Would like ideas re. prayer chain

[SallyMargie]

Hi: I’m currently the lead person in our church prayer chain. I’m honored and humbled to do this job, and the prayer requests remind me not to feel sorry for my lot in life when days are rough.

I want to update the prayer chain this spring, and would like to find an inexpensive way to thank those who belong to the prayer chain–perhaps a small prayer book or such.

Does anyone have any specific ideas? Most are elderly women and some have difficulty with eyesight, so I’d like to find something that could benefit them also. There are approximately 40 women on our prayer chain.

Thanks and God bless!

 

[stbruno]

autom.com/ Is a catalog resource for affordable items. Or you can have a mass offered for your prayer chain group, and let all those people know when it is.

But I tell you what older ladies enjoy…bake some cookies or make homemade soup and put in jars to share. They will talk about it for years.

 

[SallyMargie]

autom.com/ Is a catalog resource for affordable items. Or you can have a mass offered for your prayer chain group, and let all those people know when it is.

But I tell you what older ladies enjoy…bake some cookies or make homemade soup and put in jars to share. They will talk about it for years.

stbruno: These are all wonderful ideas!! I will check out Autom, and keep your ideas handy. God bless you!

 

[thistle]

Hi: I’m currently the lead person in our church prayer chain. I’m honored and humbled to do this job, and the prayer requests remind me not to feel sorry for my lot in life when days are rough.

I want to update the prayer chain this spring, and would like to find an inexpensive way to thank those who belong to the prayer chain–perhaps a small prayer book or such.

Does anyone have any specific ideas? Most are elderly women and some have difficulty with eyesight, so I’d like to find something that could benefit them also. There are approximately 40 women on our prayer chain.

Thanks and God bless!

What is a prayer chain?

 

[SallyMargie]

What is a prayer chain?

Hi thistle:
In our prayer chain, those with prayer requests phone me with their intentions. I then phone 2 other ladies who lead a sort of ‘subdivision’ of others who belong to the prayer chain. They then phone the next person with the intention, then that person passes on the request to the next person, etc. So it ends up with many people praying for a specific request.
The prayer requests don’t have to be specific, but sometimes are, for example if a person was hurt in an accident, or having surgery. They can be first names only, or can just call it a “special intention” to be prayed for. We find these prayers very powerful. God bless!

 

[thistle]

Hi thistle:
In our prayer chain, those with prayer requests phone me with their intentions. I then phone 2 other ladies who lead a sort of ‘subdivision’ of others who belong to the prayer chain. They then phone the next person with the intention, then that person passes on the request to the next person, etc. So it ends up with many people praying for a specific request.
The prayer requests don’t have to be specific, but sometimes are, for example if a person was hurt in an accident, or having surgery. They can be first names only, or can just call it a “special intention” to be prayed for. We find these prayers very powerful. God bless!

Thanks.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I’ve seen prayer chains at different parishes through the years. In all cases, they ended up becoming gossip lines.

I have no use for them.

If you know some on in need, pray for them. There is no need to form a prayer chain, which tends to serve the people praying, more than the person being prayed for.

Jim

 

[SallyMargie]

I’ve seen prayer chains at different parishes through the years. In all cases, they ended up becoming gossip lines.

I have no use for them.

If you know some on in need, pray for them. There is no need to form a prayer chain, which tends to serve the people praying, more than the person being prayed for.

Jim

Probably true in some cases, though I hate to judge their hearts. I do know some of these people are sincere ‘prayer warriors’ and strong Catholics and I know them not to be gossips. For example, one lady just retired from nursing. She once told me she prayed for evey single patient she worked with. Cool!! And as for those who choose to gossip: probably the day will come when they will need prayers, and this may ‘cure’ them.
Have a great day and God bless.

 

[tobinatorstark]

You can always order a bunch of rosary rings. They are very inexpensive (most) in fact our K of C council purchased 600 of them and it amounted to only 15 cents a piece. There are some deals probably going on like that.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Probably true in some cases, though I hate to judge their hearts. I do know some of these people are sincere ‘prayer warriors’ and strong Catholics and I know them not to be gossips. For example, one lady just retired from nursing. She once told me she prayed for evey single patient she worked with. Cool!! And as for those who choose to gossip: probably the day will come when they will need prayers, and this may ‘cure’ them.
Have a great day and God bless.

