Prayer Diary
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Prayer Diary October 2020 Foreword from Bishop Martin What a strange year this has been! As 2020 began no one could have predicted that the Covid-19 Coronavirus would sweep across our world with such devastating effect. At Do not worry about anything, a local, national and international level all but in everything by prayer and our lives have been affected. We may have supplication with thanksgiving let been very ill ourselves, or lost loved ones your requests be made known to or neighbours. As a diocese we are facing God. And the peace of God, which unprecedented financial challenges, as surpasses all understanding, will are so many businesses large and small. guard your hearts and your minds Everyone, in different ways is facing new in Christ Jesus. levels of uncertainty and insecurity with people in our poorer areas Philippians 4.6-7 and amongst our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities often the worst hit of all. At times like this we need to pray. Jesus said, ‘How blessed are those who know their need of God, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.’ In praying for others and for ourselves we bring our emptiness to God for him to fill with his love and promise. We bring our despair to God for him to fill with his boundless stores of hope. We bring our grief to God that all may know the peace that comes from God alone. In lockdown I needed a routine of daily prayer at home to bring me through, and millions of people in England began to connect with God through private or family prayer and through worship online or by phone in their homes. How can that connection continue? As one small part of the answer this prayer diary gives some structure to our prayers at home, and joins us together as one family in this Diocese of Worcester. I commend it to your use. At the moment we will continue to produce the prayer diary monthly in electronic format. In this diary we’re praying for the deanery of Stourport. We try to pray for those with a licence from the Bishop by name, but please do remember all who minister and witness with them in each parish. On Sundays we are offering a monthly prayer for you to pray for your baptism families and we also continue to pray for dioceses around the world through the Poorvoo prayer calendar (Sundays) and the Anglican Cycle of Prayer. These are all placed in a column, on the side edge of each page. Sunday 27 SEPTEMBER Trinity 16 Ordinations in a time of pandemic Do please pray for all those Nine candidates were ordained deacon in three different services in the Cathedral in any kind of ministry, lay yesterday and four candidates will be ordained priest today in their parish churches. and ordained, at this time, John Fitzmaurice, Diocesan Director of Ordinations and Vocation writes: and especially for those to be ordained. The list of “This year’s ordinations will be like no other! Deacons and priests are usually ordained candidates can be found on towards the end of June, but lockdown meant ordinations had to be postponed. the diocesan website. “For the candidates this has unsurprisingly been a really difficult time and their forbearance has been remarkable. Some have just wanted to get on with it and and are not too put out by the severe restrictions on the number who can attend; others Stourport Deanery are saddened that this great gift of God to them cannot be celebrated in grand style. Rural Dean: Ted Whittaker Either way they have committed themselves to a patient waiting, while getting on Lay Chair: Andrew Quinn with the tasks of ministry in this most extraordinary of times, and they can draw hope from the words of the writer of Leicester: Bishop Martyn Snow, with Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani the letter to the Philippians: (Loughborough) ‘I am confident of this, that the one Swansea and Brecon (Wales): who began a good work among you Archbishop John Davies will bring it to completion by the day Khartoum (Sudan): of Jesus Christ.’ [Philippians 1.6]” Bishop Ezekiel Kumir Kondo Mon 28 Redditch Alexandra Hospital Ondo (Nigeria): M Pray for the whole hospital community, including patients and their families, as they Patna (India): continue to face the challenges of Covid-19. Thanking God for the 1000 people who Bishop Philip Marandih work at the Alex. For the Chaplain, David Ryan and the chaplaincy volunteer team. Chandigarh (India): Bishop Younas Massey Tue 29 Safeguarding team Chelmsford: Vacant with T Please pray for all those involved in safeguarding matters throughout the Diocese. For Bishops Peter Hill (Barking), Hilary Higton, Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, her Assistant Delia Stokes, Safeguarding John Perumbalath (Bradwell) & Case Worker Sarah Booth, Administrator Liz Toone and for the independent Chair of Roger Morris (Colchester) the Safeguarding Panel, Geoff Taylor-Smith. For all Parish Safeguarding