A prayer to share with the church

God of our life, whose presence sustains us in every circumstance,
As the sound of gunfire again echoes over another American city,
we seek the grounding power of your love and compassion.
As death rained down from above in the dark of night,
We pray this day for the Sun of Righteousness to arise with healing in its wings,
and rain mercy, grace and peace upon our broken people.

So many have been lost: brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends
gathered in the unity of music, scattered by evil and hatred.
We pray for solace for all who loved them.
We pray for those who have been spared and those whose lives are changed forever
that they may find healing, sustenance, and strength in the hard days to come.

We give thanks for first responders:
who ran toward gunfire, rather than away
who dropped everything to save the wounded and comfort survivors
We pray for doctors and nurses and mental health providers
who repair what has been broken
who to try to  bring healing and hope
in the face of the unchecked principalities and powers of violence .
We ask for sustaining courage for those who are suffering and traumatized.

We cry, how long, O Lord?
But the same words echo back, again and again
as if the question comes to us from You- how long, how long, how long...
In the wake of an event that should be impossible to contemplate
but which has become all too common in our experience,
open our eyes, break our hearts,
and turn our hands to the movements of your Spirit,
that our anger and sorrow may unite in service to build a reign of peace,
where the lion and the lamb may dwell together,
and terror no longer holds sway over our common life.
In the name of Christ, our healer and our Light, we pray, Amen.

Prayer by the Rev. Dr. Laurie Ann Kraus
Director, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

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Buckets for Hurricane Relief

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance needs buckets! They are currently out of clean-up buckets to be sent to areas affected by flooding in Texas and Florida, etc. First Presbyterian Church in St. Cloud has secured a (donated!) semi truck to ship as many buckets as we can to the PDA warehouse in Little Rock, Arkansas. What once was a congregational challenge to "adopt a bucket" in St. Cloud has now become a call to "Fill the truck." We'll take your completed buckets and include them in our shipping. Or, don't have the time or interest to shop for items and assemble the buckets? We'll also take donations (money or specific items on the list). We are currently arranging with local retailers to order items by the case and then will assemble the clean-up buckets here. We are hoping to ship by mid-to-late October. The need is real, folks. Consider how you and your congregation, family, workplace, neighborhood might choose to respond. This is not to replace your congregation's or personal giving to the PDA ministry - this is a tangible way to encourage those who've thought about how to respond to Hurricane Relief but haven't yet, or want to do more. Contact Mark Giese ( mark@fpcstcloud.org) at First Presbyterian Church in St. Cloud for more info, or with specific questions and/or donations. Ph. 320-251-8277  Or visit www.fpcstcloud.org to download a list along with more info. 

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Commission/Committee Members and General Assembly Commissioners, alternate and YAADS sought

 

The Commission on Representation (COR) will be meeting in late September to begin their work to fill all the presbytery commissions and committees. Also they will be reviewing applications received to be a General Assembly Teaching/Ruling Elder commissioner, alternate or Young Adult Advisory Delegate. If you are interested in any of this, please fill out the personal information form or the application for GA. If you have questions about any of the positions, please talk with Stated Clerk Pam Prouty or Sara McKay, chair of the COR.

• GA Commissioner - YAAD Forms 
• Personal Interest Forms for Presbytery Service

Discipleship: Pam Bush, pambush@woodstocktel.net , 507-823-4697

Evangelism: Anne Veldhuisen, aveldhuisen@gmail.com, 507-215-5617

Mission: Richard Lawrence, richlawrence66@gmail.com , 320-260-9639

Mission: Darlene Scherbing, darlenescherbing@yahoo.com , 320-292-2610

Spiritual Leadership: Tom Voigt, tvoigt1960@hotmail.com , 612-875-6398

Stewardship: Rick Hauge, rdhmnara@mchsi.com , 507-829-5227

Worship: Darin Seaman, pastordarin@fpcstcloud.org , 320-251-8277

The following congregation within the bounds of our presbytery is currently seeking pastoral leadership:

The Ministry Information Forms for these opportunities are posted on the Church Leadership Connection web site --  http://oga.pcusa.org/section/mid-council-ministries/clc/

Witnessing for Peace and Wholeness in a Land called 'Holy'

For more information, including a sample conference schedule and information from past conferences, visit presbyterianmission.org/mosaic or contact the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program at 800-728-7228 x5805 or 502-569-5805.