give us the grace to serve them, knowing that, in doing so, we are serving you. Lord, in the same way that you chose to be with us, May we choose to take your message of love to our neighbours. Lord, we pray for those we know who have yet to respond to your call. Surprise them with your closeness this week. Help us not to miss the opportunities to lead them towards you: Give us a word, a moment, a chat over coffee… help us to be willing to step out of our routines and comfort zones to tell others about you. Make us interruptible, we pray. And, in the quiet now, we thank you for those who led us to you. Thank you, Lord, for their witness. Lord, in the same way that you chose to be with us, May we choose to take your message of love to our neighbours. Lord, as we go out from here may we be cleansed, refreshed and challenged by all that we have heard and done today. Send us out to be your light bearers. Enrich us with your word and go before us in your glory as it illumines our path. May we return next week filled with deeper insights of you that we can share with others. Amen.