Together with fellowship, worship, and teaching, prayer is a core part of Christian life. We pray to connect with God. Sometimes it’s about listening to God’s will, other times it’s about sharing our concerns, thanks, and hopes. But prayer isn’t always easy!
At St. Mary’s, prayer is part of all of our services. One of the key things we use is The Lord’s Prayer. Jesus told his disciples, if we aren’t sure how to pray, we should use these words:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
To find out more about this prayer you can visit: https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-life/what-we-believe/lords-prayer
In the church, weekly intercessions are held where prayers are led by congregation members or the ministry team, focusing on topical global issues. Additionally, other situation-specific prayers are included in each service. The church also has a closed WhatsApp prayer chain. Anyone can ask Julie, a ministry team member in person, or use the ‘contact us’ page to request prayers for yourself or others in need of God’s intervention.
Life is all about change, and as Christians we are each and all on a journey to become closer to the pattern that Christ set for us in the teaching of the Gospels. We learn from each other without judgment, meet in church to understand what the Bible teaches about present-day living, and believe it holds important truths about our relationship with God and each other. Weekly services feature Bible readings and sermons to help us learn.
