Prayers in Small Groups

The following ideas are a list of ways to introduce prayer and have been used by members of small groups, particularly in homegroup situations, at St. John’s Church. Please feel free to use any of these ideas in your own group. Perhaps you have found a way to pray that you feel others would find helpful. If this is so then please leave details of this type of prayer with the church office and we will be pleased to consider adding it to this list.

Before beginning the list there are a few thoughts that anyone leading prayer may like to consider:

(a) Confidentiality: Every member of any group has to be confident that their prayer request is treated with confidentiality and details, therefore, must not be shared outside the group.

(b) Thanks: It is always good and encouraging to hear how God has answered prayer and to offer a time for thanksgiving.

(c) Candles: A cross or a lighted candle to represent the light of Christ, perhaps with some music to start, can be a useful focus for prayer.

The group can then proceed as follows:

(1) Each member of the prayer group has their own ‘prayer book’ in which details of prayer requests are recorded so that people can pray throughout the week.

(2) The names of every member of the group are written on a piece of paper, folded and the papers placed into a basket which is then passed around the room. Each person takes a name from the basket and prays for that person for the week. If someone draws their own name it is simply exchanged.

(3) A simple sentence is written onto a card to express a person or situation needing prayer that can be offered to God. For example the card might say, “Dear Lord, I pray for…..” As the card is passed around each person is invited to read from the card and place a need known to them in the blank space.

(4) As above, but using a candle, each person in turn receives the candle and has an opportunity to make a simple request.

(5) People in the group can prepare in advance by choosing a written prayer from a prayer book, or by writing a prayer themselves, to read at the meeting.

(6) Pray together well known prayers such as The Lord’s Prayer or The Grace.

(7) Prayer requests are shared verbally and then there is a time of silence while people pray for these needs. (If preferred, quiet music can be played at this time.)

(8) If there are a number of requests each one can be written down on a piece of paper and placed on a table so that they can act as a prompt during a time of open prayer (i.e.- prayer when people pray aloud one at a time, as inspired.)

(9) Write down a prayer request and place it in a central pot. Each to take another request to pray for during the week.

(10)Working in pairs, discuss quietly any special needs or requests with your partner and then either pray quietly or in silence for your partner. This can work well by the person being prayed for holding their hands together in a posture of prayer whilst the pray-er puts their hands together over the hands of the person they are praying for. Swap after a short time of prayer so that each person is prayed for.

(11) Each person is invited to take a pebble (or something similar) from a bowl. This represents a prayer burden or concern and then to place it by a small cross or by a lit candle. As they do so they can simply think about the person or problem that is of concern to them or someone else. Such a prayer would probably be drawn to a close with a short prayer of thanks/petition by the person leading the meeting.

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