I do not remember exactly when it was that I started wearing black Converse all the time (except for Sundays) but I do remember when I started making them my Sunday shoes.

In a church I served many years ago, I had a woman tell me she wanted to attend my church but did not have “nice Sunday shoes.” She would have to wear her work shoes. I assured her no one would judge her based on foot apparel. But we do judge, don’t we? Why else would seekers express trepidation to me about coming to church? One member suddenly stopped coming because she felt uncomfortable wearing her work uniform. She had finally gotten a full time job and worked third shift. She was coming straight from work and did not have the time or means to change out of khaki pants and a golf shirt with the store logo on it. I told her we were so grateful for her job and glad to have her in worship! A grandmother apologized to me one Sunday because her grandchildren did not have ‘good Sunday clothes.’ Again, I assured her that we were glad her grandchildren were there!

I understand the value of “putting on our best for God.” My Daddy shined his shoes every Saturday night and then would polish our “Sunday shoes.” My grandmother’s directive to put on our best on Sunday came from an era where most folks had one Sunday shirt or dress and everything else was work clothes. Getting ready for Sunday was a spiritual discipline in preparing food and clothing for the Sabbath. There was much preparation for the day of rest. The outward appearance was a sign pointing to what was going on inside one’s heart.

My decision to wear the same black sweater and pants most Sundays is part of my spiritual routine to help me remember that people have come to hear the Word and not to decide if I look better in bold colors or pastels. My decision to wear tennis shoes is a two-pronged decision. One, I do not believe God intended us to cram five toes into a space that is one-third the width of five toes. Second, if a visitor who is wondering if he or she has on the ‘right clothes’ for our church catches a glimpse of my tennis shoes, then hopefully there will be a sigh of relief indicating that all are welcome here regardless of the outward appearance. We are concerned with inward and spiritual things.

A few Christmases ago, I received the most romantic gift I have ever received from my precious husband. Brad knows not to buy me jewelry or fancy clothes or spa day gift certificates. That is just not me. On Christmas morning, there were four wrapped boxes – all the same size and weight (yes, I had shaken the boxes). I opened the first box: a pair of white Converse. The second box was a pair of green Converse. I thought, ‘what in the world? I only wear black.’ In the third box, was purple. And then I knew the last box would be a red pair of Chuck Taylors. My sweet husband had purchased “Sunday shoes” for me; one for each liturgical color. Green for Epiphany; purple for Advent and Lent; Pentecost is red; and, of course, white for Easter and Christmas.

Don’t worry, Grandmama Leah. I hear you. I will always wear the black pumps for funerals and weddings. I get it.

See you Sunday … I will be looking into your eyes and heart – and not at what you’ve got on!
-Catherine
Rev. Catherine Nance is the senior pastor at Church Street.

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of February 9, 2022

Rev. Jan Buxton Wade

Tree of Life, thank you for rooting yourself within us. Though we may flirt with other codes and ideologies, chasing after hollow promises, seeking easier avenues of faith, we always return to you, our Holy Center. We honor you for your guidance that is unchanging, for your ancient promise that we have stood the test of time, for the saints whose lives have helped shape our own. Even here in the deep midwinter, we feel your divine energy surging through us. Hold us upright and steady, Lord, that we might resist the gusts of fear that drive us to doubt.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Forgive us, Empowering One, for our mulish ways. It is by your own strength embedded within us that we are able to accept the changes you offer; therefore, open the doors that have remained closed because of our stale routines and our old habits of eschewing the route to authentic growth. We confess we so often take the convenient path. Give us the wisdom to open your doorway of renewal, we pray, for you have graced us with spiritual gifts to carry out your dreams for your church and your people. Our passage may not be free of difficulties, but we remember that, though you are the same from age to age, you are also our Source who ever invites us into the fresh and new.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We remember, Holy One, that our names are written in the palm of your hand. What joy to know that the Lord of the Universe will never forget us! We are counted among the saints! Indeed, it is a mystery too deep to fathom, yet one which calls us to keep you at the center of our being. In the solitude of these moments, we pause to thank you for our very lives . . . . . . . . . .  Glory to the One who has plans and dreams for us, who calls us blessed, and who catches us when we fall!

