Weekly Prayer Guide Vision Statement Fairlington United Methodist Church welcomes all to a nurturing faith community that serves God by serving others. Dear FUMC Family and Friends, You have a vital role in planning for the future at Fairlington. With our new vision statement in mind, we are developing a strategic plan for ministry and considering changes to our aging facility. All of this will impact the direction of our church for years to come. We ask that you pray with us. This prayer guide contains a prayer for your use on Sunday and prayer focus suggestions for the following 6 days of the week for a period of 13 weeks. Each week focuses on an aspect of FUMC or concern as we contemplate change. Thank you for journeying with us in this way, Your FUMC Spirituality Team
Week 1: Environmental Stewardship Melanie Dunn-Chadwick SUNDAY: We pray for environmental stewardship for the FUMC building and property. Almighty and Gracious God, You have blessed us with a world that inspires with its beauty and astounds with its magnificence. With intentional inter-dependence, you have provided sustenance and space for all of your creatures and you have given human beings the responsibility to protect and care for this incredible planet a responsibility we have not always managed well. As we continue to discuss how to renovate our church home, help us be deeply and consistently aware of how this process will impact the larger home you have given to all of us. Remind us in clear and persistent ways that each decision we make will have an impact in rippling effect, on the health and resources of our immediate surroundings as well as our larger community and the world in general. Help us to pay attention-- in the largest of decisions and smallest of details-- to that impact, so that whatever we create fits harmoniously, responsibly and sustainably into your larger creation. For this opportunity and responsibility, we give you thanks. Amen
Monday: Please pray for creative, cost effective ways to promote the use of renewal energy sources. Tuesday: Please pray for the wildlife, both plants and animals, that may experience disruption. Wednesday: Please pray for a building process that minimizes waste reuses and recycles. Thursday: Please pray for God s guidance in deciding on the professionals we ll choose that they may be people of committed environmental concern and practices. Friday: Please pray God s guidance as we seek materials and supplies that are produced in a way that is in harmony with the environment. Saturday: Please pray for guidance that the building and surrounding areas be constructed and used in a way that glorifies the beauty of God s creation. Week 2: People within FUMC who use our building Ashley Moore SUNDAY: We pray for the people within our church who gather within our building. Communal God, We thank you for the gift of community. We are grateful to have a space in which to meet; to learn from and with each other; to share our struggles and our joys;
to pray and to play; to create and enjoy music; to serve others within our church, community, and the world; and to share meals and hope. We recognize that this building is many things to our church family: a place of employment, a sanctuary, a meeting space, a second home. We pray that you will help us be mindful of your presence in this space as we meet with each other throughout the week. Amen. Monday: Please pray for the pastoral, office and custodial staff. Tuesday: Please pray for the youth program. Wednesday: Please pray for the Aged to Perfection group. Thursday: Please pray for the Sunday School classes. Friday: Please pray for Sunday worshipers. Saturday: Please pray for the choirs.
Week 3: Community groups outside of FUMC that use our building: Myrta Zayas-Alonso SUNDAY: We pray for the community groups outside our church membership who use our building. Most gracious and loving God, We are grateful for the many opportunities you have allowed us through the years to open our doors for community groups to gather. Our church building has been a safe haven for many, a place of worship and fellowship, a place of study and reflection, a place to celebrate joys and life s transitions. Our prayer is that all who enter your home sense a strong and loving welcome. May our church community be known for its heartfelt hospitality and acceptance of all who enter its doors. We pray that you continue blessing us as we plan to create a more functional and accessible space for people to gather. May this space expand and enlarge our capabilities to joyfully serve those in the community who are in need. We ask for your guidance as we prayerfully consider partnering with other groups who will assist in the ministries of this church. It s in the name of your son, our friend and teacher, Jesus Christ that we pray, Amen
Monday: Please pray for the preschool. Tuesday: Please pray for the 12 step programs. Wednesday.: Please pray for the Muslim worshipers. Thursday: Please pray for the Ethiopians. Friday: Please pray for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Saturday: Please pray for the Board of Lady Managers of INOVA Alexandria Hospital and all other outside groups that use our building. Week 4: FUMC efforts to feed the hungry: Ashley Moore SUNDAY: We pray for all of FUMC s efforts to feed the hungry. Abundant God, We thank you for this earth and the plentiful harvest it creates. We pray that you help us remember the harvest is for all, and that we as a church community will never cease to feed your people. We pray for the ministries our church supports that are working to end hunger in this world including ALIVE s food distribution program, our garden, Society of St. Andrew, Stop Hunger Now, Meals on Wheels, Max s Place and Rising Hope Food Pantry. We pray for endurance and joy for those involved in these ministries. We ask You to remind us to get involved in these efforts to show our love for You and our neighbors. Amen.
