Strategic Visioning Update: May 19

We put our faith in God for all endeavors, large and small. We ask for the prayers of our parishes, our ministry groups, and individuals throughout the diocese as we move forward with our strategic visioning process.

Bishop Deon Johnson has put together a collection of prayers for us to use:
Download these prayers.

Visioning Collects

Gracious and loving God, you have guided us in the past and journey with us in the present. Empower us once more as your people who make up the Diocese of Missouri with a vision of your future. Send forth your Holy Spirit to guide and direct our visioning process. Open, we pray, our hearts and minds, so that our vision may reflect your dreams, and our communities may be equipped in the years to come. Direct us in our dreaming, doing, and daring to form and be formed in service to you and others. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Savior. Amen.

O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come: You have journeyed with your people Israel and we pray you, journey with us now, in this time of dreaming, daring, and doing. Walk beside us on the road that is ahead, calm our fears, awaken our hope, and open our hearts, as together we seek your guidance. Inspire us to discern your will for the Diocese of Missouri. May we put our whole trust in you as we look to Christ, the great shepherd of our souls; who together with the Holy Spirit is alive and reigns now and forever. Amen.

Eternal God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, and in whose sight is eternity; Guide and direct us as we seek a renewed vision for the Diocese of Missouri. We pray for an infectious enthusiasm for the future of our common life; for wisdom as we gather and make decisions; for unity as we seek consensus on what You desire; for necessary trust and openness to Your truth. Help us, we pray, to listen to one another and to hear the many voices that make up our rich diversity. Endow us with your creative spirit that we may find ways to accomplish Your mission; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Prayers of the People

Scripture Introductions to Prayers of the People
One or more of the passages of scriptures introduces the Prayers of the People.

The Lord answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint. If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. Habakkuk 2:2-3

You have been told what is good and what the Lord requires of you. Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8

Presider: Let us offer our prayers and petitions to Almighty God.

Leader: Engage us O God in the renewal of this Diocese towards your Christ-centered vision. Help us to realize that we are bound to one to another in our common life and ministry. Spirit of God;

People: We are listening.

Leader: Empower us, O God, to energize the ministry of all the baptized, making our communities of faith healthy and holy places of your presence that reach out in compassion and hope in Christ’s name. Spirit of God;

People: We are listening.

Leader Unite us, O God, to be compassionate and not competitive, to be consoling and not controlling, to be faithful and not fearful as we continue to build relationships in communities centered on the vision of your reign. Spirit of God;

PeopleWe are listening.

Leader: Guide us, O God, to be responsible stewards here on earth, to prophetically witness to your reign. We pray especially for members of the United Nations, [for N. our President, for N. our Governor, N. our Mayor and other civic leaders] that they may do justice and love mercy. Spirit of God;

People: We are listening.

Leader: Deliver us, O God, from mistrust of one another and the misuse of our gifts. Help us to see in our worshiping communities, large and small, growing and struggling, your grace and promise. Spirit of God;

People: We are listening.

Leader: Heal us, O God, in our communities, our families, and in the hidden places in our hearts. We pray especially for those in this community who are ill or in any kind of need. Particularly N. Give us the courage and the grace to be your presence among them. Spirit of God;

People: We are listening.

Leader Comfort us, O God, as we remember all those saints who have gone before us in light and have finished their course in faith. Give to the departed, particularly N. the comfort of your promise and presence. Spirit of God;

PeopleWe are listening.

Leader: Support us, O God, as we support each other, particularly in Justin the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael our Presiding Bishop, Deon our Bishop, N. our priest (N. our Deacon), and all who minister in witness in your Church. Spirit of God;

People: We are listening.

Leader: Teach us, O God, as we journey through the Christian life to continually engage each other, young and old, in the spiritual formation, discernment, discipleship and stewardship. Spirit of God;

People: We are listening.

Concluding Collect

Presider: Disturb us, O God, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Spirit of God; we are listening. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly; to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes, and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love. Amen.