1. religion and spirituality

A Vigil of Prayer
in Preparation for the Celebration of Easter
with its Baptisms and Affirmations of Baptism
April 2015
“...in everything, by prayer and supplication,
let your requests be made known to God.”
~ Philippians 4:6
Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church
7500 Greenwood Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103
www.prlc.org 206.783.2350
About your time of prayer…
Thank you for offering this half hour of quiet reflection and prayer as a part of our
congregation’s larger vigil of prayer in preparation for Easter. Wherever you are,
however you wish to pray, this brief document is intended to assist you in your hour
of keeping vigil.
You no doubt have your own prayer resources. The book of Psalms, the “prayer
book of the Israelites,” is a wonderful primary source of prayer for you to use. Praying these psalms puts you in continuity over centuries with God’s people who have
used these words as their primary language of adoration, praise, confession, supplication and conversation with God. Other prayers that you might find helpful can be
found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. It contains not only a rich treasury of prayers
in the front section, but its hymn texts can be great resources for focusing your prayers as well.
This little booklet contains the specific requests of those who have been walking together in The WAY for the past many months. Here they have placed into your
hands the deep desires and joyful thanksgivings of their lives. They offer them to
you that you, in turn, may offer them up to God.
At the end of the brochure there are also prayer concerns to be lifted for our community of faith and for the church across the Northwest and throughout the world.
Again, thank you for taking your part in our community of faith’s project to hold our
candidates for baptism and affirmation of baptism in prayer before God in this
twenty-four hour vigil.
In Christ,
The People of The WAY
Candidates for Holy Baptism
Ruby Frelot
daughter of Jasen and Hannah Frelot
Kamren Alicea
son of Tippanie Vega and Luis Alicea
Rogue Meyer
daughter of Keenan Meyer and Kari Jackson
Candidates for Affirmation of Baptism
Keenan Meyer
sponsored by Luis Alicea
Keenan was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington. The birth of his daughter Rogue and his devotion
to fellowship in Jesus Christ are among the most significant events in his life.
Keenan’s Prayer Requests
· Blessings for Rogue and my family
· To keep my faith strong in Jesus Christ
· To be a good member of the church by giving more than I receive
Michael Clark
sponsored by Ken Giles
Michael was born in Seattle and grew up in Yakima, Washington. He earned a scholarship to attend Eastern Washington State College, where he graduated in 1963. He married his wife Lillian in 1968, after graduating from Central Washington State College with a Master’s in Education Counseling. He taught and
consulted for Special Ed programs until his retirement in 1997.
Michael’s Prayer Requests
· For our son-in-law, Jacob Henry, and our family unity
· For my wife’s health and mine to improve or be helped with continued care
· For continued spiritual growth
Shirley Sutherland
sponsored by Sallie Shippen
Shirley was born in Havre, Montana, and grew up in Valleyford and Fairfield, Washingon, tiny towns surrounded by wheat fields. In 1957 she earned a B.S. in Nursing from Pacific Lutheran College. In 1980 she
earned an MSN, PNP from the University of Washington. She worked for the next 13 years in the Children’s Clinic at Harborview. In 1994 she moved from Redmond to Oak Harbor, Washington, and just
last year moved from Oak Harbor to Seattle. In the past year her role has changed from trying to be a
supportive partner in the household, to making essentially all the decisions and arrangements. She struggles with the line between being overbearing and being confident in her decisions.
Shirley’s Prayer Requests
· Guidance to make the right decisions
· Patience
· To be able to see other people through Jesus’ eyes
Brian Gruber
sponsored by Eric Melch
Brian was born in 1972 in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he grew up and lived until attending college in New
York. Brian graduated in 1995 with a degree in chemistry and as a member of the lightweight rowing
team. Brian’s mother died of cancer in 1996, shortly after he had completed a thruhike of the Appalachian
Trail. Nature and the outdoors have always been a place of recreation, contemplation, and connection
with God for Brian. In 1997 Brian switched career tracks, going from pharmaceutical research to environmental law. He graduated from law school in 2001, and in 2003 began his present job as attorney representing Indian tribes and Native American organizations on fishing, hunting, and treaty rights and natural
resources issues. Brian married Julie Vano in 2011; their daughter Abby was born in 2013, and son Theo
in 2014.
