2010 week 50

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23 (NIV).

1. Please pray for our hearts and attitudes as we approach the celebration of Christmas. May we get ready to welcome the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, anew. May the meaning of the Incarnation fill us with wonder once again. God is with us! Praise the Lord!

2. Please pray for the many church activities over the Christmas season. Ask God to allow each service and gathering in the name of our Lord Jesus serve to bring him glory, and proclaim him as Saviour and Lord to those we need to share him with. Pray especially for the worship leaders, teams, choirs, preachers, and all involved in proclaiming the good news about Jesus for a clear message empowered by the Spirit.

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 also for those in our midst who have recently lost loved ones. May the community of believers stand by them, and may the Lord comfort them.

4. Please continue to pray for our missionaries:
- Praise God for the Greniers (The Gambia, West Africa) who are on home assignment until June 2011. Pray for their relationship building and teaching during these months.
- Praise God for CY (South Asia) who is on home assignment this month until the end of January 2011. Pray for renewed contacts and relationships, rest, and also clarity about next steps in the field.
- Remember our other missionaries in various countries and ministries.

5. Please continue to pray for the church building project:
- Praise God for a meaningful ground-breaking ceremony in November which was a great celebration for all of us.
- Pray for the excavation permit to come through soon (expected this month), and then for construction to proceed on schedule even through the winter.
- Pray for the ongoing fund-raising, so that construction may continue without hindrance.
- Pray for God to provide us with letters of intent from prospective tenants for the new building. This is important because there needs to be 50% of the rental space needs to be covered by intentions to rent in order for us to draw on our bank loan once what we have saved for construction is used up. We proceed by faith. Ask the Lord to provide.

6. Please pray for those among us who are seeking work. Some are recent graduates and some have been looking for some time. Ask the Lord to provide, and to keep attitudes positive in order to persevere in the job search.

7. Please pray for our students who are writing exams an papers ahead of the Christmas break. May they feel the blessing of God as they work at their studies. Pray for a safe holiday for our students, and good, meaningful family time.