_

How to Spend Your Time

1. Presence [2-5 minutes]: Invite God’s presence in your heart and mind. You might:
   a. Listen to a favourite praise song.
   b. Slowly read a favourite scripture passage.
   c. Just breathe slowly for a few minutes while imagining yourself in a peaceful setting.
   _
2. Prayer [20-40 minutes]: We respond to the God’s presence with “all kinds of prayers
   and requests” (Eph. 6:18):
   a. Adoration – reflect on the beauty of God’s creation
   b. Thanksgiving – reflect on God’s blessings in your life
   c. Petition (ask for ourselves) – what do you need God’s help with
   d. Intercession (ask for others) – who or what comes to mind that needs God’s hand
   [see the list below of NBUC’s concerns and initiatives]
   _
3.  Joy [5-20 minutes]: Return to your favourite way of simply enjoying God’s presence,
   whether it’s music, journaling, centering prayer (see guidelines below), or reflecting on scripture.

NBUC Initiatives and Concerns

Personal Transformation

• That our young adult community will continue to be more engaged in the life of Christ.
• That the Holy Spirit will continue to work in all of us so we can grow in a deeper relationship with Jesus, be more connected to the God’s plan for us individually and be open to the nudges of the Holy Spirit.
• Give thanks for small group ministry, pray for Kelly Anderson as the Small Group Lead and her leadership so that this ministry can continue to help people grow in the relationship with God and experience greater transformation.
• That in this time we will find new and fulfilling rhythms where we can lean into you.

Alpha

• That all attending Alpha, Alpha Marriage and Youth Alpha on Zoom right now will be opened to experience a life with Jesus in a deep way.
• That everyone in our church would set their phone alarms for 11:02am every day as a way of remembering and thinking about people we want to share Jesus with
• That those delivering Alpha through the online platforms will be equipped with all they need to share the content and passion for Jesus in this manner.

Worship

• That all that attend worship are able to adapt and still experience God’s presence, the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit through the online worship experience
• Give our worship team the gifts and skills that they need to open the minds and hearts of all that attend to experience your presence more deeply
• Let our messages reach people where they are in their faith journey, let the messages be relevant to day to day life and move people into a deeper relationship with you and experience the love of Jesus more deeply
• Let our online platforms be stable and able to handle the increased traffic especially on Sunday mornings
• Pray for all those involved in pulling together our Sunday services, give them energy and creativity to bridge the distance of our computers

24/7 Prayer

• Rise up a deeper desire for us all to grow in our prayer life and experience the benefits of spending time with God, accepting the love of Jesus and receiving power and presence of the Holy Spirit
• Let more and more people experience your love and presence in spending an hour with you giving them bigger hearts moved to action in ministry and justice to help your Kingdom Come
• That we can fill all the hours of the week so we have 24/7 prayer 7 days a week, currently there are 69 open hours
• Help us to create and deliver opportunities for us to pray together in this time of isolation
• That we can develop a plan to safely open the 24/7 Prayer Room

The Journey Neighbourhood Centre

• Resource The Journey with the people they need to bring hope and faith into this community.
• Thankful for the staff at The Journey, as they are beacons of Hope now more than ever before
• For the people of the Ardglen/Orenda area, that they can find the supports they need right now
• Thankful for the community that is rallying around to help provide support
• For The Journey Thrift, that it may serve as a resource for the ministries at The Journey Neighbourhood Centre, staff it with caring volunteers and may it be a source of hope and faith in the community as well as a place to find needed items at reduced prices.

Congregational Care

• For the many people in our NBUC family who are in hospital or long term care or feeling isolated that they have a sense of God’s presence and love.
• Provide guidance to our healing ministry on how best to bring your miraculous healing to the congregation.
• Help us serve those with mental illness and their families.
• Help us to connect with all who are looking for the sense of community

Time, Talents and Treasures

• That people will be continually grow in the joy of giving to resource the ministries that you have called NBUC to provide.
• That people with a heart for our children and youth with the necessary gifts come forward to help with Children’s Ministry teachers Youth Affinity Groups
• That new people with the gifts to serve our online worship community area will step forward to help this community grow.

Leadership

• Come Holy Spirit Come …fill our leaders, staff and all that serve, with all that they need and more to fulfil the calling you have put on their heart in serve of your kingdom.
• For unity amongst the members of the church on the mission and ministries as nothing is more beautiful in this world than a church united on a common vision.
• We pray for God to bring the right person in the right time to be our second ordained minister as we look to the future and that the resources will come to enable this to happen
• 2020 initiatives and goals of Worship Growth, Intentional Discipleship, Expanded Online Ministry, Increased Outreach and Affirming Ministry
• We pray for our “Rally Cry” to share Christ’s Hope with everyone in Brampton and beyond by reaching out to all and investing in the next generation and that we can continue to live into it.
• For leading us in our core values to become a Passionately Christ Centered, Radically Inclusive and Relentlessly Reaching out church
• For continued clarity, leadership, energy and unity as we discern how we are to Re- imagine the church
• Open our minds and give us new ideas focused on what we can do
• Pray for the Reopening Committee and the decisions around the steps and stages, when to open and how, for the processes they are rolling out to keep everyone safe when coming into the building
• We pray for the Good News Podcast, the new podcast that Jamie and team are putting together. May it carry good news to all in Brampton and beyond, may it be a source of God’s good news in the world.

Our City

• That all city, provincial and federal leaders in all capacities are given wisdom, energy and discernment as they develop plans for the next phases in the handling COVID 19
• God, please provide the council of Brampton wisdom, discernment on all the decision that they make about the future of our city. Help them to be focused on how to serve this great City.
• For our Police we pray for their protection and the protection of our city. Please provide a renewed sense of peace in this city reducing crime, make our roads safe and bring effective ideas on how the drug and human trafficking can be reduced.
• Give all who serve in these areas hope and strength
• Please provide Regeneration all the resources that they need for this ministry
• For our Fire Department please keep them safe as they work to keep this city safe
• For our Hospital and all that serve in the medical field give them the resources and skills that they need to provide healing and care to those that they serve.
• For our schools we pray for the teachers, gift them with a deep love for the children in their class rooms, the energy needed for this new learning platform (whether in person or online) and a passion to shape these minds.
• We pray for the mental health of all that serve this city, especially those working in essential services; strengthen, renew and restore them for the work they have been called to do.
• For our community, may we all live into the city’s recommendations of staying home where able and staying safe

Anti-black Racism

• Pray for people to be open to talking about George Floyd’s death, that we can be gracious with each other as we try to find the right words and to not be silent which means we may mess up sometimes but talk about it anyway
• Prayers of confession for the role we have played in anti-black racism and acknowledge that systemic anti-black racism is more real than any of us would admit
• God’s healing and reconciling work as we together build a world Jesus intended where all nations live and serve together
• Please pray for peaceful protests