Dear Edgeboro Family & Friends,

In the spring of 2013, I was helping to host an online book study. We would gather regularly on a video conference call at the same time once a week. One of those times fell on April 15th—the day of the Boston Marathon bombings. I remember that most of us had our TVs on as we got online and we could each hear the news coverage playing in the background of each of our video feeds. In a moment that still stands out to me to this day, we collectively decided to put our book aside and pray for those in Boston. We prayed through the Intercessions in Time of Crisis liturgy in the Moravian Book of Worship with the news coverage still going on in the background. It was a powerful experience because the news coverage put us “on the scene.” It strengthened our connection with the people we were praying for.

Prayer, no matter who you are or where you are, is so important, but sometimes we might need something extra to energize and focus our prayers. We did this in worship on July 14th. During worship in our sanctuary, we regularly pray for our families, neighbors, and community. On this particular day, we energized our prayers by walking around the church and the neighborhood. Though the words and focus of our prayers were not unfamiliar, they were put into a new light because we were walking through the places where our prayers were directed.

Sometimes we might need something extra to energize and focus our prayers. For Moravians, the month of August is full of those opportunities for prayer.

• August 7th is the Prayer Day for World Peace and Nuclear Disarmament in the Northern Province. This could be a day to focus our prayers on our national and international brothers and sisters.
• August 13th is a special day in the worldwide Moravian Church because on that day in 1727, the Moravian Church was renewed in Herrnhut, Germany after the Holy Spirit moved Count Zinzendorf and many others to unite despite their differences to continue living in a community that would change the world. This could be a day to focus our prayers on the church and on our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
• August 21st is another special day in the worldwide Moravian Church because on that day, Moravian mission was founded. In 1732, the first missionaries set out from Herrnhut and traveled to St. Thomas in the Caribbean. This could be a day to focus our prayers on the work and ministry that Jesus is calling us to do.
• August 28th is the Prayer Day for Public Education in the Northern Province. Just before schools come back into session after the summer, we have the opportunity to focus our prayers on all the people involved in education.

Mark your calendars and take that extra effort to energize and focus your prayers. We have a lot to do and a lot to pray for this month.

Praying with you,
Pastor Dan