Prayer Support

Pray for the Mali Fulbe team as it meets with its British, Brazilian, and Nigerian partners on November 3. Pray for clear communication and for wise decision making about the ongoing ministry among the Fulbe people.

Please pray for the development of new church planting partnerships, asking that God will lead the right partnerships to form and will provide the locations and leaders he desires.

Pray that CRWRC staff in drought-ridden Kenya may have wisdom as they seek to deliver food aid among 3.8 million people now facing hunger. Ask for God’s blessing on food-for-work programs that seek to improve food security by building reservoirs, controlling soil erosion, and planting new crops.

Praise God for the new partnership in India between Back to God Ministries and Good Books Ministries. We are now able to reach people in this region, like Romesh K., who wrote, “I heard the name of Jesus for the first time on your program. It touched my life and completely changed it.” Pray that many more people in India will hear of Jesus through this media ministry.

At Synod 2009 a proposal to recommend study of the Belhar Confession passed overwhelmingly. In November many CRC congregations will begin holding sessions to learn about the Belhar, seeking to understand what it says about unity, justice, and reconciliation. Pray for God’s blessing over these sessions, asking that his Spirit will lead us in discerning how to live out these principles in our communities.

Recently a Coffee Break Workshop was held in the Sikoku Presbytery of the Reformed Church of Japan (RCJ). Several RCJ churches have begun using Coffee Break Bible studies as a way to reach people for Christ. Ask God to continue to equip the RCJ for evangelism.

Membership has doubled at Many Peoples Church in Chicago, Ill. Ten new people are entering the new members’ class, and two young boys are preparing for baptism. Praise God and ask for continued blessing on this church.

Please ask for God’s blessing on Disaster Response Services volun­teers as they continue work on construction sites in Texas and Louisiana for hurricane survivors. Ask also that DRS may be able to provide services in areas of need despite the increasing number and magnitude of natural disasters in North America.

Pray for F.H., a young woman who recently confessed faith in Christ. She received threats against her life after sharing her faith with a Muslim friend. Please pray for her and others whose faith in Christ causes them persecution.

Pray for the Prayer Ministries International team as its members visit Haiti to support CRCNA missionaries and Haitian Christians. Pray that many will be blessed and encouraged through workshops on spiritual warfare, healing prayer, and a spiritual retreat.

Today we celebrate Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the U.S. to commemorate the sacrifices of military personnel and civilians in times of war. Give thanks to God for Christian Reformed active duty and reserve military chaplains who have provided spiritual care in military settings throughout the generations.

Please pray for a lay pastor in southwestern China who distributes our Chinese ministry CDs and booklets to people in his village. “I don’t have a lot of training,” he writes, “so I find your materials very helpful. Pray for us as we have a lot of false teaching in our area.”

Pray with thanksgiving for the thousands of volunteers who serve with wisdom and kindness in youth ministries. Pray for protection over these volunteers as they minister weekly to youth who need them to role model healthy relationships. Pray also for our youth gathered each week in various programs and activities, asking that they may enjoy their interactions with others while growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

COCREF (Christian Reformed Schools) in the Dominican Republic finished last year with nearly 5,000 students in its 21 schools. Directors Sandra Villanueva and Norma René have worked with local school principals to increase enrollment to fill the schools to capacity. Pray that this goal may be reached so that more students may benefit from the quality Christian education that COCREF provides.

Eastern Canada Leadership Development Network, one of 11 LDNs supported by Home Missions, is working to cultivate and train church leaders throughout Eastern Canada. Pray that the Lord works through this ministry as it seeks to find the next generation of church leaders.

Pray for CRWRC’s World Hunger: One Table campaign. May Christians everywhere come to understand that the abundance of God’s table is meant for rich and poor alike. Ask that congregations involved in the campaign experience a new commit­ment to eliminating hunger at home and abroad.

Please pray for a young woman who struggles with doubts about God’s love because of a difficult family situation. She heard our French radio broadcast and began an email conversation with the discipleship team, who helped her to testify, “The sure thing is that now I understand what God’s love is!” Pray that God will continue to strengthen her faith.

Horeb Presbyterian Reformed Church in Marlborough, Mass., seeks to reach Brazilian immigrants with the good news of Jesus. Ask for God’s blessing on this ministry, that lives may be transformed.

Recently George and Ruth Young moved to Chosi, a fishing city in Japan, to equip devel­op­ing partner churches for ministry within the com­mu­nity. Pray that the Chosi church may become an active, effective witness for Christ in the region.

Join us in praying that many people will be reached through Home Missions’ small group ministry. Pray that ministry developers and small group leaders throughout North America will succeed in sharing the gospel with many people.

Pray for CRWRC partner Committee of Christian Service as they work with the indigenous Kekchi peoples of Guatemala. Ask that the agricultural, health care, natural medi­cine, and literacy programs there may empower people to find a way out of poverty and discrimination.

Praise God that Lourdes F. is learning to know and love God as a result of our Portuguese ministry. He wrote, “I wasn’t in the habit of reading the Bible until my daughter-in-law, who watches your TV program, received your devotional booklet and gave it to me. Now I see God with my own eyes!”

Holidays can be a lonely time for missionaries living far away from family and friends. Pray for our American missionaries this weekend as they celebrate Thanksgiving far from home.

According to a new study called the American Religious Identification Survey, the percentage of Christians in the United States has declined and a growing number of Americans say they have no religion at all. Please join us in praying that people can come to know Jesus through the more than 200 ministries supported by Home Missions.

Praise God that Iridia, a doctor and part of the Russian intellectual elite (a very difficult group to reach), came to faith in Christ three years ago. Iridia is grateful for our ministry, saying, “It quenches my spiritual thirst and encourages me.” She asks for prayer as she witnesses to her children and family members.

As Advent 2009 approaches, pray that the Holy Spirit will help Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people come together to celebrate the many gifts offered by the Creator God: Jesus the Savior, forgiveness, healing, faith, hope, love, and, of course, creation. Pray for the staff of CRC urban aboriginal min­i­s­tries as they point to hope in Christ during another busy Christmas season.

Through her work at Hillcrest Christian School, Jackie Hogeterp has the unique oppor­tunity to minister to children from Christian and Muslim families. Pray that these students may continue to ask questions about life, God, and faith—and pray for wisdom for Jackie as she responds.

Please join City Grace Church in New York City in praying for several newly baptized members who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ.

Pray for CRWRC partner Nkhoma Synod’s Relief and Development Department, asking that its new Home Based Care program for chronically ill people in Paulo village, Malawi, may bless people with HIV, AIDS, and other illnesses. Ask that patients may be strengthened both in body and in the love of Christ.

Pray for the Spanish television program and devotional booklet ministries that help give biblical encouragement and instruction to Spanish-speaking people worldwide. Carmen, from Tampa, Fla., requested a devotional booklet after hearing about it on the TV program, and she thanks all who help make it possible: “Thanks so much for your TV program. May God bless you.”