True, many people are sincere, my wife was one of them. However, she left when the gossip became dominant, and prayer became secondary.

This happened to every prayer chain that I’ve ever seen.

Perhaps if you see it happening and nip it in the bud, you’ll be OK.

Anyway, won’t know til you try.

God Bless
Jim

 

[SallyMargie]

You can always order a bunch of rosary rings. They are very inexpensive (most) in fact our K of C council purchased 600 of them and it amounted to only 15 cents a piece. There are some deals probably going on like that.

Great idea! I would not have thought of that. Thanks and God bless!

 

[redrosetea]

I’ve seen prayer chains at different parishes through the years. In all cases, they ended up becoming gossip lines.

I have no use for them.

If you know some on in need, pray for them. There is no need to form a prayer chain, which tends to serve the people praying, more than the person being prayed for.

Jim

I am sorry you feel this way…I started one years ago and we have prayed people through some awful times in their lives

We keep the terminal ones on till they see the Face of God

You are making some very uncharitable and untrue remarks,I think you should ask God to forgive you for your lack of charity

I rarely converse with anyone outside of passing on a prayer request …It is all done by phone…It has been going for years…These dear ladies prayed and held me up when my own husband was diagnosed with cancer

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I am sorry you feel this way…I started one years ago and we have prayed people through some awful times in their lives

We keep the terminal ones on till they see the Face of God

You are making some very uncharitable and untrue remarks,I think you should ask God to forgive you for your lack of charity

I rarely converse with anyone outside of passing on a prayer request …It is all done by phone…It has been going for years…These dear ladies prayed and held me up when my own husband was diagnosed with cancer

I’m sorry if you see my experience with prayer chains as being uncharitable, but its what happened.

Sorry if my experience upsets you.

Jim

 

[tobinatorstark]

Great idea! I would not have thought of that. Thanks and God bless!

some website the Rosary rings are under a dollar or so. But then again there are some like on EWTN website that are 30.00. BTW, how many people do you have in your prayer chain.

 

[SallyMargie]

some website the Rosary rings are under a dollar or so. But then again there are some like on EWTN website that are 30.00. BTW, how many people do you have in your prayer chain.

It hasn’t been updated in awhile, but I believe there are currently around 30.

 

[redrosetea]

I’m sorry if you see my experience with prayer chains as being uncharitable, but its what happened.

Sorry if my experience upsets you.

Jim

What upsets me is you are using your experience to make blanket statments about everyone else…They are untrue…Much of the time we may not even know who we are praying for personally…They are a name…I come from a large parish we get requests to pray for those that aren’t even catholic…Many of the people we don’t know presonally…We all make 1 call to the nest person on the chain to give them a name and a request

It appears to me you think you ae better than those struggling to offer their prayers for others

People come to us for help and we do our best to prayerfully assist them in their times of sorrow

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I know Jim can defend himself but…

What upsets me is you are using your experience to make blanket statments about everyone else…They are untrue…

He said…

I’ve seen prayer chains at different parishes through the years. In all cases, they ended up becoming gossip lines.

This is not a blanket statement about everyone else.

He clearly states that this is what he has experienced.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

redrosetea;

What upsets me is you are using your experience to make blanket statments about everyone else…

No, I didn’t.

I said what my experience with prayer chains has been, and as a result, I have no use for them. I’ve seen people harmed from the gossip that came out of them.

There are a lot of people with good intentions, praying for people.

However, the problem is, keeping control over the participants so that they don’t become gossip circles, which I have seen happen time and time again.

It appears to me you think you ae better than those struggling to offer their prayers for others

I think you’re over reacting emotionally to what I’ve said, and now have chosen to attack me personally.

I have nothing else to say.

Jim

 

[St_Gabriel]

Here are is an idea for your prayer chain.

Work with the parish priest to find out who are the engaged couples in your parish and pair each couple with a person from your prayer chain. Have that person pray for a particular couple. Then at then end of their engagement weekend let them know that someone was praying specifically for the success of their marriage. They’ll be delighted to know that they have someone praying for them!