Prayer Guide

Some missionaries in West Africa routinely travel to remote villages to share the gospel with people who’ve heard little about it before. Pray for safe travels, for opportunities to share God’s Word, and for openness to hearing the gospel.

Campus pastor Brian Bork leads the new campus ministry at Waterloo University and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. Pray for Brian as he uses a variety of weekly discussions and worship times to draw people closer to Christ on campus!

CRWRC’s Nema Aluku promotes HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in Eastern and Southern Africa. Pray for her and the churches in that region as they care for those who are sick, and as they fight the stigma that exists toward people living with HIV/AIDS in their communities.

This month the Calvinist Cadet Corps requests prayers for Daniel Nandwa, coordinator for the Cadet clubs in Kenya. Daniel has led training seminars throughout Kenya in the past year, and the ministry continues to thrive. Ask that boys’ lives will be changed and that God will gain glory through the Cadet ministry in Kenya.

Please pray for The Network Review Task Force as they prepare to report their results to the CRC Board of Trustees. Ask that God will guide and give wisdom to denominational leaders as they determine next steps for The Network. Give thanks for the good and faithful work being done by Network volunteers and staff during the review and decision process.

Please pray for our media missionary in a highly Muslim area of northern India. Along with his family and several believers, he had to flee the area because of false accusations against Christians. Pray for God’s protection and a swift resolution so that ministry may continue in this area.

Home Missions is helping to organize a denomination-wide prayer summit in Los Angeles, Calif., in April. Please pray along with us for the planning of the event, asking that God will use this exciting summit to catalyze a new prayer movement in the CRC and beyond.

Theological College of Northern Nigeria students are preparing to become pastors, seminary or Bible school teachers, or religion teachers in Nigeria’s public schools. Pray for them, in their training, to know God more fully so that they can guide others in following him.

Like several other CRC agencies, Faith Alive has been facing financial deficits and having to cut back on staff as well as ministry possibilities. Please pray for wisdom in planning for the year ahead and in completing curricula, Bible studies, hymnals, and other publications already in process for ministry in church, home, and school. May these resources help believers and newcomers connect with God and “grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, our Savior.”

Valentine’s Day is intended to remind us to love. Pray for the participants of Urban Aboriginal Ministries, asking that they may experience true love and the healing of broken relationships.

Tropical Storm Washi caused flash floods and landslides across the Philippines in mid-December, killing about 1,000 people and leaving more than 51,000 people homeless. Pray for survivors and for CRWRC staff as they work with local churches to distribute emergency supplies and provide care in the wake of this disaster.

Pray for the many house churches that meet each week in China with few resources. One house church leader told Chinese ministry leader Rev. Jimmy Lin, “Your radio programs and websites have really strengthened my faith in difficult times and equipped me to serve.” Pray that God will continue to use all these resources to encourage believers in China.

Pray for the many house churches that meet each week in China with few resources. One house church leader told Chinese ministry leader Rev. Jimmy Lin, “Your radio programs and websites have really strengthened my faith in difficult times and equipped me to serve.” Pray that God will continue to use all these resources to encourage believers in China.

Valentine’s day has people thinking about romantic love and marriage. Pray for grace, wisdom, and patience for the many young adults who live with disabilities and who long to be married but are not.

Praise God! The first immigration reform workshop, Church Between Borders, is scheduled in Grand Rapids at Roosevelt Park CRC. The workshop begins February 19 and continues on March 4, March 11, and March 25. Please pray that God will open hearts and minds toward this very important work in our denomination. Our facilitators will also need prayer that God will use them and give them words of wisdom throughout the four sessions.

Tom Soerens teaches biblical worldview courses at the Evangelical University of the Americas, helping students unpack what it means to live out their faith. Pray for these students to continue seeing the practical implications of their faith.

In countries like Bangladesh, India, and Malawi, children do not often live past five years old, and many women die from preventable complications in childbirth. Pray for CRWRC staff as they work to improve child nutrition, prevent the spread of malaria, and train health care workers.

Pray for José, a new believer who is eager to grow in faith and help his family better understand the Bible. Pray that our Spanish devotional booklet, Cada Dia, will help to lead them in their walk with the Lord.

The CRC and RCA are collaborating on a church planting initiative that is starting new churches in Kingdom Enterprise Zones across North America. One of these new churches is The Living Well, a church plant in Bradenton, Fla. Please pray for pastor Don Ridder as he prepares to launch this new venture.

Please pray that God will guide the Calvin Seminary search committees who are looking for qualified people to fill three faculty positions this fall: professor of missiology, dean of students/international student advisor, and director of mentored ministries.

Please pray for those who provide chaplaincy in the workplace. The pressures of tight budgets and frequent layoffs makes their task especially challenging in today’s economy.

Ken and Jeannie Lee recently began working with the Hitachinaka Church and the Misato Reformed Church in Japan. Pray for good relationships and discernment on how to assist their new partners.

Give thanks for positive momentum! An appalling lack of adequate housing in Attawapiskat, a northern Ontario First Nation community, generated media attention that in turn helped to bring about a historic summit meeting between Indigenous and government leaders planned for January 24. Pray that the Holy Spirit will add force to encouraging winds of change. Pray that the Centre for Public Dialogue may provide meaningful input to the process of building reconciled relationships.

Pray for Siswanto, a former Muslim who came to know Jesus after receiving a radio from our listener community coordinator. As he listened, Siswanto wanted to learn more and joined the listener community to discuss what he heard. Pray that his faith will continue to grow strong.

Please pray for pastor Joe Strong of Northwest Hispanic Ministry in Mt. Vernon, Wash., as he seeks to share the gospel of Jesus with prisoners at Whatcom County Jail, as well as with many Hispanic neighbors in the community.

Fred Witteveen works for CRWRC to build peace between two rival groups in Kenya: the Pokots and the Turkanas. After months of establishing peace and trust between the two groups, conflict again broke out over border disputes. Pray for encouragement for Fred and the CRWRC team as they continue to work toward peace in Kenya.

John and Shirley Wind lead marriage retreats and leadership training workshops, counsel couples, and mentor other family ministry teams in Mexico. Ask God to work through them and their partners to build strong, healthy marriages centered on him.

The office of Safe Church Ministry has received several calls in the past couple of months regarding sexual abuse that happens in families. For example, a church member has been sexually inappropriate to a preteen daughter. In addition, an elder has been abusive to his wife; she is unsure what to do and how others might respond if they knew about this. Pray that the Lord’s peace, wisdom, grace, justice, love, and healing may come to these hurting families. Pray that all family members will get the support and help they need.

Pray for Irina, who struggled with how to live out her faith until she heard one of our Russian broadcasts about serving God in all of life’s settings. Irina found a job with a major television station and reports that she is able to bring her Christian faith and values into the programs she helps produce.