Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…. Be alert and always keep on praying for all God’s people.
Ephesians 6. 18

Opportunities for prayer with others, to which all are welcome

Mondays at 9.15 – 9.45am Morning Prayer

A simple form of prayer and reflection on a Bible passage following the Church of England’s liturgical year. Each week 4 members of our church family are remembered in prayer, responding to specific needs they have highlighted. (Held in the Trinity Chapel). 

Wednesdays 7am – 7.30am #ThyKingdomCome prayer

Open prayer for the issues facing our society and the needs of our world. (Held in the Youth Hub)

First Friday of the month – One Church One Day – 7-8pm and then 24hours of Prayer

Since the first lockdown we have been joining with churches around Bristol to pray non-stop for 24 hours once a month. The vision of this One Church One Day movement is to see a canopy of prayer over Bristol. 24-7-365. Building Bristol as a city of Hope. Each month church members sign up for an hour or 30 minute slot to pray, and the 24 hours starts with a joint time of prayer and worship currently on zoom. To find out more email diane.paddon@christchurchdownend.com

Once a month – Prayer for Persecuted Christians

 An hour of prayer with stories of specific situations highlighted by Open Doors.

Mahabba Prayer

Monthly at 2pm on a Thursday. Please contact the Office if you would like to come to this meeting to pray for Muslims in our locality.

Before Worship and other events

There is prayer before the 10.30 service from 10.10 – 10.25am in the Trinity Chapel to seek to listen to the Spirit. Gatherings for prayer happen before Messy Church, Jigsaw and before and after each youth evening too. Anyone is welcome to be part of these times. 

Prayer chain

If you have a specific prayer request you can have it included on the prayer chain via Mary Freestone: ianandmaryfreestone@gmail.com or 0117 9566630. These requests will be circulated to a number of trusted church members who will hold them in prayer before the Lord…. and then rejoice as prayer is answered!

Prayer and care

Requests for prayer and practical support can be given to our Care Co-ordinators on carecoordinators@christchurchdownend.com

Sally Grier may be contacted sally.grier@christchurchdownend.com in relation to home Communion and hospital visits.

Personal Prayer

We want to encourage everyone to be open to praying for one another after our services or in our Life groups etc. There are a number of people with some experience and training ready to pray with anyone after 10.30am service. They have PRAYER badges on and will usually be near the Trinity Chapel.

If you would like to explore deeper prayer ministry, please contact Pauline Pearce for a confidential appointment on 0117 329 2078.

Discipleship

Thanksgiving and Answered Prayer

  • Give thanks for Jigsaw which moved back to the park in April, meeting in groups of 6, and now we can have up to 15 adults so we can all share as one group. Pray for wisdom about when and how to offer inside sessions.
  • Give thanks for the Tree of Hope and pray for this to continue to resonate in people’s minds and hearts.
  • Pray for the Life Groups that have not met for over a year due to not being able to meet online. Pray that they can come together safely soon in person

Significant Events

  • Pray for the Mothers Union planning to meet for a service on July 7th.

Specific Needs

  • Pray for our new teaching series on 1 & 2 Samuel and for the summer plans to look at the Parables alongside the children. Pray that we will soon all be able to worship together.

Anita Dobson: anitadobson@christchurchdownend.com

Youth

Thanksgiving and Answered Prayer

  • Give thanks to God for the ongoing commitment of the Young People to Sunday Youth Group and the Wednesday Elev8 Groups, and for the deepening of relationships and spiritual growth.
  • Give thanks to God for stirring the hearts of those who are praying the young people through their exams.
  • Give thanks to God for blessing the Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Course, which 23 Young People completed.
  • Give thanks to God that the Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Course for the Youth Team and Parents is up and running.
  • Give thanks to God for the strengthening of relationships with Downend School and for the engagement of the students on the current Flourish Wellbeing Course.
  • Give thanks to God for the vision of the Prayer Party Packs, created and distributed by the youth team, to over 80 young people and children, and for the subsequent engagement of young people and young families in creative prayer as fed back following One Church One Day.
  • Give thanks for Jacob and Gill joining Noah & Adam, Gary and Diane in the Friday night church bell tolling team.
  • Give thanks for the amazing support from those Young People, Youth Team and Church, who turned up outside Coop on 22nd May to collect for our partner orphanage in India, and for the generosity of the community. Also for the great generosity of the Christ Church Family to this cause.
  • Give thanks to God for the completion of the lengthy switch of bank accounts. An incentive payment will boost the youth account.

Significant Events

  • Please pray for the youth groups as they return to the Youth Hub soon. Please pray for the Team as we plan to offer youth provision throughout the summer.
  • Please pray into the planning and preparation of another Wellbeing Course starting at Downend School in June.
  • Please pray into the Youth/CAP partnership, in the planning of a summer fun family event.
  • Please pray into the planning of our second church Summer Super Serving Sunday.
  • Please pray for the planning and preparation of a retreat for the Youth Team.

Specific Needs

  • Please pray for those who have just completed their A Level and GCSE assessments and exams, that they will get to enjoy the rest and fun they deserve, following a tremendously difficult and disruptive year.
  • As things begin to open up again, please pray for our young people and their families, some of whom have had a particularly tough time during this past year. 

Diane Paddon: youth@christchurchdownend.com

Leadership Development and Worship

Thanksgiving and Answered Prayer

  • We give thanks for the continued commitment to prayer in so many ways across the church.
  • We thank God for the answered prayers around the appointments made to leadership roles at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting and the signs of his Spirit’s work described and celebrated in the Annual Report.
  • We rejoice at the prospect of being able to worship together with all ages in church from end of June!

