Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,
Praise the Lord for another glorious Christmas season in which we can magnify Christ and His Good News for this weary world! Thank you for lifting up our church in prayer as we come to the end of 2022, now just a little over a year away from our church’s 100-year anniversary.
Let’s continue to pray for the various life stages and situations that make up our diverse and beautiful church body. Pray for those who are single. Pray for good friends and family around them. Pray for contentment, fulfillment, and joy. Pray that they might enjoy the blessing of serving the Lord as a single person (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). Pray for those who are married, whether recently or for some time now. Pray for good communication, servant-heartedness toward one another, and for the ability to genuinely display God’s good design for marriage and to reflect the beautiful illustration of Christ and His bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:21-33).
Pray for our various ministries to adults, youth, and children. Pray for a good time of rest as things slow down over this holiday break. Pray also for renewed energy and vision for the year ahead. May God help us to evangelize the lost, build up believers, and then become equipped for service using our spiritual gifts and overflowing with the fruit of His Spirit. Pray for effectiveness in our various small groups: Bible studies, Sunday School classes, Life Groups, etc. May each person at E-Free have a small group where they can connect on a deeper, more personal level. Pray that our church will experience deep, Christ-honoring fellowship and the sharing of our lives together. Pray that we’ll weep and rejoice together as we serve alongside one another (Romans 12:15). May God be honored as we are transformed more and more into the beautiful bride that He intends.
Pray for our church’s ministry to our community. Pray that we’ll have a good reputation with those outside of our church. Pray that we’ll be involved outside of our walls, making a genuine gospel impact in our corner of this world. Pray for creativity and an eagerness to shine forth the light of Jesus, through both our individuals lives as well as our church ministries. Praise God for the incredible building that He has provided us, but also pray that we’ll not limit our impact to the things that happen within these walls. Pray that we will love the lost, care for the poor and needy, and restore God’s prodigal children throughout the area. Pray for prodigals you know. Pray for lost people you know. Pray for anyone you know who is poor and needy. And pray for God to reveal your part in meeting these needs, and then to give you the courage and willingness to make time for the things that are most important to Him. Pray that we’ll set aside worldly distractions and the lesser, good things in this life, so that we can focus our priorities on the best things.
Pray for our Global Partners. Pray for the needs listed on our Prayer Chain. Pray for other needs that you know of, that perhaps few other people do. Please pray that our church will become a more prayerful church, a church that is more dependent on God and less reliant on our own ability to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Pray that 2nd Sunday Prayer will grow in attendance as we move back to the chapel in our Community Life Center. Pray the words of John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Also pray the words of Psalm 127:1, “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.”
As we approach the New Year in 2023, let’s all prayerfully consider fasting (Matthews 9:15b), as we seek God’s vision for our own lives and for our church. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, thanks for praying. Merry Christmas! Christ the Savior is born!
Together for Christ, Pastor Jerry