One of the many joys of being vicar of Old Felixstowe is when I get the opportunity I get to spend with people, talking about faith and prayer. I am struck by the rich experience that people have and the desire to grow in depth in their relationship with Jesus.
I always come away built up in my faith and encouraged by such meetings.It led me to reflect on the variety of ways across the parish that we meet for prayer outside of our Sunday services. I hope that the variety of styles recognises that we all find different ways of praying that help us to draw near to God.
So I thought I’d explore the opportunities we have to pray together.
Weekly
Monday – 4pm The Link St Peter and St Paul – Evening Prayer. This is a time of prayer of just under 30 minutes, where we use liturgy, reading scripture and time of intercession to pray for what is laid on our hearts. We often spend time together talking about what thoughts the readings bring to mind.
Tuesday – 8am The Link St Peter and St Paul. Prayer for Growth. This is a time of just under 30 minutes where we spend time listening to worship music, reading scripture and waiting on God. We share what we feel God is revealing to us and pray for our community in particular
Thursday – 9am St Andrews – Morning Prayer. This is a time of prayer of just under 30 minutes, where we use liturgy, reading scripture and time of intercession to pray for what is laid on our hearts. We often pray for our community, country and world.
Monthly
1st Saturday of the month – location varies – see newsletter for details. Prayer Walk. We gather at one of the church buildings and walk from there, praying for the community and opportunities to share God’s love. We normally take about an hour and often some folk go for a coffee afterwards.
Every other month
Saturday – 9am – The Link St Peter and St Paul. For date each time please check the newsletter. Contemplative Prayer. We meet together for just over an hour, to read, reflect and listen to what God is saying. This is quieter and more spacious time to pray.
Occasionally
Sunday – 6.30pm – St Peter and St Paul. Look in newsletter for details of when these occur. Prayer Service. A variety of types of service that explore different ways of praying. There is often worship and an opportunity to explore a different way of praying. Some examples have been Lectio Divina, Taize style and use of creative. prayer stations
As I was reflecting on these opportunities, I am aware this is just a small part of the prayer that is offered in the parish. I know that people pray every day for the work of the church and for me and I am very grateful to be part of such a church. I know people use a range of resources to help them in their prayer and time with God.I was wondering if you have a resource that you use to help you in your time with God, whether you would be prepared to share it with me so we can create a list of the range of resources that help us encounter with God, either in book form or online.For example:
https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/
https://www.ucb.co.uk/word-for-today
https://taketime.org.uk
Please do email your thoughts and suggestions and I’ll look to share the suggestions in the next couple of months and put on the website.
With prayers
Chris