A small group meets on the second Thursday of the month at 12 noon in the prayer corner to pray for the church and community.
It is good to pray for the wider world as we do in our intercessions, but it is also important to focus on our church of St Mary's and Banbury town.
If you would like more information, please contact Mary Parker at [email protected]
Below you will find October's prayers:
O Lord, help us to think the best of others, to hope the best for others, to believe the best about others, and to see the best in others. Inspire in us these positive aspirations, as we long for all things to be the best they can be. Amen. (BRF - Bible Reading Fellowship)
Loving God, when our everyday lives seem too much to bear, and our personal circumstances threaten to overwhelm us, reach out you hand to rescue us and set us on the solid ground of your love once again. Amen. (BRF)
Dear Lord, we give thanks for all the people who have been inspired to design, build or decorate church buildings. Help us to make St Mary’s church a place of welcome for all. Inspire members of the congregation to become welcomers on your behalf, and may the embroidery project be a success. (Rev’d Stella)
Heavenly Father, we come before you to pray for this community in Banbury and for all who live and work here. Many people are struggling to make ends meet and are concerned about how much more they will have to pay with mortgage rates and rents rising along with utility and food bills. We pray that this does not mean more people becoming homeless or becoming ill with depression caused by money worries.
We give thanks for all those working in the town in factories, shops, offices and entertainment and those doing the jobs of emptying our bins and keeping the streets clean. We are grateful for all those who volunteer at the Beacon centre and the food banks and Samaritans, the town chaplains and street pastors. We pray for our hospital and hospice and all those who are patients or staff and for all carers, paid or otherwise.
Father, be with all our schools and colleges and all teachers, staff and students and we think particularly of our school of St Mary's.
Gracious God, we ask you to be with this church and all who come here. We are grateful for our volunteers who help on Sunday mornings or keep the church open during the week and pray that a few more people can see their way to putting themselves forward to help. It is good to see people we may not have seen before at a service and hope they will want to come regularly. We thank you for the ministry team, Dylan and the choir, the Arts team, the churchwardens, the PCC, the bell ringers and all who give of their time and talents.
We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Mary P)