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Heart of Hope, you know every thought of every soul; therefore we need not list all the details of our joys and our cares.  Still, we whisper our most private petitions today in the silence of our hearts: . . . . . . . . . . ; and also turn to you with these sentiments offered by our church family.  May your gentleness enfold us all:

  • Prayers appreciated: a husband’s cancer is in remission
  • Grateful for prayers: clear cancer scans following surgery
  • Thankful: today’s spinal surgery was successful
  • One grateful for support during a family bereavement
  • Gratitude for one in ICU, now recovering in regular room
  • Thanksgiving for temperate weather
  • Prayers for a good position for a young professional
  • Prayers for members mourning recent death of beloved mother/sister
  • God’s hand in finding proper care for a sister who suffered a major stroke
  • Healing work within a family: sudden death of mother, caretaker of infirm child
  • Prayers for young friend in hospice care & her grieving husband, their friends and family
  • Healing for member with Covid
  • Family bereft following the sudden death of 7-yr-old daughter
  • Prayers for daughter soon to begin proton therapy
  • Comfort for widower who recently moved to assisted living
  • Dear family friend with cancer, that a route to healing may be found
  • Two couples adjusting to Parkinson-related challenges
  • Beloved father in hospice care
  • Continued prayers for mother, long-term battle with cancer
  • Continued prayers: ill adult daughter, severe effects of Covid
  • Comfort for families of 3 church families in mourning

May our prayers be acceptable in your sight, and may our lives proclaim the changeless love of our Living Lord.  In Christ’s name we make our prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of February 2, 2022

Rev. Pat Clendenen

Loving and gracious God, in the quietness of these moments, speak to our hearts. We come to your house each week to offer our praise and thanksgiving with our words, our songs, our acts of commitment, and affirmations of faith.   We long to know you completely and fully; and yet, we live in a world that pulls us in so many directions, distracting us from our purpose as the Body of Christ. Even this day we remember all our fancy words and acts of service mean nothing if they are not infused and undergirded with love, the kind of love you revealed to us in Jesus Christ.  

God of love and God of power, all our lives belong to you.

Wise and loving God, you have woven your creation together, using your relationship with us and ours with each other to give rich, intricate, and diverse patterns to all of life. We give thanks that you have created us for community, calling us into relationship with one another.  Forgive us for our internal conflict, and for our inability at times to see beyond ourselves. Teach us to love one another, even when we disagree, and to pour our energy into seeking understanding so that we may work toward the good of all your creation. 

God of love and God of power, all our lives belong to you.

Lord, you call caregivers to serve, and you give gifts to make their service possible. We thank you today for the willing and gifted hands and hearts in our Stephen Ministry. Thank you for our Stephen Leaders, who gladly serve to keep our Stephen Ministry flourishing. Thank you for our Stephen Ministers, who faithfully meet with their care receivers, extending the care of Christ to those who need it most. Thank you also for the support of our pastors and staff, and for all those who keep this ministry growing in our congregation

God of love and God of power, all our lives belong to you.

And because you have blessed our community here at Church Street, we who depend upon your love, mercy, and grace bring to you these prayers offered by our brothers and sisters in Christ: 

  • Celebrating successful February 2nd surgery
  • Gratitude for prayers: A transplant donor has been found
  • Appreciation for all church volunteers
  • Member grateful for negative cancer scan
  • Thanksgiving for all who are being called to join our church
  • Gratitude: all who have generously pledged for 2022 church ministries
  • Prayers for wife and mother recovering from February 2 surgery
  • Healing for one in ICU, Covid complications
  • One asks for prayers for her Sunday School class
  • Prayers for recovery: Church families affected by Covid
  • Comfort for widower who recently moved to assisted living
  • Dear family friend with cancer, that a route to healing may be found
  • Two couples who are adjusting to health challenges at home 
  • Continued prayers for two members in cancer treatment
  • Strength and comfort for family: Cousin died of a stroke last week
  • Continued prayers: Ill adult daughter, severe effects of Covid 
  • Comfort for families of three church members who died last week
  • God’s presence with an uncle who is aging and infirm
  • Courage for brother in military who may be deployed to Ukraine

