Most gracious and loving Lord,

We praise your name and gaze in wonder at all you have given us and all your hands have made.

We are thankful for these bountiful gifts and bask in the glow of your love.

We ask you Lord to continue to spread your word through the churches of Butler to all who live and work here.

Once known as a “church-growing community” we have fallen far short of our missions to serve and love as you have taught us.

Give us the strength and the direction to get our community back on track and to again be a community of God serving and God loving people.

Help us all to do what you have commanded and spread your gospel far and wide.

Give hope to the less-fortunate, give patience to the care-givers and give renewed energy to the diligent workers in your kingdom.

For it is through faith in you and through loving our neighbor that all things can come together for good and for improvement in Butler.

Give us the power to see each man, woman and child as an equal person in our eyes as they are in yours. Take away all hatred and fear from those we view as different or unlike us. Destroy racism and bigotry at its core.

And Father, we ask you to help us overcome the evils of alcohol and drug addiction. Help us rid our community of those factions that would encourage and spread this disease. Make us all soldiers in the fight to keep drugs from ruining our children's lives.

Lord, we ask all these things in your name and we await the great day of your return,

Amen.

Religious and civic leaders composed original prayers for Seek God for Butler, a recently published booklet of prayers focused on our community's spiritual concerns. The Butler Eagle publishes a prayer from the booklet every Monday.