New Orleans pastor requests deluge of handwritten UCC prayers

Written by J. Bennett Guess , United Church News

Thursday, 06 October 2005

When the Rev. Fred Meade, pastor of St. Matthew UCC in New Orleans, had no place to lay his head, except for the refuge he found at UCC-related Slumber Falls Camp in New Braunsfel, Texas, someone shared with him a stack of 25 handwritten prayers offered by members of a single concerned church. "It was a very moving experience to see different handwritings, different color pens, different ways of saying the same message of love for those of us in transition," Meade recalls. Now, Meade -- facing the overwhelming task of rebuilding his storm-damaged church and its scattered congregation -- is remembering how those prayers buoyed him. That's why he's asking for more, this time to buoy the spirits of his congregation. "I know as a pastor that the only way St. Matthew UCC is going to survive is through the prayer and continued support of its sister churches," he said. Meade is asking UCC members and churches from across the country to send prayers that he can share with his parishioners over the coming weeks and months. "I want the members of St. Matthew to know that people from all over the United States are praying for us," he said. "I want them to feel the body of Christ as I have felt it over these past 5 weeks." Meade is inviting persons to send prayerful emails or cards to his attention. "We will then read these prayers every Sunday -- or as long as we receive them -- until we are back on our feet," he said. "In some ways the easier part of recovery is getting food and shelter," he said. "The harder part -- from a pastoral perspective -- is dealing with the depression, anxiety and overwhelming fear that this has created in people's lives." E-mail prayers to fredmeade@aol.com. Copies of your prayers also can be sent to United Church News at newsroom@ucc.org to be considered for online publication. Sunday School classes, or other church groups, can send prayer cards by regular mail to: St. Matthew UCC c/o the Rev. Fred Meade 802 Cedar Ave. Metairie, LA 70001