AN INVITATION
Join your team in a 21-day prayer journey that aims to bring renewal by deepening your congregation's individual and collective sense of call as you discover new ways to love and care for the community around you.
This prayer journey is divided by week, each with its own theme: the individual, the congregation, and the community. Every week there is a grounding prayer to be prayed throughout the week, knitting the days together. There is also a weekly challenge—the last two are best done as a team. At the end of the challenge, check in with your team and reflect together on the experience.
For the next 21 days, you are invited to open your heart to hear from the Spirit. What is God’s vision for you? To what or whom are you being called in your congregation, in your neighborhood, and beyond?
WEEK 1
OPENING OUR HEARTS TO HEAR GOD'S VOICE
This week, we prepare our hearts and invite the Spirit to speak to us. Is there anything keeping you from listening to God’s voice? Are you willing to listen and be challenged in this journey? Allow yourself grace as you ask God to walk with you.
GROUNDING PRAYER
Give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to love.
Weekly Challenge
Find a time during the week to engage in the practice of Lectio Divina. Choose one of these Scriptures and follow the method below: Psalm 27:6-11, Matthew 9:35-39, Isaiah 61:1-4, Philippians 2:5-11, Psalm 46:1-3, Luke 10:25-37, Jeremiah 31:2-6.
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READ
Take some moments to center yourself, then read the passage and notice a word or phrase that stands out to you.
MEDITATE
Read the passage again and contemplate why you think that word or phrase caught your attention.
PRAY
As you read again, enter into a conversation with God. Tell God what you’re feeling in the present moment.
LISTEN
Read one last time and invite God to reveal new insights as you open yourself up to listen.
RESOLVE
Integrate what you’ve gained from this experience into what is going on in your life right now.
DAY 1-7
Day 1
INVITATION
Pray that the Holy Spirit will walk with you on this journey. Invite God to reveal new insights to you as enter into these next 21 days.
Day 3
OPENED HEARTS
Sometimes our hearts are closed to new possibilities without our awareness. Ask God to open your heart to new passions and purpose.
Day 5
EYES TO SEE
Ask for God to grant you the ability to see the world through the eyes of the divine. Be open to being surprised by what you may see.
Day 2
WALK IN PEACE
Ask God for peace. Pray that you will have peace within you through the calm and the storms of life and that you will embody peace to those around you.
Day 4
ROOTED IN LOVE
“...pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power...to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (Eph. 3:17-18)
Day 6
EARS TO HEAR
God is always speaking. Pray that you may have ears to hear God’s voice as you attune yourself to deep spiritual listening.
Day 7
GRATITUDE
“Thanksgiving is inseparable from true prayer; it is almost essentially connected with it.” — John Wesley
Thank God for joining you on this journey.
WEEK 2
CONNECTING TO OUR CONGREGATIONS
As we remember the past and look toward the future, we ask God to help us strengthen our ministries, grow in faith, and love our neighbors.
GROUNDING PRAYER
Be our guide. Walk with us as we walk with You.
Weekly Challenge
Get together with the newest and the oldest members of your church for a discussion about their experiences, hopes, and dreams for the congregation. Ask them the following questions...
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ASK
When did you become a member of this congregation? Why did you choose us?
What has our congregation done well, past and present?
What new practices, ministries, or connections do you think our congregation should explore?
What are we called as a congregation to do?
What do you hope is the legacy of our congregation in the history of the greater church and locally in our community?
DAY 8-14
Day 8
UNITED IN CHRIST
Although each member of your church is valued as a unique individual, pray that your congregation will be united in call and as members of the family of God.
Day 10
IN OUR WORK
Pray for your current ministries and the good work that is done in the name of Jesus. Ask for continued blessings and for more people and opportunities to arise.
Day 12
REMEMBER
Take a moment to reflect on the history of your church. Thank God for the faithfulness and goodness that has sustained you and the Gospel that has changed lives forever.
Day 9
GROW IN LOVE
Ask God to deepen the love and compassion your congregation shares for one another, your neighbors and community, and the world.
Day 11
OUR CALLING
Ask God to renew and strengthen the collective call of your congregation. Pray that the Spirit will direct your decisions and walk with your people.
Day 13
FUTURE GENERATIONS
Look to the future and pray that God will guide and provide for the generations to come as they engage with a changing world in the love of Christ.
Day 14
GRATITUDE
Thank God for your story. As you look ahead to the future, give praise for the foundation that has been built by earlier generations. Ask Jesus to continue to empower and love your church as you love one another.
WEEK 3
LISTENING TO OUR COMMUNITIES
As we turn our attention to our communities, we invite the Holy Spirit to direct us to the people and places where God is calling us as we listen to the needs and desires of our neighbors.
GROUNDING PRAYER
Shine a light that we may see where you are calling.
Weekly Challenge
This week, plan time to go on a walk (or drive) to do the practice of Lectio Vicinitas. Similar to Lectio Divina, this “neighborhood reading” is an exercise in listening to the needs and dreams of the community around you as you invite God to reveal to you where the Holy Spirit is already at work.
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READ
Begin your walk by simply observing (taking notes is helpful). Take notice of places where people gather and the types of businesses or homes around. What stands out to you?
MEDITATE
Find a quiet place to sit and reflect. What did you notice? Move from mind to heart. Where did you feel the Spirit?
PRAY
Begin a conversation with God. Ask God questions and for clarity. Where and to whom might Jesus be calling you?
LISTEN
Pause and listen for God’s voice. What have these neighborhood insights stirred up in you? Let God guide you.
RESOLVE
Take what you’ve learned from this experience and incorporate it into your prayers and passions for your neighborhood.
DAY 15-21
Day 15
WHO'S MY NEIGHBOR?
Ask God to reveal the people and places that you are called to love and serve in your community. Who is often overlooked? Who is in need of the love of Jesus?
Day 17
SOUL LONGINGS
Pray that God will reveal to you the dreams and passions of your neighbors. From hobbies to social issues, ask how you might participate and walk with them in their journey.
Day 19
HOLY ORDINARY
Look for the sacred in the mundane. Ask God to bring a sense of wonder and beauty as you experience the holiness of everyday life.
Day 16
IMAGO DEI
“Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness...” (Gen. 1:26)
Ask that you may see others for who they are as innately good and divinely made.
Day 18
NEEDS UNMET
Ask God to show you the sore spots in your community. Pray that you will discover some needs and hopes that you might be capable of fulfilling together.
Day 20
STEP OUT IN FAITH
Pray for courage as you put these new insights from the last few weeks into action. God is with you.
“....for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7 )
Day 21
GRATITUDE
As you finish this prayer challenge, thank God for the journey. Reflect on the experience and remember what the Spirit revealed to you. Give gratitude for all God has done.
WHAT'S NEXT?
We would love to hear about your experience with the 21-Day Prayer Challenge to celebrate and support you and your team as you explore what God revealed to you throughout the journey.
Interested in exploring new ways of reaching your community that happen in the places and spaces you do life?
Contact us to share and learn more!
