Prayer for a Groundbreaking Ceremony
The following dedication prayer can be used at a groundbreaking ceremony. It is a poem written by John Pierpont.
On This Stone Now Laid with Prayer
On this stone now laid with prayer
Let Thy church rise, strong and fair;
Ever, Lord, Thy name be known
Where we lay this cornerstone.
Let Thy holy Child who came
Man from error to reclaim
And for sinners to atone,
Bless, with Thee, this cornerstone.
May Thy Spirit here give rest
To the heart by sin oppressed,
And the seeds of truth be sown
Where we lay this cornerstone.
Open wide, O God, Thy door
For the outcast and the poor,
Who can call no house their own,
Where we lay this cornerstone.
By wise master builders squared,
Here be living stones prepared
For the temple near Thy throne,
Jesus Christ, our cornerstone.
