Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

Martin Luther pointed out that prayer does not simply mean to submit requests to the Lord and then wait for His responses. In fact, prayer is much more than that. It means having a relationship with the Lord.

In general, there are two main success factors for a good relationship: Spending time together and having regular, meaningful communication. Since meaningful communication is never one-way, it also means that one should be ready to listen.

The main goal of the prayer group at St. John's is to help people set aside a certain amount of time for prayer and to make them discover how prayer can change lives: Through prayer we find peace of mind, guidance and learn to put our own problems into a broader perspective and care more about others. The prayer group also is about being thankful for all the blessings we receive and to praise God for his love and mercy.

For those who feel that they don't know how to pray, don't worry! The Holy Spirit can  teach us how to pray because “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:26-27).

The prayer group has suspended meetings, but prayer requests can still be sent to Pastor Katherine and will be inlcuded either silently on Sundays or as part of the petitions.