Thank you for supporting the ministries of the Christian Reformed Church through your prayers.
For daily prayer, you are invited to use the Prayer Guide below or:
Give thanks for the recent baptism of Takeki Kikuchi. He first heard our Japanese radio program Fukuin no Nami (Gospel Wave) five years ago, and he has continued listening with his family. While preparing for college this past Easter, he gave his life to Christ and was baptized.
Please keep DRS in prayer as we seek to meet the needs of people affected by disasters. Many communities are still recovering from recent storms, and many residents still need assistance. Pray for the volunteers engaged in needs assessments and working on reconstruction sites.
Please pray for the new Cultivate event as it wraps up three days of training today at F Street Neighborhood Church in Lincoln, Neb. This is a new training and fellowship event designed for CRC planters of various experiences. Attendees learn from experienced practitioners, connect with other CRC planters, and get a glimpse of life at another church plant. Pray for all attending and for the support they receive from each other.
During the summer months, Jack Organ will lead the VIATA youth camp in Romania. Pray for stamina for him and for the team of Romanian counselors as they begin the long, fun, full days of summer camp, and please ask for spiritual growth in the kids who come to camp this year.
Pray for the meetings of Synod 2017, which begins later this week. May the delegates be blessed to see how God is working through the CRCNA, including Safe Church and other ministries. Pray for wisdom, discernment, and guidance by the Holy Spirit for all the delegates as they make decisions that will guide our denomination.
Please pray for ministry placements for the seminary graduates who will be declared minister of the Word candidates at synod this month. Pray also for the churches and ministries that are seeking ministers, and may the Spirit give discernment that leads to fruitful ministry for all.
“The church is experiencing a revival in China,” shares Chinese ministry leader Jerry An, “but it also faces some government interference and harassment by individual groups.” Our evangelistic book Jesus Moments was recently blocked from social media, and the Chinese Today devotional Facebook page was compromised by an opposing group. Please pray for our Chinese team as they seek wisdom in sharing the gospel through media.
The first of this year’s 28 SERVE projects will begin on June 14. Ask Jesus to do a great work in the lives of the students, host churches, and communities being served. Please ask for safety in all the work and travels that 130+ youth groups will engage in this summer, and as we plan ahead, please ask God for direction in setting up SERVE projects for 2018.
Please pray as Home Missions and World Missions continuing working toward joining as one agency, effective July 1, 2017. By that time, the new mission agency anticipates having a new name and a new director approved by synod. Please pray for continuing wisdom and joy in this extensive process.
Pray for our French-language ministry as they develop an Internet outreach for youth. French ministry leader Marc Nabie explains, “Almost every young boy or girl has a smart phone and uses it regularly.” We ask for God’s guidance in pursuing this endeavor.
First Nations children in Canada are often left waiting for needed services or are denied services that are available to other children. Creator God, we pray for equity for all your children, made in your image. We pray for justice.
There has been interethnic fighting in the country where CRWM missionaries serve, resulting in about 5,000 internally displaced Fulani and Bambara people. Pray for peace in West Africa. Pray that people who have been displaced will find relief. Pray for wisdom for all who have the power to help resolve this conflict.
Today 39 new candidates and nearly 30 continuing candidates for ordination as minister of the Word are being presented to synod. Please pray for all of these persons looking for a ministry assignment and discerning God's will for their service in his kingdom. Their names and information are available in the Candidacy Committee section of the crcna.org website.
After intense flooding and mudslides, many drinking water sources have been destroyed or contaminated, leaving thousands of people in need of clean water. World Renew is at work providing safe drinking water sources and filtration. Families most affected were living in poverty before the flooding. Please keep these communities in prayer as they battle serious health risks.
Pastor Kevin DeRaaf was appointed May 1 as the new regional mission leader for eastern Canada. Please pray for Kevin as he uses his leadership and church renewal experience to assist ministry leaders in these rapidly changing times.
Every completed and attempted suicide touches many people. Pray for wisdom for the Mental Health Task Force of Christian Reformed and Reformed Church in America Disability Concerns ministries as it curates ministry resources for churches to use in suicide prevention and intervention and in the aftermath of suicide.
Several schools in which CRWM missionaries serve offer English learning camps during the summer. Pray that these camps will allow for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with participants who come from a variety of faith and cultural backgrounds.
Many congregations have asked us to develop a framework that will help them assess their own faith formation ministries and provide guidelines for strengthening these ministries. Please pray for wisdom as we seek to develop a framework that will honor the way the Spirit moves in congregations and as we seek to offer helpful advice that blesses congregational ministry.
Pray for our Russian ministry as it seeks to receive legal registration to minister on Russian soil. Because the ministry works with partnering churches and radio stations, registration is not currently required, but as religious laws increase, it will be necessary to gain status to operate and grow in Russia.
This 50-year-old campus ministry holds weekly worship services, events, mission trips, and much more. Pray for Campus Pastor Scott Stark and his leadership team as they seek to engage with and be a bridge for students to Jesus Christ and his local church worldwide.
June 21 is National Aboriginal Day in Canada, featuring celebrations, concerts, powwows, and other gatherings. Pray for events that honor and uphold the first peoples of our country, and pray for unity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.
After more than a year of petitioning, World Renew is celebrating a new law banning sachet alcohol. Alcoholism is one of the most pressing issues affecting livelihoods in Gulu district, and sachet alcohol, once available at every corner market and stand, was so inexpensive that even school children could purchase it. We praise God for this victory!
A seminary student named Mario requests prayer that the Lord would direct his steps and prepare a place of ministry for him. Pray for wisdom and encouragement for this young, bright leader who recently finished his second year of seminary studies. May he continue to grow in understanding Scripture.
Inspire 2017 is a conference to connect people from across the 1,000+ churches of the Christian Reformed Church in North America for three days of worship, workshops, speakers, and conversation. Please join us in praying for all who will attend this event. Pray for safe travels as people make their way to and from the gathering, and for God’s Spirit to move in their hearts to encourage, equip, and inspire them in their work in his kingdom.
Praise God that after listening to our Indonesian radio broadcasts, Mr. Sipahutar from North Sumatra shared, “I became interested in following Christ.” Thank God that this media outreach is blessing people who may have never heard the gospel before. Pray that God will continue to work in Mr. Sipahutar’s heart as he grows in faith.
Three new Bible studies are planned for the new ministry year beginning in the fall. Please pray for the teams of experienced leaders, writers, and ethnically diverse voices working on revisions of Discover Jonah and Discover 1 and 2 Thessalonians, as well as on a new venture between Coffee Break and the Timothy Leadership Training Institute: Discover the Whole Bible.
Severe hunger and famine are affecting millions of people in South Sudan while conflict and violence are forcing many South Sudanese families to flee and leave their homes behind, abandoning the agricultural land they depend on for food. Please pray for all who are affected by this crisis.
Zachary King and Sharon Segaar-King, along with their four children, are transitioning from their ministry in Haiti for Zach’s position as director of the new mission agency. Pray for strength in this transition. Pray for God’s wisdom for their colleagues in Haiti as they adapt and make changes to the Haitian ministry in the future.
Please pray for the SCE team in the coming month as they review proposals and make decisions on grant requests received from smaller churches for projects they would like to pursue, aiming to foster health within their church and potentially their surrounding community. Pray also for the churches as they embark on their new projects.
Systemic issues involving family, social systems, education, and emotional deprivation present complexities for the work of chaplains in prisons. Pray for our chaplains, who must maintain a positive witness in the often challenging environment of corrections.