As the church breathes it prays, and as the church prays it breathes. The church cannot live without praying, and the world cannot live without the church's prayer. Prayer is the intake of the life-giving breath of the Spirit and the exhale of the heart's cry of salvation for the church and the world. Prayer may be the most significant and transformative act that the church can minister. By it one heart can change the world, and the world can change one heart - The Power of Prayer.
As we pray, we pray as one people, one body. There is power in agreement for where two or more are gathered together in God's name there Christ is in the midst. This book of prayers offers a liturgical space and strategy for the local church to come together and make supplication to change the world. It is a book that provides guidance and assurance throughout the year, a resource for both laity and clergy and is a reminder that prayer is the treasure of the Christian life. I invite you to open your heart as you open this book and Heaven will open as you pray for God's Kingdom to come into the world in every place great and small. Amen.
Rev. Peter J. Bellini Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in the Practice of Missiology in the Vera Blinn Chair and Director of Non-Degree Programs, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio