St Thomas' Prayer Fellowship

The St  Thomas' Prayer Fellowship has been introduced to encourage members of the parish in their prayer life. We Anglicans have a wonderful tradition of Common Prayer, believing the prayer life of the Church is not the reserve of the Clergy and members of Religious Communities but the 'life-blood' of ALL faithful people.  The Anglican prayer tradition involves daily prayer, Bible readings, and reflection on the Book of Psalms.  If we at St Thomas' hope to achieve our ministry goals we must be obedient to the will of God, and we can't know God's will unless we commit ourselves to regular and effective prayer.

Our Prayer Book contains many useful resources for the ministry of prayer: Prayers for various occasions are on page 183, the Psalms commence on page 224, and the Daily Services commence on page 383.  Daily prayer services are used by Anglicans all over the world and these are the prayers we have in common.  Daily we pray for and give thanks for: the Church, the world, our ministries, our communities, those in need and we give thanks for those who have gone before us in the faith of Jesus Christ. 

St Thomas' Prayer Fellowship notes are a resource to assist us all in this vital ministry of prayer.  In the future we hope also to organise prayer services and, a prayer and meditation group.  Our vision is for the Anglican Parish of Toowong to become a 'powerhouse' of prayer.

Our weekly prayer notes contain prayers, prayer requests, daily Bible readings and reflection points to assist in our daily prayer ministry.  These notes are also put onto the parish web site each week if anyone does not have a copy.

You are invited to stay in contact with your faith community between Sunday services by maintaining our Common Prayer.

ST THOMAS’ PRAYER FELLOWSHIP

Pentecost 13                                                                           22 August 2010

Sentence (APBA p.576)

You, O Lord are my hope, my trust from my youth.  Upon you have I leaned since my birth.  Psalm 71.5-6

Prayer of the day (APBA p.576)

O God, the Judge of all,

through the saving blood of your Son

you have brought us to the heavenly Jerusalem

and given us a kingdom which cannot be shaken:

fill us with reverence and awe in your presence,

that in thanksgiving we and all your Church

may offer you acceptable worship;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives to intercede for us, now and for ever.  Amen.

THE PARISH PRAYER

Almighty and ever-living God,

we ask for your guidance as we minister in the name of your Son.

Be with us as we strive to be a faithful community of love, compassion, service and commitment.

May we always be faithful in our witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord, and like Thomas proclaim Him to be our Lord and God.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ who is our Lord and our God. Amen.

PRAYER REQUESTS

PRAY FOR THE SICK for Doris Beck, Alexandra Cameron, John Cook, Rod Cornelius, Cathy Flanagan, Arlene Freeland, Kris Frith, Leith Harbison, Jeff Harrison, Erin Hopson, Edna Irwin, Lai Chun Jolly, Diane Janson, Jan King, Betty Mahoney, Lynette McAnnany, James McKennay, Lisa Meldrum, Marie Nelson, Andrew Nommensen, Beverley Paterson, Althea Pearson, Bob Redhead (St John’s Home), Nathan Schumacher, Brian Sockhill, Neville Taylor, Gwen Thomsen, Ed Watts & their families, carers, medical staff & chaplains.

YEAR’S MIND - Marian Whiting 4/8/08; Percival John Lanham 21/8/1942.

PRAY WITH THE ANGLICAN CHURCH WORLDWIDE for   Pray for The Anglican Church of Southern Africa: Abp Thabo Makgoba; Wangaratta:  +John Parkes; Cunnamulla: Parishioners & Locum Tenens; Spiritus Rural & Remote Community Care – Jericho Bush Nursing Service; Cannon Hill Anglican College, Cannon Hill - Principal Robyn Bell, Chaplain Sarah Leisemann.

PRAY WITH THE WESTERN SUBURBS INTERCHURCH COUNCIL for the Baptist Church, Taringa: Pastor Bruce Pringle and his congregation.

PRAY FOR THE WORK OF BCA especially for the work of the Revd Chris & Mrs Wendy Thiele in the Beaconsfield Parish and the Revd Andy & Mrs Liz Goodacre in the Imagine Project - Launceston in the Diocese of Tasmania.

PRAY FOR LOCAL SCHOOL CHAPLAINS – Revd Graham Cole (BBC), Bena Asafu-Adjaye (Qld Academy for Science, Mathematics & Technology, Toowong), Hayden Bridgeman (Milton State School), David Leth (Indooroopilly).

Daily Readings for the Week from An Australian Lectionary 2010 (Year C)

© Anglican Board of Mission Pew Reflections 2010

For the love of the law! How often do we hear the phrase ‘That is not how we do it here!’ It is one of those phrases that can pull the imagination to a halt. Not so for Jesus. When the ‘keepers of the law’ challenge Jesus because he heals on the Sabbath, Jesus is not stopped, rather he stops them, challenges the reason for their law. Do we keep practices the way they are just because that’s the way they have always been?

Jesus was and is a revolutionary; healing on the Sabbath, including women, and all outcasts, turning the tables of society, transforming religious laws. This passage reminds us that we can’t put God in our own people made boxes, for the power of God’s liberation cannot be stifled.

Pray for the Church that it may be set free from boxes it uses to limit God.  Give thanks for the clean water provided to communities through ABM’s Water, Sanitation and Health projects.

Text:  The Revd Jasmine Dron, a member of ABM’s Church to Church Program’s Committee.

Our services at St Thomas’ Church- (see the website for special services)

SUNDAY                                7.30am  -  Sung Eucharist;

9.30am - Sung Family Eucharist;

No 5.30pm Eucharist Sunday 22 August.

Wednesday                        5.30pm - Eucharist

SUNDAY SCHOOL EACH SUNDAY AT 9.30am.

On the 1st Thursday of the month Prayer Service & Fellowship is held commencing with prayer in the church at 9.30am followed by morning tea and fellowship in the Parish Centre. For further information contact Molly Cook (07) 3720 8786.  Our next meeting is 2 SEPTEMBER.

CONTACTS:                          

RECTOR: THE REVD TOM SULLIVAN

Office phone: 3870 1655  Mobile: 0422 641 657 Facsimile: 3870 1652

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   Website: www.stthomastoowong.org.au