The Blessings of Prayer

By Marge Carter, Coordinator, Prayer Partner Ministry

One of the deepest blessings I have experienced is the power of prayer. 

Believing that God calls us to pray and that God listens to our prayers led me to join Westminster’s Prayer Partner Ministry. Currently, 22 participants commit to praying in response to confidential email requests, allowing a somewhat continuous circle of prayer. 

To me, prayer is powerful because it reaffirms our faith in God, enfolds us in God’s spirit, changes our perspective on things (as we focus on Christ’s love), and leads us out of ourselves and into the concerns of others. 

A Personal Story of Prayer

Five years ago, our granddaughter Ella was born with one healthy kidney and one undeveloped kidney. At the age of six weeks she had surgery to remove the nonfunctioning kidney. 

My husband Bill and I were in Boston for her birth and returned home for a time before her surgery. I promptly emailed Westminster, requesting prayer. A day or so later, someone came to our home to deliver a prayer shawl from the Prayer Shawl Ministry, a very moving experience. 

In Boston again, Bill and I wrapped ourselves and baby Ella in the prayer shawl on the morning of surgery and prayed. The surgery went well and we felt uplifted by love and prayers!

As it turned out, Ella also was born with low muscle tone, which meant years of hard work (and much more praying) for her to develop many skills, even eating and walking.  Today Ella is a bright, talkative child, who has learned to swim and who loves to dance.  I call her a philosopher, since she exhibits such insight and compassion. 

Recently, after the death of a classmate’s grandmother, she began asking questions of her father: “How do we get to heaven? Is there gravity in heaven?  And will we still have a brain, so that we can recognize the people we met and remember all the good times we had?” Good questions! This child who struggled so hard can view her life with such joy and thanksgiving for the people she has met and all the good times she has had.

Thanks be to God for the blessings of prayer.

To learn more about Westminster’s Prayer Partner Ministry, contact Steve Robertson, Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care

A Two-Way Street; A Two-Way Blessing

by the Rev. Steve Robertson, Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care

At Westminster, when we invite people to be engaged in ministries of congregational care, we often talk about the need to visit homebound, ill, or grieving persons and how much these particular individuals will benefit from a visit from a caring Westminster member. 

While this is true, we sometimes forget to mention that those of us who have the opportunity to visit and minister with others are ministered to in equal or greater measure! I have found that spending time in conversation with those I visit uplifts and renews my spirit in ways I would have never imagined.

When we seek to bless others, we receive blessings in equal or greater measure.

Part of our caring, Christian ministry with our homebound and other members in need at Westminster is fulfilled through our Member-to-Member care program. Congregants who could benefit from a visit or a series of visits with a trained and caring person of the church are paired, and relationships develop.

In speaking about these connections, Member-to-Member volunteer Barbara Scott said, "Hazel will be 93 this month, and it is a privilege to know her. She has no family and no friends and her hearing and memory loss make it difficult for her to connect with people. Together we talk and laugh, go for walks and reminisce, and every visit is a blessing."

Cindy Snyder said, “Through the Member-to-Member Program, I was asked to minister to a home-bound congregant. Now, three years later, it is clear that this ministering has been a two-way street. My new friend is a cherished gift for whom I am truly grateful.”  

Suann Nichols spoke of her relationships: “The Member-to-Member Ministry to members is a blessing, whatever the setting and the situation. All are honored by the giving and receiving of one another's time and space. As extended family of the homebound or ill are included in this ministry, God's presence is all inclusive and ever reaching.”

Susan Tucker coordinates the Member-to-Member Program. “I have received countless blessings through my interaction with Member-to-Member visitors. I am reminded each time they visit with a congregant that they impart God's love and calming presence through conversation, mindful silence, a gentle touch and prayer. Each of us is worthy of being a part of this sacred space that invites the Holy Spirit to stir within to provide healing, strength or to calm whatever may be troubling. Member-to-Member visitors live out God's primary blessing to love one another.”

I am grateful for this calling to be a part of the ministry of being a blessing to others here at Westminster, and I am grateful for the blessings which we receive from those with whom we minister.