Welcome to the FWW Prayer Guide for August. We hope it will be useful for personal prayer, but also for those who lead intercessions in services. Do pass it on to those in your church who would be interested. Any feedback from use of the Guide would be most welcome. We also use the Guide at our quarterly online prayer meeting. The next meeting will be on October 8th from 1.00 – 1.30 p.m. For the Zoom link for that, and any feedback, please email dickjohnson@faithatwork.org.uk
A PDF of the Prayer Guide can be downloaded and printed by clicking here.
A feature of summer 2024 has and will be the Olympics and Paralympics. As we marvel at the incredible athletic feats we see on our TV screens, we are also aware of wider themes of international cooperation, which sit in stark contrast to the many conflicts around the world. These contrasts continue into the economics of the summer. As well as festivals of sport, the games are about entertainment and big business. Whilst relying on thousands of volunteers, so also they stimulate local businesses and sustain jobs, as does mass tourism. This however, as we have also seen this summer, can have a negative impact, Spain tourism: Why Spanish people are fighting back – BBC News.
So, this month the theme of our prayers is the business of entertainment, tourism and holidays. We pray for those who work in these sectors, and those – perhaps including ourselves – who are consumers of tourism, benefiting from the work of others.
Almighty God, source of all life, we give thanks for times of rest and relaxation,
and for those who make this possible through their work.
Help us understand better the impact our choices make,
on the climate and environment;
on sustaining, but also damaging, the work and lives of those
who provide entertainment and hospitality.
And as we seek relaxation, pour out your Holy Spirit
to refresh and renew, through Jesus Christ.
Amen
Especially we pray for:
- All working in hospitality, transport, holiday, sport and entertainment sectors, both locally and in other parts of the world – giving thanks for their work, and skills and that none will be exploited. (Be specific, praying for people you meet on your holidays, attending sporting events, or who work in local restaurants or tourist attractions you visit).
- Good decisions in this sector of our economy – by businesses and consumers – that climate, environment and community would not be damaged by how we seek rest and relaxation.
- Those who need a break from work, but cannot afford it, or whose work cannot easily be paused – such as carers of children, the sick or elderly.
- Faith at Work in Worcestershire in our specific plans for the rest of this year (including a workplace visit in the autumn, recruitment of new trustees and chaplains, training and measuring the impact of chaplaincy).
- FWW Chaplains as they faithfully continue to visit workplaces over the summer.
- In our cycle of prayer for the work of FWW, volunteers and staff, this month we pray for:
- Supporters: Give thanks for all who support the work of FWW, or the work of a particular chaplain, through prayer, by regular giving, and by speaking about FWW in churches.