Prayer at Gazebo planned Wednesdays during July

By LINDA M. LINONIS

religion@vindy.com

CANFIELD

The Rev. Susan Brown acted on a “vision to insert prayer into the community.” During July, she is conducting “Prayer at the Gazebo” at noon Wednesdays at the Gazebo on the Green.

“People pray individually and in church,” said the pastor of Canfield United Methodist Church. The prayer gathering at the gazebo “is more visible.”

Pastor Brown said the brief prayer service focuses on “intercessory prayer” for the community, the country and the world. Participants also may pray for individual concerns that may involve illness and other troubles.

“We believe with prayer we can confront the challenges in our community,” she said.

The pastor said she uses a simple liturgy from the Methodist tradition for a noontime prayer service. It includes a reading from Psalms and passages from Isaiah that she described as “gathering words.”

The prayer session is open to people of all faiths.

The time also includes silence. “We’ll give time to being silent, but the sounds of the world will be around us ... people walking around and traffic sounds,” she said.

Pastor Brown said her hope is that “the community of Christians can come together for prayer that unites and not worry about denominational differences. I would like to see this be a supportive gathering of people in the community.”

The pastor said future prayer gatherings will depend on how the noon event is received. She said the prayer sessions might be extended. The pastor admitted she hoped it might become a year-round weekly gathering.

Pastor Brown said she hoped the weather “cooperates.” But the prayer group does have the option to pray in the church at 27 S. Broad St.

For information, call the church at 330-533-9801; visit www.canfieldmethodist.org.