PRAYING DURING A SERVICE AT HTG

Thank you for agreeing to serve the church by leading prayers.  You should have received with this note the Anglican prayer for the day and the prayer letter of one of our mission partners.  The purpose of praying aloud is to bring concerns of the church before our Heavenly Father who listens and is powerful to act.

PREPERATION

• Read through the service sheet and Bible passages, think about the theme of the service and pray for God’s help as you prepare.  Bear in mind that we have already focused on confession earlier in the service, and that our corporate prayer should include adoration and thanksgiving as well as intercession.

• Please use the Anglican prayer either at the start or end of your prayers, and also pray for the mission partner of the week. The prayers should take no longer than 3 minutes in total.  Since timing is tight during the services, please write down your prayers as this will help you keep to time.

• Consider using one of the readings as a basis for prayer, or a Psalm or another short Bible passage. This models using God’s word as basis for our prayers. You could also incorporate a time of silent prayer for personally known needs.

• We want to model that Christian prayer is addressed to the Father through the Son, so please conclude by praying in Jesus’ name in some form.

• Please introduce the final part of your prayer with a phrase such as ‘Finally we pray….’  This allows the person who is leading the service to get into place for the next part of the service. At the end, pause briefly and go back to your seat.

POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR PRAYER

• God’s work at HTG.  Choose one or two ministries at HTG to pray for e.g Mums and Toddlers, children’s ministries, The Rock, Home Groups, Women’s Fellowship, Christianity Explored, the preaching ministry, upcoming mission weeks or weekend aways, church staff, administration etc. Try to vary which ministry you pray for each time.

• Those who are sick, unemployed or bereaved. It is best to make these general prayers, possibly leaving a silence for people to name in their hearts those known to them.  Not everyone in that position welcomes the publicity of being named, and naming individuals can also be hurtful to those you are unaware of who may be in the same position but are not named.

• HTG supports a number of mission partners. One way we do this is by prayer support. Please use the attached prayer letter to pray for the mission partner of the week. This models praying in line with God’s plan for the gospel to go out to all nations.

• National and international needs, including the Government and Royal Family (1 Timothy 2.1-2). This models prayer that looks beyond our own church and needs. Check the BBC website for any national or international issues we should be praying for e.g. victims of a natural disaster or Christians facing persecution.

BEFORE THE SERVICE

Please check in with the Service Leader 10 minutes before the start of the service. Try to sit near the front and near an aisle.  Check your service sheet to see where the prayers come in the service.  Unless you are told otherwise, the service leader will introduce the prayers. 

DELIVERING THE PRAYERS

The person leading the service will invite the congregation to sit to pray and it is important to let them settle before you begin. Approach the lectern using the steps to the left-hand side of the stage (opposite the singers).  If the service contains the Lord’s Prayer, please walk up during the last few lines, and be standing on the bottom step by the time the service leader finishes the Lord’s Prayer, ready to start your prayers.

If you stand at a natural reading distance from the lectern you will be in the right position for the microphone.  You will need to speak more slowly and clearly than in ordinary conversation.  Pause briefly between prayers.  Project your voice a little as though addressing a group of 20-30 people without using a microphone.

Thank you very much for serving us in this way. If you have any questions then please speak to Tom.