At Bluff Park United Methodist Church, we believe in prayer. We take seriously our membership vow to support the church with our prayers, and we provide opportunities for our congregation to practice and grow in their prayer lives. We strive to be a church where people pray for each other and for the world around them.
Prayer is a person-to-person communion with God. The more we pray, the better we understand His will. Prayer is God’s chief means of guiding and empowering His people, as well as an incomparable source of joy, peace, and comfort. Prayer draws us and keeps us close to God and equips us to live creatively and victoriously in the world.
Ways that we are in ministry through prayer:
Home Prayer Band – Each Monday, the church prayer list is sent to a group of people who covenant to pray for our church’s needs and requests at home. Anybody who would like to be a part of the Home Prayer Band can call the church office at 822-0910 to receive the prayer list weekly.
Day of Prayer – The first Sunday in January is designated as our annual Day of Prayer. The traditional morning worship services are in the form of a Prayer Meeting. There is no better way to start a new year …. Special Prayer Services are also held at other times during the year.
World Day of Prayer – We host the annual World Day of Prayer Luncheon for the Bluff Park Community at noon on the first Friday in March each year. This is an ecumenical observance in which Christians of various denominations and backgrounds come together to pray. Prayer is the activity that unites us and transcends our differences.
Worship – Prayer needs are lifted up at the morning worship services on Sunday, and the congregation is encouraged to submit prayer requests. The congregation is encouraged to put prayer request cards in the offering plates so that they can be prayed over.
Confidential Prayer Box – There is a Confidential Prayer Box in the church narthex for private matters. Prayer request cards dropped in the Confidential Prayer Box are never seen by human eyes, yet we trust that God knows every human need. Each week we pray for the requests in the box as a whole, but the requests themselves are seen only by God.
Ways that we pray for specific needs
Prayer Shawl Ministry – A group from our church knits prayer shawls that are shared with those who would like a tangible sign of our church’s prayers for them. Each time a baby is baptized, the parents receive one of these prayer shawls as a token of the ongoing prayers of the congregation for them and their child.
Congregational Prayer – There are over 800 households in our congregation, but every person and family is prayer for personally by our Home Prayer Band on a systematic basis. We lift up five families / persons each week for concentrated prayer, using the church mailing list.
Anointing and Healing – Prayers for healing and wholeness with laying on of hands and anointing with oil, as taught in James 5:13-16, is offered periodically along with Holy Communion. It is also available on request at home, in the hospital, or in other settings by contacting one of the pastors at 822-0910
College, Military, and Shut-In prayer partners – We offer a Prayer Partner for each of our college students to pray with them for academic, personal, and spiritual concerns. We maintain a Military Prayer List of persons who serve in the Armed Forces of our country at home and abroad. We pray for their safety and for their families and that God will use them as peacemakers. We pray for our shut-ins on a regular basis, and we pray for the church staff weekly.
Sunday School Prayer Chains – Many of our adult Sunday School classes have their own prayer chains and other ways of praying together as needs arise.
Requests – We are always happy to receive prayer requests form anybody. If you have a need or concern and want someone to pray with you or for you, simply call the church office at 822-0910. After hours, leave a message on the voice mail of one of the ministers.
Vigils – From time to time, we conduct a Prayer Vigil before some major activity of the church. These are usually 12 or 24 hours in duration, with someone praying continuously during that time.