We are truly blessed as a congregation to have a multi-layered system of care, making it possible to serve the needs of all people. We give you thanks for the vision and wisdom of those who breathed life into each of these ministries – Congregational Care, Parish Health Team, and Benevolence Team – and for all who continue to make these ministries a vital part of our mission. May we never become complacent, thinking there is no need to expand our understandings of your longings for your creation. Surprise us with new visions, and give us the courage to follow the path you set before us, trusting that Christ is alive and goes before us to show and share what love can do.  

God of love and God of power, all our lives belong to you.

Remind us, O God, that, as we move in the world, though scattered, we remain the Church, the Body of Christ in action. Let us be workers together with you, performing deeds of mercy and kindness, and giving evidence of Christ’s love in all that we do, for it is in his name that we offer our prayer…….

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Weekly Events:
Tuesday – High School Prayer Breakfast at 7:15 AM (Chick-fil-A West Hills)
Wednesday – Youth Band at 7:00 PM (Youth Area)
Sunday – Sunday school at 9:45 AM (Youth Area), NightLife at 5:00 (Youth Area)
NEW DOOR CODE: 98422#
Parents: please consider helping us with our Sunday breakfasts and dinners. We have lots of open dates this semester! Thanks for helping us serve your students well!

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner

We are having a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner TOMORROW, March 1 from 6:00-7:30 in the youth area. Shrove Tuesday is the last day before Lent begins on March 2, so we will celebrate and enjoy God’s blessings in our lives before we move into a season of preparation and stillness. Register at the link below!

Shrove Tuesday Sign-Up

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday marks the start of the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. There are 3 opportunities to receive ashes at Church Street:
6:30-7:45AM – Magnolia Lot (drive through outside of the Welcome Center)
12:00-12:30PM – Nave (service)
6:00-6:30PM – Nave (service)
Youth, we’ll be attending the 6:00 service for anyone who is interested. Following that service, we will have Youth Band rehearsal (6:30-7:45) and all are welcome to join us for a time of worship.

Senior Info

Recently, an email went out with all the upcoming senior info including important dates, links to the scholarship applications, and info about Senior Sunday. If you missed it, click the link below.

Senior Info Email

This Week…

Last Sunday during NightLife, we studied the lives of Samuel, Saul, and the first part of David’s life. If you missed it, we’ve included the link to an overview of 1 Samuel. We’re searching for Jesus in the stories of the Old Testament, and this coming week, we’ll be looking more at the life of David and his son, Solomon. You don’t want to miss it!
During Sunday school, we are learning about different spiritual practices. We have studied prayer, spiritual gifts, and now we are looking at worship!

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of January 26, 2022

Rev. Catherine Nance

Loving and gracious God – we come today in praise and thanksgiving for you – the creator all good things. We remember that when you spoke the earth into being, you declared it good. As we stand on your earth and look up to the heavens and peer over vast waters and dig in the earth may we join in the chorus of, “It is good!” O God forgive us when we treat creation – your creation – as something disposable for our use. We confess we forget you called us to be stewards and not simply users of water, air, land, and space. Stir up in us a new commitment to work together to care about creation as an extension of our own bodies.      

God of all creation, make us one in the body of Christ.

