Prayer Diary April to July 2020 Trinity 3 Sunday 28 JUNE Sunday 5 JULY Trinity 4 Please pray for all teachers Church schools working in partnership Ordinations and school staff across our Three church schools, Cradley CE Primary, Halesowen CE Primary and This weekend, 13 people should have been ordained by Bishop John to serve in parishes Diocese who have worked St Margaret’s CE Primary in Hasbury, have been working closely together during across the Diocese. These have now been postponed until September with those due together to support children the Coronavirus pandemic. to be ordained Deacon being licensed instead as Lay Ministers in their parishes. and their families in school Marcia Harris, headteacher To be ordained deacon: and at home during these very of Cradley, explains: “Before · Claire Billington to serve in Peopleton and White Ladies Aston w Churchill challenging circumstances. Coronavirus, our three schools & Spetchley & Upton Snodsbury & Broughton Hackett met informally and supported · Lindsey Coulthard to serve at St Stephen’s Barbourne, Worcester Please pray for all those who Evesham Deanery each other on planning, but · Foluso Enwerem to serve at Top Church, Dudley will be ordained this year. Rural Dean: Richard Thorniley over the past few weeks, we’ve · Jon Evans to serve at Christ Church, Lye Lay Chair: Liz Booth really come together and are · Jess Fellows to serve at All Saints, Worcester Evesham Deanery stronger as a result.” · Chris Henson to serve at St John’s, Kidderminster Rural Dean: Richard Thorniley The United Church of North India: Marcia has been in regular contact with headteachers Lorna Knowles (Halesowen) · Rosie Moss to serve at St Nicholas, Warndon, Worcester Lay Chair: Liz Booth Archbishop Dr Prem Chand Singh and Sara Shepherd (St Margaret’s) throughout the pandemic, supporting each Lincoln: Bishop Christopher Lowson · Kim Topham to serve in Clent and Hagley other with recruitment and holiday cover, sharing ideas for home learning packages St Albans: with Bishop David Court and · Carol Weston to serve in Brierley Hill Bishop Alan Smith with Bishop Bishop Nicholas Chamberlain and being a sounding board. To be ordained priest: Richard Atkinson (Bedford) and Härnösand (Sweden): “It’s been a great support to know that I can text or ring the others at any time. Bishop Michael Beasley (Hertford) Bishop Eva Nordung Byström When we’ve needed each other, we’ve been there and that’s the really brilliant thing · Sarah Bardell serving in the benefice of Dudley Linköping (Sweden): Lappo (Finland): Bishop Simo Peura about our church school network,” said Marcia. · Victoria Barlow serving in Astwood Bank, St Matthias & St George and Headless Cross, St Luke Bishop Martin Modéus · Jonny Gordon serving at Great Malvern M North Dakota (USA): Mon 29 Evesham Community Hospital · Francis Moloney serving at Redditch, Holy Trinity North Queensland (Australia): M Bishop Michael Smith Bishop Keith Ronald Joseph Athabasca (Canada): For patients and staff at Evesham Community Hospital, The Stroke Support Team, Mon 6 Kingswinford Deanery Awgu / Aninri (Nigeria): Bishop Fraser Lawton MIU, Clinical Investigations and all support services, especially as they face the Give thanks for all who have worked so faithfully over the years across the deanery. Bishop Emmaunuel Ugwu Juba (South Sudan): challenges presented by the Coronavirus. For Matron, Shirley Hodgetts; The May we face the future with confidence in Christ and with the flexibility that enables Kaduna (Nigeria): Archbishop Justin Badi Arama Chaplaincy and Pastoral Support Team; Lead Chaplain, Andy Green; Revd Diane transformation. Bishop Timothy Yahaya Hayward-Wright; and Tracey Vickerey. T North East India: Awka (Nigeria): T Tue 7 Brierley Hill Team Bishop Michael Herenz Tue 30 Churches Together in Evesham Bishop Alexander Ibezim Atlanta (USA): Bishop Robert Wright Pray that the small congregation of St John, Brockmoor would know some Kafanchan (Nigeria): Pray for all the different denominations working together in Evesham to best serve Kabba (Nigeria): encouragement following recent disappointments and for Tracey Skidmore having Bishop Marcus Dogo Bishop Steven Akobe their community. just completed her first year of Reader training. Clergy: David Hoskin, Beryl Pritchett; North West Australia (Australia): Bishop Gary Nelson W Attooch (South Sudan): Wed 1 JULY Economy and Daily Life Reader: Keith Colley, Val Houghton Bishop Moses Anur Ayom Northern Argentina 32% of people who are employed work in micro-businesses with fewer than 10 Wed 8 Diocese of Peru W North Eastern Caribbean & Aruba (S. America): Bishop Nicholas employees. Many work alone and isolation, even before the lockdown, is a real Pray for Bishop Jorge and his wife Sandra. That the Bishop may be granted (W. Indies): Bishop L. Errol Brooks issue. Particularly in today’s challenging times, pray for small businesses in your James Quested Drayson wisdom in all he does, and strength as he juggles different diocesan and