Significant Events

  • The launch of a mini-series in June on God’s faithfulness as seen in some great Old Testament characters; then in July our Summer Sundays on some less familiar parables of Jesus
  • The continuing monthly One Church One Day 24 hours of prayer on the first Friday of the month, starting at 7pm on zoom
  • Last Sunday with Jo and Shahne on 27th June followed by a picnic and games on CCJ school field.

Specific Needs

  • For the finances and the wise appointment of a Head of Children’s ministry for September
  • For Paul, the PCC and the whole church in the prayerful preparation of a Parish Profile as part of the process leading to the appointment of a new vicar next year. 
  • For the music, sound and tech teams as they look to recruit and rebuild after a very demanding season.
  • For the faith and vision to see the months ahead as a time of opportunity -learning from the past and planning for the future.

Rev Jo Vickery: vicar@christchurchdownend.com

Resources – finance, staffing and governance

Thanksgiving and Answered Prayer

  • For Jo and Shahne’s ministry amongst over the past 19 years. Give thanks for all of the ways in which God has used them and grown his Church.
  • For a real answer to prayer with Rosie Brydon stepping into the role of CAP Centre Manager.
  • For the Giving 4 Life team, for Jamie our treasurer and for our bookkeepers Gabrielle and Sally.
  • Give thanks for the re-opening of the Parish Halls with its positive benefits for the wider community, and the income they generate for the mission of God’s church.

Significant Events

  • Monday June 14th and Tuesday July 6th – PCC
  • The second of these is known as the pre-vacancy meeting where the full outline of the process towards the appointment of a new Vicar is outlined.
  • Sunday June 27th – Jo and Shahne’s last Sunday

Specific Needs

  • Pray for members of our newly elected PCC in a significant year for Christ Church:
  • Clergy: Paul and Aidan
  • Wardens: Maggie and Bryan
  • Deanery Synod: Rich Ward and Roger Cholmondeley
  • Safeguarding Officer: Laura Powell
  • Treasurer: Jamie Paddon
  • Clerk: Caroline Plummer
  • PCC Members: Adam Parfitt, Andy Pound, Eloise Phillips, Rosie Brydon, Sally Green, Julian Cox
  • Pray that as Jo heads into retirement he might do so with a real sense of God’s pleasure at his faithful ministry here and elsewhere. Hold Jo and Shahne before the Lord as they move to their new home.
  • Pray for God’s guidance as our patrons, archdeacon and PCC work towards the appointment of a new vicar.
  • Give thanks for a generous response to our recent gift day and for God’s leading as we seek to discern the right person to lead our Children’s ministry.

Paul Peterson: paulpeterson@christchurchdownend.com

Mission and Outreach

Thanksgiving and Answered Prayer

  • Give thanks for reminders of God’s faithfulness as we’ve heard stories of God at work in individuals and through our mission partners.
  • Give thanks for everyone in the Christ Church community who seeks to serve God day by day on their frontlines.

Significant Events

  • 11th July – Open Doors Mission Sunday

Specific Needs

  • We made a decision to defer our next Alpha Course until the autumn term. Please pray that God will be preparing the right people to attend and will give all of us confidence in inviting people along.
  • Please pray for all of our mission partners as they continue to respond to the challenges of Covid. Pray for protection on team members and real wisdom to know how to use their resources to serve their communities.
  • Pray for Rosie Brydon as she takes on the role of CAP Centre Manager, and for all of the CAP clients engaging with Rosie and the team.
  • Pray that in a time of change for Christ Church we will continue to be an outward looking church – demonstrating God’s love in word and action.
  • In recent weeks we have said goodbye to Esther and Nadeem, Kathy and Dave, Helen and David and their families. Pray for them as they take up new challenges and continue to serve God where he has called them.

Frontline Focus

  • June – Manufacturing, defence and engineering
  • July – Retail, sales and admin

Paul Peterson: paulpeterson@christchurchdownend.com

Children

Thanksgiving and Answered Prayer

  • There are lots of things to thank God for. The effort of those who have strived to provide stuff for children and families to engage with through lockdowns and partial lockdowns. As restrictions continue to be lessened we are bringing Families at 4 and online Connected+ sessions to an end and we give thanks for the teams that have served these ministries, and the opportunities that F@4 especially has given for new people to have a go at leading/speaking. We also give thanks for volunteers who are moving on to different things including Davids Prosser and Owens and Belinda Stowe who have all been an incredible blessing to the Children’s and family ministries.
  • We are also thankful for the willingness from the PCC and the church to provide the funds for a new paid head of children’s ministry role. Please pray that the advert would reach the right people to apply and that those involved in the application and interview process would discern God’s will for the role. Also pray for Anita, Liz and Aidan between now and the potential appointment as they seek to recruit more leaders and helpers for our Sunday morning children’s work especially, in order to give the future head of children’s ministry the best platform possible.

Specific Needs

  • Ongoing prayer for our ministries that are at work beyond Sunday mornings that are returning from lockdown including jigsaw, messy church, Tuesday move-it club, and schools ministries.

Aidan Watson:  children@christchurchdownend.com

Christians Against Poverty

Thanksgiving and Answered Prayer

  • New clients who are engaging really positively with our debt service

Specific Needs

  • Someone to oversee the Foodbank service 
  • As our School’s Partnership Project is drawing to a close in August, please pray we will maintain our links with these families and schools

Significant Events

  • Preparations for a social event in August to relaunch our CAP Cafe.

Rosie Brydon:  rosiebrydon@capuk.org