2009 Week 29

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 (NIV)

1. Please keep the Vacation Bible School (VBS) in prayer. Ask for perseverance and discernment for the counselors to lead the children in a fun time, and as opportunity arises, to lead them to Jesus. Pray for the children's enjoyment and learning - may seeds be sown for a lifetime of receptivity to the Lord. Remember also the families represented by each child.

2. Please pray for the July adult Sunday School classes. Walter Chan will be teaching “An Uncommon Approach to Work-Life Balance,” a fourweek series exploring why well-being is unattainable by many and providing insights into alternatives by looking at Biblical principles and using relevant assessments. The series will use a common sense approach to link balanced life to one’s identity, how one handles stressful situations, one’s way of using time and concepts of project management in order to achieve more control, value, confidence and self-esteem.

3. Please pray for missionaries who are or will be visiting with us this summer. Please pray for R & L (R's mother recently passed away). Pray for the Whitbournes who will visit at the end of August. Keep the various workers from a number of fields in East, South and Central Asia in prayer also as they spend time with us and prepare for future work.

4. Please pray for our church's CCSA softball teams this year. The Harbingers (Senior Team), Pi and Seraphs (Junior Teams) are all active now. Ask the Lord to give all team members spiritual growth through fun and fellowship. Pray for the leaders (coaches, governors) to encourage players with their sportsmanship and testimony for Christ. Ask especially for non-believing friends to be drawn to our Saviour.

5. Please pray for the Youth Short-Term Mission Team to Steubenville, Ohio in July 19-25, 2009. They will be going to help in local work projects among the needy and share the good news of Jesus with the people. Please pray for safety in travel, good camaraderie, and spiritual readiness. Pray also for the residents of Steubenville who will receive their ministry. May they feel God's love to them through the team and respond to the work of the Spirit in their lives.

6. Please pray for Ken and Anita Kwan who will be going to Guatemala from July 18-25, 2009 to minister to children with the Arms of Jesus Mission (AOJ). They will be teaching VBS for half days, and spending the other half on work projects (e.g. building, food distribution). The location is Pampay, a small, poor town about 30 minutes from Antigua. Please ask the Spirit to help them establish a good connection with the children, and opportunities to interact with parents so that they may witness Jesus among them.

7. Please pray for Anita Cheng as she prepares for an 8-week medical mission to Galmi, Niger, leaving on July 28, 2009. She will be working in paediatrics at the Galmi Hospital during the busiest season of meningitis, malaria, and malnutrition. A special and challenging focus will be researching and teaching newborn resuscitation. Pray for Anita's spiritual readiness and perseverance. Ask the Spirit to prepare patients,parents, and others to hear the Good News of Jesus, to create receptivity in the hearts of locals to newborn resuscitation, and to give Anita wisdom as she works and ministers in Christ's name. Please pray also for peace and increasing faith for Anita's parents.

8. Please pray for the registration and preparation for Summer Conference 2009, coming up on August 1 to 3, 2009 at McMaster University. The theme this year is "Imitate Christ, Now!" The speaker is Jeff Smyth. Pray for a good turn-out as this is an opportunity for our community to experience accelerated spiritual growth together over a fun weekend. Please ask God to raise up ESC participants to help with all aspects of Summer Conference organization. Pray also for our Children's Pastor and the two brothers who will take care of the Children's part of the Summer Conference.

9. Please continue to pray for brothers and sisters among us who are looking for work and/or facing challenging situations and people in the workplace. Pray for endurance and hopefulness for those who are dealing with change, and looking for new work. 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.

10. Please pray for the church building project:
- The Building Committee is in discussion with banks about obtaining a loan and getting a "letter of committment." Please pray for the committee as they negotiate with the banks. Ask the Spirit to guide the committee with wisdom to make decisions that reflect God's will for our church.
- Members from the ESC are planning a number of possible fund-raisers that will appeal to people like us. This will bring the ESC into the building project in new and exciting ways. Please lift up these initiatives before the Lord. Fund-raising activities: multi-member parking lot rummage sale and BBQ (July 11); golf tournament (September 12, registration begins July 12); "donate a day's pay" event (end of July); other intiatives are still being planned.

11. 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.

12. Please pray for growth in discernment and conviction among the college/university group over this summer. Ask for trust to grow between members, (even though they have been away from each other on different campuses) and a willingness for people to respond to all that they hear from God through their prayer and discussion. Pray also for students to consider attending the Urbana Student Missions Conference (Dec 2009) which is held once every three years. This is an opportunity for them to see what God is doing in the world and how they might become participants in God's global purposes.

13. Please pray for couples and families within our faith community. There are some who are having relationship struggles and facing hard times. Pray for persevering faith, adequate care from others during trials, solutions to difficulties, and marriage endurance. May the sufficiency of Christ become a reality to those in need.

14. Please pray for the election of deacons in progress right now. Ask the Lord to help us discern his choice of leaders from among us, so that his house may be smoothly and beautifully run for his glory.

15. Please keep praying for 5-month old Anissa. This following is from her parents, Winnie and Marvin:
Anissa just had another visit with the cardiologist, Dr. Musawe on July 16. During this latest visit, Dr. Musawe said that he was encouraged by Anissa's weight gain during the past couple of months. He now is taking a wait-and-see approach to Anissa's condition to see if the hole between the ventricles will close. He did emphasize that if the hole does not close by itself, then surgery will be necessary.
It is encouraging that Dr. Musawe has changed his assessment of immediate surgery to wait-and-see and the appointments have changed from monthly to 6 weeks. So for the near future, there is no surgery.
Thank you all for your prayers and love for Anissa.