Please Pray: Episcopal Diocese of Virginia Annual Council meets in Reston, January 21-22, 2011

Please pray for the delegates to the Annual Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia as they officially begin tomorrow, January 21 (though there are pre-meetings and gatherings today) and continue through Saturday, January 22.  You may read the resolutions before council here and here.  More materials may be found here.  In  particular, please pray as the council considers the substitute resolution R-12s, brought forward by the Resolutions Committee as both the Diocese and the CANA Congregations consider next steps.  God bless all of those who put this resolution together.  Here it is:

R-12s: A Call to Prayer (substitute for R-8 and R-9)

Resolved, that the 216th Annual Council request the members of the Diocese of Virginia, corporately and individually, to pray regularly for God's guidance for the resolution of the property issues in the Diocese that are presently the subject of litigation.

Submitted by the Committee on Resolutions in consultation with and agreement from the submitters of R-8 and R-9

Again, we offer this prayer:

O Father, in this time of deep separation in our beloved church, we offer this prayer for the just and amicable resolution of the litigation we are facing, for the healing of broken relationships, for the softening of hearts hardened by hostility, and for common ground in our Common Prayer. Please help us all to be empowered by your Holy Spirit to dedicate our mutual resources for your work and glory, not our own, that we may find some good to come from this conflict that has engaged us for so long. Hear us, Lord, we pray, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

And this one, just because ...