Gathering Prayers

Opening Prayer — Faith, Service, Community

Gracious God,

We gather this day as one community — Sisters and Associates, bound together by a shared call to charity and service.

We thank you for the gift of one another: for the wisdom of those who have walked this path for many years, and for the energy of those who join it anew. We thank you for the congregations that hold us, and for the threads of faith, service, and community that weave us into a single fabric of love.

Open our hearts as we gather. Help us to listen well, to speak with kindness, and to leave this time together strengthened for the work you call us to do.

Bless our conversation and our fellowship. May everything we do here reflect the charity that first brought us together, and may it carry forward into the lives we touch beyond these walls.

We ask this in your holy name. Amen.

A Prayer of Welcome

Loving God,

You call us together across many congregations, many stories, and many years — and in that gathering, you make us one.

Welcome each person here today, especially those who join us for the first time. Let no one feel a stranger among us, for we are all bound by the same charity that has guided this community from its beginning.

Give us open hands and open hearts, that we may receive one another as gift.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Short Prayer for Business Meetings

Spirit of Wisdom,

Be present with us as we gather to plan, to decide, and to serve.

Guide our conversation with patience and our decisions with discernment. Help us to set aside our own agendas and to seek instead what is best for this community and for those we are called to serve.

May our time together be fruitful, and may it be rooted always in charity.

Amen.

A Prayer of Gratitude and Sending Forth

God of all goodness,

We thank you for this time together — for shared stories, shared work, and shared faith.

As we go from this place, send us out as bearers of charity into our congregations, our families, and our communities. Let what we have received here today take root and bear fruit long after we have gone our separate ways.

Keep us ever mindful that we do not walk this path alone, but as one Associate family, united in service to you.

We ask this in your name. Amen.

A Gathering Prayer and Litany

for Associate Leaders

Gracious God,

We come together as Associate Leaders, drawn by a shared sense of purpose and called to serve those we lead. Quiet our minds from the busyness of the day and open our hearts to one another.

Bless this time we share. Grant us wisdom in our conversations, courage in our decisions, and humility in our listening. Help us to see clearly where we are needed, to speak honestly when it matters, and to support each other as colleagues and companions on this journey.

May the work we do here ripple outward — strengthening our teams, lifting up those we serve, and bringing light to the communities we touch.

We give thanks for the gifts each person brings to this table, and we ask for your guidance as we move forward together.

And now, as we gather, let us pray together: