Saturday, July 10, 2010

2010 week 27

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV).

1. Please pray for ESC Core (pastoral team) Leaders and Ministry Group Leaders as we continue to work out and implement the 3- to 5- year strategies presented at the recent Leaders retreat (Saturday, April 10). Pray especially for the ESC to grow in unity and conviction of the direction we should take as the Spirit leads us.

2. Please keep praying for family members of our brothers and sisters who are ill. Lift each sufferer and their families up to God in prayer. Ask the Lord to help them deal with the illness and experience the love of Christ in their midst.
- Pray for two of James Lam's brothers, one older, one younger, both of whom have just been diagnosed with colon cancer. Pray for healing, and family members as they come together in support and help during this time.
- Please keep in prayer CS's father, who is suffering from lung cancer. Ask for good results of treatment. Pray also for his heart to be opened to the good news of Jesus Christ. Ask God to bless CS's family with his salvation.

3. Please continue to pray for our missionaries:
- Please pray for CY is South Asia.
- E&B who continue with work in South Asia.
- R&E on home assignment from East Asia will need to visit many supporting churches in the USA before returning to the field in September.
- Others in East Asia: E, R&M, C, and in Central Asia: F&E.
- Pray for the Wall's in France.
- Remember the Chinese Baptist in Panama, and short-term workers from our church who minister there.
- JM in Mexico.
- J&A (West Africa) are on home assignment in Ontario for the year, and enrolling their son in the school system here. Please pray for good adjustment, and for reconnection with churches and individuals.

4. Please pray for the short term mission team which is in East Paris, France July 1 to 13 to help the Walls (our missionaries to Noisy-le-Grand, France). This weekend of ministry is especially busy with two nights of meetings sharing with newcomers the results of spiritual interest street surveys and videos taken over the past week, and the culminating evangelistic meeting on Sunday. Pray for spiritual sensitivity and perseverance over the weekend. Ask the Lord for a response that would accomplish his purposes for the Noisy church and bring glory to his name. Remember the Team after the weekend as they say good-bye to new-found friends and partners in ministry for their return to Toronto on the coming Tuesday.

5. Please continue to pray for the church building project:
- Praise God for a wonderful banquet on June 13, and significant fund-raising.
- Pray for timely approval of the building permit - the application has been submitted to the city. The hope is to break ground this fall.
- Ask the Lord to pour out his grace and power on the Building Project Committee as they continue to work on the tasks at hand while keeping the rest of us informed of what's happening, and how we can pray.
- Please pray for God's provision of a good contractor, and for the cost of building to remain favourable even as market prices go up with the recovering economy.

6. Please pray for summer outreach ministries already underway and upcoming:
- VBS (Children's Ministry) - first session week 1 has already concluded. There have been three children who have put their trust in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Please pray for week 2 counselor perseverance and childrens's spiritual growth.
- Superstar Soccer Camp (Youth Ministry) begins on July 19. Please pray for continuing registration of participants. May the Lord use this camp as an expression of our love and commitment to our community, and to raise interest in knowing our Saviour.
- CCSA softball - we have 4 teams this year. Senior teams are already playing. One Junior team begins this week, and the other next week. Ask the Lord to bless this ministry with effective witness and outreach to our friends.