Creative Prayer

Today was the 2nd Pray without ceasing event in the Nene Valley Circuit. Workshops on Creative Prayer.

Strangely I don't think I blogged about the first, which in January on Silent Prayer (no I did not keep deliberately silent about it).

This event was organised by Annette and a team from Earls Barton, very well organised too. We used four rooms and they had setup multiple prayer points in each.

We had the chapel for quiet prayer with displays on

• the Lords Prayer
• St Tereasa's Prayer
• Pinboard Prayers
• Jesus and the Cross.

Another room was called the thinking room with

• Metaphors for prayer
• Praying together
• Candle meditation
• The iceburg effect
• Using scripture
• 5-minute pointers
• Dwelling on creation

We had a library room

• Bible resources
• Books on prayer
• Song and Hymn lyrics
• Inspiring books

And we had a doing room

• Prayer bracelets
• Paints/paper etc
• Poetry/written meditations
• Prayer diaries
• Bookmarks
• Inspiring posters

As with the Praying with Silence the time was found really helpful by all who came, we would have course have liked more to be there but there were enough that it was definitely worthwhile. I was particularly impressed by the way they had laid out the various stations in the different rooms, the thinking room in particular was great. Also they produced a really attractive leaflet with a colour coded map. This circuit is blessed with some really amazing people, it is a joy to be stationed here.

Our next event will be a prayer labyrinth at Great Park Street, Wellingborough on Saturday 18th March.

That will be followed by a whole raft of events during the two weeks that our district is on the national rota (Friday April 28th 2006 to May 12th 2006) for those of us in Raunds that includes 24x7 prayer which all the Churches are supporting.

Our final event is "Praying with Fire" on the Saturday before Pentecost, that will be at Raunds.

As I have not written about the praying with silence event I will just mention here that we had two different events that weekend. On the Friday a fairly structured lead meditation and on the Saturday simply silence (with four praying stations to focus on different aspects of prayer). Both were superb and very enriching.

I was a good boy and cycled to both (they were at Hope Methodist Church in Rushden). The Saturday morning, in particular, was absolutely beautiful at 7:30 on my way to the Circuit morning prayers at Hope. Today, as normal, we had the weekly circuit prayers here in Raunds at 8am, followed by a coffee and huge bacon roll at Cookies - definitely not so good for my waistline but very nice indeed.

The circuit prayers have been going on a weekly basis for over 5 years and have seen many answers and changes. Again what a privilege to be in a circuit where people take prayer so seriously.

Comments

[Audrey]

Thanks for sharing about the prayer events. We ran a similar course 2 years ago during Lent but there are different ideas in what you've posted. Useful!

[Brian Russell]

Thank you for sharing your overview of the Prayer event! I love the creativity and merging of past and present together.

Peace

[tienie]

Please pray my husband Dana his work contract end 0ct 2006 for opportunities, guidance and wisdom. He wish to start a transport business in the near future pray for guidance, God's Will and Blessing. God bless!!