When the Community Carries One Another

 On Sunday, November 16th, we gathered our prayers in a week marked by both relief and ongoing need, grateful for the ways this community shows up for one another.

• We give thanks for the end of the government shutdown, and we continue to hold Rebecca in prayer as she waits for her back pay to arrive. We ask for provision and patience in this time of financial uncertainty.
• We pray for Michele as she undergoes retina surgery this Thursday, asking for skilled hands, successful healing, and peace through the procedure and recovery.
• We hold Steve and his co-worker Tom in prayer as Tom grieves the death of his brother-in-law. We ask for comfort in this season of loss.
• We pray for safe travel for all whose children are coming home for Thanksgiving, asking for clear roads, smooth flights, and the joy of reunion.
• We give thanks for the PATH Fund and for Scott's faithful stewardship of this ministry. We rejoice that this community has been able to respond to many requests recently, including helping a client who was attacked by her ex-husband secure safe housing. We invite those who are able to support this vital work by writing a check to St. Paul's with "PATH Fund" in the memo line.

May we continue to be a community that bears one another's burdens, celebrates one another's joys, and trusts that God's provision flows through our willingness to show up for each other.

Holding Sorrow and Hope Together

Sunday, November 30th, we brought our prayers to God, naming the places where grief and gratitude intersect in our lives.

• We hold Larry and his wife Diane in prayer as they grieve the death of Diane's father Jim, who died this past Tuesday. We ask for strength to carry this loss and for comfort in the days ahead as the family gathers to remember him.
• We give thanks with Suzanne for good news: Ron's PSA numbers are down. We rejoice in this hopeful sign and continue to pray for his health and healing.
• We continue to hold the Quinlan family in prayer as Pat receives hospice care at home. We ask for peace in these tender days, and for the presence of love to surround them all.
• We pray for Warner's sister as she undergoes pregnancy tests, asking for clarity, health, and whatever outcome brings wholeness and blessing.

May these prayers rest in the God who holds us steady when sorrow and hope live side by side. In seasons of loss and seasons of healing, we are not alone.

Where Fear and Faithfulness Meet

This Sunday we gathered to name a truth that Mary herself knew: that God meets us when we are afraid, and calls us faithful even then.

• We give thanks for Amy, who is recovering from a brief hospital stay this week to address heart issues. We rejoice that she felt the prayers of this community holding her, even from a distance.
• We hold Amy's neighbor Judy in our prayers as she grieves the sudden loss of her husband Pat, who passed away this week on Judy's birthday. We ask for comfort in this season of raw sorrow, and for the presence of those who will sit with her in the weight of this loss.

May these prayers rest in the God who does not ask us to stop being afraid, but meets us in our fear and says, "I am with you." We are held.

In These Tender Days

Sunday’s worship invited us to trust that God’s renewal can take root even in the hardest seasons—that joy and comfort grow alongside grief, not instead of it. Our prayers this week stretch across that whole landscape.

Prayers of the People:

• Amy asks us to hold her friend Judy and Judy’s husband, who has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Doctors estimate only a few weeks remain. We pray for gentleness in each day, for comfort that holds them close, and for strength for all who love them.

• Rebecca gives thanks that Ben arrived home safely for Thanksgiving and lifts up all who are traveling this week. In particular, we pray for Mawce as they fly home alone for the first time on Tuesday, and for Nick and Anna as they travel to see family—trusting that home, in all its forms, will feel steady and kind.

May these prayers rest in the care of the One who brings beauty from ashes and renewal from weary ground, holding us all in love in these tender days.

Held in the Waiting

As we gather our hearts in prayer this week, we bring both struggle and hope before God, trusting in the One who meets us with provision, healing, and peace.

• Scott: For our Path fund clients facing financial hardship and family crisis. May provision and support come swiftly.
  
  
• Rebecca and Scott: For back pay to come through now that the government has reopened, with tuition due for their children.
  
  
• Rebecca: For safe travels for all who are flying, especially for her children journeying home.
  
  
• Steve: For his co-worker Tom and family as they grieve the loss of Tom's brother-in-law and navigate overwhelming VA paperwork.
  
  
• Michele: For successful laser eye surgery on Wednesday. May healing be complete.

May the God who sustains us in every season of need gather these prayers into divine love. May we be Christ's hands and feet to one another—advocating for justice, holding space for grief, and trusting that provision will come. 

Praying with Clarity, Trust, and Care

As we gather our hearts in prayer this week, we bring both joy and sorrow before God, trusting that the One who holds us will meet us with mercy, courage, and peace.

Prayers of the People:

• Michele: Thanksgiving for the birth of Abbie Taft on October 3 to niece Laura. We celebrate that the mother and baby are doing well.
• Amy and Dan: Travel mercies for safe journeys and steady hearts.
• Rebecca: Travel mercies as Rebecca travels to New Orleans to meet her parents.
• The O’Connell family of Coffeyville, Kansas: Deep comfort in unspeakable grief after the tragic loss of both daughters in a car accident. May God’s presence surround and sustain this family and their community.
• Sandy: Strength, rest, and provision amid an overnight shift change. Prayers that workable hours can be restored or that a new, life-giving job will be found soon.

May the God who rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep gather these prayers into divine love. May we be Christ’s hands and feet to one another—celebrating new life, traveling with care, and bearing one another’s burdens with tenderness and hope. 

Gathered in Grace

In worship on Sunday, our prayers stretched wide—holding both joy and sorrow, strength and need.

Prayers of the People:

• Scott asks for prayer for his father following a recent heart attack—healing, steadiness, and peace.

• Amy gives thanks for the chance to bake for a friend’s wedding and asks for strength and calm to complete the work with care.

• We hold in prayer the congregation in Michigan impacted by violence this morning—comfort for the grieving, courage for the shaken, and protection for all.

May these prayers be carried in love this week—gentle, steady, and enough for the next step.