AUGUST 11
“Because your love is better than life,
My lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
And in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
With singing lips my mouth will praise you.”
-Psalm 63:3-5
From your Prayer Coordinator:
As we approach Annual Conference, please join with me in praying for the
various participants. Today we pray for all members of Annual Conference,
both clergy and lay representatives, that they may rejoice in the Lord first
and foremost as they go about the business of the Connection.
Please join me in this prayer, and please add your own prayers, that peace,
honor, and productivity may prevail at this, our first virtual Annual Conference.
Thanks and many blessings,
Ann
Holy One, you are our God, and earnestly we seek you. We raise to you
today the members and representatives of the Indiana Conference of The
United Methodist Church. We ask what only you can give. We ask for calm,
for clarity, and that they may always be aware of your continual presence
among them.
Though they are gathering virtually, may your Holy Spirit unite them as one
Church. Connect them in spirit as they conduct our business in the Plenary
Sessions, as they honor our retirees, and as they celebrate the fruitful
ministry of our newly-commissioned and ordained clergy.
Jesus Our Lord, be present to all in their prayers and in their worship,
and as an example before them.
All these things we pray in your most Holy Name, Amen.
– Written by Rev. Ann Thomas, Conference Prayer Coordinator
AUGUST 12
“O God, from my youth you have taught me,
And I still proclaim your wondrous deeds,
So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I proclaim your might
To all the generations to come.
Your power and your righteousness,
O God,
Reach the high heavens.”
-Psalm 71:17-19a
From your Prayer Coordinator:
Please join me today in praying for our 2020 retirees, whom we will
celebrate on Saturday during Annual Conference.
Most Gracious and Holy God, God of the ages, we raise to you today all
those who have served you faithfully in the ministry and now retire to serve
in other ways. We ask that you keep them whole and well for many years to
come, that you give them meaningful work to do in retirement, and that they
receive the rest and relaxation they have so faithfully earned.
Retirement is a transition, and not always an easy one, from tireless
service to rest, from regular work to sporadic, from striving to ease, and
from the Church to the home. Give peace to our retirees, and let us
celebrate with them the accomplishments of their many years in your
service.
We pray, too, for their spouses, who make this transition with them. Give
them peace and patience, space and sanity, companionship and caring.
May this new journey be a joyful one for both clergy and their spouses. We
raise before you those specific retirees known to each of us, that they may
receive your blessings. We pray these things in the most blessed
name of Jesus.
And let the whole Church say Amen.
AUGUST 13
“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for
the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us
come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”
-Ephesians 4:11-13
From your Prayer Coordinator:
Today, let us lift up those who will be commissioned to the ministry
during Annual Conference. Please join me in this prayer, and continue
praying on your own both today and during the commissioning
service on Saturday.
Let us pray:
Jesus, giver of gifts, empower these your servants to be your apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers among the people called
United Methodists. Give them strength for the journey, discernment to hear
your voice, leadership to shepherd your people, and courage to speak your
truth.
Holy Spirit, walk beside each of them for comfort and to keep them close to
God, for it is sometimes a lonely road.
Holy One, bless them and bless their families who have consented to
journey with them. Consecrate them to your service, and give them peace.
Enable them to grow in spirit and in the knowledge and love of God.
Lord, it is not an easy road to which you have called them. We ask that you
grant them the surety of their call, the wisdom of your word, and the
comfort of your presence. Help them to surrender their wills to you, and
grant them peace in the way they have chosen.
All these things we ask of you, Holy Triune God, in the name of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
AUGUST 14
“And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when
called by God, just as Aaron was.”
-Hebrews 5:4
Please join me in praying for those who will be ordained during the
Celebration of Ministry at Annual Conference. Please pray this
or your own prayers, and continue praying as they are ordained.
Thank you for your participation in these four days of prayer. There is
nothing more important than our connection to God, and nothing more
unifying. Many blessings to all,
Ann Thomas, Conference Prayer Coordinator
Most Holy and Righteous God, you are everything to those who serve you.
