August 15, 2025
A NOTE FROM PASTOR LAUREN
Praying Together
Ever since I preached on the Lord’s Prayer a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking more about prayer–not that I ignored it beforehand, but I’ve been thinking more intently about it: how we pray, when we pray, why we pray. If you receive the Children & Youth Newsletter, as well, you’ll get a few more words from me on prayer soon (even if you’re not a parent, you can sign up for that one, too, if you’d like!). But for now, I just wanted to share a few thoughts about the opportunities we have to pray as a community at First Cov.
We, of course, incorporate prayer into multiple parts of our worship service–there’s no shortage of prayer on Sundays. And while all of those prayers are important and meaningful, I’ve been thinking about the ways we pray together outside of the worship service. I’ve thought about the gift of our Prayer Partner ministry; I’ve thought about the Zoom prayer gatherings Pastor Steve Elde used to lead during the pandemic; and I’ve thought about a story Darel Grothaus recently shared with me.
Darel, our co-chair for the immigration ministry team and our guest preacher this Sunday, recently went on a Civil Rights pilgrimage to the South. He had the opportunity to meet with veterans of the movement–people who suffered verbal and physical abuse as they non-violently fought against the injustice of Jim Crow, people whose convictions arose from their deep Christian faith. He asked them how they were able to persevere through the hellish circumstances they faced. Their response was, “we prayed, we sang, and we marched.”
Prayer got them through–whether they were praying on bended knee, praying with their voices raised together in song, or praying with their feet.
This past Sunday after worship, we had our first of four summer prayer gatherings. It was a beautiful opportunity to connect with one another. I valued the chance to hear more about what was going on in people’s lives and to hear their fears, joys, and pains.
One participant reminded us of the biblical truth that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20) And it was true; I felt God’s presence with us as we lifted each other up in prayer.
There is a lot going on in our world and in our congregation right now, and much of it is painful. In response, I invite you to join together in prayer. Whether you’re able to join after Sunday morning service, or whether you gather in other places at other times: pray. And pray together. We trust that in those moments, God’s presence will be palpable, and I believe that our burdens will be lightened as we lift them up together, giving them to God.
There’s much work to be done: caring for one another in sickness and sorrow, standing up for the vulnerable, providing our children with important opportunities to deepen their faith. And beginning it all with prayer, joining together in prayer, will enable us to do the work to which God calls us.
With confidence in the power of prayer to sustain us and to change our world,
~ Pastor Lauren