How to Pray in a Prayer Vigil

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45A4A829ABF85-prayer

So how do we pray in our Prayer Vigil?

1) Plan on an extended time- have a Bible beside you, a prayer list/journal- or computer beside you (you can access our church web page and church prayer list that way).  You may want to make sure you have access to a cup of water or coffee.  Tell your family/friends you will be unavailable for about 15 minutes. 

2) Posture and Place- Change your posture.  You may want to stand, kneel, sit, open or close your eyes- fold or raise your hands for variety.  Pick a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. 

3) Prayer- think about ACTS- Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. 
Adoration- consider praying over the names of God- or the attributes of God.
Confession- use the Ten Commandments and confess each one. Read Psalm 51
Thanksgiving- Make a list of things you want to thank God for in your prayer journal .
Supplication- use the prayer requests in the prayer page- and add your own.
    Pray for family, friends, neighbors, church needs (like stewardship campaign and building new building).  Pray for yourself- how you might grow physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. 

If you work your way through this- you may find that 15 minutes is not enough. 

Here is a link on why have prayer vigils.

11/2/13- Keep Praying!

KEEP PRAYING!

 

Prayer Vigil 11/2- link:

 

Note: We are postponing the prayer walk until the ground breaking of the new building.

 

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 

 

 

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

 

 (Luke 18:1-7)

 

 

 

10/31/13- Prayer for the Least, the Last and the Lost

Prayers for Church around the World  The Persecuted Church; The Poor, The Oppressed, The Lost

Don't forget our Prayer Vigil Saturday- Sunday.
Sign up Here
We also will have a big meeting in the Fellowship Hall during Sunday School hour to close out the thirty days. 

Here is a Youtube video Tracie made to encourage you in the Vigil
Here is a video on "The Legacy of Prayer"

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because treat is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  (Mt. 5:10-12)

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. (Acts 10:4) 

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1). 

This is the last day of our Thirty Days in Prayer,  It ends with praying for the church.  When we think of the persecuted church we realize how blessed we are in America.  Just the talk of losing our freedom bristles us.  But the Christians in Nigeria and Egypt are having their churches blown up.  

This weekend we are called to prayer for the persecuted church.  See this article in Christianity Today (click here).

We are called to care for the least, the last, and the lost.  Those who are mentally, physically, and spiritually needy.  One of the simple and even most effective things we can do is pray for those in need.  We may not be able to give much away, or to spend time working- but the very first step toward helping- and a step we can all take is to pray for those in need.  

Here are some things we can do to pray for these in need. 

1) Read of those in Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan and other lands who are persecuted (click here for a map and link).  Take a map and pray for those in need.  

2) Pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child (dedication 11/17).  Say a prayer for those who will receive the gifts. 

3) Make a top three list of those you know who do not profess or practice the faith. Put this list on a post it note- or your phone- a visible place where you can pray for those in need.  Paul prayed for the salvation of those who were the lost sheep of Israel.  Jesus wept over Jerusalem who would not come to him, and prayed, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."  Certainly, we do not need to look hard to see people in gangs, addicted to drugs or alcohol, addicted to lust, who are shallow and practicing self-destructive and God-forsaken behavior.  But all of us need God's grace, hope, and love.  Prayer especially for those severely lost and wandering has to be a blessing.  

Prayer: Lord, Give me grace to pray for the least, the last, and the lost today.  Incline your ear and answer me, O Lord, for I too am poor and needy.  (Psalm 86:1,2)


International Justice Missions has Presbyterian roots and is endorsed by the Fellowship of Presbyterians.  It focuses on injustices around the world. Some hit home- including human trafficking that occurs in South Carolina. 

10/30/13- Praying for Church and State

Prayers for our Community and Those We Serve
For our Denomination and the Fellowship
For our Country and Its Leaders

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  (1 Timothy 2:1,2)


Here are some ideas to help you pray for these things:

Prayers for our Community and Those We Serve- Chapin, Irmo, Little Mountain; Lexington and Richland County;
Mayor: Stanley Shealy, Troy Crump- Police ChiefCounty Council: Jim Kinard (chair), Frank Townsend, Smokey Davis, Billy Derrick, Johnny Jeffcoat, Bobby Keisler, Debra Summers, Bill Banning, Brad Matthews, Todd Cullum, Johnny Jeffcoat School Board: Ellen Baumgardner, Robert Gantt, Jan Hammond, Carol Sloop, Ed White, Kim Murphy, Jim Turner, Beth Hutchison- Watson,Local Law Enforcement: Police- Dave Rodgers; Sherriff: James Metts; Ronnie Lott

