Prayer List
May the sounds of Advent stir a longing in your people, O God.
Come again to set us free from the dullness of routine and the poverty of our imaginations.
Break the patterns which bind us
to small commitments and to the stale answers
we have given to questions of no importance.
Let the Advent trumpet blow,
let the walls of our defenses crumble,
and make a place in our lives
for the freshness of your love,
well-lived in the Spirit,
and still given to all who know their need and dare receive it.
Amen.
*Prayer by Howard Thurman
This week we pray for:
Grace McColl, the Hamricks' newest granddaughter
Welcome to the world, Grace! Prayers of gratitude and thanks for the safe arrival of Grace on Monday. Mom Natalia and baby are doing well. Blessings to the Hamrick family as they celebrate their new grandchild.
Dr. Divine Kwasi Gbagbo
Prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving and heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Divine Kwasi Gbagbo who officially graduated with a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Arts - Ethnomusicology/Musicology/African Arts and Literature from Ohio University on Saturday, December 11. Many blessings to you for the journey ahead, Divine!
Alice Schmitthenner
It is with great sadness that I share that Alice Schmitthenner, longtime member of Westminster, died on Tuesday morning, December 14 at Danbury. Prayers for comfort and peace for her sons August (Augie) and Tom, as well as their families as they grieve Alice. A memorial service to honor Alice's life and faith will be held sometime after the holidays. I will send an update with details about the service when those will be available.
Justin, friend of Dixie Harper
Prayers of wholeness and peace.
Edward Dankwa, Divine Gbagbo's childhood friend
Edward died in a car accident last week. Prayers for comfort and peace for his family and for dear his friend Divine as they mourn his untimely death.
Christina, the Barbus' daughter
Prayers for Christina who is grappling with some health and life challenges.
Chris Stewart
Prayers of comfort and peace for Chris, former transitional minister at Westminster as he grieves the death of his brother Emery Clarence Stewart, III. You can read Emery's obituary
here. Our prayers also surround Chris' family.
We continue to pray for all as the US Supreme Court hears the case, Dobbs versus Jackson Women's Health Organization, concerning a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. We pray for wisdom and that the wellbeing of women and families will be protected.
As temperatures drop, we pray for those who do not have a safe and warm place to call home. We pray for all in our community who are supporting the operation of the Severe Weather Shelter at the Salvation Army.
We pray for the lingering challenges at the US southern border, and especially for the many around the world seeking asylum, help, and care.
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.
As the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus spreads across the world, we pray for wisdom so that all will do the right thing to protect the wellbeing of our communities. We pray for exhausted medical staff who care for the sick; for people in countries with no access to the vaccine.
