Services

Thursday 5 June 2025 Silent Prayer from 13.00-13.30

You are invited to join others in church on 5 June for our monthly silent prayer session. You may find this prayer sheet helpful – please bring a copy with you. If you are not able to join us, we hope you will pray with us wherever you are.

Our text for June: ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self -control …… If we live by the Spirit let us be guided by the Spirit                                         Galatians 5 vv23-35

Let us pray for the church and the world and thank God for his goodness. Heavenly Father we pray for the fellowship of the church that supports and helps us to put our faith into practice.

Strengthen us Lord in your service that we may be an encouragement to others and hold fast to all that is good.

As we come to the end of the Season of Easter, we give thanks for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to give us strength and courage to live our lives as true disciples of Jesus Christ. We pray for Deacon Lucy as she is ordained priest on 26 June and for her ministry here at St Giles.

We pray for all who will be joining the Annual Parish Weekend to Othona, a holy place in rural Essex that we may find peace and refreshment as we join in prayer, study and sharing together God’s gifts.

We pray for pupils and students in our local schools and colleges taking exams and for teachers and lecturers who will be marking the exam papers.

We pray for first responders, firemen, police and ambulance staff who have come to the aid of those affected by recent serious events involving members of the public, for those who have died and those who have been injured. We give thanks for local communities who have come together at this time to help and support those affected.

We pray for peace in all areas of the world were war, violence, unrest and terrorism are faced by so many, especially in Ukraine, the Holy Land and Sudan. We pray that world leaders will have the wisdom and courage to know what is right for their own nations but that also brings peace and harmony between nations in our troubled world. We pray for the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations that work to bring peace, humanitarian relief, justice and reconciliation.

Comfort and heal all who suffer in body mind or spirit, remembering all who suffer with cancer and are receiving chemo or radio therapies and all care for them. Give them courage and comfort in their troubles and bring them the joy of your salvation. We pray for those known to us who need our prayers. 

As we move into summer, we give thanks for the beauty we see around us in our parks and gardens and for the gardeners who help to maintain them for our enjoyment, health and well-being. We pray for all who work to stop climate change and pollution with green and sustainable programmes to safeguard God’s world for future generations.

Give grace to us, our families, our friends and all our neighbours that we may serve Christ in one another and love as he loves us.

Merciful Father, accept our prayers for the sake of your Son our Savour Jesus Christ Amen

We finish by saying the Lord’s Prayer.

A Prayer for all the people of the Holy Land

God of mercy and compassion, of grace and reconciliation, pour down your power upon all your children in the Holy Land: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Palestinians, Israelis.

Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation, that violent encounters may be replaced with loving embraces, and peace and justice can be experienced by all. Amen

Prayer for Peace in Ukraine 

God of peace and justice, we pray for the people of Ukraine today.

We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.

We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.

We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions.

Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at-risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them.

We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen