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Methodists hope book will help people pray at the end of relationships
2002-056-6
3/6/2002
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[Episcopal News Service]
British Methodists are including prayers to mark the end of relationships in a new book, launched in time for National Marriage Week. The book also includes prayers for difficult moments in the life of a family—such as a son or daughter coming out as gay, the loss of a loved one to Alzheimer’s disease, or retirement.
The book concedes that, for a person left behind at the end of a relationship, it may be somewhat of a test to pray that God will bless a former partner’s new relationship. However, the prayer, When Love Dies, asks God, “In the days to come, raise us up to new life in fresh relationships.”
David Gamble, the church’s secretary for pastoral care and personal relationships and convenor of the project, said that “sometimes it may be possible for both partners to come together not in animosity but in sadness.” He hopes that the Vows and Partings prayers would meet the needs of “real people in the real world.”
“Here is a response to the need in all churches for liturgy and prayers at various critical times in people’s lives,” said Ann Leck, a vice president of the church. “Harder and often ignored are the times of loss and despair, times that can feel like failure.”
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