The Upper Room has created a daily guide for prayer leading up to General Conference. Click here to access or download a free PDF copy of the guide.

The theme of this General Conference is “ . . . and know that I am God.” To prepare you for the journey, Upper Room offers this devotional guide as a path to enrich your knowledge of God....

The content of this guide is written by persons from all over the world who have found God’s presence in ordinary moments in their lives. Their experiences offer us new perspectives on how God is at work in the world. Upper Room hopes that this devotional guide will lead you into a calm, open mindset as delegates gather to do the work of the church. Let us remember it is not about our agendas but about what God and the Holy Spirit can do in and through us for the betterment of the whole church at this General Conference.

No matter where we come from, prayer can connect all of us in our shared United Methodist mission of doing no harm, doing good, and staying in love with God (General Rules of The UMC). Regardless of our language, physical stance, or the manner in which we pray, we raise our voices in hopeful prayers of unity, mission, and ministry through Jesus Christ for our church....

From "Every Moment Holy" by Doug Mckelvey

Meet me, O Christ

in this stillness of morning.

Move me, O Spirit,

to quiet my heart.

Mend me, O Father,

from yesterday’s harms.

From the discords of yesterday,

resurrect my peace.

From the discouragement of yesterday,

resurrect my hope.

From the weariness of yesterday,

resurrect my strength.

From the doubts of yesterday,

resurrect my faith.

From the wounds of yesterday,

resurrect my love.

Let me enter this new day,

aware of my need and awake to your grace,

O Lord.

Amen

Each time you cross your threshold, say a prayer of gratitude for 3 things inside your home and 3 things out in the world.

Here is a way to calm a busy mind - it also works great to calm a busy child! - and focus your thoughts on the beauty of God's creation. Go outside, get still, and focus on what you're sensing. 

Notice five things you can see. 

Then four that you can feel. 

Three that you can hear. 

Two you can smell. 

One you can taste. 

Say a prayer of gratitude to our Creator.

John Wesley adapted this prayer from the Puritan tradition that was important to his parents, and it informed his theology and preaching. He expected the people called "Methodists" to pray this prayer at the beginning of each new year as a way of remembering and renewing their baptismal covenant. The language has been updated to a modern vernacular.

I am no longer my own, but yours.

Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,

Praised for you or criticized for you.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.

And now, O wonderful and holy God,

Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,

you are mine, and I am yours.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

Let it also be made in heaven. Amen.