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This article was published 25/3/2017 (1274 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When she worked in a West End ministry, Irene Rainey found sharing her concerns with others through prayer got her through a busy and demanding job.

Now retired from that work, she needs that prayer time just as much, she says.

"We started it looking for that shared reflection and support for the work of the inner city we were doing at the time," the retired United Church of Canada diaconal minister says about the weekly prayers for peace and justice she attends.

"That hasn’t changed, but we’re no longer paid, but we’re continuing in justice and peace work."

At 9 a.m. every Thursday, Rainey and a handful of others take 30 minutes to voice their concerns for Winnipeg and the world through prayer, liturgy and a few hymns.

At the invitation of that week’s leader, a responsibility that rotates throughout the group of six, members whisper or speak aloud their blessings, mention those who suffer or are marginalized, plead for peace and justice on Earth, and even pray for themselves and the organizations where they volunteer.

"I’m thinking about people involved — the homeless, the sick, the disadvantaged, so it connects very nicely with the people I’m helping there," says group member George Bush, a regular volunteer at West Broadway Community Ministry.

"When you’re involved with volunteer activities, prayer reminds you you’re not doing it on your own," adds Pat Stewart, who with her husband Fletcher, has participated in the prayer group for the last 15 years.

"You’re reminded of God’s love for them and there is strength in that."

Established two decades ago by Rainey and her former colleague, Peter Flynn, when they were both involved at St. Matthew’s-Maryland Community Ministry, the small group meets every week except in summer. Over the years, members have come and gone, but the commitment to praying together continues.

Every week they sit in a circle on floral upholstered couches and chairs in the sunny boardroom of St. George’s Anglican Church at 168 Wilton St., singing together and praying for concerns others share with them or those they hear in the news.

"The difference here is you make an intentional praying community. You’re not sitting at home praying for these world concerns." says Stewart.

"It’s almost like sharing the burden... It’s reminding us we’re not alone."

It’s also a reminder that prayer complements and even motivates activism and do-gooding, says former NDP provincial cabinet minister Tim Sale, an ordained Anglican priest.

"I’m a person who is a frantic do-er and this reminds me that this is not the only part that needs attention," says Sale, who joined his wife Irene Rainey in the weekly prayer meetings after he retired from politics a decade ago.

"This is healing for me. It helps me feel more whole going in whatever the next thing is."

That’s possibly the most visible answer to their weekly prayers — the power to change the attitude and energy of the person making the plea, says Flynn.

"It doesn’t change things as much as it changes you. It changes how you see what it going on," says Flynn, inspired to start the group after a visit to the Iona Community in Scotland.

He’s also a bit philosophical about the nature of prayer. More than just bowed heads, folded hands and recited words, Flynn says prayer bridges the gap between human and divine.

"Prayer is an engagement in the mystery of the presence of God," says the retired Anglican priest.

"It also makes it clearer that the mystery of God is everywhere and we encounter God on the streets of our lives."

Those streets may be crowded with pressing needs, but Rainey says the prayer time reminds her to take the time to see the holy in everyone she meets.

"This (prayer group) has become a very important discipline for many years. I’m so grateful."

brenda@suderman.com