2011 Week 22

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV).

1. Please pray for our hearts and attitudes as we approach the celebration of our church's 41st anniversary on June 5, 2011. Reflecting of the the verse above (1 Peter 2:9), may the Lord cause us to understand who we are before him, and be newly committed to proclaim his excellencies in our love for one another, and our mission to our neighbours and the nations. God has not made us a people unto ourselves, but a people for him - to fulfill his high and perfect purpose. May he move us by the power of his Spirit to do so.

2. Please pray for the 41st Anniversary Combined (Cantonese, English, and Mandarin) worship service on Sunday, June 5. May the Lord be glorified as we worship and observe the Lord's Supper together. Although our community is colourful and varied, may our unity in Christ shine through our worship, our fellowship, and service.

3. Please pray 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 pray for our missionaries:
- Praise God for the Greniers (The Gambia, West Africa) who are on home assignment until June 2011. Thank the Lord for successful recent surgery on John's hand. Ask the Lord to allow good recovery and strength, especially as the Greniers prepare to return to The Gambia in early July. Pray for smooth resumption of ministry in The Gambia. Pray especially for the family as son, Jedidiah, will be separated from John and Alice for the first time in order to go to school in a neighbouring country.
- Praise God for CY (South Asia) who is currently on home assignment over the summer. Pray for direction and clarity about next steps and future ministry.
- Remember our other missionaries in various countries and ministries.

5. Please continue to pray for the church building project:
- Praise God for the steady work of excavation which we can see happening. Praise the Lord also for a possible prospective tenant.
- Pray for the necessary permits and plans to come through soon on a timely basis so that construction may proceed on schedule as each step is completed.
- Pray for the ongoing fund-raising, so that construction may continue without hindrance. Faithful giving is especially important now since the MiniSkool (on-site child care agency) is not operating and paying rent during the construction.

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 the many summer activities which are starting or will be happening soon: CCSA softball which builds fellowship and reaches out to non-believing friends; Vacation Bible School (VBS) which mobilizes a number of youth as counsellors and ministers to children in our community; Summer Conference which is our mid-summer opportunity to experience focused spiritual growth as a church community.