Monday: Please pray for the ALIVE last Saturday food distribution those serving and those served. Tuesday: Please pray for the Society of St. Andrew those serving and those served. Wednesday: Please pray for Stop Hunger Now those serving and those served. Thursday: Please pray for Meals on Wheels those serving and those served. Friday: Please pray for Max s Place those serving and those served. Saturday: Please pray for Rising Hope Food Pantry those serving and those served. Week 5: FUMC Music Ministry: Joan Nagle SUNDAY: We pray for the music program at FUMC that our building may be designed to nurture and enhance our music program that music may touch the soul and bring hope and healing. It is proof of God's love for mankind that he gave us music, and cats. Albert Schweitzer
Almighty God, We raise our voices to you in praise. And in hymns and psalms and psalter. Our music is prayer our ablest, truest, and most fervent offering in return for all your gifts to us. With the psalmist, we say, "I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress." We thank you for the offerings of others, those who use the gifts they have received from you to uplift, inspire, and lead us as we sing. Bless them and help them, in all they strive to do for us and for you. There is no music greater than that in which we sing our hosannas, our hallelujahs. We pray that you will receive them in the spirit with which we lift them up to you, giver of all that we are able to do, in your name, Amen.
Monday: Please pray for Dr. Louise Wilson and all those who help lead FUMC choirs. Tuesday: Please pray for FUMC Choirs: Children s choirs Cherub Choir, Chapel Choir, and The Joyful Ringers; youth vocal and bell choirs; adult choirs. Wednesday: Please pray for spirit-filled congregational singing. Thursday: Please pray that our music spaces may be accessible to all. Friday: Please pray that our sanctuary sound equipment enhances all who offer their musical gifts during worship times together. Saturday: Please pray for soloists and our special music events Messiah sing-along; All Saints Sunday; Advent services; Lenten and Easter services, etc. Week 6: Mission Trips: Sue Gunter SUNDAY: We pray for all those who travel as representatives of Christ on mission trips to other places.
Almighty God, We thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ to lead us in The Way. Through Jesus, you have called us to love our neighbors and to feed your sheep. You have taught us that our neighbors and those you call us to feed are not just those in our own community but also those in other communities and in other lands. Sometimes you call us to travel to other communities and other lands to help heal hurts and to share your love. We know that love comes from you, O God, and that it is not for us to hold but for us to share. We pray that the mission trips supported by our church will be a blessing to those served and to those serving, will help heal hurts, and will exemplify your love. All glory be to you, O God. Halleluiah. Amen Monday: Please pray for all those involved in the Carolina Cross Connection experience in which FUMC Youth participate each summer to help those in need in Appalachia and those they serve. Tuesday: Please pray for all those who go on the Jeremiah Project experience in which FUMC Youth participate in each summer to help those in need in Appalachia and for those they serve. Wednesday: Please pray for all those who go on the Lakota Mission trip and for the Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Thursday: Please pray for Clara Mridula Biswas, the missionary FUMC supports in Cambodia (find more information under the FUMC website Serve tap under Around the World).
