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Prayer Diary June 2019
“Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears
them in our native language?” Acts 2 7,8
How often we take communication for granted. In our hyper connected world we can get in touch with almost anyone by any number of methods at the drop of a hat. We are communicating more often with more people using more methods than ever before. And yet misunderstandings, far from being eradicated, thrive and grow. Polarised views are misrepresented and maligned until a shared understanding becomes seemingly impossible. Never before has the distinction between what we mean to say and what people hear been so wide. One might be forgiven for wondering whether the advances in technology and increases in knowledge are decreasing our levels of understanding. In Genesis 11 the people attempted to build a tower in order to reach God. They tried to use technology to put themselves on a level with God and were punished by Him as he rendered them incapable of understanding one another. In a moment they learned the value of being understood, even as they learned just how awesome and powerful God is in the face of their supposed advances in knowledge. This month we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church. When the events of that day are retold the focus is often on the tongues of fire that rested on the disciples where they sat, or the gift of speaking in other languages that was given to them. Yet what strikes me in Luke’s account is that people could suddenly understand each other. The power of God coming on those first members of our church undid the curse of Babel and allowed true understanding, true communication. Jesus’ incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension rendered our striving to be on equal terms with God pointless because He instead rendered himself equal to us. And the very first fruit of that was the ability to understand each other. This is our gift to the world in these confusing times…that there is a simple,
easily understood message of good news for all. The best news, that rings
out above the chaos of the world.
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Charlecote Quiet Garden
Jesus said “Come away with me to a quiet place and rest a while” (Mark 6.31). Charlecote Quiet Garden offers such a quiet place to accept Jesus’ invitation. Located in the idyllic rural Warwickshire village of Charlecote, Charlecote Quiet Garden is a place where people can step out of the busyness of the everyday and into a space where they can slow down and reconnect with themselves, God and creation.
Since its launch in January 2018 by the Reverend Rachel Saum, Charlecote Quiet Garden has welcomed over 200 visitors seeking time out to rest in God’s presence and listen for God’s still small voice. It has been a place of refuge, renewal and inspiration, with many people coming back again and again. People come for guided and self-guided quiet days on their own or as part of a group. Guided quiet days focus on themes such as God’s promises in the Bible, coping with change and re-connecting with creation. Spending time in any garden can be helpful for our health and wellbeing, as well as our spiritual journey. Deep restfulness and refreshment within the beauty of nature can often take place. Gardens which are members of the Quiet Garden Movement , as Charlecote Quiet Garden is, are great places to reflect on the wonders of creation, develop a deep gratitude for the natural world and the Divine presence within all things. Quiet Days at Charlecote Quiet Garden are open to all, whether or not you regularly attend church, or if you are just exploring Christian spirituality. Guided days are accessible to the seasoned retreat-goer and those new to contemplative prayer. Whatever the theme, the days are designed to enable people to become alert to the gentle movement of the Spirit, aided by silence, group meditation, creativity, and conversation over lunch. Rachel says, “From the moment I moved into Charlecote Vicarage I longed for it to be a blessing to others. Launching the Quiet Garden was a leap of faith. A year into this venture I am amazed and delighted at the ways in which the Spirit has drawn so many people from across the diocese and beyond. It is a privilege and a joy to meet new people, share in their spiritual journeys and provide a space, which many have said feels like ‘home’, where people can go deeper with God and leave refreshed.” For more information about Charlecote Quiet Garden see their website here - https://charlecotequietgarden.org
Revd Clive Hogger Assistant Archdeacon
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Chaplains lead Compassionate Communities
Since 2014, the chaplaincy team at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW), have been leading an initiative to support people with life limiting illnesses. ‘Compassionate Communities’ recruits volunteers to work with chaplains and healthcare professionals to improve the quality of life of people who are living with a terminal illness. Lead Chaplain & Bereavement Service Manager, the
Revd Simon Betteridge and his team of ten chaplains noticed that those living with life limiting conditions often experienced low confidence, anxiety and social isolation. In 2014 the team gained funding from the Health Foundation to set up social groups for sufferers of Chronic Obtrusive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). COPD sufferers meet once a week to chat, play games, eat together and learn how to manage their conditions. A doctor or nurse is always present and this gives COPD patients a chance to talk to a healthcare professional in a non-clinical setting. After a year of the social groups, there was a significant noticeable improvement in the mental wellbeing, self-management and social inclusion of the participants as well as a recorded 20% reduction in unplanned admissions. In 2016 Health Education England approached Simon and suggested that a similar model used for the COPD patients could benefit people undergoing palliative care. Volunteers were recruited and trained to go out into the communities and spend time with people in their own homes, or in a care home. The Compassionate Communities volunteers sit with, talk or read to people, and can offer support to their families as well – particularly when family members are full-time carers. The volunteers enable people to have better lives in the final months of life. As a result of the relationships the volunteers have built up with the friends and family, they are also able to support bereaved loved ones after the death of the individual. The support of bereaved loved ones has recently becomes a key focus of Compassionate Communities. Two daytime bereavement groups have been set up to support people through their grief and an evening group will be starting shortly. The success of the Compassionate Communities service has led to it being rated as ‘outstanding’ for the caring element of End of Life care in a recent CQC inspection. If you would like more information about Compassionate Communities please contact Simon on [email protected] or the Revd Sharon Crofts on [email protected]
Chaplains support bereaved parents
In the UK one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage and nine babies are stillborn every day. These statistics underline how common baby loss is, however the subject is rarely discussed and bereaved parents often grieve in silence. The chaplaincy team at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, together with Bereavement midwives, work together to offer help and support for those who have suffered the loss of a baby.
