Prayer in the Square
Hi everyone
As requested a new post for you to add comments on prayer in the square. Hope this works cos its all new to me.
Hi everyone
As requested a new post for you to add comments on prayer in the square. Hope this works cos its all new to me.
This is just for Dee so that she knows there’s somebody else out there! Don’t eat too many sausages tomorrow or I’ll have to pray for your indigestion!!
thanks Hilary, probably will have brekkies before I go just to hedge my bets!!!!
Well, after a very wet morning I can look back & say that Prayer in the Square was an education. I think we get very complacent in our own church family & don’t realise what other people think about ‘Church’. I was amazed to think that people were prepared to go & visit a spiritual fair but were quite suspicious about receiving even a leaflet from us. What should that tell us about our public face? Do we come across as scarey? or strange? or is it just evidence of a spiritual battle? or all 3 & more?
Answers on a postcard please!!
I think that we are generally viewed with either pity, some suspicion or even as threatening to people. I know that before I attended the church I thought of church goers as being some vaguely good, rather odd, happy-clappy weird people. They did things involving God behind closed doors and that was ok with me cos then I did not have to think about where I stood with Jesus. I know that I believed in God by I tried to make God to fit my image rather than accepting an all powerful sovereign Lord. I think that the world tries to do the same. They make God fit their own morality. ” My God is not a judgemental God therefore he will not mind if I Lie, Cheat, Steal etc as long as I can justify these actions to myself”
When we go out in the community we are challenging their comfortable little world with a large dose of the Truth which does not sit well on their consciences. I had expected more negative reactions than I got.
What did surprise me were the amount of church goers who, although admitted as such, appeared embarrassed and scuttled off muttering ” I am a Methodist” or “I go to St Eustacious”
I think that we get this reaction because we do not go out often enough. The public seem to feel that it is cheating for us to come out from behind our walls and barriers and play in their bit of the world. For many years church was only done INSIDE the church where it belonged and where we felt safe. This is not what we have been called to do. We are to go and make disciples of all nations and I think that the operative word is go.
Having said all that I should also add that I really felt out of my depth and definately way out of my comfort zone. Approaching strangers and trying to engage them in conversation has got to be one of my nightmares but Jesus has told me to do it so I did. I am not sure how the kingdom of God was advanced by my efforts but I feel that I grew a little bit.
It is ok I am going to stop now. As usual I have got carried away with myself
Trevor
Thanks for tonight everyone - I found all the news really encouraging - as promised here is Grahams email with the names to pray for:
Dear All
Yesterday was a great (if wet!) start to PitS. 12 of us were in the square, with 3 others intercessing at Abbey Chapel. We witnessed to lots of people and there were very few negative responses. we were also right opposite the Town Hall entrance where a Body, Mind and Spirit Fair was being held. This led to a number of interesting conversations, particularly as some of the team went into the Fair to meet the people there. We prayed for about a dozen people who came to the awning, plus some others who were happy to be prayed for on the street. We were left with a number of prayer requests (below). It would be great if some of the churches would be able to have their prayer groups pray for them.
I will be seeing the Market Reeve, Eddie Carruthers, next week to book the next day, 31 May. I will advise all once this is done.
Prayer Requests
Janet asked for prayers for Sue who is dying of cancer
Pray for peace and tranquillity for Ruth (very agitated)
Winnie, pray for broken ribs
Pray for Tracy and Terry who need affordable housing in Tavistock
Baby Aisleen who is 18 months and has a lump and an allergy, also for Storm her mother
Lionel and Elizabeth, that they might step out and receive prayer
Baby Elliot who has renal failure and is waiting for a kidney transplant
Sam who has brain damage and leg and arm paralysed
Tina asked for payer for Marion (her mother)
Pray for Richard who has been mugged and has bad injuries to his hands, he also has diabetes and confusion of mind
God Bless
Graham Boot-Handford
Prayer in the square was really exciting and quite scary. But it was just amazing knowing the presence of God when you are out of your boat.
There was all sorts of reaction to what we were doing, from definite negative to people responding and being prayed for. even when there were a lot of nos in a row There was no despondency cos we were not in charge God was.
A bit of an eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee day really.
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