By Audrey Bauman

Today is Hallowe'en - a day that tends to focus on the spirit/ghost world. Just look at all the decorations for this day - strange, weird creatures. My kids, and now my grandkids, always enjoyed trick-or-treating and collecting tons of candy. They even thought coming up with an interesting costume was lots of fun. Today in the devotions I want to do a complete turn around from Hallowe'en, a day that celebrates things that have nothing to do with God. Today we'll look at friends, people who help us - especially those friends we have in the church.

Proverbs 17: 17   (NLT)

^“ A friend is always loyal

 and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

It's great to have friends to share all the craziness of life with. Everything is so much better when we have friends who will support us. In so many ways, our churches are like families and friends, a place where we can find support and help. So, today let's pray for our churches - and figure out how we can help the church we attend.

Pray for our pastors. Pray that God will give them sermons that will challenge us and help us grow. Pray that they will experience peace and have God's wisdom as they deal with the tons of issues that come up in churches. Pray for their families since dad tends to spend a lot of evenings at the church.

Pray for all the church staff – both the paid staff and the many people who volunteer to run the programs. Pray that God will give them joy and enthusiasm for the work they do.

Pray for new people who are checking out the church. Pray that we will be welcoming – even ourselves personally. On Sunday, look around you and pray for the people sitting near you. Even be brave and go up and actually talk to them after the service. Get to know them a little bit.

Let's pray for ourselves that we will be our church's friend, a member who is loyal and helps wherever there is a need. There are so many things we can do to support our churches. On Sunday mornings, they need teachers and even just folks who will sit with the kids and keep them listening. They  need someone to wander the halls of the Sunday School area to make sure it's a safe place. They need people to help make and serve the coffee or greet you at the door. They need folks to clean the building up during the week - people who can fix those small things that crop up in the building. Would you like to help decorate the foyer area? The children's and youth programs need people during the week to keep the activities supervised - and just make those younger people feel welcome and special. The church office just needs someone to answer the phone and take the request, or send them to the staff member who can help. There are so many small things that keep a church functioning well, that you can help with and not feel overwhelmed.

^“ A friend is always loyal,
     and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

Our song for today is Lifesong by Casting Crowns.