I’ll be at the Eucharist Church Christmas Market on Sun. Nov 29th, 2026 (Noon-4pm). Located in the Back Hall of Eucharist Church, 130 Victoria St N. (enter at side door on Evans Ave.) I’ll have lots of Prints & Books for sale (Cash & E-transfer only).
Eucharist has a lot of artists and craft people in their community, so this is always a great little market with good deals on handmade things.
Each vendor will be donating a percentage of sales to Open Homes Hamilton, to contribute to grocery cards for newly arrived refugee claimants, so every sale helps a good cause.
Hey Team Punk Monk, Life has been feeling very busy, and my to-do list seems like it is starting to get a little long. Making sure this team of prayer partners are in the loop is one of the things on that list that I want to prioritize, so here is a quick update:
541 Prayer:
Back in September, a dozen people gathered with me to pray for the ministry of 541 Eatery & Exchange. One of the highlights of the evening was people walking around the room laying their hands on tables, chairs, doors, and windows while singing the words “The Lord bless you and keep you, The Lord make His face shine upon you… And give you peace forever.”
I’m leading another 541 Prayer Gathering this Monday (Nov 9th) at 7pm. My plan is to use some of the values of The Meeting Place Church as a lens for praying for 541. If you are interested in attending you can find out all the details here: gohop.ca/541prayer
Please pray for discernment in knowing where these prayer gatherings are going next. Right now I’m trying to have one every other month, but watching and listening to see if they should become monthly or weekly sometime in the future.
Pray for 541. They are doing a lot of work trying to engage with more customers and churches. They just did a soft launch of a new menu, and have been hosting a number of community suppers.
Pray for me as I do prayer and outreach at 541 on Thursday mornings. There was a young man I had a lengthy conversation with a couple weeks ago who was very interested in coming to church at The Meeting Place. We haven’t seen him yet but I have been watching for him.
Embodied Prayer:
I’m not a very body aware person. I know my body is a gift from God but I often ignore it. I don’t get up enough when I’m on my computer. I don’t really notice feeling full so I am prone to eating too much. I’m trying to pay better attention to my body, so whenever I’m exposed to an embodied prayer practice I get excited.
As you say these words, you place your hands (or fingers) over the body part you are praying for. The only one that isn’t obvious is for “life.” For life you touch the front of your neck, remembering that all the air, food and water you take in to live, goes through that part of your body. Alternatively you could check your pulse.
I made up a little handout to teach people this simple but meaningful prayer. I’ve used it at a number of different GOHOP prayer times now and it has been very well received. The way I practice this prayer in a group setting, is by having each person take a turn reading the prayer slowly out loud while the rest of people focus on the embodied actions. The repetition of the different voices reading the same thing over and over, helps for the prayer to soak in and stick with people longer.
I even tried this out with my church friends at The Meeting Place. As I was explaining the practice I was extra careful to give people permission to skip their turn reading (some of our folks have literacy challenges). I started us off and read the prayer. I waited for the next person but there was just silence. I explained again about how we were going to take turns reading, and then the gentlemen to my right asked, “Could I read the prayer?” I responded “yes that would be great, thank you so much.” He read the prayer and again afterwards there was just silence. I was about to try and explain what we were doing yet again, when someone else spoke, “Could I read the prayer?” I said, “Yes please!” When the second person finished, a third person very timidly asked “Could I read the prayer as well?” At this third question I almost shed a tear. Not because I was frustrated but because I was now hearing the longing in these 3 men’s voices. “Could I read this prayer?” “Is this for me?” “There is something to this, I want to be part of it.”
After that, the prayer continued around the whole table with everyone taking a turn leading. It was really beautiful.
I could use your prayers:
I have found it to be harder than I anticipated to juggle the work of stepping into the role of pastor at The Meeting Place while maintaining all the good ministry and prayer rhythms at GOHOP. I still believe these ministries complement each other, but I’m in an intense season of building partnerships and fundraising on behalf of the church on top of all the regular things that need to happen at GOHOP, The Meeting Place, and in life in general.
I’m feeling stretched pretty thin, and finding it hard to keep up.
Pray that I find a good rhythm in this season.
Pray for my mental health. I have definitely experienced increased anxiety over the last few months. Unfortunately my therapist I used (and really liked) has now retired, so I’m starting over with a new person.
Pray that I would know what tasks to prioritize.
Pray that I would be part of strong teams.
25 Years of GOHOP!
It was great seeing so many people at GOHOP’s 25th Anniversary Celebration. I loved hearing people’s stories about the early days of Prayer for Pastors & Leaders and Barnabas Listing Prayer (both prayer times that I now get to lead). It is such a privilege to be part of this ministry that is still going strong.
