More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of (Alfred Lord Tennyson). Prayer is communication with God. We are so very fortunate to be able to worship God and thank Him for the privilege of communication. We can pray individually or together, silently or aloud, in word or in song. God hears our prayers and answers them, even when we do not understand the what, when, where, or how of the answer. We know the why . . . because God loves us.
We can be very private about our prayer life or we can share it. One very specific way of sharing prayer is to have a Prayer Partner. The Anglican Church Women Board inaugurated a prayer partner initiative at the Synod in 2017, an initiative to engage our Diocese in the practice of Prayer Partners . . . and not just for the women of the parish! What the Board did was link parishes in the Diocese with one another as Prayer Partners. We said that these partnerships would be in place until at least Synod 2019, but we decided to retain the current partners indefinitely. Not sure which parish you are partnered with?
In a prayer partner relationship, your parish can get as involved as you wish. Your fundamental task with the Prayer Partner Ministry is to PRAY for the partner to which you have been assigned. You might want to communicate more than that (special occasion greetings, sharing of parish highlights, visits, exchanges, etc.), but it is not necessary. Regular prayer for your Prayer Partner is what is asked of your parish – your whole parish – remember, not just the women! If you feel this initiative is not understood by your Rector / Priest-in-Charge, or your Wardens, be sure to bring this one pager to their attention and to let them know that the partnership list is available here.
Because this Prayer Partner Ministry is an initiative of the Anglican Church Women Board, any questions can be directed to Board’s e-mail address: acw.nsboard@gmail.com or the Prayer Partner Coordinator for the Board: Bev Scammell (902-865-0434 or bill.scammell@ns.sympatico.ca). The Anglican Church Women Diocesan Board is very interested in hearing about your experience of being a Prayer Partner and would be happy to share these stories in the Board’s Magazine, Keeping in Touch. Feel free to send your stories to the Magazine Editor, Donna Parsons (902-865-8169 or donnaparsons@eastlink.ca).
Recalling the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson in Idylls of the King: “Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of: Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day." Thanks be to God.
Cynthia Pilichos, Co-coordinator, Anglican Church Women Diocesan Board