We are very grateful to all who lead our intercessions at KPC. We know it can seem a daunting task so we hope this guidance will help you.
General points:
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When we lead intercessions, we are praying on behalf of the congregation, so what we say should be relevant to them, in words they understand.
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Aim to be praying for a maximum of 3 – 4 minutes.
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Remember that leading the prayers is not about reminding God of the things we need to pray for or detailing what is going on. He knows the situation already! Intercessions are not about delivering notices, party political broadcasts or sermons!
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Be sensitive to the diversity of opinions on controversial issues; avoid giving any impression of partisanship.
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Remember, we’re not telling God what we think he ought to be doing.
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Keep in mind that no one prayer can do everything. A prayer that is simple and direct will usually be more effective than one that is overly long or elaborate.
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Please sit near the front in church so you can get to the front promptly when it is time for the intercessions.
Preparation:
Some people prefer to read out prayers that they have written in full. Others would rather pray spontaneously, based on short notes. The right method is the one that works for you: preparation and prayer while writing the Intercessions can be just as Spirit-led as spontaneous prayer while delivering them. What matters is that you pray for God’s guidance before you start writing or note-making.
Content:
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Try to include a mixture of prayers for our church and its activities, our local area and other churches, city and national issues as well as an international focus. We want to avoid being too parochial.
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Make use of the notice sheet as a resource for topics. Please pray for those who are sick or in need who are named on that week's notice sheet. The office will send you details of anything which the clergy would specifically like included in intercessions that week.
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Don’t be afraid of reading the newspaper or listening to the news and then bringing God’s world into the prayers.
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A bidding (‘Let’s pray now for X’) is not the same as a prayer. Having invited the congregation to pray for X, make sure that you do actually pray for X.
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Make sure your prayers are clear and specific, but also that you’re praying for something that others can honestly agree with, so that they can say their responses and Amens with confidence.
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It helps to have a response for the congregation to pray between each section of prayers. It breaks things up and helps people to concentrate. E.g. “Lord hear us ... Lord mercifully hear us." “Lord in your mercy ... Hear our prayer.” “Your kingdom come ... Your will be done.” If the response is new, tell the congregation clearly what it will be, and give them an immediate chance to practise.
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If you wish to pray for the conflict in the Middle East, please read these helpful notes.
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If you wish to pray about creation/ climate change, these notes may help you.
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Try not to pray for certain individuals whilst leaving out others in a certain category. For instance, if you’re praying for doctors, don’t just mention one person you know who’s a doctor. Others in the profession will feel marginalised. Better to pray for a category of people.
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Using the prayers of others that have come down from history can help add colour to the intercessions. Sometimes using national church of England prayers from the website can be valuable.
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Don’t be afraid of leaving a bit of space for people to add in their own thoughts and prayers. E.g. ‘In a moment of silence, let’s bring before God those known to us who are bereaved, asking him to comfort and strengthen them". Remember to leave longer than 5 seconds! If you’re inviting silence, make sure you leave some.
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A helpful way to end your prayers can be to say, “Merciful Father ......... Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Delivery:
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Speak slowly and clearly. When reading or speaking in public, we have to speak more slowly than we would in ordinary conversation.
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Remember, that even though there is a microphone, you’ll still need to project your voice.
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Stand about 8 inches from the microphone. Please don’t touch it as it will produce unwanted noise.
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Be yourself. You don’t have to change personality to pray.
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