Prayer List
God of mercy, justice and peace,
Our spirits are heavy with sorrow,
our souls are shocked at the breathtaking violence,
the invasion of Ukraine by their neighbor Russia.
We pray for lives caught in the grip of war,
who hear the bombs at night,
the ominous movement of troops on the road into town
the whistle of incoming shells,
for a cry from a desperate neighbor or a shout of warning,
for those who huddle in subways and basements
or flee for the borders, clutching their children's hands.
We pray for families separated from fathers, brothers and sons
who must remain to fight and protect their homeland.
We pray for neighbors in Eastern and Central Europe
as their hearts and doors open to these refugees
that strained resources will become an abundance of hope
that fear and struggles with racism will yield to a generosity of profound welcome
that communities of faith within Ukraine will be protected from harm
and sustained in their efforts to feed and shelter their neighbors
that peacemakers and protesters in Russia will be heard and their lives preserved.
May we undergird our prayers with tangible resources to help.
May we reach deeply, give generously, and welcome extravagantly.
May we lift our voices in a strong and unified advocacy.
May we all, as we breathe in lament, breathe out mercy, hope and peace.
And in this Lenten season, when we walk the way toward death and resurrection,
repent our complicity in cultures of violence and
renew our efforts toward justice and peace. Amen.
*Prayer from Rev. Laurie Kraus, Director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
This week we pray for:
Connor Harmon, Scout from Troop 61
Prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving for Connor who completed his Eagle Scout Project. Congratulations on a job well done on repainting Mackey Hall! We are also thankful for those who helped you in this endeavor from Troop 61 and from Westminster Church.
Erin Guzmán, COW Chaplain
Prayers of thanksgiving and blessings to Erin who will be ordained as a PCUSA Teaching Elder/Minister of Word and Sacrament to serve as the Henry J. Copeland Interfaith Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life at the College of Wooster. The service of ordination is on Saturday, April 2, 1pm at First Presbyterian Church. Congratulations, Erin. We look forward to continue our partnership!
Deb Hostettler
Prayers of strength and comfort for Deb and her family. Deb will begin chemo treatment for a reoccurrence of cancer on April 14.
Lynne Hamrick
Continued prayers for peace and comfort for Lynne and her family as they grieve the death of her mother Margaret Leafgren (89).
Otis Whitmore
Continued prayer for Otis who is recovering from a number of health issues and is presently at a skilled nursing facility in Wadsworth, OH.
The Relle's Friend
Prayers for a friend of Ferenc and Candy who is dealing with a serious health issue.
We pray for the lingering challenges at the US southern border, and especially for the many around the world seeking asylum, help, and care. Today we especially pray for over 3.6 million refugees who fled Ukraine to date, and for 6.5 million persons internally displaced as the result of the war in the country.
We pray for the people struggling for freedom, peace and justice; for places torn by conflict, famine and violence. We give thanks for all who work to make this world a more peaceful place.
We pray for wisdom and patience so that all will continue to do the right thing to protect the wellbeing of our communities.
