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    Praying for the Neighborhood
    Praying for the Neighborhood
    Praying for the Neighborhood
    Ebook92 pages58 minutes

    Praying for the Neighborhood

    By Nathan Pickard

    ()

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    About this ebook

    We gather to worship each Sunday and then are sent to live our worship in all the places where God sends us. These places (coffee shops, hospitals, arenas and ball diamonds, health clinics and everywhere in between) are places we encounter people. Might these people whom we encounter be people we pray for? If we choose to pray for our neighbors, we do so because we believe the future can be changed. We also pray for our neighbors because we want them to experience the nearness of God’s kingdom. Praying for the Neighborhood helps readers understand prayer within a theology of the kingdom of God. Specific stories and prayers for neighbors are included so that imaginations are opened to ways neighbors can be prayed for.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNathan Pickard
    Release dateJun 2, 2016
    ISBN9781773021010
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      Book preview

      Praying for the Neighborhood - Nathan Pickard

      Cover_Front.jpg

      Praying for the Neighborhood

      Nathan Pickard

      Table of Contents

      Dedication

      Disclaimer

      Acknowledgement

      An Invitation

      Why Pray

      Thy Kingdom Come

      Prayers for the Neighborhood

      Epilogue

      Copyright

      Dedication

      To my grandparents Don & Norma Brown

      I have memories of sitting at the breakfast table listening to you pray for your friends

      Disclaimer

      The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the national Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Nathan Pickard serves the Newmarket Church of Christ in Newmarket, ON, Canada. He holds a DMin from Abilene Christian University. Nathan is married with two children. Outside of spending time with neighbors and sharing table fellowship with people, Nathan engages in an assortment of outdoor activities.

      Acknowledgement

      It’s difficult to pray on behalf of people because once we start praying on behalf of others, our eyes become open to the strangers in ways we cannot imagine. With this, I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Newmarket Church of Christ for embarking on a dangerous journey of praying for the neighborhood. Each week we hear stories of people and together we lift these people up in prayer. This ministry we are embodying together is kingdom work. Thank you.

      To Jarrod O., Kevin S., Andrew T., and Curtis M. who faithfully participate in this practice—thank you for leading us in praying for the neighborhood. For the congregants on Sunday morning who have participated in years past and who at times volunteer to pray, thank you for allowing this practice to shape you deeper into the image of God. To use the language of the apostle Paul, together we are co-workers in the kingdom of God.

      For my colleagues Brent and Noel who provided dialogue, critique and encouragement in the completion of this book. To my colleagues around North America who are faithful dialogue partners about what it means to discover, create, and embody missional practices within our specific cultural contexts, thank you. And thank you Katie for supporting this ministry we share with the Newmarket Church of Christ.

      Thank you to Tellwell Publishing for their work in making this book come to fruition. Thank you to Jordan with his creative mind and also to Raeanne and her help in navigating the process of publishing a book. Your partnership in this project is greatly appreciated.

      An Invitation

      The Newmarket Church of Christ is a non-discrete brick building that sits on a hill, a short distance from the four lane road in a fast growing city. Overgrown blue spruce trees hide the church from view on one side of the driveway. Out front a large ditch that could easily swallow several vehicles must be crossed before vehicular and pedestrian traffic are able to enter onto church property. The design of the church entrance makes it very easy for people to drive past and never know there was a church sitting up on a hill. Directly east of the church building is a high rise condominium where the residents know more about what’s happening on the church property than the church members. A rusted chain-link fence keeps us apart with signs reading, No Trespassing. On the west side of the church property is a large vacant lot.

      Across the street is a subdivision that is mixed income. The more affluent residents of the neighborhood are predominately seniors who have owned their homes for more than forty years. Most of the new residents, however, are renters, and in this particular neighborhood many families struggle to make ends meet. Thus, the neighborhood at times is very transient. Standing guard at the entrance into the neighborhood is Tim Horton’s, a coffee shop that always has a line of patrons. This is the neighborhood in which the community of faith I serve is situated.

      One day I leave the office for dinner and jump into my standard S-10 pick-up truck. I throw my bag onto the seat and realize I forgot a book I am hoping to read in the evening. I go back inside and pick up the book that is sitting on my desk. To my horror, I look out the window and see my truck starting to roll down the hill. I run out, jump the railing of the stairs and land on the sidewalk. The rain soaked sidewalk makes my feet slip and I fall flat on my face. I get up only to see my truck careen down the hill, through the rusted fence, and back again, only to disappear in the crevice of the ditch. As a result, I meet a lot of the neighbors in the condominium. For weeks afterwards, I am greeted

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