Thank you so much for joining us in prayer during this important and exciting time. At Vintage, we know that we are always desperately-dependent upon God’s wisdom and guidance, and we want to make sure that we are diligently praying and seeking Him all the more as we find, hire, and bring on a second full-time staff member at Vintage Church. We have created this Prayer Plan to guide you during the 30 minutes that you have dedicated to God for this purpose. We hope you find it helpful, and we are so grateful for your enthusiasm, prayers, and support.

“To pray is to open the door unto Jesus.” O. Hallesby

God wants to hear our prayers. He promises to be with us when we join to pray and even more, to give answers when we ask, especially when we ask in agreement with each other. (Mark 11:24 Matthew 18:19-20) Try to lay down all the things clamoring for your attention: things to do, hopes for the day, worries, etc.

Push away “all of your natural fussings and frettings…” and let “ that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.” (C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity).

One way to do this is to keep a notepad near you and write down things that distract you from prayer so that you can set them aside for this 30 minutes. Find a place of quietness, externally and internally. Sit outside (or look outside), go on a short walk, or picture a quiet place in your head. Look around and see the amazing works of our Creator God. The image below may help you, if you don’t have an external place to go. (Take a few minutes to invite Jesus into this moment and ask Him to lead you and guide you into His heart during this time.)

Praise and Thanksgiving

Meditate on one of these verses and/ or listen to one of these songs to help you praise and thank God.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name! Psalm 100:1 & 4

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalm 103:1

(Take time to thank God for His work in your life. Bless (Adore) Him in your hearts and minds.) Holy, Holy, Holy by Sufjon Stevens Sing, sing, sing by Chris Tomlin (Praise God by focusing on one of His attributes: Holy, All Powerful, King, Sovereign, Unchangeable)

Confession

(Take a moment to ask God to search your heart and ask Him to reveal to you any things that you need to confess and repent (turn away from) of. You may also want to also search your heart for people that you need to forgive during this time.)

“In the affairs of human beings there is a vicious cycle of retaliation…you hurt me, and I’ll hurt you. …When we forgive, it unleashes a flood of forgiving graces from heaven and among human beings.” R.Foster Celebration of Discipline

“Forgiveness means that the power of love that holds us together is greater than the power of the offense that separates us.” R.Foster Celebration of Discipline

The following prayer has been used for hundreds of years in the church for confession. You may choose to read it out loud or silently in your mind.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

(Reflect on this image and verse as you receive the forgiveness that God bestows on you.)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Prayer

(Take a few moments to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as we seek to discern who God is calling to be the second full-time staff member at Vintage Church.)

“We will never have pure enough motives, or be good enough, or know enough in order to pray rightly. We simply must set all these things aside and begin praying. In facet, it is in the very act of prayer itself- the intimate, on-going interaction with God-that these matters are cared for in due time.” Richard Foster

“The deeper we go down into the valley of decision the higher we must rise…into the mount of prayer, and we must hold up the hands of those whose chief concern is to prevail with God.” P.T. Forsyth

Remember, we are not praying alone; Jesus is praying with us and for us too. “Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us.” Romans 8:3

Chose one or more areas to focus your prayers.

1. Pray for the church to be protected in the midst of transition and change. Pray for unity, patience, love and endurance. Pray for people to trust the leadership of our church.
2. Pray for God to be with the candidates. That he would lead each of them to the place he has for them.
3. Pray for God’s protection over the search team. Pray that they would have the Holy Spirit’s leading in their decisions. Pray for wisdom and discernment.
4. Pray for Vintage to stay rooted in Christ.
5. Pray for the Vision and Mission of Vintage Church, and that God would use this time and this staff member to further His kingdom plans in Lawrence and in the World.
6. Pray for the Vintage Congregation that God would prepare our hearts to lovingly welcome, include, and encourage this new staff member and their family

We thank you Lord that you want to hear our needs and that we can abide in you. Help us to be faithful to love one another and serve one another as your body, the church. Amen “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” John 17:21

(Take time to pray that we, as a church, will continue to seek to “abide” in God and to live together in unity. The following song can be used as a prayer during this time.)

Clean hands (Chris Tomlin)

This concludes your 30-minutes of focused prayer, but this does not mean we can cease praying! Please continue to pray to God on behalf of Vintage Church in the weeks to come as we seek to follow God where He leads. Thanks again for your commitment to Christ, your dedication to Vintage, and for volunteering to support us in Prayer during this important time.