For our Denomination and the Fellowship- PCUSA- esp. Grady Parsons; Jim Singleton of the Fellowship of Presbyterians

    For Trinity Presbytery- Danny Murphy, Jim Rowell; Moderator Joanne Scotland

For our Country and Its Leaders-

STATE GOVT: Rep. Walton McLeod; Sen. Ronnie Cromer; Gov. Niki Haley
US GOVT.  Rep.Joe Wilson; Sen. Lindsay Graham, Sen. Tim Scott
SUPREME COURT- Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1993), Clarence Thomas (1991), Stephen Breyer (1994), Antonia Scalia (1986), John Roberts (2005),  Anthony Kennedy (1988), Sonia Sotomayor (2009), Elana Kagan (2010)
PRESIDENT Barak Obama; Vice President: Joe Biden; Sec of State: John Kerry

See this blog for more information on why we should pray for those over us.
http://dailybelief.blogspot.com/

 

Prayer for Children and Youth

Prayers for children and youth and the new building.

Pray for our children- again using the pictorial directory.

Pray for our children’s Sunday School Teachers and youth group advisors.

Nursery Workers: Bennett Brown, Jennifer Williams, Kelly Shaffer; Preschool- Gail Comalander, Mandy Harrington, Janet Graham; Kindergarten- Elinor Harris, Liz Knott, Farrah Brown, Merideth Strawhorn; 1st & 2nd Grade- Susan Adams, Beth Burnett and Blaine Burnett; 3rd- 4th- Debbie Ferguson; 5th- 7th Pam Harrell; 8th Tracie Stewart; Sr. High Megan;

 

Youth Advisors: JJs- Manyd Harrington, Amy Stebbins, Carri Tucker; Ann Summers; Middlers- Longs, Berrys, Donahues; Sr. Highs- Meg Senn, Tom Hattaway, Robin Melvin, Edwards

Pray for our youth as they face temptations to turn away from God and parents.  Pray for them to be strong witnesses among their friends and schools;  Pray for our youth as a new high school and middle school separates and adds both excitement and stress to our youth group.  Pray for the Presbytery Middler Retreat.

Pray for Jane Jermac, Megan McMillan, our preschool.

 

Pray for our new Children’s Ministry Building- especially the bank loan approval and the bidding process. 
Pray for decisions that we make on the architecture, scope of our programs and decision making on the new building.

Pray for patience during the construction period and wisdom to do the very best we can to care for our children during

this period. 

10-28-13- Pray for Each Other

"Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."  (Galatians 6:2)
Pray for each other that you may be healed (James 5:16)
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  Be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. (Ephesians 6:18)

Video of the Pumpkin Prayer

Prayers for the sorrows, joys, and challenges  those in our church and community face

PRAYER FOR SORROWS:

Those who have cancer: Especially Hanes McEntire, Shirley Salisbury, Phil Trefsgar, Joe David, Kay Sloan, Jan Overstreet.

Those who are grieving: Roland Lavigne family; Sue Madden family; Bob Gjerstsen family; Jonathan McNaughton family;
Those who recently lost mothers- Pat O’Cain, Julie Bickley, Julia Belk

PRAYER FOR JOYS:
Pray for Mary Margaret and Nils Shirley just married 10/14.
Pray for Tinsley McCrary and Eric Ponder to be married 12/14.
Pray for George Webb and Billie  to be married 12-28.

PRAYER FOR CHALLENGES:
Landy Higginbotham and continued tests and possible heart surgery in a few months.
The 21 homeless students in Cbapin and their families and what we are to do about this.

Here is a piece speaking of the need to intercede in the church: http://dailybelief.blogspot.com/ (10/28 post).

Prayer Labyrinth at LMPC

10/27/13- Pray for LMPC and its leaders

PRAYER FOR CHURCH MEMBERS ANDLMPC LEADERS:

 

² Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴ Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.  (Colossians 4:2-4)

 

¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other (James 5:16)

Prayer Helps:
1) Take the new pictorial directory and pray through it- looking at the faces and family members.

    You may access this online at: http://www.lmpchurch.org/members-only/pictorial-directory-2013/

     Or you may take the new Telephone Directory that is in your stewardship packet.

2) Pray for your officers- elders and deacons- they are found in the front of your telephone directory or online:

http://www.lmpchurch.org/about/leadership/elders/

3) Pray for your pastors: Tracie, Ben, Bo

4) Pray for the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee

5) Pray for church staff- Sherri Lindler, Laura Mars, Mandy McCathern, Walter Cuttino, Sara Beardsley, Janet Roberts