How well do you know some of your fellow church members? For example, did you know that Dennis Glazener makes
Flintlock long barrel rifles? Or that Coleman Goodman once owned a fire engine? Or that Aleta Jenkins is a published
author? She’s written and published a book of poetry. Did you know that David Wilson is an amateur geologist and has a huge collection of rocks? I marvel at the diverse nature of hobbies, interests and passions of our congregants. Would you like to learn more about your fellow church members? One way to do this is by getting involved in a “Share and Prayer Triplet.”
As you know, we are focusing on “Discovering God’s Vision Together” for 2023. We’re intentionally seeking the Lord in
prayer and asking God for His vision for Bethel. Share and Prayer Triplets are a big part of how we’re seeking to discover God’s vision. What is a Share and Prayer Triplet? It’s simply a group of three of our congregants who have agreed to meet regularly to pray for our church. These groups will meet seven times over seven weeks. These meetings will last about an hour and they can be done at a time that’s convenient for each group. The meetings can be held in person or over Zoom. Each person in the group will be given a prayer guide that will help focus your discussion and your prayer time. The first time we meet will be in a group setting. On February 19th we will meet immediately following the worship service and our Vision Consultant, Ken Kessler, will explain how the Share and Prayer
Triplets work. This is going to be a FUN event. Like a “Big Reveal,” you’ll find out who your two prayer partners will be on the 19th! Once we find out who is in each group, Ken will lead everyone through the first session. The session on February 19th counts as one of the seven sessions. The remaining six sessions will take place from late February to late April, again, at a time of your group’s choosing.
On May 5th we will regather as a congregation to go over the responses from each of the Share and Prayer Triplets. Ken says that it is an amazing and holy moment to watch the similarity of each group’s responses. In other words, similar ideas and themes will begin to emerge as each group shares how they believe the Lord has spoken to their group. One blessing from being involved in a Share and Prayer Triplet is you really will get to know people better. Here’s what Ken has to say about the Share and Prayer Triplets: “One of my favorite parts of the vision process is the Share and Prayer Triplets. Churches often talk to me about new friendships and the emboldened fellowship when they conclude this process. Some even conduct another round of triplets within a couple of years to renew the spirit that occurs as a result of these connections. In one church, one senior adult man shared that he was skeptical when he started the process because he did not know the two people in his group. One was a single dad with two small children, and the other was a high school graduating senior. He was also uncomfortable praying in front of strangers.
When the Share and Prayer Triplets ended, he bragged on the other two members and became a big advocate for the church responding to the needs of both single parents and youth. He even attended the senior’s graduation a few months later. Other similar stories are told throughout the churches who have conducted these share and prayer triplets.
I sincerely hope you’ll consider signing up to be a part of a Share and Prayer Triplet. We truly need as many of you as
possible to be a part of this exciting process as we seek God’s Vision Together. To sign up please call the church office at 804-794-8590 or email us at bbc1817@verizon.net. May God bless you and may God bless us as we seek His vision for his church in 2023.
With love, peace and grace,
Todd