Gracious loving God, breath of our being. I thank you for calling us together, for calling these conferences together, to pray for those who you have called forward to serve your church, to serve at the conference level in the conference setting. Our conference ministers are forward-facing and inward- facing as they attempt to bring the presence of the United Church of Christ out in society and to bring wholeness and programs and support and resources to the churches in our midst. I ask for blessings and strength and endurance and rest, when they get it, and excitement when it happens, for the work that they are called to do for your church.

For your associate conference ministers, regional ministers, any of the ministers that are called to provide programming, to be out in the field working with leaders and churches. I ask for peace. For peace and for new ideas and for the new thing that you promise. Those that are serving in those settings and those positions go out to the churches and listen to the heartache, and they listen to the pain and they listen to the celebration, and they celebrate with, and they pray for those that they are resourcing and helping. Give them peace in the work that they do.

For those that are serving in conference settings, whether they are admin assistants, communications people, educational people, people that are doing the nuts and bolts of the everyday work to keep a conference running. Blessings on them. Blessings for the expertise they bring, for the work that they do, for the love that they hold for their conferences. I ask you to hold the body that does this work together. Hold them in your love and in your grace so that they know they are not alone, so that they know with you all things are possible and that with you, no matter how the world changes, they, we, need not be afraid. I ask you to do this and, and I am grateful for your promise that you do this and I do it all in all of your holy names and in Christ's holy name, amen.