PRAY IT FORWARD PROGRAM GUIDE
THE C21 CENTER PRESENTS
The Pray It Forward program is designed to connect individuals in parishes, schools, and/ or communities, near and far, to an online prayer group via Zoom (or any preferred video conferencing platform). Individuals in the group gather weekly for 15 minutes of community prayer which includes:
• an opening prayer
• the Gospel reading for the day
• a brief 2-3 minute reflection on this Gospel
• prayer intentions from the participants
• a closing prayer
This Pray It Forward Guide offers easy, step-by-step instructions for planning and conducting Pray It Forward sessions with your community. It’s a simple, yet powerful, way to create a prayer practice that nourishes and supports those attending and those needing our prayers.
READY TO GET STARTED?
STEP ONE
After deciding to host a Pray It Forward prayer program, coordinate a weekly day and time (15 minutes that might work well for your group), a Zoom link (or a link through your preferred video conferencing provider), a form and/or spreadsheet to capture people who register (we recommend Google Forms, but choose what works best for you), and an email to invite participants.
STEP TWO
Send the email to announce the program and ask potential participants to sign-up to receive weekly reminders which include links to the Gospel readings. Encourage those receiving it to forward it to anyone that might be interested in joining. And then begin to record (if not using an automated form) the names and email addresses of the participants as they respond.
STEP THREE
Begin to identify participants that can help with each aspect of the first Pray It Forward session (e.g., offer an opening prayer, read the Gospel, give a brief reflection, etc.). In the weekly email reminders and during each session, you can encourage participation and ask individuals to email with roles and dates they are willing to cover. Keep a log of volunteers for future sessions.
STEP FOUR
Prepare and send out weekly reminder email(s) to all registered participants (we send one the day before and then also provide a one-hour reminder) before the Pray It Forward gathering. Hosts/volunteers for each session should sign on early (10-15 minutes) to minimize technical glitches and to run through the line-up. It’s probably a good idea for the initial organizer to act as host the first time, and then more than likely a core team of regulars will surface that can share the responsibility week-to-week.
STEP FIVE
Enjoy this gathering of new friends, knowing the Lord is with YOU, and that the Holy Spirit will guide the group!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Who should host a Pray It Forward program? Any individual or group (e.g., friends, parishioners, teachers, co-workers, etc.) that would like to pray with and for others!
2. Where do I host Pray It Forward? While it is certainly possible to choose a location and conduct these prayer sessions in person, this program was originally designed to be virtual, allowing people to take a brief time-out each week to be together to pray without the complication of travel/commuting and providing the ability to connect people across the miles. It’s your choice!
3. What is the host’s commitment? The host is responsible for coordinating meeting times, sending out emails and video conference links, and facilitating the 15 minutes of prayer time each week (e.g., offering a welcome, introducing the week’s volunteers, requesting the prayer intentions, reading the prayers mentioned in the on-line chat, etc.). Ideally, it would be beneficial to create a small team of primary hosts that can rotate, support, and back each other up.
4. And the participants’ commitment? The participant’s commitment is to come whenever they’re free for the weekly Pray It Forward session, to participate (or not) as they feel called, and to remain on mute for the session until it is time for their volunteer role or if they would like to offer a prayer intention.
5. Do the host and participants need to keep their cameras on during Pray It Forward? It’s probably a good idea for the host(s) to stay on camera, but everyone else should be invited to do what is comfortable for them. This is a safe space and what’s said here is meant to be kept confidential.
6. Can we use the same video conferencing link each week? Yes, that would be recommended, if the system you choose allows it. This way people can always refer to old emails to find you.
7. What Bible version should we use? We recommend using the USCCB’s website which provides all of the daily Mass readings. It’s easy to copy and paste a link from here into your email. https://bible.usccb.org/readings/calendar
8. Could we customize each session to reflect what might be happening in the world, in our community, or to honor a Saint’s Feast Day? Of course, volunteers can select opening and closing prayers that support the theme you choose.
9. Can anyone read the Gospel and/or offer a reflection on it? Yes! As baptized Christians, we are all called to participate in sharing the Good News.
10. Do you have marketing materials we can use? We’re here to help! Feel free to customize the logo for your group, print postcards/flyers, and/or use our sample language. Everything is available on the Pray It Forward website.
Still have more questions? Or interested in a coaching session? No problem! Email church21@bc.edu and we’ll schedule some time with you to get set up.
