It doesn’t matter where or when, just keep praying on the prayer chain!
My name is Jan Randall and I coordinate the prayer chain at St Saviour’s.
The prayer chain is an unseen group of more than 50 people who dedicate themselves to prayer. Andy always says, “We pray, God acts” and we have found this to be reassuringly true.
The ‘prayer warriors’ are a diverse group of all ages. You won’t know who they all are; they don’t know who they all are either. I’m looking forward to arranging a ‘reveal party’ when we can meet each other; it will be a true surprise party!!
It’s my job as coordinator to receive prayer requests and send them out to the members of the prayer chain. This disparate group pray wherever and whenever is best for them. They pray … immediately, with morning coffee, with afternoon tea, before bed, walking, driving, showering, walking the dog, in the night. They pray everywhere, anywhere, at any time.
It is also my joy to send out answers to prayer – restoration to good health, a return from hospital, a peaceful death. Sometimes we have no answers to our prayers, but that’s OK too; we are committed to pray, not because we need to hear an answer. But last year Andy calculated that we heard answers to 76% of the prayer requests – how wonderfully encouraging!
My job has been tiring in this pandemic year: more people ill, more with emotional or mental problems, more are lonely, more have died. But as the burden has grown so has the honour to serve, knowing that I stand with so many others in prayer – just as so many stood with us when we needed prayer, standing for two days a week for eight months next to the cot of a very sick little grandbaby in Great Ormond Street Hospital. Miraculously, the medics, only this week, have said that they can see no sign at all of the condition that was destined to take her life before she reached school age – praise God!!
I hope that if you need prayer that you will contact me, or Clare in the office, or Andy, and you can know that over 50 people hear your call and will stand with you, lifting you to our loving Father.
And if you want to join the prayer chain, we will be so glad to have you join us … remember … “We pray, God acts!”
Jan Randall, prayer chain coordinator
