Week Forty-Nine

1. Please pray for the Lord’s mercy in the wake of the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India this past week. Ask God for speedy and effective help for the victims, the loved ones of the many who were killed, and for order and peace to be quickly restored. May the Lord’s compassion rule over the aftermath of this incident.

2. Please pray for our country as the possibility of the defeat of the current minority ruling party looms. Ask God to give wisdom, and a commitment to the people’s best interests to the federal political parties as they work out who will govern Canada.

3. Please bring before the Lord the "Growing Leaders" plan presented at the recent ESC "town hall" meeting, and at the Sunday, November 23 worship service. Ask the Lord to bless us with good participation in the Growing Leaders introduction and information lunch on Sunday, December 7, so that all who are prompted by the Spirit to attend will understand the program and become involved in a meaningful way. Ask the Lord to provide the way for interested but busy members of our community to participate.

4. Please pray for the various ministries of our church community, especially as this year's work is wrapped up and plans are made for 2009. Pray for the ESC's desire to increasingly become the community that reflects God's intentions for us. Some areas:
- Our fellowship/small groups. Ask for the Spirit's guidance for the growth and biblical effectiveness of our groups so that people are well cared for and challenged in their walk with Jesus. Ask for wisdom and courage in making necessary changes to groups which are too diverse to adequately promote sharing and meet specific needs among its members, including beginning new groups.
- Breakthrough in community. Ask for God to work mightily to break down the distance that exists among individuals and groups within our community, and especially with newcomers. Ask the Spirit to make us intentional about bridging the distance to people we don't know well, making interaction with others a key value and practice in our community.
- Matching people with ministries. Ask the Lord to help us to foster commitment and follow "best practices" to address the need for people to serve in the various ministries which exist to shepherd the people of our community.

5. Please pray for the new Adult Sunday School 3-week series on the Old Testament book of Numbers to take place on Sundays, December 7, 21, & 28 led by Pastor Lu-Lu Ling. May the Spirit renew our walk with Jesus through the message of Numbers. Pray also for a special on-session Sunday School with Rev. Pak Loh who will share about his ministry and especially the needs in recently earthquake-ravaged Sichuan.

6. Please keep praying for the current 4-week Adult Sunday School course, "Hot Issues Facing Christians Today," which wraps up this Sunday, Nov 30. Ask for the Spirit to work on participants' hearts and minds so that long after the class discussions, we will continue to listen to and engage the people and voices of our world who question our faith and the way we try to live it out. Ask God to touch the world in a positive way through our witness.

7. Church Building Project, 685 Sheppard Ave. E. Please pray for:
- Give thanks to God for the "Bazaar" fund-raising sale on Saturday, November 29; the good participation, and funds raised. May the money be well used for the glory of his name.
- anticipated spring ground-breaking
- spiritual growth along with facilities expansion- steady congregational commitment and cooperation
- creative solutions for space shortage during building
- God's provision: faithful giving, fervent fund-raising (including good participation in the promissory note program), favourable bank financing
- smooth building process
- good response to the prayer and financial appeal letter being sent to friends of the church all over the world.

8. Personal request: Please pray for our members, Maria and Walton. They are in the process of looking for an apartment. Ask the Lord to give them success in relocating to a suitable place. Their daughter, Laura, has been diagnosed with some hearing loss in both her ears, and is scheduled for a CAT scan on December 1. Please pray for appropriate treatment for Laura and for her hearing to improve.

9. Please pray about the preparation and planning for the ESC Christmas worship service (Sunday, December 21). Ask the Lord to move members to participate in the choir, the planning, and technical aspects of the service. Most of all, ask the Spirit to bless the service as a way of touching our community with the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.