“Lord, help us to be intentional about the way we spend our time. Grant us wisdom to make the right choices and opportunities, and strength to withstand the challenges that come our way. Guide us as we work together to build a community that is strengthening and growing day by day. In Jesus’ name, we pray.”
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the following people for their contributions to this blog post:
-Sue Pritchard, who provided textual editing and feedback on an earlier version of the post.
-Rachelle Perkins, who provided editorial assistance.
Prayer for the Meeting
Prayer for the Meeting
Dear Lord, we come before you today with our hearts open and our minds focused. We ask that you would bless this meeting and guide us as we discuss your Word. We thank you for your presence and guidance in our lives, and we ask that you would help us to be attentive listeners today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Announcements
Hello Friends!
First and foremost, we would like to offer our sincere condolences to the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Orlando who lost their loved ones in the horrific shooting last week. We ask for your patience as we continue to receive updates on the investigation.
Secondly, we are excited to announce that starting tomorrow, Wednesday June 14th, prayers will be offered at all our mosques at 11am PST / 2pm EST. This will be a time for us all to come together and offer up thanks for all that is good in our lives, and also to remember those who have passed away. We hope you will join us in this special prayer time.
Lastly, we would like to remind everyone that there is still much work to be done during Ramadan. Please keep yourself and others fasting according to their own conscience. And please feel free to share any Ramadan- inspired recipes or stories with us in the comments below or on our Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you!
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting
On Monday, July 10, the Board of Directors of First Baptist Church voted to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. The board also elected to waive a formal vote on the minutes because they had been previously approved at a previous meeting. Pastor Jeff shared that he appreciated their willingness to move quickly and get things done. He also thanked them for their continued support.
New Business
Prayer is often thought of as a tool for personal reflection and relaxation, but it can also be an effective way to conclude a meeting. A closing prayer can help participants feel comfortable leaving and reflect on the meeting together. Here are five tips for creating a successful closing prayer:
1. Invite everyone to pray silently or share a prayer aloud.
2. Choose your words carefully to evoke feelings of gratitude and closure.
3. Ask God to bless the group and remind them of what they’ve learned during the meeting.
4. Thank everyone for their participation and reminds them to keep in touch.
5. End with a request for divine guidance in the future, whether the group continues working together or not.
Old Business
The purpose of this blog post is to reflect on how we might best conclude our meeting.
When our time together comes to a close, it can be helpful to imagine that we are releasing all the old business from our meeting. We are clearing the deck so that we can focus on new things.
This could mean taking a few minutes to debrief what happened in the meeting, sharing any learnings or new ideas that came up, and thanking everyone for coming.
We can also take some time to let go of any resentments or unfinished business from the meeting. This doesn’t need to be complicated – simply saying out loud or writing down what you’re forgiving and releasing will help clear away any negative energy from the meeting.
Finally, we can remind ourselves that our next meeting is already waiting for us. There’s always something new to learn and share!
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned with a closing prayer. After the prayer, the chair called for open comments from those in attendance. There were many thoughtful and heartfelt comments from those who attended the meeting.