Officers. Pelotas (Brazil): Bishop Renato Da Cruz Raatz Wed 30 Diocese of Peru Chester: W Pray for all those affected by Covid-19; Peru is currently at the top of the worldwide Bishop-elect Mark Tanner with list for deaths per capita. Pray also for sufficient income in the Anglican Church to Bishop Keith Sinclair (Birkenhead) cover clergy and social help needs. Pennsylvania (USA): Bishop Daniel Gutierrez Thur 1 OCTOBER Stourport Deanery Perth (Australia): Th Please pray that we are ready in our hearts and minds to engage positively with the Bishop Kay Goldsworthy re-imagining of ministry and organisation across the Diocese. Pray that we grow Chhattisgarh (India): in care and kindness to each other, and enjoy being God’s people in our various Bishop Robert Ali contexts. Rural Dean: Ted Whittaker; Lay Chair: Andrew Quinn Chicago (USA): Bishop Jeffrey Lee Fri 2 St Michael, Stourport & All Saints Wilden F Pray as we find our way forward in uncertain times and in the wake of significant Chichester: Bishop Martin Warner with loss - particularly the death of Headteacher Fran Fishwick and Associate Priest Paul Bishops Ruth Bushyager (Horsham) Brothwell - both much loved and greatly missed. For a greater sense of togetherness & Will Hazlewood (Lewes) as we grow and worship, finding new ways to reach out to our community with God’s Peru: Bishop Jorge Luis Aguilar love. Clergy; Carey Saleh, Readers: Sandra Baty, Phil Saleh, Richard Standing Peshawar (Pakistan): S Sat 3 Growing as Kingdom People Bishop Humphrey Peters Chotanagpur (India): As we come out of the second series of Open Conversations, pray that they have Bishop B. B. Baskey been informative, productive and inspiring to those who were able to attend and Koforidua (Ghana): that as many people as possible will be encouraged to play their part in the journey Bishop Felix Odei Annancy of growing healthy and sustainable churches across our diocese. Trinity 17 Sunday 4 OCTOBER Lord, we give thanks for the diverse range of gifts and strengths Patterns for Kingdom Living you have blessed us with. We pray Are you trying to the discern the next step on your that you help us to identify how we faith journey? The Patterns for Kingdom Living can best use these gifts to live out our faith and serve others. Amen. resource has been developed to encourage and support you as you grow in faith. Stourport Deanery With two pathways to choose from, you can decide Rural Dean: Ted Whittaker how you would like to reflect on your Christian Lay Chair: Andrew Quinn practice and explore the God-given gifts with which we are all blessed. Praying for our Baptism families – Bishop John said, “Through following Patterns for Kingdom Living, I hope you will Loving God, we ask that you bless find yourself refreshed with a deeper appreciation of God’s love, recharged by fresh the parents of children waiting to be experience of his grace, and renewed in your appreciation of his good gifts. Then, I baptised with love and patience, so am sure, you will see some ways you can offer those gifts back to him in love and that they will always be able to reflect service and help God’s kingdom grow.” your love and care even when the days and nights have been long. Amen The short pathway simply involves a questionnaire and having a conversation with another person about your gifts and strengths and how you might use Liverpool: Bishop Paul Bayes with them. Those who choose to follow the longer pathway will also reflect more Bishop Beverley Mason (Warrington) Monmouth (Wales): deeply and more often on living a life of love, with God and with others with help Bishop Cherry Vann from a ‘Kingdom Companion’. Haderslev (Denmark): Explore our Patterns for Kingdom Living resources on the diocesan website. Bishop Marianne Christiansen Tanga (Tanzania): Mon 5 Areley Kings & Astley Bishop Maimbo Mndolwa Pray for our parishes as they prepare for an uncertain future. For St Bartholomew’s School, Head: Ian James; Astley CE Primary School, Head: Ali Reakes-Williams. For M Peterborough: our churchwardens and appointing new ones. We also hold before God the people who Bishop Donald Allister follow our worship on Facebook & YouTube. Clergy: Mark Turner; Reader: Sue Matthews with Bishop John Holbrook (Brixworth) Christ the King (South Africa): Tue 6 Shrawley & the Witleys Bishop William Mostert Thanking God for the faithfulness and enterprise of those keeping the Gospel alive T Phulbani (India): and for collaboration with neighbouring PCCs. Pray for wisdom, courage, perseverance, Bishop Bijay Nayak creativity, and an increasing appetite for God and love for each other. Clergy: Ted Christchurch (New Zealand): Whittaker, Robin Walter; Readers: Marjorie Workman, Christine Clarke Bishop Peter Carrell Kolhapur (India): Wed 7 Diocese of Morogoro Bishop Sandeep Suresh Vibhute We pray for all diocesan staff in Morogoro as they struggle with a financial crisis W Pittsburgh (USA): created by the pandemic.