O God who knit us together in our mother’s wombs, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Forgive us when we turn to advertisers and celebrities for images of what we should look like. Forgive us when we are ashamed of our bodies; instead, may we take care of ourselves and know that you desire good health for all people. Give us a new vocabulary of wholeness and beauty; forgive us when we describe ourselves or others solely in terms of how we look or how we do not measure up. May we see each other’s bodies as sacred gifts and honor one another with respect, for you have created us in your image. May we see your grace in each other.  

God of all creation, make us one in the body of Christ.

We thank you for the gift of your church and all the different ways the body of Church Street expresses itself. In each church there are members working together to proclaim your reconciling word and do your reconciling word; therefore we pray for all churches in our city and for all United Methodist churches, that our hearts may remain in communion with all, that that our voices might truly be pleasing to you as one song.   

God of all creation, make us one in the body of Christ.

God of All Creation, we feel you moving within us and around us, opening doors, tending us in our woundedness, and binding us together in love. In that spirit of togetherness, we lay before you the most recent celebrations and concerns of our community of faith.  As you wish the best for us, we leave all in your caring hands:

  • Thanksgiving for prayers: Infant in ICU now breathing on his own
  • Thankful for prayers: Safe travel to & from Houston & promising medical test results
  • Gratitude: Cousin in Florida overcoming severe Covid complications
  • Father grateful for prayers: has found a wonderful caregiver
  • Grateful daughter in rehab center is improving
  • Thanksgiving for meaningful weekend retreat for our Youth
  • Husband feeling prayer support during his divorce
  • Prayers answered: A house has sold
  • Gratitude: a father is much-improved following long Covid struggle
  • Thankful that meds are helping a member with memory loss
  • Prayers appreciated for a friend who died peacefully this week 
  • Gratitude for Church Street clergy who work with joyful professionalism
  • Prayers for a wife, mother, and community volunteer, for her safe & successful surgery on February 2
  • Healing for all church members suffering with Covid
  • Wisdom and guidance for one unsure of the future
  • Healing prayers for sons whose father died last weekend
  • Young woman in need of a transplant, for a donor to be found
  • Guidance for wife whose husband has memory loss 
  • Continued prayers for two members in cancer treatment
  • Prayers for cousin on life support following a stroke
  • Comfort and direction for all in mourning
  • Continued prayers: Ill adult daughter, severe effects of Covid 
  • Comfort for family of church member who died today
  • God’s work within family – three youngsters whose father died recently

We offer this prayer in a spirit of unity – acknowledging that we all have differences that you call good, and that your love draws us into one spirit and one purpose. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ whose life, death, and resurrection makes us one and who taught us to pray…

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of January 19, 2022

Rev. Tim Best

Gracious Lord, this week we remember the life and legacy of your servant, Rev. Dr. King, praying that your Spirit would continue to teach us the ways of peace. When we encounter hate; grant us the gift of love. Help us to recognize injustice in our world, our communities, and within our own hearts. Indeed, “even when pressed by the demands of inner truth” we struggle to oppose the status quo. Our own spirits may falter, and so we pray that you would give us wisdom and courage.

God of many gifts, make us one in your Spirit.

Lord of power and might, we recognize that power is a gift. With power we can create, make, imagine, and shape. We acknowledge that power is a gift that has been so often twisted, corrupted, and misused. We pray today for those who hold power and those who feel powerless. We give thanks for those leaders and servants who helped to safely recover all who were held hostage in Colleyville, Texas. Make us mindful of the power we hold in our communities and in the lives of others. As Jesus used his power to reconcile, teach, and to love, speak to those who hold authority in our world that they might use their power in the pattern of Christ. 

God of many gifts, make us one in your Spirit.

Lord, you gifted your apostles with gifts to heal and make whole. As our world finds itself again in the grip of another pandemic wave, we pray for all those who are sick. We pray for not just those with Covid, but those with cancer, those chronic illness, and those that have mental illness. Grant us compassion to care for those in need. Give us the resolve to tend the suffering of others. Give us confidence in the power of Jesus, the great physician, and in his victory of all death and sickness. 

God of many gifts, make us one in your Spirit.

