MTIMA WOYERA CATHOLIC CHARISTIMATI C PRAYER GROUP

Meetings: Thursday at 5:00 up to 6:30p.m

ESSENTIAL PRAYER MEETING COMPONENTS

An introduction to---Our Lady Africa Group (Catholic Charistimatic Renewal)

Who and What are we? PRAYER GROUP By prayer we mean primarily prayer of praise and thanks to God. As one of Our songs puts it ,We come together to sing Gods praise-alleluia! .This is our basic purpose-as indeed it is for every human who ,in the words of St. Ignatius Loyola, is created to praise ,reverence, and serve God our Lord. This is also the primary purpose of the great central act of our religion, the Eucharistic Liturgy, this sacrifice of praise (Roman Canon). Just as Christians generally do on Sundays, we meet once a week to celebrate the work of our salvation, not by getting drunk with bear, but filled with the Spirit, addressing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing and making melody to the Lord with all your hearts, always and in everything giving thanks to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph.5:18) Our name says it all:

From this basic function of regular communal praise and thanks giving, we find that the Lords knits us together into Christian community of Love and service of one another and of the world in which we live. Of high importance in our group is our prayer ministry, which includes praying with or over those who come to seek spiritual or physical or inner (emotional) healing at our hands. Declare your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may find healing.(James 5:16)

In our fellowship in-the-Lord, we support one another in many other ways; in simple friendship, in instruction and counsel, in encouragement and brotherly correction if needed be in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, with the message of truth and the power of God (2Cor.6:6)

CHARISTIMATIC

In our prayer together and in our personal lives, we expressly seek the gifts (In Greek, charismata) that the father has lavished upon His people through the reconciliation affected by the Blood of Jesus Christ. The basic gift is the Holy spirit, sent by Jesus Christ from the Father as His first Gift to those who believe, to complete His work on earth and bring us the fullness of Grace .As the Spirit Himself the very personification of divine love, this first and fundamental Gift to us is, in effect, the love of God poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Rom 5:5),that same love (Greek, agape) which St. Paul describes so beautifully in 1 Cor.13 Along with this basic gift of love, the fruits of which ought to become apparent in our everyday lives (Gal.5:22),there are special gifts of charisms which the Spirit bestows not so much for ones own spiritual growth as for the growth, the strengthening, and the healing of the community. The best list of such gifts is found in 1 Cor.12:7.but there are other charism mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament that are given to some to one person, some to another according to the need. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good..But it is one and the same Spirit who produces all these gifts, distributing them to each as he wills (Cor.7:11).As Charistimatic Christians, we take to heart Pauls injunction to seek eagerly after love; and set your hearts on the spiritual gifts above all, the gift of prophecy (1Cor.14:1)

ESSENTIAL PRAYER MEETINGS COMPONENTS

INTRODUCTION AND GREETINGS (Start at 5:00 Pm) (We meet to give glory and praise to God as a Community and to support and pray with one another)

1. Begin with an Opening Prayer/ Song -e.g. St .Michael, Come Holy Spirit, Other 2. Make the Sign of the Cross -Be sure to start on time every week

3.

Extend a Welcome - to regular ,occasional and especially new members

PRAISE TIME-TO GIVE ALL PRAISE, GLORY AND HONOUR TO GOD 1. Song of Praise -Song with words addressed to God, not about God -Can repeat first verse of each song at the end -Can repeat the chorus at the end, even several times -Can repeat the last line to end -Raise hands -Smooth and fast transitions from song to song -Encourage brief praise and tongues between songs -No delays between songs 2. Prayer to take Authority said after a couple of songs. 3. Transition Song: Sing a slower paced song (One)

QUIET TIME (Listen, What God say) 1. Explanation ( 1 Minute) -maintain silence for a few minutes -wait for invitation from leader after period of silence -encourage word gifts, prophecies, tongues, interpretations - Wait for sense or urgency - to be for the group, not the individual - be Audible, Brief, and Christ-like (ABC) - quite pauses before the next one

