21-29 September 2024
In their September letter, our bishops called for a specific focus on praying for an increase in vocations to stipendiary ordained ministry. This is not to the detriment of any other ministry but recognises that these specific shortages are cause for concern.
What follows, therefore, are first some specific resources relating to praying for stipendiary ordained incumbents on 29 September, and then some resources for previous eight days, in which you are invited to pray for God’s blessing on the full range of other vocations.
On Sunday 29 September, please pray for:
- An increase in appointments to stipendiary incumbent posts in the coming year
- An increase in the number to be ordained stipendiary deacons in 2025
- An increase in the number exploring vocations to stipendiary ministry in the coming
year
You will find a range of resources below to either shape your Sunday service to reflect this
theme or to, at least, bring a focus to the intercessions.
Virtual Prayer Room
If you would like to pray personally on that day, please visit the virtual prayer room we have set up:
You can still book for an hour’s slot, even if someone else’s name is already recorded there.
Liturgical Resources
The Feast of St Michael and All Angels is a very suitable one to pray for this theme. Read more.
Alternatively, you could use the readings and liturgy created for Vocations Sunday. Read more
Our own website has some resources for this, including the set readings and a Bible reflection. Read more.
Prayer Diary for Vocations
Saturday 21 September – Celebration of Lay Ministry Service and the Vocations Fair
This is a day to celebrate the many ways in which Christians are called to serve Christ. Today, we give thanks for every member of the Body of Christ. The word vocation means ‘called’, and we believe that every Christian is called by God. Today, at Doncaster Minister, we will be celebrating that calling is at heart of who we all are as Christians.
PRAYER – Give thanks today for those who have blessed you by their calling.
Sunday 22 September – Lights for Christ
Every Christian is called from the moment they respond to the call of Christ to ‘Follow me’. Today we reflect on our own call from our baptism. We celebrate the way that all of us have followed the call of Christ in our homes, schools, workplaces, churches and communities. It is also a day to reflect on where God might be calling us next.
PRAYER – Pray that every Christian would know that it is normal to hear a call from God. Reflect on your own call and listen to see if God might be calling you to something new.
Monday 23 September – Locally commissioned ministries
There are so many people in our Church congregations who we give thanks for their service and ministry. Today we pray for those who work to bring Christ’s serving love into their communities. Whether serving refreshments, cleaning the church, leading small groups or offering pastoral ministries, we give thanks for the local servant hearted people who serve in our churches. We also pray that Christ would help us see where there is need to serve in our communities and that people would hear a call to serve in those areas.
PRAYER – Give thanks for all those who serve in your Church today. Also pray that God would help you see where there is need in your church/community to call those who may be able to help.
Tuesday 24 September – Ministries authorised by the Diocese
There are many people in our Diocese who are called to a specific ministry within our church. Today, we give thanks for evangelists, focal ministers, spiritual accompaniers and children’s, families and youth ministers. We thank you for those who use their gifts and expertise to proclaim the gospel and bless our Diocese in Jesus’ name. We also prayer that God would continue to call people in our churches to these vital ministries.
PRAYER – Pray for someone you know who is an authorised minister in your church and pray that God would continue to call people forward into these ministries.
Wednesday 24 September – Nationally Licensed Lay Ministries
There are some ministers within our churches who have done specific training and have been nationally licensed to their calling. In our Diocese we give thanks for Readers and Church Army evangelists who lead people to God through teaching, preaching and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.
PRAYER – Pray for those living out and those exploring a call to these specific ministries.
Thursday 26 September – Children’s, Youth and Families Ministries
Jesus said, let the children come to me. Today we give thanks for those who are called to make that a reality. Whether helping on Sundays within church services or supporting children, young people and families at other times in the week, the church would be poorer without those ministries.
PRAYER – Pray for those who serve in these ministries as well as those who lead them. Please pray for our young people on the Ministry Experience Scheme in our Diocese as they have started a new calling this month.
Friday 27 September – Chaplains
There are many people both lay and ordained who serve as chaplains in out Diocese. We give thanks for those who are called to specific areas of need whether in hospitals, schools, universities, prisons, care homes, or even sports teams. Alongside this we hope to discover new places where chaplaincy can be a blessing.
PRAYER – Pray for our chaplains, in particular that God would give them the emotional and spiritual strength to support others in their time of need.
Saturday 28 September – Self-Supporting Ordained Ministers
We give thanks in our churches for those who serve as ordained ministers and in particular today we give thanks for our many self-supporting and retired clergy who give an abundance of time, energy, care and expertise in our churches. Today we celebrate the range of different callings that God gives within ordained ministry and we rejoice in every life they change in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER – Pray for our Self-supporting and retired clergy today, in particular the way they often juggle multiple different callings and give thanks for the effect they have on our churches and our Diocese.
Sunday 29 September – Stipendiary Ministers
PRAYER – Please pray that ordained ministers might hear the call to the Diocese of Sheffield to be Oversight ministers; that we would be able to appoint a good group of curates this year in the Diocese; that in our nation people would hear a call to ordained ministry.
A word about fasting
You might be in a church where people fast but it is probably fair to say that the practice has fallen out of fashion in many places. So, a few pointers might be helpful:
- Fasting is not an attempt to twist God’s arm. In the Bible, it often expressed a particular urgency or seriousness in prayer about an issue.
- Fasting is most commonly thought of as going without food (and drinks). Even if including drinks, you should still take water to remain hydrated.
- If you are not used to fasting, it is wise to start small. You could consider skipping breakfast and not eating before a morning service (a common practice for some anyway). You could pray in the time you would have been eating. Alternatively, use lunchtime to the same end.
- People with certain medical conditions are not advised to go without food. You should never feel pressured to do something that is potentially bad for your health.
- There are, however, other kinds of fast. Could you avoid TV, computer, phone calls or social media that morning to make space for prayer?