God of Hope and Healing, you have called our church family together in your Spirit, that we might walk together in all seasons of life; therefore, receive these expressions of both joy and suffering from your people of Church Street.  May our prayers strengthen our bond with one another and with our Lord:

  • Thanksgiving for prayers: Ankle injury improving
  • Grateful for prayers: Niece’s husband died peacefully
  • Family celebrating safe birth of new grandchild
  • Thanksgiving for faithfulness and witness of Youth in our church
  • Family rejoices: Pregnant mom is now Covid-free
  • Grateful for miracle: Premature infant in ICU growing steadily
  • Daughter gives thanks for a loving father who died peacefully this week
  • Prayers appreciated: Recent cancer scans confirm healing
  • Member with ALS expresses deep gratitude for church support
  • Wisdom and guidance for one unsure of the future
  • Safe travel for family traveling M.D. Anderson for follow-up tests
  • Wife asks for direction as her husband’s memory loss increases
  • Pray that a donor may be procured for a much-needed transplant
  • God’s grace and comfort for family, sudden death of young father
  • Safety and guidance for lonely, infirm widower
  • Prayers for two friends in cancer treatment
  • Peace and support for family grieving brother’s death on Friday
  • God’s presence to surround daughter with Covid, great suffering 
  • Prayers for a husband with cancer
  • Sons who struggle with a father’s final illness
  • Upholding wife and mother struggling with cancer, for her family
  • God’s grace to surround all caregivers in their ministry
  • Two members with severe vision impairment and neuropathy
  • God’s work in the lives of two youngsters whose mother died recently
  • Peace and healing for husband with Parkinson’s and loss of vision; strength and wisdom for his devoted wife 
  • Friend now in labor delivering baby two months early

Lord Jesus, we praise you for the gift of your blessed church. We confess that often the church has fallen short and not lived up to the calling you have given. Yet, we know that through your faithfulness we see your love for all the world. Grant us, the people called to from many peoples and places, to be unified in our mission and ministry as the church. Empower your people that the church may be a gift for the world and a sign of your love and justice even in the midst of darkness. 

God of many gifts, make us one in your Spirit.

Join our prayers with those of the saints and all the company of heaven as we offer that prayer taught to us by Jesus our Lord, the giver of every good gift, praying: 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of January 12, 2022

Rev. Jan Buxton Wade

Welcoming One, we can imagine you now in our mind’s eye, with your arms outstretched, bidding us draw close.  You must know quite well how  overwhelmed and vulnerable we feel.  The pandemic continues to unfold around the globe and the media churns out unrelenting stories of instability and discontent.  Even though your mercies have brought us through more than a year of dread, we are still rattled.  We peer out the window at the same world, yet it seems a strangely unfamiliar place.  Ah, but then our eyes fix on those stately trees that have withstood both storm and drought, as if they possessed some secret power.  It is no secret, though, for far beneath their leafy grandeur and textured skin breathes a labyrinth of roots, a network securely embedded deep within the earth.  Tighten our hold on you, O Faith that Never Fails, that we might also withstand the torrents of the time in which we live.  Make our grasp firm and stable, we pray, till we also stand as resilient witnesses of our faith in you. 

Welcoming God, we praise you.

In your mercy and wisdom, you have held the life of this world as a parent holds a beloved child, always wishing the best for us; indeed, it was you who formed us and the earth which nourishes and sustains us.  By calling us into a community of believers, and by endowing us with talents for building up your kingdom, you have multiplied and extended our own strength. Help us acknowledge the gifts you have planted within us, Lord, that we might labor together for your purpose and your glory always.

Empowering God, we praise you.

How grateful we remain for the hearts infused by love that are beating every day throughout the world, near and far.  We gaze in wonder at those who face real dangers in taking your word to forgotten territories, who tenderly care for the ill and the dying, for those who live sacrificially that others may have their needs met, for those who stand true to your calling.  They are as trees in our midst, whose roots hold steady and whose acts rise ever heavenward. We thank you for these noble disciples who live out their faith in such varied, but mostly unheralded ways.

