2010 week 20

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV).

1. Please pray for the ESC Retreat on the coming weekend, May 14 to 16, at Blue Mountain. The theme is "Leap" in consideration of moving on by faith to the next level of ministry in this, the 40th year of God's grace upon our church. The speaker is Angel Silva, a pastor from Maine, U.S.A. Ask the Lord to use the retreat to build fellowship and determination to grow as faith community to accomplish God's plans at North York.

2. 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.

3. 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 CS's father, who is suffering from lung cancer. He has been responding well to chemotherapy. Ask for the treatment to bring physical healing. 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.

4. Please pray for the ESC Adult Sunday School class in May. Pastor Richard is teaching a three-week series entitled "The Emerging Church and Us." This is an brief look at the emerging church movement with a view to understanding important concerns raised about the church today, evaluating them biblically, and seeing how the Spirit will lead us towards God-honouring solutions. Pray for the good class, and take away application useful for the building up of the church and for fulfilling Christ's mission for the church.

5. Please continue to pray for our missionaries:- Please pray for CY is South Asia: ongoing adaptation, and for God's provision for suitable accommodations and room-mate.- 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 late summer.- Others in East Asia: E, R&M, C, and in Central Asia: F&E.- Pray for the Wall's in France.- Remember the Ng's and the Chim's doing short-term work in Panama.- JM in Mexico needs a visa which is being held up due to the wait for paperwork needed to make the application.- J&A in West Africa who will be back for home assignment beginning June.- remember also the short term mission team in Panama over the next 2 weeks.

6. Please pray for the college/university aged students/young adults, may who are back in Toronto for summer. Ask the Lord to provide meaningful summer placements for ongoing students, a plan and/or jobs for those graduating, and welcome news for those applying to further education. Pray also for meaningful summer fellowship (Benjamin and "small group").

7. Please pray for the short term mission team going to East Paris, France at the beginning of July to help the Walls(our missionaries to Noisy-le-Grand, France). Ask the Lord to give them a fun and stimulating preparation time (and especially adequate spiritual preparation). Pray for all the logistics which are being worked out at this time.

8. Please continue to pray for the church building project:
- 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 positive and effective member participation in various fund-raising activities, including the 40th Anniversary Banquet on June 13.

9. Please pray for our church's 40th anniversary celebrations coming the 1st and 2nd weekends in June. Pray especially for the revival meetings in all congregations on the evenings of June 4 & 5. Ask the Lord to raise up a team from the ESC to plan and lead the ESC revival meetings, and for blessing on our speaker, Mr. Shu-Ling Lee (intern worship pastor at RHCCC), to speak to our community as the Spirit leads.

10. Please pray for the preparation of summer outreach ministries already underway:
- VBS (Children's Ministry) registration of participants and recruitment of counsellors.
- Superstar Soccer Camp (Youth Ministry) registration of participants and recruitment of assistants.
- CCSA softball - we will have 4 teams this year. Ask the Lord to bless this ministry with effective witness and outreach to our friends.