I’ve always felt that the month of September brings with it an energy of new beginnings. This year our eldest daughter will be starting preschool, so we have been buying her uniform, backpack, and new shoes for this new chapter in her and our lives.

As I feel summer fade to autumn, I feel an excitement for our church too and the opportunities we have to share Jesus with others as we welcome, love, and serve them.

As I consider this new term ahead, there are two Bible verses that I always hold in view. The first is Psalms 127:1, which says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.”

If we want to be a church that is fruitful in its life and witness, then we need to be a church that is praying to God. It is essential that we are individually, and corporately, bringing the needs of each other and our community to God in prayer, asking him to build his church and grow his kingdom according to his promises.

The second Bible is Ephesians 3:20, which reminds me that God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” How amazing is that! God can, and I believe he will do great things in, and through, our congregation this year, but we need to pray.

So as we have done over the last few years, I want to invite you to begin this Autumn term by joining me in praying for the year ahead.

From the 1st to the 8th of September we are holding a special week of prayer for our church, where everyone in our church family is asked to put aside time each day. You pray for as little as 5 minutes each day, or as long as you like. You can pray by yourself, or with your family. You can pray at home, in the car on the way home from the school run, on the bus as you travel to lectures, as you go for a walk, anywhere! The important thing is that we pray.

To help you do that, you can download a Prayer Guide with topics for each day.

Our God is a big God, so let’s pray big prayers!