Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,
Thank you for prioritizing prayer for our church as we draw one month closer to our 100-year anniversary in 2024.
Let’s begin by praying for any spiritually lost friends, family members, or neighbors we know. As we journey through our Revelation sermon series, pray that our church will take to heart our Great Commission mandate to be witnesses for Christ. Pray that we will watch for the opportunities that God opens up for us. Pray for courage, timing, tone, and tact. May we explain the gospel clearly and with just the right amount of gentleness or firmness necessary. Pray that we will live out 2 Corinthians 5:17 in our everyday lives, “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 pray for our various Global Partners. If you have one of our flipbooks, take it out and pray for them one at a time. Pray for our adopted people group in southeast Asia. Pray that many of them will come to Jesus as their personal savior, and that they’ll be able to navigate the extreme cultural challenges that can come with a decision to follow Him. Pray also for our global partners working there, as well as our short-term team as they prepare to head over in November. Praise God for this opportunity to go! Pray that it will help them to develop in their Christian worldview and that it will bring significant discipleship maturity in each team member. Pray for safety and effective ministry. Praise God for His financial provision and pray that each member will be able to raise any remaining funds needed.
Pray for our global partners who are mobilizing a new generation of global partners through recruiting, training, fund raising, and then sending. May God raise up a whole new generation of courageous workers who leave their comfort zone and do hard things for God! Pray for those involved in Bible translation. May they have the focus and mental fortitude they need to continue making steady progress toward getting God’s Word into every language and tongue. Pray for the ministry of Global Fingerprints as they promote not only child sponsorships but also local pastors/churches that can sustain Christian ministry for generations to come. Pray for our camp ministries as they conduct fall ministry, work on their buildings and grounds, and also plan ahead for ministry logistics in the year 2023. Pray for effective ministry with Native Americans both onsite and over the radio. Pray for God-honoring ministry partnerships between Natives and Anglos. Pray that the sentiment of Ephesians 2:14 would be applied to these relationships, “For He himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” Pray for our global partners who are located overseas. Pray for favor with residency paperwork, language and culture study, and favor with local residents. May God give them wisdom to be effective in this everchanging world of pandemics, politics, and inflation concerns. Pray that our global partners who are single will find great joy and contentment as they follow God with their whole hearts. Pray that our global partners who are married will experience a healthy family dynamic in every way.
Please pray for our congregational meeting on Sunday, October 30. Pray that our membership will have great wisdom and unity as we make decisions on our 2023 officers and ministry budget. Pray for our trustee and elder boards as they present various information. Pray for good dialogue and clear communication as we navigate lots of details. May God be honored by how we conduct the business of His church. Pray that we’ll be a church that’s eager to honor one another, support one another, and hear each other out. Pray for the members that we’ll be adding and removing from our rolls. Pray also for any regular attenders who are not yet members, that they will prayerfully consider becoming official members of the church.
Pray for our nation’s upcoming midterm elections. Pray that our nation will look to God. Pray for wisdom and godliness for our leaders, and for a calming down of partisan hostilities. Pray that believers in Jesus Christ will embrace and live out the priorities of 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
Pray for the upcoming deer hunting season. Pray for safety and a productive harvest of meat for area households. Praise God for His beautiful creation and the way He provides through our local habitat of deer, fish, gamebirds, and so on. Pray that friends and family will enjoy their time together out in the woods as well as at deer camp and in their homes. Pray for God’s leading in opportunities to share the Good News about Jesus in these settings.
Please continue to pray that our various ongoing ministries (kids, youth, and adult) will have enough volunteers, and that those volunteers will be well-equipped for effective discipleship ministry. Pray that genuine Christian fellowship will happen. Pray that God’s Word will be honored by all and rightly taught and understood. Pray that our various church leaders will know which ministries to prioritize and which ones to hold back on. Pray for our Trustees and Elders in particular, as they make various ministry decisions about our church’s current needs and future direction. May we all have great wisdom and insight as we humbly seek God’s will in all things.
Brothers or Sister in Christ, thanks for praying! “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
Together for Christ,
Pastor Jerry
P.S. - I hope to see you at Second Sunday Prayer on November 13 at 6 p.m.!