God is near to those who call to him, who call to him with sincerity. Psalm 145:18
We have courage in God's presence, because we are sure that he hears us if we ask him for anything that is according to his will. 1 John 5:14
Prayer is simply conversation with God and coming into His presence, that is meeting with God in a real sense in our everyday lives. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Prayer is partly about asking God to meet our needs and the needs of others, but it’s also a means of praise, thanksgiving, confession and committing things and situations to God. Most importantly prayer is also about listening to God in that conversation, and being guided by Him. We encourage our church family to pray together regularly and in a variety of settings and formats, to bring before him the needs of the church, parish and the world, and to learn to listen to God, since fellowship and communication are at the heart of our Christian life. Here are some of the opportunities to engage with prayer at St Michael’s and beyond...
Personal Prayer Ministry
Sundays
On the 2nd Sunday of the month, we offer an opportunity for people to ask for God's help and blessing on themselves or someone they know, supported by our Prayer Ministry Team. This could be for example, for healing from an illness, or for a personal situation that is troubling you. Anything you say to your prayer partner at either of these times will be kept in strictest confidence.
You are invited to go into the Staveley Chapel during Communion - a set prayer will be said with you as you kneel at the altar rail, and you can choose to say as much or as little as you like in confidence.
Prayer Board
Our Prayer Board is a place anyone can write and post a prayer request for any situation they wish the church to be praying together for. The prayer requests are often included in our weekly intercessions during the Sunday services, taken to other prayer groups within the church family and used by many members of the congregation in their personal prayers.
Prayer Group
We hold a fortnightly virtual prayer online. Prayers are confidential, so membership of this group is by invitation only. Prayer requests can be sent to the virtual prayer group leader, Tony Kershaw below, and will be treated with complete confidence.
Pastoral Prayer, Support & Visiting
The church has a dedicated Pastoral and Bereavement Team of people who volunteer to visit, speak, spend time and pray with anyone in the parish or church who is in need. If you think you might find this helpful for yourself or someone you are concerned for, please contact our Pastoral Core Team using our contact form.
For more information about our Pastoral Ministry, click here.
Prayer Resources
Some links to prayer resources you might find helpful...
Traditional Daily Prayer for the morning, evening and into the night with the Church of England. Includes daily Bible readings and psalms from the lectionary. Also available as an App for mobile phones.
Pray as You Go is a daily prayer session, designed for use on-line or on portable MP3 players, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst travelling to and from work, study, etc. A new prayer session is produced every day of the working week and one session for the weekend. It is not a 'Thought for the Day', a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a framework for your own prayer. Lasting 10 to 13 minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection.
Sacred Space - A simple on-line resource to guide you through a session of prayer, in six stages, including preparing your body and mind, and culminating in reflection on a scripture passage chosen specially for the day.
Just Pray - An interactive website to learn about what prayer is, how to pray and to share your prayers with others. Click on the picture to see the video of the Lord's Prayer that was controversially dropped from screening in cinemas in the UK.
Twenty Four Seven Prayer International A prayer movement that is a global, non-stop prayer meeting that began in 1999 amongst the young people of Revelation Church in Chichester, England.