Calling and Confirming God, we praise you.

And as Jesus always reminded us of your loving concern, on behalf of your people in our church family, we extend these praises and prayers:

  • Two express gratitude for support from our Parish Health Team
  • Aunt gives thanks for safe birth of twin nephews on Tuesday
  • Three grateful for recovery from Covid
  • Gratitude for work of our Covid Task Force 
  • Family celebrates birth of healthy son on January 8
  • Prayers appreciated, hospitalized mother is improving 
  • Brain surgery was successful, tumor benign
  • Family grateful for holiday visit with adult children
  • God’s grace and comfort for family, sudden death of young father
  • Three members whose parents died during the holidays
  •  Healing grief for husband experiencing a divorce
  • Premature nephew in ICU, prayers for his survival
  • Prayers for one having a driving test on Tuesday
  • Grieving family: Niece killed, leaving two young children
  • Healing prayers for three brave women in cancer treatment
  • A niece’s husband nearing death, that it may be peaceful 
  • Member with ALS, strength for wife, sole caregiver
  • Two members with severe vision impairment and neuropathy
  • Husband with memory loss, courage for wife
  • Healing for mother recovering from bladder surgery
  • Beloved daughter with Covid complications, for healing
  • Guidance for wife, caregiver of husband with Parkinson’s
  • Healing of friend recovering from serious accident
  • Continued recovery from ankle injury 
  • College-age grandson battling depression, now outpatient
  • Wisdom, guidance for young single mother with 3 children
  • A father in hospice care, his sons who are grieving
  • Healing prayers for an alcoholic
  • Two suffering from depression and Parkinson’s-related illness 
  • Safe delivery of first grandchild on Friday

Caring God, hear our prayer.

Keeper of All Our Hours, thank you for receiving our prayers and for forgiving us when we fail to notice the ways you are moving in our world.  We confess that we do quake when bad new spins, though your grace remains sufficient. May the blessings you have brought us come to mind even before our heads rest upon our pillows this night. And then, may our eyes be opened in new ways tomorrow, that we might behold your stirring around us and within us.  In the name of the One who remains our refuge in every era, we offer these prayers:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of January 5, 2022

Rev. Jan Buxton Wade

Holy God, with the bells of New Year’s Eve still ringing in our ears, we come to you in all humility; for how can we celebrate the turning of the calendar without praising you for the divine grace that has come to us so tenderly throughout the year just passed?  Your steady hand carried us through difficulties we thought would break us.  You restored our hope when we were stranded in confusion.  You brought renewal when we were swallowed up in despondency.  Remembering how you shepherded us even in perilous times, we remain in awe.

God of Grace, receive our praise!

Speak, Lord, said the young prophet, for your servant is listening. Here, as the new year dawns for us, may we also listen attentively for your voice.  Some of us are full of expectation, ready to give shape to any new challenge you set forth.   Some of us are overwhelmed and anxious and must lean heavily upon your shoulders no matter your expectations.  Others of us are weary and worn, fearing we may not possess the energy to even answer when you call.  And yet, you are the God who opens doors, who fashions possibilities, who supplies what is needed, who carves roads where none exist. In whatever condition we find ourselves, we pray we would somehow discern your voice and allow you to work your will within us. 

God Who Calls, hear our prayer.

Your Son gave us a vision of the world as it could be, enlivened by people who model your intentions and desires.  Jesus dreamed of a world where abundance was shared, where peace reigned, where cooperation birthed prosperity for all, where love and justice were the rule of the day, where health and well-being were honored. We hunger for such a world, but we confess that we often lose heart when setbacks come.  We fall back into our old habit of grousing and complaining when obstacles so frequently appear.  Forgive us, we pray, and help us to be hope-filled kingdom people as we work in your service each day of this new year.

God Who Inspires, rekindle your dream in our hearts.