Friday: Please pray for gleaning programs those serving and those served. Saturday: Please pray for our youth members who go into the District of Columbia to feed the homeless through the TOP Program. Week 7: Housing Ministries: SUNDAY: We pray for all efforts to help people with housing needs. God Almighty, We thank you for providing us with places to live and to call home. Yet we know there are many in our community and in other communities who do not have access to safe and affordable housing. Fairlington Church has answered the call to help others attain and maintain housing. We pray for those with housing needs and for your guidance in helping us to meet those needs. This is one way we answer your call to care for our brothers and sisters. Help us be faithful in answering your call. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, who has called us to love one another, we pray. Amen
Monday: Please pray for ALIVE House, serving women and families. Tuesday: Please pray for Habitat for Humanity. Wednesday: Please pray for the rental assistance program. Thursday: Please pray for those at risk of losing their homes. Friday: Please pray for Rebuilding Together Alexandria, helping to repair homes in Alexandria. Saturday: Please pray for the residents of Carpenters Shelter. Week 8: Education: Sue Gunter SUNDAY: We pray that our space may help nurture those who come to FUMC to learn and grow.
God Our Creator, Thank you for calling us to be your sons and daughters and for always being faithful to us. Our faith journey is a life-long journey. The more time we spend in study and reflection, the closer we draw to you, and the more clearly we hear your daily call to follow You. You call us not only to further our own faith journeys but also to help others follow You. We do this in part by sharing our faith with others - by nurturing children, youth, and adults as they begin and continue on their faith journeys. As we examine our aging building and options for change, help us create spaces that help facilitate education in the faith for those of all ages. Lead us Lord. Amen. Monday: Please pray for the Fairlington Preschool. Tuesday: Please pray for FUMC s partnership with Alexandria City Public Schools to provide inclusion classrooms where children with special needs can learn in classrooms open to children of all abilities. Wednesday: Please pray that our building will provide welcoming access to children and adults of all physical and mental abilities. Thursday: Please pray for our adult Sunday school classes. Friday: Please pray for our Sunday school classes for children. Saturday: Please pray for our youth classes and activities.
Week 9: Outdoor Spaces: Anne Wilson SUNDAY: We pray for the best use and stewardship of our outdoor spaces. Sustainer God, we stand in the midst of your grace and glory, grateful for countless blessings already received, including the constancy of Your love for us. You dwell among us in the both the arid deserts and lush meadows of our faith journeys. We pray for outdoor spaces that renew and refresh us; that foster the creation of harmonious community; that grow the spaces of our hearts, minds and souls to widen spiritual and social networks that reflect Your loving-kindness. Forgive our reticence to move outside the boundaries we know best. Replace it with confidence and a willingness to yield to whatever it is You are inviting us to engage in next. We pray for outdoor spaces where we will encounter You more deeply. Come Holy Spirit Monday: Please pray for our playground and all those who use it. Tuesday: Please pray for the rose garden ministry, those who care for the plants and those touched by their beauty. Wednesday: Please pray for our vegetable garden ministry, those who work in the garden and those who receive its bounty.
Thursday: Please pray for the best use of our parking areas for parking and for BBQ dinners, Christmas tree sales, among other uses. Friday: Please pray for signage to help guide those who come to FUMC and welcome them in. Saturday: Please pray for the use of all our outdoor gathering spaces the courtyard, the wooded areas, our Easter Cross, among others.
Week 10: Worship: Sue Gunter SUNDAY: We pray that our worship and worship space may draw us closer to God and God s desires for our lives. Almighty God, From the time of Abraham, your people have gathered to worship you. We long to come into Your presence to bless Your Holy Name. As we explore changes to our aging building, help us create spaces that will draw us closer to You in worship through Your Word, music, and reflection and that will draw us together as a supportive community. May our worship draw all who come within our doors closer to You and closer to one another. Please send your Holy Spirit to move among us and help us embrace all with a spirit of love, compassion and welcome. In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen.
