St. Thomas's Prayer Chain

I grew up in a small church since the day I was adopted at 2.5 years old. My family was very active and membership was normally 20-60 people in the rural town of Bristersburg (Fauquier County). There was a time during worship service for everyone to share during the service. People would speak up with prayer requests and good things that have happened in the last week. It really helped foster a sense of community. When my husband and I got married, bought a house in Manassas, and had a kid, we looked for a church closer to our house. St. Thomas was a really large church compared to what I was used to. My husband felt the same way as he is from Glen Rogers, WV. One thing I have really come to embrace at St. Thomas is the prayer chain.

I often feel inundated these days with too many emails, but receiving an email from St. Thomas's prayer chain makes me take time to pause and say a quick prayer in the middle of the day. I keep a stash of Thinking of You and Sympathy cards to use when there is an address in the email. It is easy for me to pop off a card and drop it in the mailbox. When the roles are reversed, I appreciate being blessed by other’s emails and cards. It has helped form a close-knit church community for me and it is great to know that someone else thinks about you. I would just encourage you, if you have not, to consider joining the Prayer Chain (https://www.stthomasumc.org/prayerchain). Also, if you get a chance today, search for the lyrics of the hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” or listen to a video with someone singing it. It describes the feeling I have on praying better than just about anything else.

About Melissa Hall

Melissa has attended St. Thomas since 2017. Her husband, Nathan, is the communications committee lead. They have a 5-year-old daughter named Everly. Outside of church, she is a software developer and she likes to walk/jog