ST MARY THE VIRGIN
WELSH NEWTON
Prayer at St Mary's
Prayer is one of the most important ways we have to grow and nurture our faith. St Mary's is open 24/7 and you are welcome to come in any time to sit and pray in this peaceful place. We have prayer cards if you need help with what to say, and you can light a candle in memory of a loved one at the front of the church. See below for all the ways that prayer is taking place at St Mary's and how to make a prayer request.
24-hour Advent Prayer Vigil
9am Saturday 28 November - 9am Sunday 29 November
Start the Advent season with a time of quiet reflection and join us as we pray in one-hour shifts for 24 hours. The vigil will end with 9am Holy Communion.
You can either pray in the church or at home (note: there are safeguarding measures in place for the hours of darkness, so please contact stmaryswelshnewton@gmail.com if you are signing up for a slot at the church between 5pm and 7am).
You can sign up here. Note: you are very welcome to sign up for more than one slot and unless a slot has been booked exclusively, more than one person can sign up for an individual slot.
Christian meditation
On the first and third Sundays of each month we meet in the church at 9am to be in the presence of God. We sit in silence for about 20 minutes. You don't need any experience of prayer or meditation to join us. You can find out more about it here.
Afterwards you are very welcome to stay on for Outdoor Church with breakfast, worship, a discussion around the firepit about a Bible passage, and outdoor activities for the children.
Prayer requests
We believe strongly that God answers prayers. He calls us to bring our worries, anxieties and burdens to Him. If there's anything you'd like us to pray about, there's a prayer request box at the back of the church, where you can put your requests (you don't need to give names if you want to remain anonymous). Alternatively you can email your prayer request to stmaryswelshnewton@gmail.com. We will treat your prayer requests with sensitivity and in confidence. Mark your request "Confidential" if you wish it to remain anonymous.
LECTIO 365
Lectio365 is a daily prayer app created by the 24/7 prayer team. It provides a wonderful daily morning and evening prayer reflection.
Church of England Daily Prayer
The Church of England offers many prayer resources including Morning, Evening and Night Prayer liturgy.