Here are the activities we uploaded for Messy Church at Home on 20th June....
Here are the activities we uploaded for Messy Church at Home on 20th June....
Here are the activities we uploaded for Messy Church at Home on 20th June....
SHIRLEY PARISH
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KNOWING CHRIST, MAKING HIM KNOWN
Prayer
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.....is as simple as spending quality time with God
...... but sometimes it's really difficult.
We're all different, and so we all have preferred ways to pray. Just because one way "works" for someone else, it doesn't mean it will be right for you. The important things to remember are:
* Prayer is about being with God, not just about asking for things
* The more we have a go, the less scary it becomes
* "You can't pray wrong"
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On this page you will find some ideas to help
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The Shirley Parish Prayer Book 2023
Our own book of prayers, written by and for Shirley Parish.
With ideas for shorter and longer prayer times - which ever work best for you...
With familiar ways to pray - and some new ways to try....
With well-known prayers - and some which are special to individuals from our congregations.
Click here or on the picture to open the book.
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"I hope that people will not just take it and look through it and say 'that's nice', but actually use it to help them to pray."
Paul Day
The Lord's Prayer
The prayer Jesus taught us is prayed by Christians across the globe, and full of meaning. Because we know it so well, it's easy to skate over the surface of the words without fully taking it in.
See here for some helpful thoughts on how to use it in our own prayers.
Written prayers
Some people find it helpful to use pre-written prayers, either traditional or modern. Please see here for some examples of websites which might help.
The Church of England also produces a Daily Prayer app which you can download on to your phone or tablet for a small subscription.
Using our own words
We don't need to use special words to pray - God is always pleased to hear from us.
Some people find it helps to write down their prayers - having a special book to jot them down in can help.
If you prefer to use your phone, you may like to try the Inner Room app.
Silence
We don't need to use words at all. Some people find their preferred way to pray is just to sit in silence, allowing God's love and goodness to seep into them. This will often lead to praising God, saying thank you, and bringing the needs of other people and the world to God.
Sometimes people like to use a symbol such as a candle or a cross as a focus for their prayer time.
Try a different way to pray
The Prayer Course offers 30 different ideas of ways to pray. We've used the one for The Lord's Prayer already, but there are another 29 to explore here.
Why not give some of them a go!