At my church, we are celebrating our Fall Kick-Off, which is also a re-opening after COVID, by planning a prayer walk throughout the building. These prayers represent each of the church’s spaces, and the church members will be invited to walk through each room and to pray in each space as a way of rededicating it for ministry.

PRAYER WALK FOR FALL KICK-OFF 2021

THE COMMUNITY ROOM (called THE HEARTH ROOM)

We gather in our Hearth Room, Wondrous God, and pray that You remind us that just like the hearth is the center of a home, so too this room is the center of our community.  It brings light and warmth, gathers us in to foster the kind of community and fellowship that gathers around the fire for storytelling, meal sharing, and faith building.  As we pray for our building and our community, we pray: Let the fire of the Holy Spirit move in us and through us and from us now, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

THE SANCTUARY

Word of God, that lives in us — it is here that we are grounded in Your Word for the World. And so we pray that in this space that everyone who might enter through these doors might encounter the Living Word that will transform their lives.  Open our ears that we might hear your message in every sermon preached, and open our hearts to be transformed by every moment of holiness that we experience here.  Bless the worship, the baptisms, the weddings, the funerals, and every moment of prayer and praise that happens in this sanctuary.  Bless all that happens as we gather together here, and bless our lives through this space as we worship in Your Name.  Amen.

THE CHOIR ROOM

The psalmist says to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord,” and we strive to do just that Holy God.  And so we pray for all of those in our midst who help us to make music that fills our souls. We pray for the singers and musicians that lead our music ministries, and for the technicians that amplify our joyful sounds. Help us, Holy God, to keep a song in our hearts, to share our joy through the gift of music, and to bless all of the ministry that happens in this room. Alleluia, Amen.

THE NURSERY ROOM

Creator God — Mother and Father of us all — we pray for the children that will learn about the safety of Your loving arms by being cared for here in this room.  Help us, O God, to not just pray for the children here today — our children and grandchildren — but to pray at this moment for our great-grandchildren’s great-grandchildren.  Focus us on all the children who might be welcomed into this space now and throughout the ages, and help us to make this into the space that welcomes all of God’s children – not matter of race, creed, color, social status, or gender.  Blessed are the little children, now and always. Amen.

THE YOUTH ROOM

God of every season of Life… we pray in this space a special prayer for the youth of our church.  At the time in their lives when they raise the hardest questions and wrestle with the difficult task of becoming, help them to lean into Your grace and know that this community of faith surrounds and supports them no matter what.  May each of them know love, grace, mercy, patience, and gentleness from this community, and bless them as they blossom into the beloved adults that you have already designed them to be.  Amen.

THE DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN

Jesus calls us to gather together around a table of grace to experience Your divine love, God of Mercy. And so we pray that in this space, where we gather around table with one another, that we might know deep Communion here.  We pray that we might find deeper fellowship and more authentic community as we gather together, and that this space might ground us in the spiritual practice of Communion and hospitality for all. Amen.