Prayers for the Pew

Prayers for the Pew is a collection of Pastoral prayers, which were written and delivered at Stonebridge United Methodist Church in McKinney, Texas over a period of several years. The prayers are sorted into three categories: *Seasonal Prayers (Advent, Lent, Eastertide, Pentecost etc.) *Secular Calendar Prayers (New Year’s, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, etc.) *General Prayers for the spiritual needs of a congregation. Pastors and Church Leaders will find this book to be a valuable resource in preparation for Sunday Morning. Being a Pastor for almost 60 years, I know something of the struggle to prepare a sermon, direct the worship service, and to offer a Pastoral Prayer with substance. Having written these prayers for actual delivery in a Worship Service, I have had a very good response from those in the Pew (thus the title, Prayers for the Pew.) Even if you are not a Pastor or Church leader, these prayers can be used for family occasions as well as a great resource to learn how to pray. Many of the prayers in the General Prayers section simply describe what a relationship with God should look like. These prayers look to God as being the creator of all things, including our source of empowerment, hope and love for a broken world.

Reverend Bryce (Pete) Robertson is a U.S. Navy veteran who recently participated in the Honor Flight Program. He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University (1961) and Perkins School of Theology (1965). Pete has served in the North Texas Conference for 28 years, retiring in 1990. He first served as an Associate Minister at First UMC, Richardson, from 1957 until 1965. He pastored First United Methodist, Van Alstyne, Texas for two years before spending seven years at Schreiber UMC in Dallas, Texas. In 1974, Pete became Superintendent of the Dallas South District, and served until 1977, when he became Pastor of Waples Memorial UMC inn Denison, Texas. In 1983, Pete became Superintendent of the Dallas Central District until he was appointed Director of Church Development for the North Texas Conference. He retired in 1990 and served Custer Road UMC in Plano for nine years before leaving a paid position to volunteer at Stonebridge UMC in McKinney, Texas, during which time these prayers became a reality. I hope that these prayers will provide you with the resources for a meaningful Worship Service in your local church. Pete currently lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife of 36-years, Jane Robertson.