Local

This week we pray for…

Those of us coming to the end of life, and for the families that love them, may they be surrounded by warm memories of a life well lived and the love of a God who has walked with them for all this time.

The ministry of the Food Pantry, for all that the ministry touches, we continue to give thanks for Alison and all the volunteers the bring the ministry to life. We pray for all it’s customers and the community built around it, we pray for a world where services like this are not needed and where everyone has access to food and shelter.

For people travelling over the long weekend. May their travel be safe and their time away a blessing.

Regional

We join with the Presbytery of Canberra Region in prayer for the Alpine Parish (Jindabyne and Round Plain) as we pray…

• Our previous part-time Op Shop Manager has left – pray that we can find another Manager with the right attributes to fill the vacancy.
• We are looking at joining with the Cooma Uniting Church to call a Minister, shared half each between us. Pray for God to show us the way and help with our finances so we can progress this initiative.
• Pray that Jindabyne, and the winter ski industry on which the economy of the whole town so depends, is again preserved from any COVID incursion, so that we all remain safe and well.
• Help us to grow the Kingdom here in Jindabyne, help and bless our local SRE Teacher, help us be successful in our outreach, and for those who stopped coming during the COVID closedown, to be encouraged to come back to us.
• Pray for the accommodation shortage in the town over the cold winter period, particularly for the younger casual workers, and that everyone can find suitable accommodation.

National

We join in prayer with the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia as we pray for

• The leading of the Spirit and God’s blessing for the 16th Assembly meeting and all members as they begin their preparation and discernment.
• The bold leadership needed to address the climate crisis.
• Members of the Uniting Church’s Tongan National Conference around the country who will gather to worship together both online and in-person on Sunday.
• The Uniting Church National History Conference to be held this weekend.

World

We join with the World Council of Churches as we pray for: Botswana, Zimbabwe

We are thankful for:

• the prophetic witness of churches to protest injustices and advocate good governance
• efforts that have been made to stem the spread of HIV and AIDS and to treat those affected
• economic progress that improves the lives of all 
• the iconic animals and minerals in these lands and measures to protect them from being exploited.

We pray for:

• fair election of democratic governments to counter instability, violence and human rights abuses
• stable economies that enable all people to prosper and live in justice and peace
• effective measures to improve the health and life expectancy of all
• the biodiversity and animals present in these lands, and measures to preserve them
• the herders and farmers who continue to raise cattle and food, despite droughts and desertification.

Continue praying for the world with the World Council of Churches here

Local

Together we pray for

Those undergoing treatment for cancer, for healing, for hope, that they are surrounded by wise, loving people. We also pray for their families and partners journeying with them.

Those experiencing mobility difficulty, for people healing after surgery, for those healing after a fall, for people experiencing arthritis and for people in our community who are struggling because they aren’t able to do as much as they used to. We pray for healing where its possible, for support where its necessary, for assistance and treatment where able and above all that you make your presence known.

People grieving the loss of a loved one.

Our pets, companions on the journey and loved members of many families, we give thanks for their presence and love in the lives of their families.

Regional

We join with the Canberra Region Presbytery in prayer for the Australian Centre For Christianity & Culture.

• We pray for the various conferences, information sessions and event that use the ACCC as a venue.
• We give thanks for the resource that the ACCC is to many of us in the Canberra Region Presbytery.
• We celebrate the staff and management of the ACCC and pray for their welfare during the difficulties presented by COVID-19 and the aftermath of 2020.
• We offer our prayers as the ACCC seek to facilitate ‘wisdom for the common good’

National

We pray with the National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia as we pray for

• Those whose homes are not safe places and are living in situations of violence and abuse. We pray for spaces of shelter, for safety, healing and strength.
• The work of the National Safe Church Unit of the Uniting Church and all those working to create safe spaces for children and young people in our communities.
• The people of Victoria facing another week of lockdown, and all those across the world working to deliver vaccines, provide frontline care and respond to COVID-19.

World

This week we hold Sri Lanka in our prayers. A cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals is sinking off Sri Lanka’s west coast, in one of Sri Lanka’s worst-ever marine disasters. We pray for those who rely on the oceans for their livelihood, we pray for the oceans, for its wildlife, we pray for the world.

We join with the World Council of Churches as we pray for: Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini

We are thankful for:

• the rich biodiversity of plants and animals and of mineral resources in this region
• the faithful witness of churches throughout the world during apartheid and how people of different races and lifestyles have come together since then
• the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and others to bring healing from the atrocities committed
• how South Africa has made antiretroviral drugs accessible to all with HIV and AIDS.

We pray for:

• protection of resources for the good of all rather than their exploitation for economic gain
• more democratic and transparent governance in these countries, at all levels
• effectively countering rape, sexual violence, and other crime
• adequate resources and changed attitudes for welcoming refugees in these countries.

Continue praying with the World Council of Churches by using their weekly Prayer Cycle resources

Local

This week we continue to pray for those in our community who are seeking healing,

• people healing after surgery
• people healing as they undergo treatment for cancer
• people experiencing pain
• people sick, or unwell

We give thanks for new birth, for families learning to live with new members and learning what it means to take on new roles as mother, father, brother and sister. We give thanks for all who care for new life and new parents, for the doctors, surgeons, nurses, doulas and especially for the midwives.

Regional

We join with the Presbytery of the Canberra Region in prayer for the ministries of Uniting – Amala and Mirinjani

• Pray for the families at Amala and Mirinjani and the staff as they have said goodbye to many of our residents recently (we have had 12 deaths at Amala since the 29th of March at Amala and 6 at Mirinjani).
• Pray for the staff may they know God’s strength and hope at this time.
• We are grateful and thankful that all our residents have had their Covid-19 vaccinations with no adverse effects.
• We pray for the family of Roy Barnes a long-time member of our St Columbus Uniting church who passed away at Amala on the 19th of May. His service will be at St Columbus Uniting Church on the 30th of May at 12.30pm
• May we continue to know and trust God’s generosity toward us.

National

We join the Uniting Church in Australia as we pray for

• Truth-telling and healing in our Church and nation as we acknowledge the wrongs of the past and injustice faced today by our First Nations Peoples.
• A peaceful and just solution to the political tumult in Samoa. May it emerge from this crisis a stronger and united country.
• The Church of Scotland as its General Assembly meeting takes place online this week, for the guidance of God’s love, wisdom and hope.

Global

We join with the World Council of Churches as we pray for Angola & Mozambique

We are thankful for:

• the rich natural resources in these countries, which God intends for the good of all
• the positive developments experienced since years of civil war
• village committees that seek to protect livelihoods and food security of the poor
• how the Lutheran World Federation and partners have pursued land rights in Mozambique. 

We pray for:

• better sanitation, health services, and protection of the environment in these lands
• a healing of the lingering scars and memories from colonization and civil wars
• protection of the land rights of the people
• governments that are transparent and further the good of all the people, rather than being captive to foreign and business interests.

Continue praying with the World Council of Churches

Local

We continue to pray for healing for those in our community who are in hospital or who are recovering from surgery, we pray for healing, we pray for their health professionals, we hold their family and friends in our prayers. May they know your presence in this time.

We pray for all who are enduring cancer treatment, tests and diagnosis, we pray they are aware of the Spirits presence, Jesus’ hope and God’s strength at this time. We hold their specialists, doctors, nurses and other professionals in our prayers, may they be people of compassion, empathy and wisdom.

We hold the UCA Chaplain at the Canberra Hospital, Rev Andrew Mead in our prayers, may his presence and ministry be blessed. We give thanks for the times where he’s been present for members of our community over the last couple of years.

We give thanks for the ministry of the GUC Playgroup, may all involved share in the joy of community and find support, help, refuge and friendship. We give thanks for Cass Nokham and all the work she has put into the community over the last many years.

Regional

We join with the Presbytery of the Canberra Region in prayer for the community of St Margaret’s Hackett

• Pray for the Ross Walker Lodge community as they prepare for the birthday party for the 10th anniversary of the establishment of this home/ intentional community for people with disability at St Margaret’s.
• Give thanks for the Supply Ministry of Bruce Stevens as the congregation moves hopefully towards filling a new placement following the retirement of Chris Lockley in 2020.
• Give thanks for the vital cooperative work between St Margaret’s and the Holy Cross Anglican church in carbon action and social justice, joint worship and the World Council of Churches (WCC) Assembly reunion choir to celebrate 30 years since the 1991 WCC Assembly in Canberra.
• Pray for the friendship group and other fellowship groups whose work is reducing the scourge of loneliness and lack of purpose that challenge many older people.
• Give thanks for the active community hub that the St Margaret’s/Holy Cross site has become through the activities of the Tuckerbox program (which provides low-cost food), Meg’s Toy Box and other community groups.

National

We join the Uniting Church in Australia as we pray for

• The gift of the Spirit to dwell amongst us, and in giving thanks for the diversity of languages and cultures that make up the Uniting Church.
• The fellowship and communion of all Christians. As followers of Jesus, may we work together in giving witness to God’s love, hope and grace.
• The people of Palestine and Israel and for a just peace to prevail.

Global

We join with the World Council of Churches as we pray for the Indian Ocean Islands: Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles.

We are thankful for:

• the spectacular scenery, exotic plants, rare animals and abundant sea life that flourish in the region
• how people who are ethnically and religiously diverse have long lived together 
• the economic developments that have lifted some out of poverty
• the vital evangelism, social and public witness of churches, and how the churches relate to people of other faiths.

We pray for:

• the fragile environment and the unique plants, animals and lands, that they will be protected, especially as the sea rises 
• tourism and other economic developments, that they will not threaten, but enhance life for all the people in these countries
• churches, that they will  grow through evangelistic efforts and in their work with those of other faiths
• Christians to be bolder in their public witness for justice and reconciliation, especially in times of political turmoil.

Continue to pray with the world wide church by joining with the WCC prayer cycle.