If you would like to sign up for a monthly giving plan or make a donation to help support my work with GOHOP, there are 3 ways you can do that:
Donate by E-transfer: Send your e-transfer to donate@gohop.ca You must write “Donation for Randell Neudorf” in the message section. Please also include your mailing address to get a tax receipt next year.
Today I sent my youngest off to his first day of high school. I always feel like the day after Labour Day is really Canada’s “new year.” September is the month where so many things begin, and that is definitely the case for the ministries I’m a part of.
Zoom Prayer Times: September 6th – 13th
This week GOHOP is hosting daily Zoom prayer hours. I’ll be leading our Noon Prayer Sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you want to join me (or any of our other Zoom prayer sessions) go to gohop.ca/global for more info and the Zoom Link.
Please pray for all the ministries at GOHOP that are starting up in the next few weeks. I would especially appreciate prayer for the teams I help facilitate: Asah: Creativity & Prayer Studio begins on Tue. Sept. 15th at 7pm. Prayer for Pastors & Leaders begins on Fri. Sept. 18th. You can refer your pastor to sign up for prayer here: gohop.ca/prayer-for-leaders Barnabas Listening Prayer begins on Tue. Oct. 6th at 7pm.
541 Prayer Gathering: Mon. Sept. 14th at 7pm
Some of my most formative prayer experiences have happened when GOHOP’s prayer room was located in the basement of 541 Eatery & Exchange. I’m told that staff could notice the difference in the atmosphere upstairs when people were praying in the basement.
Even though the prayer room is no longer located at 541, I continue to lead a weekly prayer time there on Thursdays at 10am. As I have been praying in the space, I have been feeling a nudge that it is time for more prayer to be happening at the coffee house.
This Monday (Sept 14th) at 7pm I’m hosting a541 Prayer Gathering. We will be praying for Staff, Volunteers, Customers, Neighbours, and seeking God’s vision for what prayer activities might look like next at 541. I would love for you to join me. All the details are posted here: gohop.ca/541prayer (please RSVP)
Even if you can’t make it, I would appreciate your prayers for 541. These are the things we will be praying about on Monday:
Pray for the people using buttons. These are the neighbours that don’t have the money to eat at a cafe. Some of the people live in subsidized housing and others are homeless. Many have mental health issues. There are also a number of people that are part of the community with addiction issues.
Pray for the people buying buttons. These are customers who are adding a few extra dollars to their meal to help someone else get a coffee or a sandwich. 541 has a big push planned later in the fall to engage with new and returning customers (including a new menu, hours, and events). Pray that people would choose to add 541 to their rotation of coffee shops. Pray that people would catch the vision of the “exchange” at 541.
Pray for 541 Staff & Volunteers. Over the last number of years the needs of people using buttons at the cafe have greatly increased. This puts a huge burden on the 541 team. This last year a number of regulars at 541 have passed away, and each death has weighed heavily on staff who are navigating their own grief while caring for a grieving community.
Pray for discernment. I really believe that prayer is the heartbeat of 541. Pray that we could discern what a healthy (BPM) rhythm of prayer could look like next at 541. If any thoughts or holy nudges come to mind as you are praying, I would love to hear them.
Meeting Place Church Update:
This Summer I have been easing into my part time role as the Pastor of The Meeting Place. For my teaching weeks I used the Breath as Prayer book by Jennifer Tucker (I highly recommend this resource on breath prayer).
One week the teaching touched on forgiveness. The conversation got pretty heated with a couple people remembering past hurts. An argument broke out with a bunch of pent up accusations being yelled at each other. I tried to calm things down and just blurted out “This is a great example of how forgiveness is really hard!” I went on to talk about how unforgiveness is really ugly and that it hurts us more than it hurts the other person. We also talked about what healthy boundaries might look like and the importance of keeping ourselves physically safe. All good things. We ended with a breath prayer based on 1 John 4:8, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”. Some calm returned to the room and we ended by eating supper together.
Although I would rather not have a church gathering escalate into a shouting match (this is not the norm), I’m thankful that my friends are earnestly engaging with scripture and that they are honest about their own feelings. That is a real gift.
In other news, I’ve been working on a website for The Meeting Place and it is now up and running. You can see that here: meetingplacechurch.ca
A big thankyou to everyone who gave me feedback on the site and caught a bunch of typos. If you get a chance to take a look, let me know what you think.
Here are some ways you can be praying for The Meeting Place:
Pray for me as I reach out to potential church partners. I’m sending out a bunch of letters in the mail this week. Pray that the letters are well received and pastors would agree to meet with me.
Pray for our regulars on Sundays. Many have significant mental health issues. I’m thankful that many of our regulars are currently housed. This is a big deal. Pray for stability in their housing.
