Summer has sped by, and the fact that it’s almost September is somehow unbelievable to me. Soon, things will be very busy again here at church, so I want to just relax a bit today, and take a temporary break from all of the health topics (I’m sure that some of you are glad). Instead, I am writing about the very important part that prayer plays in our care ministries here at church.Prayer is at the center of our faith. Author Maxie Dunnam tells us “Prayer is related to our search for meaning, our longing for relationship, our need to grow. Prayer, however practiced, is an expression of our hunger for God. This hunger is part of who we are.” The hunger for God is expressed in Psalm 63:1 “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” As Christians, we feel the urge to pray, the need to build a relationship with God.We also know that one of the privileges of prayer is that we can make our requests of God. Matthew 7:7 assures us “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.” There are many scriptures that document the power of prayer, and the willingness of God to intervene to bring us the gifts of healing, peace, and comfort. Jesus also spoke of the positive effect of group prayer: “Again, I tell you if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done by your Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them” (Matthew 18:19-20)Our church’s prayer ministry is a wonderful gift. There are two groups that are very active in praying for people with joys and concerns. The first is the Prayer Chain. Bonnie Anderson coordinates this group, and she does a wonderful job. Whenever we receive a prayer request, we call Bonnie. She calls a few members of the prayer chain, then they call one or two, and then they make a few calls, and then before we know it, we have 12-15 people lifting our prayers to God! I really appreciate the commitment that we have from the members of our prayer chain. They occasionally get several calls per day, and I have personally phoned Bonnie both very early in the morning and very late at night. Our other group is the Seasons of Prayer group that meets here at church every Friday morning at 10:00 AM. Their prayers include thanks to God for his gifts to us, prayers for our nation and for current events, as well as prayers for those persons in our church and community who have joys and concerns. I believe that Seasons of Prayer is a key focus group that will allow our church to expand prayer ministries in many directions.I want to say Thank you to the members of both groups, and I hope you will pass along your words of thanks as well: The Prayer Chain: Bonnie Anderson, Florence Adams, Shirley Bosch, June Oslund, Elaine Henry, Ellen Keuseman, Martha Wagner, Jan Hier, Carole Vennerstrom, Phyllis Shaw, Dee Foster, Justine Lawrence, Marlys Mattson, Marlene Peterson. Seasons of Prayer: Jan Hier, Nancy Olson, Carole Vennerstrom.Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1Thess 5:16-18)