Dearly beloved in Southwestern Minnesota -
I have been eager to invite you to join in an effort affirmed by the Conference of Bishops: to pray! In fact, to Pray Without Ceasing. Some of us pray every day, throughout the day. Some of us pray periodically. And for some of us, we say that when we do not know what else to do, we pray. Wherever you are in your life of prayer, I ask you to join in this effort to Pray Without Ceasing in this changing time. Give me a call for ideas, concerns or questions. I am grateful to Minneapolis Area Synod Bishop Jen Nagel and former bishop Rev. Ann Svennungsen for creating this invitation and these resources for use across the church. I pray that this movement of prayer will inspire you and join us together in unity across our synod and across this church.
+Bishop Dee Pederson
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thess. 5:16-18
The call to prayer runs through Scripture: the community gathered before Pentecost, the faithful praying to receive the Word in Nehemiah, some 150 Psalms calling us to pray alone and together. Now, in this time of significant change, we pray.
As people who follow Jesus, we pray. Alone and together, we pray. And, in times of great change, we pray.
We can agree that 2025 has begun as a time of significant change, particularly in our federal government. Whether we agree or disagree with the changes, the very speed of the actions gives us pause. And so we pray.
We pray for peace. We pray for victims of war, violence, and persecution. We pray for those who have lost jobs or vital services. We pray for children, people with disabilities, elders. We pray for those experiencing anxiety in the face of rapid change. We pray for government leaders. We pray for civil discourse in our communities. We pray for our congregation and for the renewal of the church. And we pray that we might each be faithful disciples, good listeners, and loving Christians.
We invite you to join with congregations and communities across the ELCA to gather for weekly, community prayer as part of the Bishops’ Pray Without Ceasing Initiative.
Specifically, we ask your ministry make two commitments:
- Establish and host a regular, weekly prayer gathering – welcoming all. We encourage congregations to consider Sunday at 5:00 p.m. (local time), but trust that you will determine a time and day that is best for your situation. We hope your first prayer gathering will be held between May 1 – 8, 2025.
- Think ahead and invite two other congregations (ELCA, full communion partners, other faith communities) to make the same two-fold commitment before May 15 (to host a weekly, welcoming prayer gathering and to ask two other congregations to make the same commitment).
Our prayer is that by Pentecost Sunday on June 8, several communities in our synod and in each participating synod will have begun gathering weekly to Pray without Ceasing. How amazing that over the weeks, this number will continue to grow and multiply.