Pray for the new people visiting. Many of our new visitors are homeless and drop in for the coffee and sandwiches. Pray for their safety. Pray that we could build relationships with some of these folks from week to week (it is hard to keep a weekly rhythm when your whole life is transient).
Pray for new leaders and volunteers. We are such a small team. There is a real need for others to pitch in.
I am so thankful for your prayers and support. Please let me know how I can be praying for you! This is a partnership. I want to be praying for you as well.
If you would like to sign up for a monthly giving plan or make a donation, there are 3 ways you can do that:
Donate by E-transfer: Send your e-transfer to donate@gohop.ca You must write “Donation for Randell Neudorf” in the message section. Please also include your mailing address to get a tax receipt next year.
There are a couple things I wanted to tell you about before I set my computer aside for a summer break.
541 Prayer Gathering:
I know September 14th, feels like a long way off still, but if you are in the Hamilton area PLEASE SAVE THE DATE! I’m going to be leading a prayer gathering that evening at 541 Eatery & Exchange. Here is the official invite:
Do you remember when the GOHOP prayer room was located in the basement of 541 Eatery & Exchange?Staff at 541 often shared that they could sense when people had been praying. There was a tangible difference in the atmosphere. You could feel it. A deeper sense of peace, of hope, and welcome.
Join us on Monday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m. at 541 Eatery & Exchange for an evening of prayer, worship, and discernment.
While GOHOP no longer has a physical prayer room in the building, our partnership and prayers for 541 continue.
Together we will:
Dream about what prayer and spiritual support at 541 could look like in the future.
Experience some of the prayer and worship expressions that take place weekly through The Meeting Place Church.
Pray for the staff, volunteers, guests, and mission of 541.
We believe prayer matters. As we gather in person, we ask God to fill this space with His peace, wisdom, and love, trusting that prayer can shape the atmosphere of a place and the lives of those who enter it.
Pray that God would draw people to the 541 Prayer Gathering. People with a heart to pray for the ministry of 541 and the surrounding neighbourhood. People who are already invested deeply, and people who are curious.
Pray that the regulars from The Meeting Place Church would attend. My 541 friends sometimes have a hard time showing up for things outside their regular routine.
Pray for the staff of 541. In September they will be rolling out a new menu, expanding their hours, and working on some new evening events. Change is always stressful, but these new initiatives are all specifically targeting increasing visits from paying customers. As soon as a plan is tied to finances, the stress is even higher.
Prayer Truck Story:
Prayer Truck this year went really well. As we transformed the back of a U-Haul truck into a back alley prayer room, I had lots of opportunities to meet people walking by and pray with many of them. Afterwards, there is usually one person that really sticks with you. This year it was a woman I’ll call Rose.
Rose walked up to me and my truck buddy and asked, “What is this?” We gave her the Prayer Truck spiel, and offered to pray for her. She told us,
“I grew up Catholic but don’t really practice right now. I love what you are doing. I actually drove by the truck a little while ago and kept wondering about you. I was driving to Burlington and almost made it to the skyway bridge, when I decided to turn around and find one what this truck is all about. I love that you are praying for people, can I give you some money for a donation?”
I thanked her for being so curious and her desire to be generous, but told her, “We aren’t really out here to raise money, we are here to pray for people. Could we pray for you?” She said “I don’t really need you to pray for me.” Then after a long pause she added, “But could you pray for my brother? He is an alcoholic but isn’t seeking any help.” We told her that we could absolutely pray about that. We spent about 5 minutes praying for her brother, and then snuck in some prayers for her and the weight she has been carrying for her brother.
She thanked us so much for praying, and said, “I’m so glad I turned around! Are you sure I can’t just leave some cash for you?” I told her,“The prayers are free, but I would love for you to know more about what GOHOP is all about when we aren’t doing weird things like Prayer Truck.” I gave her our flyer and said, “Take a look at what we are all about, and if you like what you see, feel free to make a donation online and get a tax receipt. That way you know where your money is going.”
Now it may seem strange that I was squashing Rose’s wonderful spontaneous generosity, but I really wanted her to have an opportunity to be connected deeper to what GOHOP is about. She had a genuine Holy Spirit moment where a still small voice was whispering, “just turn around and find out more about that truck.” My prayer is that I’ll see Rose again in September at a workshop or in the prayer room. That she will learn to listen for that holy whisper again and again.
Please pray for Rose and all the people GOHOP connected with at the Prayer Truck. Pray that God would place more “chance” encounters in their path and that they would say “yes” to getting to know their Creator that loves them.
Thank You For Your Support!
If you would like to sign up for a monthly giving plan or make a donation, there are 3 ways you can do that:
Donate by E-transfer: Send your e-transfer to donate@gohop.ca You must write “Donation for Randell Neudorf” in the message section. Please also include your mailing address to get a tax receipt next year.
