Day of Prayer and Fast
Thursday 11th February, 2010
Gathering at the Parish Centre from 7pm
We are inviting you to join us in a day of Prayer and Fasting for the Parish of Brentford. This will give you some reasons why we are having a Day of Prayer and Fasting. There are also some notes about how to use the day and our gathering for prayer in the evening and then breaking our fast.
A call to pray
Over the last few years our churches have grown tremendously. We have a vibrant life of worship and fellowship among our two congregations. Open House - our Community Café feeds both body and soul – good home cooked meals at very competitive prices and people trained and willing to listen to you. St. Faiths provides a Thursday lunchtime Mother and Toddler’s session with Little Angels. Our Alpha Courses are very successful and attract both newcomers and established members of the congregations.
We continue to seek God's guidance about the shape of our ministry and how it will be resourced. We want to involve you and ask you to listen to God with us. So we begin the process with prayer.
Prayer and Fasting - Meaning and Practicalities
Fasting without prayer is meaningless. When joined with prayer it is a powerful spiritual practice. At root, fasting means either total or partial abstinence from food or drink for a limited period. In the Bible periods of fasting and prayer were undertaken to show mourning, repentance or demonstrate serious concern about something before God. (2 Chron 20:1-4, Ps 35:13, 69:10, 109:24, Dan 9:3). Jesus fasted as he prepared for his public ministry (Matt 4, Luke 4) and certainly expected that it would be part of his disciples' normal spiritual practice. (Matt 6:16, 9:14, Mk 2:18, Lk 5:33). We have examples of the early church (Acts 13:2, 14:23). It is important to remember that fasting does not affect God's desire to hear or answer our prayer. It is primarily about sharpening our spiritual awareness.
The PCC is inviting the church to fast and pray to bring the needs of our church and community before him, to seek his guidance as we begin to plan for the future and to ask him to provide the resources for us to fulfil his call.
Your fast might involve not eating or drinking anything for the day, or it might be some other act of discipline which will sharpen your awareness of God and the purpose of the day. For example, if you drink coffee on the hour to keep you going, if you stop, each hour you will be reminded of the need to pray.
How you choose to keep the fast will also depend on your circumstances. You should not stop eating or drinking if you have a medical condition or are pregnant. If you are concerned, you might find another way to remind you of the purpose, perhaps set an alarm at regular points during the day.
The Day – Thursday 11th February 2010
So we are inviting you to pray and fast for the day. You can continue with your normal routine, although it would be good if possible to set aside some time to read the Bible and listen to God. The Lord may take the opportunity to speak personally to you. If you feel that God has said something which is significant for the church - then note it down and any scripture references so that it can be prayed about and tested.
At the end of the day we are planning to gather at the Parish Centre to pray together and share what God has given to us. If you can’t make it on the night do get in touch if you have anything to share of what God has been saying to you. Either phone, tell someone who will be able to be there or email Derek or Derath.
After we have prayed, we plan to break our fast together. We will gather to pray at 7pmand aim to eat around 8:30pm.If you can come during the evening, do sign up on the list at the back of church so that we can provide enough food and drink.
We do hope you will join the church in this important spiritual event. We believe this could be a very important step in the life of our parish. We are convinced that as we pray together, God will respond in grace, and blessing for our churches.
To read about thoughts and inspirations that arose from out last Day of Prayer and Fast on Thursday, 17th September 2009, click here.
"But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matt 6:18
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