“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Chapter 4.
There is so much going on just now that could overwhelm us. Every day the news is getting worse. We can be tempted to tackle the problems ourselves, but God invites us to present our requests to Him, to lean on Him, rather than trust in our own understanding.
Prayer goes hand in hand with action, we pray for God to act as we build our communities at the same time. We call upon the Lord and extend our love and support too. We depend on God for everything that we do. As the Edinburgh city motto says: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain” and the psalmist goes on to say: “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
As the economic situation deteriorates and people increasingly feel the pressure on their finances, we seek God in prayer and offer our help. As we witness a huge increase in refugees and asylum seekers who are arriving in Edinburgh, we pray that they settle quickly and grow a support network to help them thrive, and we warmly welcome them. As we support those who are struggling with isolation and mental health issues, we seek God, asking Him to bring His peace and comfort, and we offer friendship and support.
City Vision
These are monthly church-based prayer meetings that rotate round different churches across the city. We pray for the community engagement of the host church and surrounding local churches, the ongoing work of Edinburgh City Mission, and for our church leaders and other community leaders across Edinburgh.
Please get in touch with us if you would like to host a City Vision prayer meeting in your church.
Open Table & Community Catalyst
Edinburgh City Mission has two other prayer meetings where we pray for people, churches, church leaders, other leaders and other organisations.
Open Table is a regular gathering for those who work in organisations involved in missional outreach across Edinburgh, such as Bethany Christian Trust, Safe Families and Junction 42.
Community Catalyst is a regular prayer meeting for church community development workers and for those who have other outreach roles in church ministry. We want to create a space for those in missional roles to connect with others in similar roles and to be supported and encouraged.
At Open Table and Community Catalyst, we meet to share breakfast together and pray for each other’s work, for the people we serve and for blessing over the church in Edinburgh.
If you would be interested in coming along to one of our regular prayer meetings, or you’d like to find out more, get in touch with us at mail@edinburghcitymission.org.uk.
Refugee Prayer Meetings
These are bi-monthly prayer meetings to pray specifically for the needs and concerns of refugees in Edinburgh, together with the support that is being offered to them. We also pray for refugee situations around the world, including long-running conflicts and places that don’t often make the news.
Team Devotions
Our team meet regularly to pray for each other and for the people that we come into contact with, while ensuring we maintain appropriate confidentiality. These prayer times are an opportunity to give thanks to God for everything He has given us and is doing around us, enable us to strengthen our relationships with each other, and increase our awareness of what we’re all up to.
This year we are studying the gospel of Luke!