The chaplaincy team support parents in a number of ways. Firstly, chaplains will offer support whilst parents are in hospital by helping parents organise the funeral for their baby and frequently these funerals are taken by chaplains. There are also a number of support groups for parents to attend. One of these groups is for parents who suffered a loss very early on in pregnancy. These parents often do not get access to as much support as parents who suffer loss later on. Many parents have found the monthly sessions to be very beneficial and they have proved popular. Two other groups focus on hope and new life after losing a baby. The ‘Hope Group’ is for women who are pregnant again after suffering a loss. Going through pregnancy again can be a very scary and anxious time for women who have previously lost a baby and this group, run in conjunction with bereavement midwifes, helps women with these anxieties. Another group is called ‘Parents after Loss’ and is for parents who have gone on to have a new baby after losing a baby previously. Although welcoming a new baby into the family is a happy and joyous time, the sense of grief for the child they lost is often heightened as there can be a feeling that a member of the family is missing. Every year the chaplaincy hosts a baby memorial service in February. This year it was held on the 24th February and over fifty people attended. Some were families who come most years and others were there for the first time. The service had a theme of footprints and one of the activities invited families to write messages on footprints that were then displayed on a board. Bereavement midwifes and other nursing staff attended the service to support families. The Revd Liz Jones oversees the baby loss support services. She says, “It is a real privilege to be alongside families at a time of great difficulty and distress. We are constantly learning from the families which we support and appreciate that offering them a safe space with support is helpful to them on their journies of grief. We recently received feedback from a parent who said how helpful she found the emotional and practical support we had given to her in one of the support groups.”
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Cycle of Prayer - June 2019 With a focus on parishes and schools in Kenilworth Deanery
Sat 1 June is SANDS awareness month. The stillbirth and neonatal death charity (SANDS) offers care not only for people who have lost babies after they were born, but for women who have miscarried too. We pray for God's comfort and hope for all families who are affected by the loss of a baby. *Justin, Martyr at Rome, c.165
Sun 2 All Saints Leek Wootton. Clergy: Jim Perryman. Readers: Audrey Rowberry, Nigel Stallard. We thank God for his Word which speaks with relevance to our lives. Please pray for our 'Experience the Bible' service on Trinity Sunday where our worship will involve the whole congregation in a dramatised reading of the first part of Acts. May it inspire our outreach.
Seventh Sunday of
Easter
Mon 3 Kenilworth St Nicholas and St Barnabas. Clergy: Stella Bailey. Readers: Heather Alford, Margaret Bull, Karen Mottram. We pray for God's blessing upon the church members and the local community. We pray for the Diocesan Business Committee which meets this morning. *The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886 and 1978
Tue 4 June is Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Awareness Month. Six people per day are diagnosed with MND in the UK. MND is a fatal disease that attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. We pray for all those who suffer with MND and pray that a cure can be found. *Petroc, Abbot of Padstow, 6th century
Wed 5 Today is World Environment Day. We pray that God would help us to remember that the environment is home to all life, and that we must take up responsibility to ensure that all life is respected. *Boniface (Wynfrith) of Crediton, Bishop, Apostle of Germany, Martyr, 754
Thu 6 Stoneleigh and Ashow. Clergy: Nikki Moon. Reader: Audrey Rowberry. We pray for God's blessing upon the church members and the local community. Today we pray for Bishop Christopher is chairing the Church of England's Faith & Order Commission. *Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, 1945
Fri 7 We give thanks for the ministry of retired clergy and the support they provide in so many ways to the lives of our churches across the diocese. We also pray that new clergy and their families will settle in quickly and feel at home in Coventry diocese.
Mon 24 Kenilworth St John. Clergy: Andrew Attwood, John Armstrong, Lambert Maudsley, Jane Mullaney, Gail Phillip. Readers: Val Whiteman, Phil Sewards, Ken Pollard, Anthony Manning. We thank God for the support and leadership of many. We pray for a clearer understanding of what God wishes to do in us, so we can more effectively in step with Jesus’ mission.
The Birth of John the Baptist
Tue 25 We pray for the Finance and Administration department of the diocese. We pray for the Operations department of the diocese and for the DAC. We give thanks for each of these members of staff. We pray for the Bishop's Council which meets today.
Wed 26 We thank God for those who write songs and hymns for us to use in worship. We praise God for the wide variety of music available to us and for the songs and hymns that have helped us in our faith journey. We pray that God would stir us in musical worship and bless all those who lead, sing and play instruments.
Thu 27 Burton Green Primary School. Headteacher: Mr Morris. We pray for God's blessing on this school community and we give thanks for all the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and governors. *Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of the Faith, 444
Fri 28 Today we pray for the deacon and priest candidates who are on their pre-ordination retreat, ahead of ordinations on the 30th June. May this be a time of blessing and encouragement. *Irenæus, Bishop of Lyons, Teacher of the Faith, c.200
Sat 29 Meriden and Packington, St Laurence. Clergy: Lynda Lilley. Reader: Peter Wright. We thank God for all the new opportunities He is showing us, for seeds sown and signs of growth. Please pray that as we raise money to repair our boundary wall, we too may be raised up that we might live and preach the gospel without boundaries.
Peter and Paul, Apostles
Sun 30 Today the ordination of the new priests and deacons will take place at Coventry Cathedral. We give thanks to the Lord for calling the priest and deacon candidates into a royal priesthood. We pray for God to send down his Holy Spirit onto the newly ordained priests and deacons and give them grace and power to fulfil their ministry.
Second Sunday after Trinity
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Sat 8 We pray for all the young people in the Cathedral community, particularly the choristers, as they face exams but maintain their faithful commitment to helping lead worship. *Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, Nonjuror, Hymn Writer, 1711
Sun 9 Today Bishop Christopher and Bishop John will be leading a Confirmation service at the Cathedral in celebration of Pentecost. We pray for the candidates being confirmed. We pray that their faith will be broadened as they go out in the Spirit. *Columba, Abbot of Iona, Missionary, 597 *Ephrem of Syria, Deacon, Hymn Writer, Teacher of the Faith, 373
Pentecost (Whit Sunday)
Mon 10 We pray for Richard Cooke, DDO and Principal of the Diocesan Training Partnership and for all members of the DTP team. Today Bishop John will be interviewing the Deacon candidates ahead of their ordination at the end of the month. We pray for Bishop John and the candidates.
Tue 11 All Saints' Primary School, Leek Wootton. Headteacher: Mr Morris. We pray for God's blessing on this school community and we give thanks for all the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and governors. We pray for Bishop Christopher who is on duty at the House of Lords this week.
Barnabas the Apostle
Wed 12 During National Carers' Week many charities gather together to recognise the contribution carers make to local communities, lobby MPs and offer support and encouragement to carers. We pray for all those who give their time to care for others and ask for God's blessing on young people who are carers.
Thu 13 Berkswell St John the Baptist. Clergy: Mark Bratton. Readers: Steve Bell, Richard Hollingdale. We pray for God's blessing upon the church members and the local community. We thank God for Lizzy's leadership during Mark's Sabbatical. We pray that God will guide us as we re-examine our organisational structures and considers new missional opportunities.
Fri 14 Meriden Primary School. Headteacher: Lucy Anderton. We pray for God's blessing on this school community and we give thanks for all the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and governors. *Richard Baxter, Puritan Divine, 1691
Sat 15 Berkswell Primary School. Headteacher: Tracy Drew. We pray for God's blessing on this school community and we give thanks for all the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and governors. We pray for the Deanery Representatives at the Support Fund Meeting today. *Evelyn Underhill, Spiritual Writer, 1941
Sun 16 The Ferncumbe Group. Clergy: Keith Mobberley. Reader: Kemble Everitt. We pray for God's blessing upon the church members and the local community. *Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253 *Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, Philosopher, 1752 Trinity Sunday
Mon 17 St Nicholas' Primary School, Kenilworth. Headteacher: Louise Mohacsi. We pray for God's blessing on this school community and we give thanks for all the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and governors. We pray for the Diocesan Audit Committee which meets today. *Samuel and Henrietta Barnett, Social Reformers, 1913 and 1936
Tue 18 Ferncumbe Primary School, Hatton. Headteacher: Sally Morris. We pray for God's blessing on this school community and we give thanks for all the pupils, teachers, staff, parents and governors. We pray for Diocesan Synod which meets today. *Bernard Mizeki, Apostle of the MaShona, Martyr, 1896
Wed 19 Today we pray for Bishop Christopher who is chairing a meeting of the Co-ordinating Group of the Living in Love & Faith Project. We pray for the Parsonages Committee which meets this afternoon. *Sundar Singh of India, Sadhu (holy man), Evangelist, Teacher of the Faith
Thu 20 This week is Refugee Week. We pray for all those who are separated from their loved ones and homeland and those who have fled persecution and are searching for peace and security. We pray, too, for the vital work of the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, and that we would find ways of supporting and welcoming refugees into our communities.
Fri 21 Today we pray for Together for Change, a joint venture between the Diocese of Coventry and the Church Urban Fund. We pray for the charity's work in setting up social enterprises and local projects that will support sustainable community transformation and tackle poverty in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Sat 22 Today Bishop Christopher will be rededicating the WWI War Memorial at Fillongley following its restoration earlier this year. We give thanks for the important role War Memorials play in helping us to remember fallen soldiers. *Alban, first Martyr of Britain, c.250
Sun 23 Today is International Widow's Day, a UN ratified day of action to address the poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries. We pray for an end to the social stigmatisation and economic deprivation of widows. *Etheldreda, Abbess of Ely, c.678
First Sunday after Trinity
