The Prayer Chain: Reaching God’s Heart as a Stewardship Community

It’s comforting to know that there is a spiritual army of about 70 generous “prayer warriors” who have “got our back.” By dedicating their time to the Prayer Chain, they are fighting for our parish family, in a quiet but extraordinary way.

“People thank us all the time, and they offer prayers of thanksgiving for the prayers we have offered for them,” says Beth Clemans, who coordinates the Prayer Chain at our parish. “This gives us a lot of encouragement. This ministry is so important because prayer is powerful!”

The Prayer Chain accepts prayer requests of all kinds. Those who would like to submit a request contact Beth, who in turn, passes on the request to each of the 10 leaders of 10 smaller prayer chains.

“We accept almost any kind of prayer request — anything that is on anyone’s heart or mind that they want prayer for, such as physical or mental health concerns,” Beth says. “Generally, the requests are communicated through email, but some are communicated by phone calls or through voicemail messages. In my voice mailbox, I have a message explaining that if someone has a prayer request they can leave a message. I appreciate it when they leave a voice mail for me. We try to get their requests out as quickly as we can.”

Finally, those leaders give the request to each person on their list, who then pray for the intention.

“The Prayer Chain members just pray the way they feel led to, such as by praying the Rosary,” Beth says. “There are no special rules!”

Overall, the Prayer Chain has proven to be a wonderful way to build up our parish family and help each member feel God’s personal love for them.

“It is a way for us to pray and show support for one another, and think about each other,” Beth says. “It is a great way to show our stewardship of time. I think everyone on the Prayer Chain has an appreciation for prayer, as well as for other people.”

Over time, the Prayer Chain has grown in popularity and the impact it has on our parish family is more apparent.

“It has helped us become a pretty close prayer community,” Beth says. “We know the other people on the chain we are sending the requests to, and we enjoy including anyone who wants to be involved. Some parishioners use the Prayer Chain frequently, others use it infrequently, and some never do. But as the word gets out, we get new people requesting our prayers more and more.”

If you would like to reach God’s heart by serving on the Prayer Chain or submitting a prayer request, please call Beth Clemans at 308-379-4442, email her at Beth.clemans@gmail.com, or call the parish office at 308-382-4753.