Michigan—Have you ever had a friend share a burden with you and ask you to remember him in prayer? Did you walk away making a mental note to add him to your prayer list, only to have it slip your mind as other concerns crowd in? The Berrien Springs Village Church deacons have taken this to heart, agreeing that the best time to pray for someone is right then.

On Sabbath, Dec. 10, the deacons began a new prayer ministry. During Sabbath school and both church services, the deacons' room is open for private and group prayer. Anyone who has a special request, needs encouragement, or wants to praise the Lord for His blessings, is welcome to stop by and pray with any or all of the deacons on duty. At 8:25 and 11:25 a.m., special prayer is offered for the pastors as each service begins.

Jane* took advantage of the blessing the deacons offered. As she headed toward the deacons’ room she spotted Nancy,* a mother of a young adult son. Jane stated she was on her way to the deacons’ room to pray for her sons and asked Nancy to join her. The two deacons standing by, Nevin and Don, offered understanding and simple, heart-felt prayers for the young men they represented. Jane felt the blessing immediately. As any mother would understand, her sons’ salvation is always on her heart. But it was Nancy’s words that drove that blessing home. “I really needed that this morning,” she said. “My son didn’t come home last night.”

“We all need prayer, and what better way to say ‘how have you been’ and ‘I care about you’ than to stop and have prayer with each other?” said Tony Cave, head deacon. “When we bow our heads and close our eyes in prayer, we automatically bring each other before the throne of God and present each other with a special bond of love to our Creator. There is nothing we can do for someone that is greater than this.”

Candy Clark, Berrien Springs Village Church correspondent

*not her real name