Christmas is a time when our churches are already doing so many wonderful things to share the Good News with their community; this post is not about doing one more thing, but rather asking, “How do we increase our focus on prayer in these activities which we are already doing, so that we can better connect with and serve our neighbor?”
When I do my prayer ministry training with churches, one question that I ask every week is, “What ministry will your church be doing in 90 days?” So, recently our conversations have turned towards the Christmas “season”, which for most people in our culture starts in December and for most businesses starts immediately after Halloween. So, with all of this focus on Christmas for such a long period of time already provided for the Church by the culture, what are some ways we can increase our focus on prayer in our Christmas activities which we are already doing, so we can better connect with and serve our neighbor?
Christmas / Thanksgiving Dinners: Many churches provide a free meal to people in their community. Some churches will feed hundreds in their fellowship halls this Fall; others will deliver meals with all the trimmings directly to families in their homes. If this is something you will do this Fall, please ask yourself, “How do we increase our focus on prayer in these activities which we are already doing, so that we can better connect with and serve our neighbor?” In talking with the churches which I coach, the conclusion was really pretty simple- if we are feeding the people at church, have a prayer request card at their table, explain the purpose of asking for prayer and the hope to serve them after this meal is over; with their permission enter their prayer request in the church’s PrayerCares database. Then, the Church will have families in their community who have actually asked this local church to minister to them. When we gather other people’s prayer requests, we become experts on their needs; this is really so much more effective than reading reams of data or starting expensive programming. With PrayerCares your church members can choose which prayer requests they want to provide care for and enter their care notes which will update fellow members on the work which their church is doing to care for the needs of others. As these care notes are added, the church will see the stories of prayer and care touching the lives of other humans growing before their eyes.
Christmas Caroling- many churches still have this wonderful tradition of going into the community around their church or the neighborhoods around their member’s homes and offering to sing Christmas hymns for others. If you have ever enjoyed the opportunity of spreading Christmas cheer on earth, with the snow gently falling and walking with other believers through your neighborhood, it is a memory you will long cherish. If this is something you will do this Fall, please ask yourself, “How do we increase our focus on prayer in these activities which we are already doing, so that we can better connect with and serve our neighbor?” In talking with the churches which I coach, the conclusion was really pretty simple- since the family has already accepted your offer to sing a Christmas hymn for them, extending the conversation by a sentence and saying, “We are praying for the neighborhood, how can we pray for you?” would not be viewed as being intrusive. Prayer is a natural part of the Christian’s lifestyle, relaxing and being a natural Christian is something we want to encourage in our members. When you talk with these families in your communities and you ask them how you can pray for them; you can of course also invite them to download your church’s prayer app and show them how they can also enter prayer requests for themselves or others they know in need. This Christmas, your church’s prayer ministry team can grow to include people from outside the walls of your church and not (yet) in your membership directory.
So what will your church be doing this Christmas season? Your list of ministry activities in this very special time of the year may include children’s Christmas programs; Advent worship services; community programs/parades. God wants His house to be a house of prayer. So please sit down now with the leadership of your church and ask, “How do we increase our focus on prayer in these activities which we are already doing, so that we can better connect with and serve our neighbor?”
Amen?
