Pastor Jerry’s Prayer Letter - February 24, 2025

Feb 24, 2025 |

Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,

As we continue to pray for one another, and for our little local church up here on the south end of Bemidji, let’s praise God that He hears our prayers and is attuned to our needs. Praise God that we can approach His throne with freedom and confidence. Hebrews 4:16 exhorts us, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Praise God for providing Justin Nicholson as our new Facility Supervisor. Please pray for Justin as he learns the ropes and gets his head around a lot of square footage to keep clean and well maintained. Also, please continue to pray for our Youth and Young Adult Pastor search committee. We are prayerfully seeking just the right fit, and we are trusting God to provide this person according to His perfect timing. Please pray for strength, wisdom, and perseverance for our faithful search committee which includes: Bethany Anderson, Caleb Caster, Jerry Drebelbis, Amy Graf, Jerry Johnson, Shelly Mustful, Eric Nygren, Danny Paddock (chair), and Alexa Zylka.

Please pray for the many leaders in our church who are serving on various boards, committees, and teams throughout the church. Pray for gospel focus and effectiveness. Pray for unity and alignment in and among us as brothers and sisters in Christ. We have varying opinions about things, differing skillsets, and a broad range of personal preferences which we often need to surrender for the sake of others. Pray that we’ll be mutually obedient and in step with God’s perfect will all along the way. Pray that we’ll be openhearted and open-minded when things need to change. And pray that we’ll apologize to one another and reconcile with one another whenever we need to. Pray that we will all live according to God’s Word as best as we can. Pray that we’ll embrace and live out the truth of Ephesians 4:29–32, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Pray that we’ll be good stewards of all of the many things with which God has gifted us, including our personal time, talents, and treasures, as well as our corporate finances, facilities, and ministries. Pray that God will be honored this year as our church implements out Strategic Ministry Plan. Pray that we’ll be a church that’s on mission as people who are “becoming deeply devoted followers of Jesus together.” Pray for our vision to be realized as a church who glorifies God in all of life, is transformed by God’s Word, serves and cares for each other in love, welcomes all people and cares for our neighbors, and personally shares the gospel locally and globally. Pray that our core values of God’s glory, a biblical foundation, congregational worship, caring for the body of believers, connecting with the community, and evangelizing the lost will empower and guide each and every one of our ministries.

Let’s also pray that our Discipleship Pathway will guide us toward maturity in Christ together. May our 4 gospel G’s be more than a memorable alliteration. Pray that we will GATHER around the gospel and not lesser things. Pray that we’ll GROW in the gospel in authentic, spiritual maturity. Pray that we’ll GIVE toward the gospel both financially and in serving with our spiritual gifts. Pray that we’ll GO with the gospel both locally and globally.

In terms of gathering, pray the words of Hebrews 10:23-25 for yourself and for our church:

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

In terms of growing, pray the words of 2 Timothy 3:14-17 for yourself and for our church:

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

In terms of giving, pray the words of 1 Peter 4:10-11 for yourself and for our church:

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

In terms of going, pray the words of 2 Corinthians 5:14-20 for yourself and for our church:

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Please keep each of our Global Partners in prayer as the carry the gospel to places nearby and far away. Pray for their overall health and wellness. Pray for financial favor and good stewardship. Pray for favor with the logistics and paperwork and travel arrangements that often make our break their opportunities to serve. Pray for Spirit led inroads with the various people and cultures in which they serve, and pray for a good understanding of the various intricacies of foreign languages and practices. Pray for language skills and the ability to get culturally appropriate discipleship materials and Bibles. Pray for spiritual protection from our enemy, and for discernment in spiritual warfare.

Looking ahead to March, please pray for a meaningful season of Lent leading up to Easter. Pray for all of the various special events, as well as the regular weekly and monthly discipleship activities that happen day after day. As always, let’s continue to pray that God will help us to become more and more the church that He would have us be.

Together for Christ, Pastor Jerry 

Becoming deeply devoted followers of Jesus together