2. Lead-in song (One, quite, appropriate words) 3. Quite time -leader keeps record of Word given for the community, as it is presented during the Quite Time 4. Leader Summary of Word to the community (brief 2 minutes) 5. Transition Song (Sing a chorus 3x, all Standing)

TEACHING TIME 1. Prayer 2. Leader introduces and leads in prayer for the preacher 3. Preaching ( 30 minutes ) 4. Leader thanks the preacher 5. Discussion time-large or small group 6. Transition Song (If possible): ask all to stand for a song of praise SHARING TIME 1. Leader invites people to share Gods positive action in their lives during the past week 2. Leader invites all to offer prayers of thanksgiving for this evidence of Gods love in our lives INTERCESSORY PRAYER AND PETITIONS 1. Leader invites all to present prayers of petition -for all people - for our Church, Parish, Community -for the sick -for ourselves 2. If desired, sing a final song of praise.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Make announcement -re next meeting -location, time, plans -re collection if needed -re upcoming outside events 2. Offer thanks and invitations (to bring many souls for Christ and His Church)

CONCLUDING PRAYER (Should be no later than 6:30Pm) 1. Leader invites all to join hands and pray -Common prayer-Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be 2. Closing blessing from Spiritual Director ( If available)

MUSIC MINISTRY What? a) To choose the music ahead of time b) To coordinate the instrumentalists c) To run the overhead d) To sing and/or play e) To lead and encourage the group to sing f) To unite the group in common praise How? -The music ministry should meet with, or be contacted by, the praise leader to plan the music program before the prayer meeting date. -The music ministry will meet before the meeting time with meeting leader and the preacher for a time of prayer. -The music ministry should be playing by 4:30 p.m. and be ready to begin all meetings on time at 4.40pm -The time of praise before our masses should also begin at 5:00 p.m -Being in this ministry may involve attending some practice sessions (at a separate time or before meeting).We needs to be united in our praise). -Choose songs the prayer group members like, know already or are very easy to learn; ask occasionally.

-Keep binder of song overheads in order; store in prayer group cabinet (so even if music leader unable to come, book is always available); give new songs to the secretary to type up and make overhead if necessary.

Who? -Anyone ready and willing to play (or learn to play) an instrument -Instruments-guitar, tamboline, piano, bring your own -Vocal-help lead group in song -Someone to run overheads-know when and what order, to put songs and prayer on overhead as determined by the music ministry, praise leader and preacher.

MEETING MUSIC What? -type of songs needed (See outline for when to use)

1. A Holy Spirit introduction song (One) 2. Vigorous praise songs (5-9) 3. Quiet (1) 4. Transitional songs (2) 5. Final song 6. Healing songs for prayer team (2) How? -Use known songs, with a maximum of 2 unfamiliar/new songs especially if we do not have instrumental accompaniment. -Lyrics should speak to God, not about God -Keep praise songs from dragging -Avoid any delay between songs

-Can repeat the chorus at least 2 times at the end -Make sure there are enough copies of songs for everybody, or use the overhead -When to plan all this: - arrive early, or -stay at the end of the meeting, or - have a separate practice meeting, or - telephone -Sources: -Prepare master list categorizing known as praise, thanks, healing, quite etc.; -Repetition is alright week to week -Known is better than unsure PRAYER GROUP TEACHING What? -Solid, basic, evangelistic; include personal testimony / experience and scriptural reference - Last 20 to 30 minutes - Topics ( long term planning/discernment is needed- according to needs of group) -re Holy Spirit -gifts -Church teachings -re prayer -history of Christian Spirituality -re scripture -book, passage, type (canticle)

-re the sacraments -re involvement in parish life -re evangelization -re Life in the Spirit Seminar (at least once a year) -re new catechism -Other How? -Use variety of formats -a formal lesson by one person - informal small group discussion with sharing to all -a testimony /witness talk -One shot or monthly or long term or rotational