Lay participation in the service is one of the things that makes the 9:00 am service at First†Metropolitan special. Here are a few resources which will assist you if you have offered to help with the service and are getting stuck writing Prayers of the People:

Here are some suggestions for Prayers of the People:

• The prayer usually has an opening that names who/what we are addressing (e.g., Holy One, Creator God, Divine Mystery
• This is followed by a statement of thanks, e.g., for the beauty of nature, for families, for our church, etc.
• Then there are petitions which can include prayers for the world, prayers for our nation and province, prayers for our city and church, prayers for our own church family, members of our own families and ourselves.
• The prayer can be ended with a reiteration of thanks and a prayer for wisdom/guidance as we move into the activities of our lives.
• It can also be helpful to include elements of the Scripture and sermon messages and prayers related to world events or church celebrations in our prayer. See the Lectionary resources below.

A few websites that might be helpful in composing Prayers of the People include:

• The Centre for Liturgy website of St. Louis university posts prayers that follow lectionary themes.
• Each week, the World Council of Churches names a part of the world we might wish to pray for. If you click on that suggestion, you’ll pull up more specific prayer suggestions.
• Richard Fairchild’s Lectionary resource site includes a large list of resources, but by sifting through the possibility, you’ll likely find your own favourites.
• Bruce Prewer, a minister in the Uniting Church of Australia, has a website that includes entire liturgies, including his sermons. In the midst of this material, you can find good prayers.
• Nathan Nettleton, another Australian preacher has a webpage with easy to access prayers.
• World Prayers is a site dedicated to gathering the great prayers of the world  into one database. Though these sacred verses arise from divergent paths, voices, languages, cultures and heritages, they all carry within them the same burning flame – the same impassioned love for life and the divine mysteries.
• The United Church of Canada website has downloadable copies of the lectionary for the current liturgical season and links to external sites where you can view the Scripture passages in several different versions of the Bible.