On Saturday, April 13th a cooperative group from two Baltimore-Washington Conference churches (Rev. Lisa Holder, Christ Church and Rev. Leo Yates Jr, Magothy UMC of the Deaf), and the United Methodist Congress of the Deaf (Mary Ann Deters, president) conducted a prayer vigil for the General Conference, April 23 - May 3. We offer the program for the event as a reminder and guide for your prayers during the conference.
Opening Prayer: Bishop Peggy
Psalm 57:9-10
9 We will praise you, Lord, among the nations; we will sing of you among the peoples. 10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Amen!
PRAYER: We praise God for the opportunity for General Conference,
recognizing that General Conference has been postponed twice. We praise the Lord for pouring out grace on the convention center. We praise God for preparing delegates, bishops, and staff for this conference. Amen.
Psalm 75:1
1 We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds. Amen!
PRAYER: Everyday, Lord, we praise you. We praise you in the morning, the noontime, and at sundown. We praise you for working out plans for General Conference. We praise you for sending us your Spirit to come and settle in Charlotte. May the delegates, bishops, staff, and visitors all know the Spirit of the Lord is there in Charlotte. Praise! Praise! Praise! Amen.
Psalm 107:31
31 Let us give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for humanity. Amen.
PRAYER: Lord, we gathered here today to praise you. We know in our hearts and in our spirits that you ARE the Lord and that your love is shared with us, our families, our churches and The United Methodist Church. Lord, it is our hope that General Conference will not only praise you, but it will bring you glory. God, we pray that all the work of the delegates, the bishops, the staff, and visitors will bring honor to you and your desire for us to live together – no fighting, no oppressing, and no hurting one another. Lord, we know these do not help us to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Instead, help us to share Christ’s love with everyone, in our words and behaviors and bring a spirit of praise! That’s what you ask for. Amen.
Psalm 103:1-2
1 Praise the LORD, our souls; all our inmost being, praise His holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, our souls, and not forget His blessings. Amen.
PRAYER: God, our hearts (name names in the participants list) are full of thanksgiving. We are so grateful for the opportunity to gather here today. We are so glad that you are faithful. We thank you for the bishops who will be facilitating the plenary sessions, knowing that you will anoint them and give them wisdom in their work. We also thank you for the delegates who are traveling so far for more than 2 weeks, away from their families, their homes, and their jobs and ministries. God, anoint them too, enabling them to be attentive to the guidance of your Spirit. Amen.
Psalm 107:1-2
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—those He redeemed…Amen.
PRAYER: Holy God, our deaf ministries, all around the connection (the world), give you thanks and praise. We thank you for the technology that will be in place at General Conference so we can either watch or receive news updates. We thank you for all the different United Methodist caucuses, such as UMCD, BMCR (Black Methodists for Church Renewal), MARCHA (Hispanic), for RMN (Reconciling Ministries Network), for LYNC (Love Your Neighbor Coalition), and the others who are also praying for General Conference. Thank you, God, for receiving all of our thanks. Amen.
Colossians 4:2
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Amen.
PRAYER: We thank you Father and Mother for preparing the journey to General Conference. We thank you Jesus for your Spirit there among those attending. And, we thank you Holy Spirit for bringing a spirit of harmony. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You three are an awesome God! Amen.
REQUESTS / SUPPLICATIONS
Luke 4:4
40At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Amen.
PRAYER: Jesus, as United Methodists we bring to you our bishops, delegates, staff, and visitors, asking you to bless. Share your guidance and love with them. Keep them safe, Lord, and provide them with safe travels. We pray for the conference, and we pray for your Spirit to be there. And God, you know about our denomination in-fighting, we pray you heal our church from division. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. Amen.
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, you already know the concerns we raise to you. We pray that you keep the enemy away. We pray that persons who wish to come and disrupt the conference be kept away. Spirit, we pray for the renewal of The United Methodist Church where all are welcomed. For too long, our politics and personal agendas have thwarted the work of the Spirit. All of us here pray that General Conference will be a place of collaboration, harmony, and Christ-centered. Amen.
Psalm 121:1-2
1I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven& earth. Amen.
PRAYER: God, we know where our help comes from. It comes from you, the Creator of heaven and earth. Today, we pray our denomination as it prepares for General Conference. We trust in you God to share your will for us as the church. We lift up and pray for all involved with GC. Send your grace, God. We all need it. And we pray for The UMC! May all those attending and those watching see the hope and the vision you have for our denomination. May it be so.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Pastoral Prayer
Benediction: Rev. Leo
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