Leading Intercessions is a resource for individuals and groups involved in the important task of leading prayers in public worship. This user-friendly handbook covers a rich and broad spectrum 'from traditional services, to worship with children and young people, to group prayer, to personal devotions. Each section begins with practical principles and is filled with easy-to-use ideas for ways to improve presentation and creative suggestions for enlivening the prayers. Sample prayers are included, as well as material for seasons, major festivals, and special events. Leading Intercessions is a how-to book on preparing intercessions for many communal situations 'how to write them, and then how to present them in church. With a variety of activities for getting children and adults to pray, it includes material for preparing intercessions for the full year. This handbook will stimulate the reader into his or her own explorations of intercession. Leading Intercessions is divided into five sections with sample prayers in each section. Sections are Intercessions in Mainstream Worship, Intercessions at Festivals and Special Occasions, Intercessions in Informal Worship and Small Groups, Intercessions with Children and Young People, and Personal Intercessions. Right Reverend John Pritchard is the Anglican bishop of Jarrow. He was archdeacon of Canterbury and, before that, warden of Cranmer Hal, Durham. He has served in parishes in Birmingham and Taunton and has been diocesan youth officer for the Bath and Wells Dioceses.

Our lives are increasingly overscheduled, multi-tasking, and hectic. For everyone who could use more than 24 hours in a day (that is, most of us), John Pritchard explores the art and power of prayer and explains how to slow down enough to hear what God wants to say to us. A book for all who are curious about how to become more in tune with the Spirit.

John Pritchard's novels Junior Ray and The Yazoo Blues have been dubbed "hilariously tasteless" and "not for the squeamish or pure of heart"—and equally praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and lovers of Southern fiction everywhere. In Sailing to Alluvium, the third installment of Pritchard's "Junior Ray Saga," irrepressible ex-deputy sheriff Junior Ray Loveblood and his sidekick Voyd Mudd have become "diktectives" to stop the murderous activities of a semi-secret, lethal organization of Southern women, the AUNTY BELLES, headed by Miss Attica Rummage. Sailing to Alluvium is another brilliant tale of the bumbling duo, with an unforgettable cast of characters deeply rooted in the Mississippi Delta, a place both real and imaginary. The novel, hilarious and moving, revolves around obsessions, underneath which lies the dark history of a class conflict that exists in the Deep South, not among black and white but between the white "haves" and the white "have-nots." John Pritchard's work fits well between the singing prose of James Agee and the rustic lampoon and high humor of Erskine Caldwell. The reader is treated to a unique brand of dark comedy that closes the divide between burlesque and metaphysics, fuses the profane with the sublime, and explains the Deep South as no other writer has done.

In this imaginative retelling, John Pritchard explores the Gospel of Luke by looking through the eyes of the disciple John. The Journey to Jerusalem follows Lukes account from Luke 9:51, as Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. Perfect for individual or group study, The Journey to Jerusalem provides weekday readings for Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday, along with a poem for each Saturday. Questions for reflection and discussion are also included.

This provocative novel takes the reader on a wild ride inside the mind of a Mississippi Delta good-old-boy ex-deputy sheriff who is as vicious and racist as the worst 1950s-’60s stereotypes. Junior Ray Loveblood narrates the story in his own profane, colloquial voice, telling why he hates just about everybody and why he wants to shoot Leland Shaw, a shell-shocked World War II hero and poet who is hiding in a silo from what he believes are German patrols. Through a series of sleights of hand, misdirections, and near misses, Junior Ray and his sidekick Voyd give a dark tour of the Delta country as they chase their mysterious prey. Junior Ray’s thoughts are peppered with excerpts from Shaw’s notebooks - sometimes starkly different from Junior Ray’s diatribe, sometimes eerily similar—and by the end of the story, it is up to the reader to sort out whose reality is more fantastic, Shaw’s or Loveblood’s, as the one stalks the other through the pages of this highly original and darkly comedic story.

Praying on the behalf of others is a task vital enough that John Pritchard has spent years creating guides to help people do just that - interceding in prayer. His Intercessions Handbooks have been a wellspring of ideas for thousands of believers. They have given confidence in people to pray in public, as well as the words and ideas that inspire others to follow in those intercessionary footsteps. And now we have The Intercessions Resource Book. Filled with brand-new ideas for public prayer, this guide is simple to use and immediately practical. The ideas and materials in this resource book can be turned to for any occasion. In the first section of The Intercessions Resource Book you'll find covered all the months of the year, key Christian festivals and occasions, as well as being arranged thematically for when you want to pray over a certain topic or idea. Then, for the second and third sections, you'll find help with praying in different settings. Whether that is in informal settings such as small groups and worship services, or when praying personally, quietly, and intimately. There is also a section included for extroverts. The ideas in The Intercessions Resource Book help you to pray imaginatively, effectively, and boldly in Church and in Small Groups. To help you help others through prayer. 'A wake-up call to all those who... need to find encouragement, freshness, balance and perseverance in this work of grace.' Methodist Recorder

The follow up to Bishop John's bestselling The Life and Work of a Priest in an easy to navigate format. This handbook aims to help any Christian committed to their role as a follower and fellow-worker with Christ to be more effective in their ministry. It offers practical suggestions for faithful practice in numerous areas, ranging from Apologetics to Worship and beyond. The suggestions aren't 'hints and tips' as such; rather we are encouraged to reflect on what underlies our actions. John Pritchard has been a parish priest, diocesan youth officer, theological college principal, archdeacon and bishop. He's also been warden of readers, trained lay ministers of all kinds, taught large numbers of lay people, written widely, led retreats etc, and thus has a handle on many aspects of ministry. The book contains illustrations from the Bible, experience, stories, quotes, and possibly poetry and prayer. Contents Apologetics, Attentiveness, Bible, Care and compassion, Death, Evangelism, Forgiveness, God, Holy Communion, Jesus, Kingdom, Leadership, Mission, Narrative, Older people, Prayer, Preaching, Questions, Renewal, Self-care, Suffering, Teaching, Unity, Vocation, Worship

This book contains a realistic pattern of prayer for anyone who feels too busy to pray - a modern reworking of the ancient monastic practice of prayer, beginning with a simple call to praise on waking and finishing with quiet listening at the end of the day.