For Wilshire Baptist Church
There’s a name missing from Wilshire’s Care Notes beginning today: Cooper Wade Hampton, our nephew. I had his name added to the Military Service section of the notes many years ago after he went to U.S. Marine Corps boot camp, but I’ve retired his name as he’s retired from the service after 20 years.
I get Care Notes by email every Monday through Friday and it helps me focus on those in our Wilshire community who need our prayers. Scanning the categories every day — Area Hospitals, Rehabilitation, Hospice, Others in Need of Prayer, Friends and Family Concerns, Condolences, Congratulations, Military Service — I watch for newcomers to the lists and updates on those who have been there. Mostly it serves as a prayer guide, but it’s also a sort of snapshot of the ebb and flow of life in our community — our joys and sorrows, comings and goings, transitions.
I don’t understand “the power of prayer,” as we often say, and I don’t know if I add anything at all. Sometimes I pray deeply for individuals, and I’ll admit there are times when I scan the notes and hope my quick read of names resonates somewhere. There’ve been times when I’ve used Care Notes almost as a score card as I’ve tried to pray someone off the list and back to health. I’ve sighed and smiled with relief when a name moves from hospital to rehab and then disappears; even more so when I see that person back at Wilshire or hear they are home. And I’ve wrestled with God and wept when a name moves to Hospice or Condolences. And the names in Others in Need of Prayer? I’ve prayed for them without knowing their need.
Flipping the story, Care Notes has been a comfort when my name has been there — in Condolences for the loss of a spouse and parent, and among Others in Need of Prayer while being treated for cancer. Seeing my name has helped me remember I’m not alone, others are praying for me, and I should pray for them too. Care Notes also has served as a measure of physical and spiritual health as I reflect on how many months or even years have flown by since my name was removed.
Seeing Cooper’s name in Care Notes all these years has helped keep him close in my heart and mind during several treacherous deployments to the Middle East, and as he has served in more peaceful but still crucial assignments in the United States. With his name off the list now, I’ll be praying for him and his family as they start a new chapter of life together. But there still are others on that Military Service list, and they’ll continue to get my attention.
If you aren’t getting Care Notes daily but want to, just contact Barbara Clayton, Wilshire’s pastoral care assistant, at bclayton@wilshirebc.org or 214-452-3125. And while I’m at it, I want to offer a big thank you to Barbara for keeping us informed and connected in such a meaningful way.
There also are condensed prayer lists in the Friday email edition of “Tapestry,” the printed worship folder on Sunday, and always on the Wilshire website: wilshirebc.org. Prayer requests can be submitted by filling out an online form from the link at the bottom of the Wilshire web home page or sending an email to prayer@wilshirebc.org.
Praying for each other in times of need is one of the most basic functions of any church, and Wilshire’s Care Notes and prayer lists keep us up to date and motivated in doing that.