PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN AID WEEK COLLECTORS

Ever-present God,
Fill me with your Spirit,
And send me out to make a difference
To the voiceless; the powerless and the poor.
Help me to know that
I stand with all who seek justice
And I go with the strength of your Spirit.
Take my prayers, my time and my envelopes.
Use them with others’ to achieve amazing things.
For the sake of your people,
And to the glory of your name.
Amen

Preparing for Worship

Bless us, O God,
with a reverent sense of your presence,
that we may be at peace
and may worship you with all our mind and spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Altrincham United Reformed Church Ministry and Mission Group 2 is charged with responsibility to develop Christian education, prayer and devotional opportunities for existing members and associates and for newcomers.
We are placing prayer cards in the pews at Trinity Hale similar to those used for some time at Woodlands Timperley. We hope people will find the prayers helpful in preparing for worship.
The cards are designed to be durable so that they can remain in use for some time. Experience shows that some people like to take them to use at home and of course we will be pleased if you do so.
We intend to produce three or four different editions of the cards and to make them available in rotation. We plan to make some appropriate to seasons of the Christian Year.
We come to worship from a great variety of personal circumstances. We hope that selected prayers will help people shape their thinking and find words to express their own personal prayers.

Guardian Angel Scheme

The Guardian Angels scheme may be something of which members and friends of Altrincham URC know little, but why not ‘climb aboard’ this prayer scheme for all members and friends of the church. The scheme is reviewed every two years or so and that time has now arrived. No meetings are involved; this is something, which you can undertake quietly in your own home.
There is an official leaflet, a copy of which I will gladly supply to anyone who feels that they may be interested, which answers some of the questions, which are most frequently posed. You can telephone me, Lyn Roberts, or see me in church should you feel that the leaflet does not answer all your enquiries.
It would be good to see more men involved with Guardian Angels, since the idea is well thought out, tackling not the issues surrounding our general church family but the issues of one particular person whoever they may be. As a Guardian Angel you will obviously be aware of the identity of the person for whom you are praying. Your own Guardian Angel will be unknown to you.
As a Guardian Angel you are encouraged to send Birthday, Easter and Christmas Cards to the person with whom you are a ‘Guardian Angel’, as well as praying for them on a regular basis. It is lovely to have a short letter or card delivered to your home to let you know that someone has been thinking of you and praying for you.
As a member of the scheme I can say that I welcome the opportunity to pray for a church member or friend as well as having the knowledge that someone else is praying for me. Each person interested in joining Guardian Angels completes a very small general enquiry form about what they would wish their Guardian Angel to keep in mind when praying for them. This form is then passed to the Guardian Angel involved.
I hope that readers of Vision will find this broad outline of the scheme provides sufficient information to enable members and friends of Altrincham URC to make a decision to join. For those who are already Guardian Angels it would be helpful if you would confirm to me that you wish to continue being a Guardian Angel.
Lyn Roberts

I am writing to say how grateful I am and how much I benefit from the Guardian Angel scheme. I don’t know who my Guardian Angel is; no one knows the identity of his or her Guardian Angel. I just know that someone in the church family prays for me regularly and from time to time sends me a note or card with words of love and encouragement. Recently I received the following which I wanted to share with you.

Your Guardian Angel
Can you sense your Angel –
The one that’s at your side
The Angel who is there
To comfort and to guide?
If you allow yourself to trust
And to let yourself believe
You’ll be showered with blessings
That you hardly will believe!
For, the wings of an Angel
Are your shelter in a storm –
A source of everlasting joy
As you awaken every morn.
So, become aware today
Of this gift sent from Above –
The Angel at your side
Who’s the embodiment of love.

The Guardian Angel scheme is a way in which members of the church family extend their care to each other in a loving way within their own homes away from the public gaze. For further information on how to become a Guardian Angel or a recipient of the scheme, please contact Ann Ash, it is so worthwhile.

Prayers for the Church

to accompany the Reconciliation Process

Please make every effort to come along
to one gathering in each box below

Monday 10th November 10.00 am Trinity Hale
Wednesday 12th November 7.00pm Woodlands Timperley

Wednesday 3rd December 10.00am Trinity Hale
Wednesday 3rd December 7.00pm Woodlands Timperley

Each gathering will last for 20 minutes,
and will include the reading of a Bible passage,
a short reflection, a period of silence
and a period of led prayers;
there will be no need for preparation beforehand
or to contribute anything,
apart from a spirit of openness to God
and good will to others