Brian’s Prayer Requests
· The patience, focus, and love necessary to be a better husband and father
· A better balance in work and family life
· A closer relationship with his brother and his brother’s family
· Help with a sometimes negative attitude, which carries over to and drains energy from personal and
professional relationships
Jannah Fitch
sponsored by Abby Cress
This fall Jannah began her first year of teaching science to high school students at Highline High School.
It has been a wonderful, exhausting adventure.
Jannah’s Prayer Requests
· Patience, wisdom, and energy to teach and guide my students
· Prayers for her students and their families; many are low-income immigrants and/or English language
learners. Some struggle with learning disabilities, family instability, and other challenges. They have
enormous desire to succeed and attend college. Working with them is both rewarding and draining.
Danielle Dreger Babbitt
sponsored by Britt Olson
Danielle was born premature in St. Petersburg, Florida, and grew up in Clearwater, Florida. She earned a
Master’s in Library Science at Simmons College in 2004, and married her husband Ian in 2008, when they
moved to Seattle. They welcomed their son Theodore (Theo) — also a premature infant—in 2014, 13
weeks early. She has worked as a teen librarian at Mill Creek Library in Mill Creek, Washington since 2009.
Danielle’s Prayer Requests
· For son Theo’s lungs to continue to grow so that he may finally come home from Seattle Children’s
Hospital and join our family
· For continued strength as Ian and I wait (patiently) for Theo to come home
· For my uncle Jeff Goforth to continue to improve after his recent stroke
· For good health, happiness, and hope to everyone I love and those I haven’t met yet
David Roby
sponsored by Shawn Kruse
David was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1986, and grew up in Medford, Oregon. He studied theatre at
Seattle Pacific University and began his acting career in 2005. He has taught theatre since 2009. He studied
and struggled to survive in Copenhagen for 2 years. He married Becky Bergstrom in 2014.
David’s Prayer Requests
· Healthy recovery from a car accident in January—and minimal stress with insurance please!
· Continued growth for our healthy marriage
· More time with my wife
· Clearer career path (and place) for my wife
· Prayer for finances (for grad school, and eventually a house and children) and financial peace
· Health of our families
· Wisdom in guidance as my wife and I create traditions, habits, and goals for our future together
· Continued depth of friendships
· Happiness at current job (less stress, more love)
Frederick (Rick) Bonk
sponsored by David Cress
Rick was born in Spokane, Washington, and grew up in Sprague, Washington. He has had lifelong heart
issues, and the death of his mother when he was 46—followed by the death of his first wife two years later
— are among his significant life experiences. Rick married Karen in 1992. His father died in 2013.
Rick’s Prayer Requests
· For my siblings, that we can be a family again
· For my daughter, that her illness remain under control
· For my granddaughter, that she make good life choices
· For my Uncle Virgil as he fights diabetes
· For my son Michael, that he find a job
Tiffany Megargee
sponsored by Cherry Snelling
Tiffany was born in and grew up in Great Falls, Montana. Among her significant life events are her marriage
to Chris and her motherhood to daughters Malia and Eliana. Also significant for her was the loss of her sister to a brain tumor when they were teens.
Tiffany’s Prayer Requests
· Prayers for help in dealing with ongoing suffering and illness within the family
· Prayers for patience, discernment, strength, and support
· For determination, perseverance, management, and cure for the current suffering
Julie Vano
sponsored by Chris Melch
Julie was born in Alexandria, Minnesota, and mostly grew up there, though she has lived many places since.
Her significant life events include having two kids: Abby (2 years) and Theo (7 months) and her marriage to
husband Brian Gruber. Julie recently graduated (after many, many years in school) with a PhD in Civil and
Environmental Engineering, where she studied climate change impacts on our water supply.