On the cusp of this new month and new year, we are deeply aware of the realities that face us at present.  And as always, we boldly ask for restoration for the ill, comfort for those who mourn, companionship for the lonely, reconciliation for the estranged, release for those held by the chains of poverty and addiction.  To these we add those closest to our hearts . . . . . . . . . ; as well as all these praises and petitions offered by our church community:

  • Three offer gratitude for safe journeys and family visits
  • Gratitude for successful cornea transplant on Tuesday 
  • One is thankful for reconnection with two former friends
  • Member thankful for healing following three family deaths 
  • Gratitude: Granddaughter uninjured in a dangerous fire
  • Member thankful for the help of his Stephen Minister
  • One celebrates the restoration of a relationship 
  • Prayers appreciated: Three member families recovering from Covid
  • Family blessed by an extended holiday gathering in North Carolina
  • Gratitude for dedicated church musicians and choirs
  • Thanksgiving: Mother is off ventilator & is much improved
  • Solace for family who lost a mother and a father to death in 2 weeks’ time
  • Premature nephew born at 25 weeks, in ICU, for his survival
  • Recovery for a cherished mother-in-law, hospitalized
  • All who are mourning recent deaths of loved ones
  • Healing of a grandson’s depression
  • Pray for peaceful death for a niece’s husband 
  • A peaceful death for a kind Christian husband, courage for family
  • Member with grave vision impairment & neuropathy
  • Courage, guidance for wife, caregiver of husband with Parkinson’s
  • Recovery for daughter (42), brain surgery today at MD Anderson
  • Healing of friend recovering from serious accident
  • Faithful husband dealing with memory loss, his caregiver wife
  • For intervention: Physician nephew who is an alcoholic
  • Mother in South Carolina seriously ill, courage for three anxious adult children
  • God’s presence with adult daughter, grave Covid complications
  • Courage, guidance for young mother deserted by her husband
  • Grace for member valiantly enduring cancer treatments
  • Reconciliation of differences within three families
  • Pray for young couple recovering at home from serious illnesses
  • God’s grace to surround a mother with cancer, for renewed hope
  • Two suffering from depression and Parkinson’s-related illness 
  • A father who entered hospice January 3; for his sons who struggle

God Who Heals, receive our prayers.

Even now, Dear God, uncertain of how the coming months will unfold, we are confident you will continue to speak to us and will walk with us every step of the way. And on our journey into the new year, by your grace, we will endeavor to love you with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength.  All these prayers we offer in the name of our Most Faithful Companion, who taught us to pray in this way:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Have a Prayer Request?

Weekly Events:
Tuesday – High School Prayer Breakfast at 7:15 AM (Chick-fil-A West Hills)
Wednesday – Youth Band at 7:00 PM (Youth Area)
Sunday – Sunday school at 9:45 AM (Youth Area), NightLife at 5:00 (Youth Area)
Parents: please consider helping us with our Sunday breakfasts and dinners. We have lots of open dates this semester! Thanks for helping us serve your students well!

Mini Retreat Recap

We had SO MUCH FUN at our mini retreat this weekend! Thanks to everyone for being flexible and diving right in. We went to an escape room, had a scavenger hunt, played games, and ate good food. We heard a talk from the Resurrection speaker about The Prodigal Son and finished the evening with a conversation about how knowing Jesus is a transformational experience. We hope you’ll join us the next time we have a group event!

This Week…

We have a regular Sunday this week! Sunday school and NightLife are back to your regularly scheduled programming. In NightLife, we are jumping back into the Old Testament and studying the life of Joshua!
If you are a part of Confirmation, we have a retreat scheduled for February 19-20 at Lake Junaluska. Please use the link below to register!

