Prayer

Prayer for all Christians is right at the heart of keeping in touch with God.

Individual prayer and prayer time shared with others are both vital.

So here at St Margaret's, we encourage prayer in all its dimensions.

PRAYER ON SUNDAYS is something that we share in our main service together. 

In the style of most Church of England churches, much of our service is organised around set prayers that have their origins in centuries of worship in this country. 

Our service does, however, also always include a time of prayer that is led by a member of the congregation.  The prayers said at this point in the service might remind us of a special theme for the day or of particular issues that are of concern to all of us, such as war and violence in today's world or those members of our church who are serving God elsewhere in the world right now.  We also use this opportunity to pray for those who are sick and who have died recently.

PRAYER CELLS are another place in which some of us choose to gather together to share perhaps more private concerns in prayer, as well as bigger worldy concerns.  At the moment, we have two prayer cells - one just for men and one for women, as we find separating the sexes somehow works better for this kind of prayer!  Each cell has only a few members and aims to meet fortnightly for between one or two hours.  The prayer cells become a real place for mutual care and support and somehow (praise God!) they seem to bring greater momentum to the rest of our church's life.

INDIVIDUAL PRAYER is like getting to know a friend really well, by spending time with them on a one-to-one basis.  It is about time to listen to God, as much as to speak.  Stillness, Bible reading, expression of real feelings (including the bad ones) to God make our relationship with him an open and honest one.  And he can use our honesty in ways that he can use nothing else. A little time each day alone with God can make such a difference!  Why not try it?  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can use our church worship area to snatch a few quiet moments, if it isn't easy to do so at home. 

Bible Study & Faith Exploration

Just like prayer, there is a place both in church and at home for reading the Bible and exploring how to live out a life of faith. 

Here at St Margaret's, we also believe that there is a very important place for doing these things in a more intimate group than in a church service. 

 In order to create this context for study and exploration, previously one of our members hosted a fortnightly Bible Study group.  Recently, however, our way of doing things has changed.  Now we invite interested individuals to become members of a group called 'The Explorers'.  'Explorers' meet for a series of weekly sessions lasting up to two months, approximately three times each year.  Not every 'Explorer' is expected to attend each of the three courses.  Instead, individuals can choose to dip in and out of particular courses, according to their personal commitments or interests.  But we do ask that members try to commit to as much as they can of any one course that they start, as much for their own sense of achievement as ours.  The six-session course, 'Lord, teach us to pray' started in early September 2008