What is Happening at New Spirit? 
"Prayer Stuff!"

July always seems to be the month when there's the least amount of activity at New Spirit.  So when I was looking around and thinking about what's happening that would be appropriate to talk about in this month's newsletter, I was a little surprised at what I found.  What's happening now, more than ever, is "prayer stuff."

Our Tuesday morning prayer group, having been blessed this year with a couple of new prayer warriors, has been faithfully praying all those concerns for all those names we are given every week.  I am always amazed at how these faithful women see this as a sacred responsibility entrusted to them by the people of this congregation.  And I want to assure everyone who requests prayer that these prayer ministers carry your concerns to God with absolute devotion. They beg God for help for these people you name. They rejoice over every joy and every thanksgiving you share.  They cover congregational concerns with prayers and perspective. And they always leave     humbled and grateful at having been privileged to be able to share in this ministry.
 
     Then we have our Prayer Shawl ministers. This is a livelier, less contemplative group than their Tuesday morning sisters.  There's yarn sprouting up and collecting all around the church.  Newbies are getting    lessons from seasoned "hookers" (that's crocheting, mind you.).  People are crocheting up a storm and handiwork is proudly displayed at various stages for others to "ooh" and "ah" over. And, already, we have given our first prayer shawl to an   employee of one of our partner agencies.  This employee faces serious surgery - - and was quite moved to be given such a fine piece of equipment with which to endure the test that lies ahead. In the months to come, you too will have a chance to infuse the prayer shawls with all of your prayers before they are given to more recipients.

 
     We also have a little band of people meeting on Wednesday nights, willing to share their struggles and insecurities about praying in the hope that together they can grow and deepen and find new ways to   experience God.  I'm fully expecting miraculous things to happen with the people in this group.  This kind of openness and searching for God in prayer is always rewarded.
 
     And, we have all the prayers that all of us offer up every day.  Those don't stop in the summer and they don't go on vacation. There are all the intercessions, some of which have been offered faithfully, the same prayers for the same people, day after day, for years.  There are all of those "Help Me's," all those "Wow's," all those "Thank You's," and all of those sighs too deep for words.  There are all of those prayers that wait, and that   listen, and that yield, and that trust.  This means that even when we don't see much activity happening, lots of stuff that we can't see is happening.  "Prayer stuff" is happening - - and we are surrounded by it - - like people living and moving in a cloud.