family Awori (Nigeria): Bishop J Akin Atere Th North Karamoja (Uganda): community, for all working alone or without support. responsibilities. Bishop James Nasak Northern California (USA): Th Auckland (Aotearoa NZ & Polynesia): Thur 2 Retired Clergy in Evesham Deanery Thur 9 Brierley Hill Team Bishop Barry Beisner Bishop Ross Bay Today the Psalmist (Psalm 78) urges the people to listen “That they might set their Badagry (Nigeria): Magwi (South Sudan): Give thanks for the bells, and the bell-ringers, which invite the community to join Bishop Joseph Adeyemi hope in God.” Thanks be to God for the faithful ministry of retired clergy in the worship at St Michael, Brierley Hill and for the supportive fellowship that has been Bishop Ogeno Charles Opoka Evesham deanery. Ballarat (Australia): created. Clergy: David Hoskin, Beryl Pritchett; Readers: Keith Colley, Val Houghton Bishop Garry Weatherill F North Kigezi (Uganda): Fri 3 Diocesan Office Receptionists Bishop Benon Magezi Fri 10 Brierley Hill Team Bangor (Wales): F Aweil (South Sudan): Pray for those who work on reception at the Diocesan Office, who are usually there At Christ Church, Quarry Bank, continue to pray for initiatives aiming to create a Bishop Andrew John Bishop Abraham Yel Nhial to deal with enquiries and provide a friendly face for those entering the building. new church community, such as Café Church, and for laughter ordinarily shared at Northern Indiana (USA): Bishop Douglas Sparks S North Mbale (Uganda): Sat 4 Readers events such as Skittles Night. Clergy: David Hoskin, Beryl Pritchett; Readers: Keith Bishop Samuel Gidudu Colley, Val Houghton. Northern Luzon (Philippines): S Pray for all those who serve the church as Licensed Lay Ministers and give thanks Awerial (South Sudan): Bishop Hilary Ayban Pasikan Bishop David Akau Kuol Mayom for their ministry. Sat 11 Christ Church, Coseley Banks & Torres (Melanesia): Kadugli & Nuba Mountains For continued growth of our Messy Church, and a strengthening of the links with our Bishop Alfred Patterson Worek (Sudan): Bishop Andudu Adam Elnail Primary Schools through Open the Book, when both are able to re-commence. For Kagera (Tanzania): our ALM. Clergy: Emma Stanford, Tim Westwood. Bishop Darlington Bendankeha Trinity 5 Sunday 12 JULY Sunday 19 JULY Trinity 6 Lord, help us to be good St Cassian’s, Chaddesley Corbett: #EverydayFaith as a nurse ‘And what does the Lord stewards of your wonderful Silver Eco Church Award require of you but to do creation and inspire us to during the Covid-19 Pandemic Rural St Cassian’s Church, Chaddesley justice, and to love kindness, adopt new, eco-friendly Rachael Ienzi worships at the Cathedral and works as a nurse at Worcester’s Spire Corbett, recently achieved the Silver Eco and to walk humbly with ways of living out our faith. Southbank hospital. Church Award following the congregation’s your God?’ Micah 6:8 “My faith is my strength and confidence, particularly at the moment. It’s been effort to make environmentally friendly really hard at times and wearing full PPE is absolutely exhausting. The first thing I changes to church life. Clare Stockford is do before work is ask God to support me during the day and pray that others might churchwarden in this farming community. feel His love through me. If it’s a particularly difficult day I might also pray during Kingswinford Deanery Kingswinford Deanery Clare said, “We have always included my break. Rural Dean: David Hoskin creation-focussed hymns and prayers for Rural Dean: David Hoskin “People are very scared. As nurses we’re not allowed Lay Chair: Anthony Lovesy the care of our world in our regular worship. However, as an Lay Chair: Anthony Lovesy to overtly proclaim our faith, but my calmness under old building we weren’t sure how easy it would be for us to be pressure can make people curious and if I’m asked, eco-friendly.” Leeds: Bishop Nick Baines with Newcastle: I can explain why I feel that is. Faith is helping me In addition to focusing on environmental themes during worship, to have confidence for the future and strength to get Bishops Tony Robinson (Wakefield), Bishop Christine Hardman with St Cassian has arranged community litter picks, linking with the Helen-Ann Hartley (Ripon), Toby Bishop Mark Tanner (Berwick) through these times. village school; increased their recycling; purchased eco-friendly Howarth (Bradford), Jonathan Gibbs Moere (Molde) (Norway): “I try to go to work and do my best, helping my cleaning products and toilet rolls; and invested in new hymnbooks to avoid excess (Huddersfield) & Paul Slater (Leeds) Bishop Ingeborg Midttoemme patients and my colleagues where I can, accepting photocopying. One major change has been the installation of a new lighting system Skara (Sweden): it’s not always easy for me or them in the current which uses the same energy as boiling just one kettle! Bishop Åke Bonnier circumstances.” “God gave us something so precious: we’ve done this to our planet and now we need to fix it,” Clare continued.