From the Minister

A Church at Prayer.

One thing is becoming increasingly clear at the moment: God is moving in Ringstead Shared Church. We have been encouraged by our Vision Day and the desire to see mission become a high priority. We have celebrated a baptism and welcomed new people into the church. We sense the Spirit of God moving us into a place of expectancy. There is an excitement in the air!

As a congregation, we also need to be open to God moving within us personally—to deepen our discipleship and prepare us for the future that God is calling us into. In other words, we need to be ready as God moves among us. The key must be ensuring that our relationship with God is as close as it can be. This doesn't just mean individually, but corporately as well. As a community, we should be building our relationship with God and with one another. But what is the best way to do this?

As I read the Scriptures, what strikes me most about the early church is the amount of time they spent gathered together in prayer. In fact, Acts 1:14 tells us that they "were constantly devoting themselves to prayer", and many of the stories in Acts take place as believers travelled to and from their places of prayer. Before Pentecost, the disciples were gathered in prayer. When Peter was imprisoned, the church prayed earnestly for him. Before Paul and Barnabas were sent out in mission, the church prayed and fasted together. Time and again in Acts, prayer comes before growth, guidance and transformation.

Paul also constantly reminds us to pray. In Ephesians 6:18 he writes: "Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints."

I believe this is an important part of church life that we need to continue to emphasise: prayer.

Prayer is the foundation of our relationship with God. It enables us not only to bring our needs, concerns and thanksgiving, but also to spend time listening to what God has to say to us. Prayer is about being in God's presence. It is through prayer that we learn to trust more deeply, align ourselves with God’s will and receive the strength and wisdom we need for daily life.

So when and how do we pray? Currently, we offer several opportunities to gather together with the sole intention of prayer: our daily Morning Prayer at 9.00am each weekday (for around 25 minutes) and our bi-monthly Praying Together prayer meeting. We pray during our Sunday services and regularly encourage people to bring prayer requests. We are also beginning to incorporate prayer into our more social times together. Then, of course, there is personal prayer too—praying at home, at work, or wherever we are, intentionally spending time with God.

Prayer is a chance not only to deepen our relationship with God but also to encourage and support one another. Some people find it especially helpful to meet with just a few friends to pray. After all, we often eat together or socialise together, so why not pray together as well?

As we look to the future, I would love our church to become known as a place of prayer—a church that seeks God faithfully and expectantly, and from which prayer spills out into our community. Imagine what God might do if each one of us committed ourselves afresh to prayer, both individually and together.

Could I encourage you to take one small step? Perhaps join us for Morning Prayer, or our Praying Together, gather with a few friends to pray, or simply set aside a little more time each day to be with God. Every prayer matters.

If we want to see God move in our church and community, prayer must not be our last resort—it must be our first response.

Prayer is vital to the life of the Church. Let us commit ourselves afresh to this gift God has given us and pray together as we seek God’s kingdom and purposes for Ringstead Shared Church

Rev Rick