2009 Week Fourteen

1. Please pray for the April adult Sunday School classes. This will be a four-class series on King David: "David: Successes and Failures." The format of this class has been dubbed by ESC Teaching ministry as "coffee with David." The idea is to sit informally, talk about provided questions and themes is small groups, followed by a wrap-up by the teacher. Please pray for good attendance (promotion and invitation to young adults is happening now) and good discussion about things important for us to understand, and for the Spirit to equip us to better live and witness in our time.

2. Please pray for the Youth Ministry:
- Please pray for the follow-up to the parent & youth ministry gathering on Sunday, March 29. Ask the Lord to continue to build communication, understanding and mutual support amongst youth workers, parents and teens.
- Please pray for the youth and others as they undertake the "30 Hour Famine" on Friday, April 3 to Saturday, April 4. Ask for good response (sponsorships and bake sale) to their effort to raise $15,000 for a World Vision project in Katwe, Uganda. Ask God to build awareness of the needs of people around the world through this event so that we can better pray and support such efforts in an ongoing way.

3. Please pray for the planning and preparation of the April 10, Good Friday evening worship service. The service will be a congregational journey through the passion of Christ (his suffering and death) from the gospel of Matthew. Ask the Lord to allow this service to be a meaningful remembrance of our Lord's sacrifice for sinners like us. May it also be a powerful witness for Christ to our neighbours and friends whom we invite.

4. Please pray for the upcoming ESC Spring Retreat on April 17 to 19, 2009. Ask the Lord to give participants a good time of fellowship and learning, as we spend time together and as the Lord ministers through the speaker.

5. Please continue to pray for brothers and sisters among us who are facing challenging situations and people in the workplace. Pray especially for those who are dealing with change. May the Spirit help them to make decisions concerning their jobs, and perhaps their careers. Ask the Lord to grant guidance and peace as they depend on him.

6. Please pray for the church building project:- The building project fund-raising focus now is on increased participation in the promissory note program. This is one way for supporters to lend to the church, and to satisfy the bank's requirement for the church to have $4.5 million raised in order to get the building loan.- The fund-raising banquet will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2009. The theme is, "Touched by God's Grace, I Offer My All." Please pray for the planning of this event and the members of the fund-raising committee as they work on this. Ask the Lord to bless the project with adequate funding.

7. Please pray for brothers and sisters among us who are suffering. Lift up those you know who are sick or suffering before the Lord. Ask for healing and comfort, and practical things such as help from others. Ask the Lord to move any of us to respond and be those helping hands.
- Remember in prayer: C and family in the CSC whose father passed away last week and whose funeral will be on the coming Saturday. Grand-daugher, E is part of our ESC.

8. Please pray for the college/university students from our community who are wrapping up their classes and assignments this week, and then moving into exams. Pray for perseverance and excellence as Christians fulfilling their current calling as students.