
Pray Without Ceasing Initiative
The call to prayer runs through Scripture: the community gathered before Pentecost, the faithful praying to receive the Word in Nehemiah, some 150 Psalms calling us to pray alone and together. Now, in this time of significant change, we pray.
As people who follow Jesus, we pray. Alone and together, we pray. And, in times of great change, we pray.
Pray without Ceasing is a prayer movement with a mission of uplifting and uniting communities in prayer, during a time of significant change. What began as an idea in one synod is now spreading across and beyond the ELCA, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
You will find ideas about how to start your own prayer ministry, or how to expand what you are doing - with weekly gatherings and invitations to other ministry settings to do the same thing!
You will be encouraged to share with our synod what you are doing so we can share your story…as of right now, we know of three congregations that have begun this process.
You will find various liturgies from the ELCA and from our synod to use in your own ministry setting.
Please feel free to contact retired pastor Kathy Ingbritsen at kingbritsen@gmail.com for more conversation or to ask any questions.
We invite you to join with congregations and communities across the ELCA to gather for weekly, community prayer as part of the Bishops’ Pray Without Ceasing Initiative.
Specifically, we ask your ministry make two commitments:
Establish and host a regular, weekly prayer gathering – welcoming all. We encourage congregations to consider Sunday at 5:00 p.m. (local time), but trust that you will determine a time and day that is best for your situation.
Think ahead and invite two other congregations (ELCA, full communion partners, other faith communities) to make the same two-fold commitment (to host a weekly, welcoming prayer gathering and to ask two other congregations to make the same commitment).
Here are two simple ones to get you started, they have no copyright issues: