Crosslinks prayer news June 2009 |
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SOUTH AFRICA
1 Please pray for Grace Community Church in Macassar. Macassar is an established predominantly Cape coloured community of 60,000, now seeing a large influx of refugees from other African countries. Dean and Paula Finnie and their boys Joel and Eli joined the Grace Community Church last year and are working in the community as part of the church leadership team.
2 Please pray for the Bible Institute Eastern Cape, where Jamie and Helen Read are placed. Pray for a replacement for Principal Vernon Light who steps down at the end of the year, and pray for good teamwork and communication for the current faculty.
3 Sihle Mooi asks us to pray for Soweto Community Church, that the young leadership would rest in the Lord and rely on him to build His church. Pray for the Growth Groups and their leaders, student work at the University of Johannesburg, led by Vuyi and Tshepang, and the schools ministry at Thaba Jabula High School led by Jerry and Prince.
4 The former minister of Christ Church Glenwood has left the church, leaving Ray Brown to take the helm. Please pray that Ray will adjust well to his new role and that both he and his wife Rebecca would be confident that God would continue his good work in each of them until completion at the Day of Christ.
5 Nat and Helen Schluter report that after a long search and much prayer Johannesburg Bible College now has bought a building in Auckland Park and the renovations are underway to make it suitable for the needs of the college - praise God for this provision. Please pray for resources to complete the renovations, and that this new building will facilitate more ministry and training.
WORLDWIDE
6 Chris and Lotta Strajnic have been working in Novi Sad, Serbia since 2001. From 2005 they worked as colleagues with Crosslinks mission partners, Rob and Trish MacCurrach, training church leaders and members. Please pray for them all.
7 In Togo Sena and Jane Ounate Lare have been working with church plants in Dapaong. While they are in the UK on leave, please pray for the remaining church leaders, Benoit, Nakpergou, Gnoate, Damiedou and Jacob.
8 Pray for David and Rachel Williams, seconded to CMS and working in Australia. David is training new CMS mission partners: CMS wants to increase the number of missionaries going to Muslim countries and David has been involved with
formulating proposals. Please pray for wisdom in this.
CHURCH PLANTS UK
9 Pray for John and Flick Hindley, ministers at The Plant in Manchester, that they would continue to trust God over their future as they look to move and begin a new ministry and that they would hand over their work at the Plant to their replacements Mike and Melissa Tindall as effectively as possible.
10 Remember John and Louise Keymer, also ministers at The Plant in Manchester, that they would help the students who are graduating this summer to make wise decisions about how they can use their future to serve Jesus. Pray that graduates would serve God not money, and use all their gifts for His glory.
11 Pray for Tim Davies, the head pastor at Christ Church Central Sheffield, that God would give him insight into his Word and a desire for holiness as he teaches Christ Church how God calls them to live counter-culturally. Please pray that
the Church would become unashamed of living distinctively in this "crooked generation".
12 Pray for Simon Dowdy, senior minister at Grace Church Dulwich, that he would teach members of his church who face job insecurity or redundancy to trust that God has riches laid up for them in Heaven that will never be lost. Pray that members of Grace Church would care for each others needs and adorn the gospel.
KENYA
13 Tim Wambunya is Principal of Carlile College. He gives thanks for the commitment of the students, and asks that we pray for their training and economic needs and for those who have pledged to donate to the college bursary and emergency
funds.
14 Alison Talbert is attached to the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research Unit at Kilifi as a medical researcher and doctor working mainly with severely malnourished children. She asks that we continue to pray for Kenya’s troubled political arena, for wisdom and moderation for those in power and that ordinary people would have advocates to listen to and work for their concerns.
15 Noj Northway’s main focus is the development of the new sixth form for St Andrew’s School in Turi – due to open in September 2010. Building work is well underway for the new classrooms and staff houses. Lots of interest has been shown as
the school markets this exciting new stage: the vision continues to be to influence young people with the gospel during their time at the school.
16 Giles Roberts is the Estate Manager of St Andrew’s School, and is also very involved in the development of the new sixth form. Pray for him, his wife Annie and their family, and also for Senior School Head Adrian Palmer in this exciting time of change.
17 A series of small books under the overall title ‘Pray, Prepare, Preach’ are being produced by ‘The Good Book Company’ to help pastors in the majority world who have few resources. The series provides simple outlines and some relevant
background and guidance to help pastors teach a book of the Bible section by section. Two Kenyan pastors, Silas Hopillo and Robert Matati are working with Doug Johnson on producing suitable material for a book on Exodus in this series. Please pray for this.
18 Rob and Sue Martin live and work in Marsabit among a strongly Muslim community. Rob writes: “Today I waved to a friendly imam I know. Two days ago an elderly Rendille spat a blessing on my hand. But how do we get from there to sharing the gospel? Pray for us as we wrestle with these questions.”
19 Pray for Ben Shikwati, currently studying and tutoring at George Whitfield College in South Africa. Pray that his studies would equip him for his long-term work at the African Institute for Contemporary Mission and Research (AICMAR) in Butere. Pray too for those he tutors to become wise and faithful Bible teachers.
EUROPE (EU)
20 French speaking Belgium epitomises the spiritual battlefield that is continental Europe: largely secular and resistant to the Gospel. Steve and Dawn Orange are working in the church in Woluwé where Steve is actively involved in the church’s leadership. He is an ‘elder in training’, preaching and leading services, whilst developing new and existing ministries. Please pray for him and Dawn.
21 Please pray for Edward and Laura Nelson in Paris, France, where Edward is leading a church plant. Pray for the gospel to bear fruit there, with people coming to trust Christ personally and be built up as they hear his Word (the church is studying John's Gospel together). Pray for wisdom as they seek to structure this young church for a fruitful future ministry.
22 Peter and Miranda Harris, based in France, ask for prayer for two Arocha conferences in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in July on Christian belief, environmental issues and health concerns. Please pray for A Rocha film-maker Melissa Ong who is heading up the organisation.
23 Thank God for the children’s ministry which is expanding in the church in Mantes-La-Jolie, France, where Andy and Uta Buckler work. Please continue to pray for enough volunteers to help. Thank God also for the new marriage course and home
groups which have started this year, and pray that they will all bear fruit.
MOZAMBIQUE
24 Peg Cumberland is involved with community based health care in the Diocese of Niassa. Pray for her and the small team (largely of volunteers) that she works with. Pray for stamina for them all in the face of many needs.
25 Andrew and Caroline Maclean are Crosslinks Associate Mission Partners, for many years working in Mozambique and involved with development work with DFID and Aids awareness. Pray for daily refreshment for them and their family.
26 Richard and Bianca Reeve have become involved in marriage preparation teaching. For a sequence of Friday evenings, the couples they work with come to their home for a meal and then work through material on aspects of married life. Please
pray for Richard and Bianca and the young people they are helping.
SMILE
27 The team of five graduates, serving among students in Port Elizabeth (South Africa) for the last 10 months returned yesterday. Praise the Lord for all he accomplished in and through them, for his sovereignty and loving kindness in all
situations. Pray for the team to settle back into life in the UK.
28 The three gap teams returned to the UK in May. Praise God for keeping the teams safe, for teaching them and keeping them in His love. Thank Him too for those who hosted the teams – for their sacrificial love and service. Pray for the 28 team members and six leaders to continue to live in the Lord Jesus and to be salt and light.
29 A Smiler is in an Asian country working with small groups and doing one to one discipleship. Pray for her to have a good time while back in the UK this summer before returning for a second year. Pray for increasing insight into culture, learning the language, and fruitfulness in her work.
30 Smilers Joe Hadfield (Kenya) and Ben and Rachel Tanner (France) return to the UK this summer. Pray for them to readjust to being home; to maintain relationships with those they have left; ongoing links with the places where they have
been serving; and wisdom in planning for the future.