Monday: Please pray for all those church staff members who lead us in worship. Tuesday: Please pray for the Congregation s openness to the Word spoken. Wednesday: Please pray for the lay leadership team members who assist us in worship, including acolytes, communion stewards, alter guild members, those who prepare banners, and those who prepare the worship bulletins. Thursday: Please pray that our offerings be given generously and with joy and thanksgiving. Friday: Please pray for those who prepare the Children s Sharing during worship. Saturday: Please pray that all our gatherings be a form of worship.
Week 11: Spiritual Guidance: Myrta Zayas-Alonso SUNDAY: We pray that our building facilitates and enhances spiritual formation and development. Gracious and loving God, With grateful hearts we come to You for guidance in our spiritual journeys. We are open vessels yearning to be filled with Your Spirit. Daily we seek to be transformed to live lives that are grounded in the presence of Christ within us. We are grateful for all who have been called to teach in our church family. We pray that You continue to bless their ministry. We pray that You help us prepare others to become leaders and guides in spiritual formation. You have blessed us with a church building where Your people gather to pray and meditate, study scripture, share faith stories and develop a better understanding of who we are called to be in Christ. We pray for Your guidance as we consider improving this sacred space. We pray for all those who will enter our doors seeking spiritual renewal. Equip us to be guides in their journeys. Give us the strength and courage to joyfully share how Your love continues to transform our lives. May we continue to grow in the grace, wisdom and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
Monday: Please pray for Renovaré groups. Tuesday: Please pray for the Companions in Christ group. Wednesday: Please pray for Confirmation Class and confirmands. Thursday: Please pray for Bible study classes. Friday: Please pray for Band of Mothers. Saturday: Please pray for Baptism classes.
Week 12: FUMC Building: SUNDAY: We pray that our building serve God by welcoming God s people in and facilitating our mission at FUMC and beyond our walls. God Our Help and Our Redeemer, Thank you for all those who have gone before us at Fairlington United Methodist Church and who had the foresight and faith to build our building and to expand as Fairlington Church expanded. Help us have the foresight, too, to plan for the Fairlington Church s mission into the future. Help us to be faithful and to trust in You. Guild us as we make decisions that will impact the future mission of Your church. Grant us wisdom and direction. Order our steps at each turn. Thy will, and not ours, be done. Amen Monday: Please pray for our trustees. Tuesday: Please pray for the custodians who help us care for and maintain the building. Wednesday: Please pray that our building and its environs be accessible to all. Thursday: Please pray that our building and its environs be welcoming and comfortable to all. Friday: Please pray for the efficiency and sustainability of our building. Saturday: Please pray for FIDO workers and all who help use care for our building spaces.
Week 13: Breaking Bread Together: Christy Przystawik SUNDAY: We pray that our building will enhance times of sharing food together. Most Gracious God, Each day we come to the table, in one form or another, to eat. Often we lose sight of the significance of sharing a meal together. We consume more than our bodies require, we choose convenience over sustenance, and we neglect to consider the source of the food we are eating. Help us to consider these very things what we need to thrive, the impact of our choices, and the hands that brought the food to our table. Let us remember how much more occurs at a table than simply eating. The table, our table, is a place where we are equal and where all are welcome. Help us to use our church table as a place not only to dine, but to recall death and resurrection, to share wealth, and to tell our stories as individuals and as Christians. Let us build faith, community, empathy, and hope in these moments of celebration. We humbly ask that you give us gracious, considerate, and open hearts while we consider how best to prepare our own Fairlington church table. Amen.
Monday: Please pray for family night dinners. Tuesday: Please pray for Beth El dinners. Wednesday: Please pray that our kitchen facility facilitates our mission within and outside of our congregation. Thursday: Please pray for BBQ dinners. Friday: Please pray for our sharing of the sacrament with those who cannot be present in our building. Saturday: Please pray for pancake breakfasts.