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of December 29, 2021

Rev. Jan Buxton Wade

Holy Lord, we come to you at the midpoint of this week, still in awe of the beauty and sacredness of Christmas Eve.  What joy to raise our voices in prayer and praise of your coming among us in glory!  For all whose spirits were joined as one on that most holy night, we offer praises anew!  Even in Christmastide, however, we realize the rattle of the marketplace has heightened its whirring, and already the media is re-emphasizing gloom.  Calm both the restlessness of the world, we pray, and silence the noisy voices within us.  Grant that we might remain at the manger a little longer, spending quiet moments in your presence.  Only when we silently kneel at your modest crib will we hear what you have to say.

Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.  

Humble One, Yet Revealed in Glory, we thank you that Christmas isn’t one day only, nor twelve, but is a life-long season.  Your birth is the promise that brings us responsibilities, participation, and hope every day of the year. Your coming among us teaches that our lives matter to you and that our welfare is of tremendous importance. Ah, such undeserved gifts!  Just as the shepherds, we bask in your light that shines even in our darkest corners, attending us in our weakness, lifting us up when we are dismayed, ever giving us purpose and direction.  We walk in glory as we travel home to you.

Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.

Still, in the midst of our gratitude, Gracious Lord, we also experience dismay that we live within a conflicted realm.  We know full well the human sufferings in Afghanistan; threats of war in the Middle East and Eastern Europe; the rapid increase of a new strain of Covid throughout the world; rampant violence in our nation’s cities; starvation of precious souls amid storehouses of plenty; and the brokenness of victims of natural disasters.  Save us from despair and cynicism, we pray, as we yearn to be part of your restoration.  Refresh our spirits for service; and bless the feet and hands and hearts of those messengers you have already anointed to do your bidding across the globe.    

Emmanuel, God-With-Us, hear our prayer.

As Jesus came as one of us, he knew our infirmities and experienced our pain. Therefore, we share an intimate kinship with this Son of Grace who bids us boldly name our sorrows and lift our joys.  These we humbly offer from our hearts . . . . . . . . . . ; and we also share these prayers offered by the people of Church Street: 

  • Thankful for prayers: A door to reconciliation has been opened
  • Gratitude: deeply spiritual worship of Christmas Eve
  • Thankful for all who offered daily Advent Devotionals
  • Thanksgiving: Ill father was able to attend Christmas worship
  • Two families are grateful from ongoing support of SS classes
  • Thankful a mother survived surgery & is enduring chemo
  • Gratitude: two friends are home from the hospital
  • Thanksgiving: church couple healing steadily from Covid
  • Gratitude: Grandfather was able to visit grandsons for Christmas
  • Young friend with Covid is improving, prayers appreciated
  • Healing prayers for a son & daughter with Covid
  • Love & healing to surround family, wife/mother died December 22
  • Church family mourning the death of mother/grandmother December 23
  • Prayers for a grandson’s emotional healing, now is cloistered care
  • Friend at UT in neuro unit, restoration from a fall
  • Continued prayer for friend with cancer, recovers from oral surgery 
  • For a cherished nephew to seek help for his alcoholism
  • Prayers for recovery: Mother in ICU, broken ribs & trauma
  • Member family in NC all suffering from Covid
  • Guidance for young mother estranged from husband
  • A member seeks strength to fight cancer
  • Grace for member valiantly enduring cancer treatments
  • Reconciliation of differences within three families
  • Pray for young couple recovering at home from serious illnesses
  • God’s grace to surround a mother with cancer, for renewed hope
  • Two suffering from depression and Parkinsons-related illness
  • Faithful husband struggling with memory loss 
  • Grace to uphold dear friend soon entering hospice care
  • Strength for daughter, extreme complications from Covid
  • For doors of employment to open for gifted professional man
  • Beloved husband undergoing chemotherapy 

Faithful Emmanuel, baptize us anew as we enter this new year.  Wash us with that profound truth that we are ever dependent upon you in this life, and that, you will always be with us.  Provide us courage for every difficulty that will arise in the months to come and shower us with assurance amid all our uncertainties. Knowing our security lies in you, we offer all our prayers in the name of Christ, who taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

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