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January 2010
1 Name
of Jesus
New Year’s Day
Pray that this new year be filled with good things, with
the comfort of friends and family, with strength to help
those in need and the humility to accept help from others.
2 We
pray for Camino de Vida, Albuquerque, N.M., and
Mission Developer Guillermo Yela as he leads that
new ministry toward the start of worship later
this spring. Camino de Vida is an ecumenical partnership
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and
the Presbyterian Church (USA) reaching out to Spanish-speaking
immigrants.
3 2nd
Sunday of Christmas
Gracious God, you sent Jesus to be the Light of the world.
We are thankful for the sacrifice made to save us.
As we enter into a new year, we pray that you would
guide us so that we stay focused on that Light and
ask that our light shine brightly before others. In
Jesus name we pray. Amen.
4 We
ask God to provide wisdom, passion and strength to
lay developer Tsena Dinssa as he equips members of
the Dallas Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Church, Dallas,
Texas, for evangelism and discipleship.
5 Keep Mary Margaret Powers in prayer as she serves
at the Helen Keller School for the Visually Impaired in
Beit Hanina, Jerusalem. Mary is part of the ELCA
Young Adults in Global Mission program.
6 Epiphany
of Our Lord
Today as we remember the star that led the magi to the
Christ child, also remember ELCA missionaries who supply
ministry-building skills for companion churches and
support projects that address social and economic issues.
7 Give
thanks for ELCA missionaries Pastor Dana Nelson
and Tom Ososki who work in parish ministry in Peru.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Peru is a young
church of over 1,100 members and is committed to
working with the most vulnerable in society.
8 Please pray that the Holy Spirit might inspire and
strengthen Pastor Mikki Gay and the people of Breath of
Life Lutheran Church, Blythewood, S.C.. This new
ministry is reaching Latinos, African-Americans, and European-Americans.
9 Osoko, Jesu, Osoko!” – “Thank
you, Jesus, thank you!” for Pastor Deborah and Joseph
Troester, Missionaries in the Central African Republic.
Deborah teaches Greek and English at the Theological School
in Baboua. Joseph is the technical advisor for a water
management project, sponsored in part by the ELCA.
10 1st Sunday after Epiphany
Baptism of Jesus
Transforming God, we remember with joy the baptism of Christ
Jesus. Call your children of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran
and Iraq into your embrace that they may be immersed in
your life-giving Holy Spirit. Amen.
11 Human
Trafficking Awareness Day
Pray for God’s help to live out the call to
love and do justice for others. Ask God to open our
minds to learn about human trafficking and open our hearts
to serve our neighbors, especially those who have been
trafficked.
12 Give thanks for Pastor Benjamin and Margit Coltvet
who have served the American Church in Berlin for
the past 8 years. In November the Coltvets hosted 368 people
at a Thanksgiving dinner held at the church building.
13 Keep in your prayers today ELCA missionary Robin
Strickler who serves in Rwanda, working in education development.
Started by Rwandan refugees, returning from the genocide
of 1994, the Lutheran Church of Rwanda (LRC) has 17,000
members. As a new church body, the LCR focuses on training
leaders and is building a secondary school and a women’s
center.
14 We celebrate the ministry of small ELCA congregations,
like Christ Lutheran Church, Wise, Va., which sees itself
as a “small, vibrant core of Lutherans” focused
on outreach and ministry.
15 Martin
Luther King Jr.
Give thanks for Dr. Mark and Linda Nygard as they serve
within the Evangelical Synod of the Nile. Mark is the
coordinator of graduate studies at the Evangelical
Theological Seminary in Cairo.
16 Praise God for the ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and
its witness in a turbulent region. Pray for Allison Schmitt,
communications assistant for Bishop Munib Younan.
17 2nd
Sunday after Epiphany
Vigilant God, you care for and watch over all of creation. Help
us to be more aware of human trafficking in the world and
in our communities that we might advocate for those whom
we are called to serve. Be with those who are experiencing
trafficking now and embolden us to seek justice for all
of creation. Amen.
18 Confession
of Peter
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins
Ask God’s help, through the Holy Spirit, to make
us disciples, attentive to the word of God at all times.
That when prejudices and suspicions arise, God will give
us the patience necessary for reconciliation.
19 Thank God for Judy Perry as she assists in medical
work among mothers and infants in the People’s Republic
of China and engages in health worker training with Evergreen
Foundation. Pray for all medical workers and those
who care for the ill and suffering throughout Asia.
20 Praise God for missionaries, Kathy Kamphoefner
and Paul Pierce as they serve the refugee ministry at St.
Andrew’s Church in Cairo, Egypt. Pray for the refugee
families as they learn a new culture and build new lives
in Cairo.
21 Offer thanks for God’s People Serving
(GPS) Faith Community in Machesney Park, Ill. GPS,
led by Pastor Rob James, continues to grow as it reaches
out to its neighbors, builds relationships, and seeks to
be “the hands and feet of Jesus Christ” in
their community.
22 Ask God to continue to walk with today’s
churches in Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, remembering that
the Lord, through a vision to John of Patmos, was revealed
among the seven churches of Asia.
23 Give
thanks for the continued ministry of Drs. Helmut
and Rotraut Diefenthal, who spend 10 months a year
at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi,
Tanzania, and for the companion relationships that
exist between ELCA synods and dioceses of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Tanzania.
24 3rd
Sunday after Epiphany
Merciful God, we remember with hope the gift of peace. Grant
your peace upon the countries of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon
and Israel that the power of your love may be known. Amen.
25 Conversion
of Paul
We remember how Paul of Tarsus, formerly an enemy and persecutor
of the early Christians, was led by God's grace to
become an advocate, spokesperson and servant of the
church. Ask God to open the heart’s and minds
of all people.
26 Timothy,
Tuitus and Silas, missionaries
Remember in prayer Barbara and Pastor John LeMond as they
serve within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong
Kong. John teaches world religions at Lutheran
Theological Seminary, Hong Kong, and coordinates interfaith
programs with the Tao Fang Shan Centre.
27 Lydia,
Dorcas and Phoebe, witnesses to the faith
Pray for the ELCA Parish Nurse Association, as they find
ways to strengthen their organization and extend its
reach throughout the nation, thus making a greater
impact on the work of the church. Pray that the ELCA
may welcome the gifts these professional people bring
to our mutual ministry. Pray that we may all learn
to integrate faith and health in our respective places
of work.
28 Pray
for the well-being of missionary family members.
When missionaries leave their homes to serve God
in other countries, extended family remains behind.
Pray for the health, safety and encouragement of
these family members.
29 We lift up to God Pastor Mark Huber, new mission
developer of Transformation Place in Marshfield, Mass.,
and ask God’s blessing on this ministry that seeks
to offer a variety of opportunities for spiritual growth
and faith-centered service to the local community.
30 Praise God for Erin Odgers and ask God to bless
her time and ministry as an English language teacher for
the St. Andrew’s Refugee Services in Cairo, Egypt.
31 4th
Sunday after Epiphany
Almighty God, grant your wisdom and love upon the people
of Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, that they may
live in peace and harmony. Amen.
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