Julie’s Prayer Requests
· Patience and wisdom to be a good mother
· Help and guidance finding a job where I can most effectively use my skills to work towards a more sustainable world for all of our children
· Wisdom and guidance in making the best choices for our kids
· Understanding and thoughtfulness in being a good partner and having a healthy marriage
· Continued health, safety, and positive growth for my family
· Help in balancing life, work, and community involvement
Chris Megargee
sponsored by George Snelling
Chris was born in Austin, Texas, and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. He studied religion at the Catholic
University of America. Early on as an adult he lived, worked, and studied in Latin America, and that experience, along with his faith, has led to a long love of working for justice and fighting poverty in those countries and among Latinos. Meeting his beloved wife, Tiffany, 18 years ago and creating their family together
has been one of the greatest blessings of his life.
Chris’s Prayer Requests
· That I discern faithfully where God is calling me in my vocation and that I have courage to follow that
calling
· For work that is fulfilling, that I enjoy, in which I use the gifts I’ve been given to make a positive difference in the world, and which allows me to maintain a work/life balance
· That God help and guide me in the area of financial planning for our family’s future and that God give
me confidence and help me to be proactive in this arena and provide people/resources to support this
growth
· That our family is able to enjoy spending time together inLatin America sometime soon
· That I’m able to continue swimming regularly for exercise for years to come (and that my body cooperate with this desire!)
Bruce Porter Sutherland
sponsored by John Breen
Bruce was born in Wenatchee, Washington, and grew up raising cattle and fruit.
Becky Roby (formerly Bergstrom)
sponsored by Nichole Kruse
Becky was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington. She joined Phinney with her family in 2001, sponsored by Katie Bennett. Now she is married, so going through The WAY means much more to her. She has
also been trying to make her “own” name at PRLC, and believes that this is a great way to do it.
Becky’s Prayer Requests
· For continuous growth in my faith
· For help with my “unknowing” of what the future holds for me (I am struggling with my job right
now)
· For inner peace (I am always at battle with myself)
· For healing of continuous back pain … hope it gets better!
Karen Bonk
sponsored by Jo-Ann Cress
Karen was born in Toledo, Ohio, and grew up in Ohio, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, and Washington. Her mother died at age 50,when Karen was only 27 years old. She has two children,
Sara and Michael. Karen has a math degree from the University of Washington. She is married to Rick
Bonk, and has two grandchildren, Isabella and Dustin. Her daughter Sara has Addison’s and thyroid cancer,
and Karen herself has had breast cancer twice. Her mother and three sisters all died of breast cancer.
Karen’s Prayer Requests
· For daughter Sara with Addisons and thyroid cancer. She is a teacher.
· Prayers for Christ Episcopal and their new priest
· Prayers that Michael finds a job
· Prayers for those unable to forgive
· Prayers that Henry have a great fishing season
Eliana Megargee
daughter of WAY Candidates Tiffany and
Chris Megargee
Eliana was born in Seattle, Washington in 2005, and is growing up in Shoreline. In 2010 her family got their
dog Frehley, and in 2014 she changed schools.
Eliana’s Prayer Requests
· Help with worries I have been having lately
· To find ways that lead towards becoming a veterinarian
Malia Megargee
daughter of WAY Candidates Tiffany and
Chris Megargee
Malia was born in Seattle, Washington in 2003, and is growing up in Shoreline. In 2011 she got her tonsils
out, and from 2011 to 2014 she has had various health problems.
Malia’s Prayer Requests
· Help with fighting an illness
· Help with managing worries and being anxious about going to middle school
Additional Prayer Concerns and Resources
Our ELCA and the Northwest Washington Synod as it continues to give bold witness to the
Gospel of Christ in the world.
For all our sisters and brothers in Christ in all denominations who bear witness to the Gospel.
In thanksgiving for the 100 years of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church.
For the Holy Spirit to move us to new adventures in ministry and mission.
Our neighborhood, city, nation, and our world that needs may be met through our resources and
gifts.
For peace and reconciliation in all the world.
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr