[Our church-wide hospitality training was held this past weekend at the OU Inn. We had over 30 people from our congregation attend! The training was led by a hospitality instructor from Hocking College. We concluded our training by offering ways for people to participate as greeters for Sunday mornings and special events at the church. We even got our church name on the big sign at OU Inn that day and each participant got a free pen! :)]
God of hope and good news, thank you for your love that is
meant for the whole world and not just one small corner of it. Thank you for
the people in our lives like parents, grandparents, Sunday School teachers,
pastors, and church camp counselors who have shared the good news of Christ
with us and with so many people.
On this day that we focus on the Jerusalem Cross, remind us
that we are all called to share the good news of Christ with those around us
and invite them to church with us. Remind us that sharing our faith with
someone is as simple as sharing what a difference you have made in our lives
and how we have sensed your presence in our day to day living.
Thank you for yesterday’s hospitality training and for how
you are calling us to always offer a warm welcome to all who would enter our
building, especially for the first time. May our church be known as a place of
open hearts, open minds, and open doors.
Help us to be a Jerusalem Cross church where we share your
love with people in our community and world, for we are all missionaries called
and sent out to live out the good news of our faith. We lift up to you the many
missionaries who are serving throughout the world. We pray for Bishop Gregory
Palmer here in West Ohio and the churches throughout our conference as we lift
high the cross in our communities. Thank you for the cross at the top of our
church building, 130 feet from the ground which serves as a symbol of hope and
healing for our community and world.
We lift up to you those in our church and community who are
in special need of you this day, O God. For those with heavy hearts at the loss
of a loved one, for those who are facing difficult decisions, for those who are
participating in the Kairos prison ministry this weekend, for those who are
caring for an aging parent, for those who are in need of healing, for those who
continue to struggle following the Carriage Court fire, for those who struggle
with anxiety and fear, and for those of us who really, really miss that extra
hour of sleep right now.
O God, hear our prayers for all of these needs even as we
pray to you the words you taught your disciples and now teach to us,
“Our Father, who art in heaven…”
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