We ask your blessing today on these you have called. Let them be your
soldiers, your prophets, your priests, and lead your people in transforming
the world. May they lead in justice and mercy. May they always seek you
first. May they walk daily with the Spirit. May they follow in the footsteps of
Jesus.
Great giver of gifts, inspire them to move your people to increased faith and
solid understanding of your word. Guide them in loving others as
themselves. Make them examples of your peace and your love. Walk with
them as they follow the way of the cross.
We raise to you, too, their families. Endow them with understanding and
patience, and help them support your pastors day by day. Give them
wisdom to moderate the zeal with which their partners serve. Above all,
give them the peace and joy of a happy and successful family. Amen.
OCTOBER 8
From our Prayer Coordinator Ann Thomas, please join us in praying for the initiative known as “Children Matter Most,” which will be presented at Annual Conference.
“…but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them;
for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’” – Matthew 19:14 (NRSV)
Jesus, beloved Savior, you blessed the children, and we would do the
same. Too many children are in distress in Indiana. You have given us a
charge to protect and shield them. We may not know how, but we want to
learn.
We ask you first to save and protect them with your steadfast love. We
believe that you work through our hands and hearts. Help us, Lord, to listen
for your guidance, to define our role in this mission, and to carry it out. Give
us hearts to save, ears to listen, and hands to serve.
Use our imaginations to envision your plans. Vivify our understanding and
empathy with experience. Don’t let us hide away from our responsibility to
these, the most vulnerable.
You came to us as a human child. Help us to see you in every child and
respond to their needs. Each and every child is full of potential for your
kingdom. Let us help them to reach their greatest potential.
We ask these things in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.
OCTOBER 9
From our Prayer Coordinator Ann Thomas, please join us in praying for the “Celebration of Life” service which will be held during the October. 10 Annual Conference session.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let
us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1
Let us raise our hearts in prayer today for those whose lives we will
celebrate on Saturday at the Celebration of Life service, and for their families and loved ones. Join me in this prayer, or pray on your own.
Most Holy God – Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer – we love you and
seek to be always with you. Thank you that we have a great reward waiting
for us if we only believe. Thank you for those we will honor on Saturday morning, your faithful ones now home with you.
Beloved Father, they witness to us from beyond the grave, testifying to your
power, your love, and your grace through Jesus. Help us to honor them
throughout the years, and keep their memories alive in our hearts.
Holy Spirit, great Comforter, be with their loved ones as we view their
images and call their names. It is hard to lose one so dear, even when we
know they are with you, and these wounds are still fresh. Let us always be
a comfort and a resource to those grieving and care for them as members of our family, for so they are.
Fit us, Jesus, for the life that awaits us when we die. Keep us faithful
always. For your grace is better than life, your company the reward we
seek. In your most holy name we pray. Amen.
OCTOBER 10
From our Prayer Coordinator, Ann Thomas, please join us in prayer for all involved in Annual Conference, for our country, and for the Church. We covet your prayers during the whole time that the Conference is meeting.
God, our Father and our Mother, holiness surrounds your throne. We know
you are always with us and with each of us. It is your will that we seek.
Whatever we do today, guide us to do it in your name and for your
kingdom.
Jesus, our Savior, forgive us for every act that falls short of love. Inspire our
connection that we may seek to make disciples for you. Teach us to
conduct the business of your Church as one body, with all parts working
together. Inspire us to treat one another with respect and dignity.
Holy Spirit, flow through everything we do. We especially ask you to
support the families of those who have passed to life with you during this
year.
We pray today for your world, particularly for our country. Grant us
wisdom, healing, and perseverance as we face the Coronavirus. Grant us justice and mercy as we face the racial sins of our past and present. Grant us a
renewal of your Spirit among us.
Bless the bishop, the Indiana Conference staff, and all members of the
Conference. Let us be a blessing to your Church and to the world. We pray
these things in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.