Prayer Sheet August / September 2007 - St Cuthbert's / St Mary's

St Cuthbert's

• Rest and refreshment for those who have been busy (too busy) over the last year.
• Special services over the summer period and at Harvest
• Door2Door visiting as it continues in Cheadle Heath
• Holiday Clubs for - older people (30 July - 4 August) and children (6 - 9 August)
• Christian Camps - those organising, helping and attending inc. Supernova, Criccieth Adventure, The Experience and Due South
• Patches, Andy and possibly Zoe (a student at the Nazarene College) as they begin work here in September
• The Autumn programme as it commences with the usual range of activities to build up those within the church and reach out to those outside, with Sunday services - Purpose Driven Community; Children's and Youth lessons and clubs; Alpha and other Evangelism Courses; Church Cafe; Club 55+ etc etc
• Preparations for and decisions about Monday@Two - a meeting place for those recovering from depression run in association with Stockport MIND (still in the planning stage)
• For further progress in 'systems review' and organisation

St Mary's

• The ongoing success of the Upper Room project
• Rob as he seek to complete his DMin thesis

People

• Forthcoming marriages - Chris and Karen (Thorpe), Matt and Debbie (Robbins), Ian and Annemieka (Howard) - and baptisms - Callum Bowden and Lauren Rigby
• The bereaved, ill, housebound and dying and our Pastoral Team as they care for them.

Give Thanks

• For the safe arrivals of John Brown and Amelia Rodgers
• For the spirit of joy, sacrifice, love and good humour that pervades so much of our church's life. Soli Deo Gloria

Christian Growth

It was he (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

Meditation on this passage:

• Christian growth and maturity come from belonging to the body of Christ (the church) as we both accept the gifts that others have and contribute from what we have been given.
• As we become more mature, we become more like Jesus. It is good to consider how our lives measure up to his as we look at the gospels:-
• Jesus handled the Bible (Old Testament) confidently; he knew it well and applied it to everyday life.
• Jesus was a man of prayer, setting time aside to go aside and pray, teaching his disciples to pray.
• Throughout his life, Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, his last instructions to his disciple were to take the gospel to the whole world.

Growth in the Christian Community

• That in love and unity we may support and encourage each other, with all contributing their gifts for the good of the whole.

Growth in Knowledge and Understanding

• All who preach and teach.
• All to develop habits of private study.
• Openness to hear what God is saying.
• That knowledge to be tranformed into character and action.

Growth in Prayer

• All who lead intercessions in services.
• The Prayer Ministry team
• Prayer in house groups.
• Faithfulness in private prayer.

Growth of the Kingdom

• Development of our support for World Mission
• Alpha courses and those who lead them
• Commitment to personal witness.
• Witness through the quality of our lives.
• That we see many coming to faith in the coming year

In urban centres the church will engage in town and city wide mission initiatives that will impact the whole community. By working in partnership with the police, local authorities and primary care trusts as well as other local churches, your church could help provide services to address issues such as debt dependency, hunger, homelessness and drug and alcohol addictions. There will be many schools and university missions, fun days, bbq's, kids clubs, estate clean-ups and much, much more......

Prayer Points

Children and Youth

• Spiritual food instead of spiritual starvation
• Protection for the vulnerable

• The lonely and excluded
• All who serve our communities

• Churches may catch the vision
• Training Days
• Many will become Christians

• Love and unity between churches
• Sharing of resources between weak and strong
• Protection from burn out

• Consider what part they may pray
• For Christians to support leaders in prayer

For more information see: http://www.hope08.com