Greetings Redeemer family and friends,

Something new is coming to Redeemer by the Sea - weekly prayer meetings!  Prayer is important.  You've heard me talk about it in sermons, and no doubt you've read Scripture references like this one in Ephesians chapter 6:18 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."  Prayer is truly the lifeblood of every Christian, and it's the lifeblood of our ministry at Redeemer by the Sea as well. 

However, it's not enough to just talk about prayer - we must do it!  Something amazing happens when brothers and sisters gather together in Christ's Name.  Through the Holy Spirit, the Lord is brought into our midst and His power is brought to bear on problems and concerns as well as people and plans. Not only that, but the old saying is true: "A family that prays together stays together!"  A church family that is constantly gathering in prayer begins to develop a bond and unity that Satan cannot easily tamper with.  It's this kind of unity in calling and purpose that I desire to see for our ministry at Redeemer.  It's this kind of unity and Spirit driven ministry that will enable us to effectively serve and disciple the people that God sends to us and to make a difference in our community and the world!

With that in mind, I am calling us together for regular weekly prayer beginning in August.  Recognizing that people's schedules are varied and yet trying to be accessible to as many people as possible, I've established the following schedule:

• 1^st & 3^rd Wednesday of the Month – 8:00am
• 2^nd & 4^th Wednesday of the Month – 6:00pm
• 5^th Wednesday of the Month – 6:00pm Prayer Service

My hope is that the variation in meeting times will allow you to attend at least one or two meetings a month that fits around your work schedule and other commitments.  The times have also been set so as to avoid small group meetings, leadership meetings (Church Council and Elders) as well as choir practice.  In fact, it may work well to attend a prayer meeting then head to your Bible Study or choir practice right after.

The format for the meetings is very simple: There will be an opening time of devotion, followed by a time of sharing & celebration, and then will conclude with a time for prayer requests and general prayers.  We will take time to pray for any specific needs that we are aware of as well as the needs of the various ministries of the congregation.  The prayer meeting should take about 30 minutes.  But what a valuable 30 minutes! By gathering together and seeing each other face-to-face we will be able to strengthen our relationships with one another, and by spending time in prayer, we will be able to strengthen our relationship with the Lord.   Jesus says in John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” For us to bear fruit, we must remain in the Lord – we do this through prayer.

Everyone is invited to every prayer meeting, but a rotation of meetings has been set up to help concentrate our prayers on specific ministry areas.  The ministry areas are defined by our congregational focus of “Worship à Grow à Serve.”  If you are not able to attend every meeting, consider attending meetings where certain ministries will be in focus.  (If you serve in a specific ministry area, please try to attend when that area is in focus to help bring relevant prayers to our attention.)  The rotation of meetings has been setup to make both AM & PM meetings available to each ministry area. The schedule will rotate as follows:

8/3   8am – WORSHIP (Elders, Nursery, Choir, Praise Team, A/V, Ushers, Refreshments, Readers, Altar Guild, Stewardship & other Sunday Servants)
8/10 6pm – GROW (Greeters, Phone Callers, Shepherds, Fellowship, Adult Studies, Growth Groups, LWML, Youth & Children's Ministries)
8/17 8am - Cancelled
8/24 6pm - SERVE & ADMIN (Volunteer Servants, Care Ministry, Visitation, Meals, Cards, Evangelism & Outreach, Church Council, Staff, Pre-School, Trustees, Newsletter & Promotions)
8/31 6pm - WORSHIP
9/7   8am - GROW
9/14 6pm - SERVE & ADMIN
...  etc.  ...

I am so looking forward to these times together when we can gather and lift our ministries and lives to the Lord in prayer and humble submission!  May God use this time that we spend with Him for His good and gracious Kingdom purposes!

Soli Deo Gloria (to God Alone be the Glory),

Pastor Augie Iadicicco
pastor@redeemerbythesea.org

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