PRAYER GUIDE
Local Focus
GIBC
Pray for our Bible Fellowship Groups. Pray that God would strengthen our existing groups. Pray that we would be able to add new groups as needed. Pray that each of our members would find a group to connect with. Pray for our BFG Leaders (Chris & Katie Orr, Shaun & Alison Braley, Phylicia Moering, John & Nicki Herrell, Gary & Delaney Foster, Andy & Jane Bizier, Joe Tucker, Bonnie Tilford, Bob Slaymaker).
Community
Lake County Baptist Association: Pray for the churches of the association. Pray for the Association Mission Strategist, Tim Burdick. Pray that new churches would be planted, existing churches would be strengthened, and our gospel witness to be increased. Pray that they would be successful in connecting pastors and churches in ways that will lead to greater cooperation and fruit in their communities.
USA
Pray for the Florida Baptist Convention. Pray for the churches of the convention to thrive during a difficult season. Pray for the convention staff, including Steven N. Rummage (Executive Director), and Jeff Singletary (our Regional Catalyst). Pray that churches would stand together in sharing the gospel and ministering to their communities. Pray that the FBC would help foster cooperation and intentionality as they equip and help local churches. Pray that those who serve our Convention would walk close to Christ and in holiness, be in the Word, be fervent in prayer, and faithful to share the gospel. Pray that the efforts and decisions made at the Florida Baptist Convention earlier this would help to strengthen churches and lead to churches making disciple effectively.
North America:
Calgary
Rising along the Bow River and stretching into the Canadian Rockies, Calgary is rich in many ways. Located in Alberta, Canada, it has been dubbed the “Stampede City” for its annual 10-day outdoor extravaganza and rodeo event, which brings more than a million visitors each summer. Business here includes oil, cattle and tourism, and the city garnered global attention when it hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics. The five venues constructed for the games continue to draw both athletes and crowds and have contributed to Canada’s success in competitions on the international level.
But there’s another side to Calgary. Only 5.2 percent of its 1.4 million inhabitants claim to believe in Jesus Christ. And currently there is only one Canadian National Baptist Convention (CNBC) church for every 46,365 people. Aware of these numbers, Southern Baptists and CNBC have joined forces to lay the groundwork for change.
Pray for Collegiate Church Planting Catalyst: Johnny Thiessen
Johnny Thiessen is the Church Planting Catalyst for Southern Alberta, with over 30 years of experience in Christian ministry. He began as a youth pastor, focusing on missional engagement in a multiculturally diverse community by developing a youth centre. This experience led to his work revitalizing a summer kids’ camp in British Columbia, which deepened his passion for the local church. Later, Johnny and his wife planted a church in their city, contributing to their denomination’s church planting network. He remains dedicated to engaging the community to make disciples and plant churches. Johnny and his wife, Tammy, live near SW Calgary and have three grown sons and one adorable grandson.
Send an encouraging word to Johnny at: calgary@namb.net
Every Country:
Egypt
Population:114,484,252
People Groups: 42
Christian Population: 12.8%
Egypt’s ancient legacy and span of achievements is truly astounding. This remarkable nation is often known by the world for its ancient pyramids, nearly 3,000 years of history, and the Biblical story of the deliverance of the Israelites. Though it has a predominantly desert landscape, farms and sprawling cities line the banks of the Nile River. Egypt remains the most populous country in the Arab world and holds great regional and global influence. What happens here has the potential to impact the entire Muslim world!
The Arab Spring (a series of anti-government protests and uprisings across the Middle East starting in 2011) sparked political upheaval across the Arab world. Egypt was no exception, erupting in mass protests that led to the ousting of then President Hosni Mubarak. Clashes between the Muslim Brotherhood protesters and the brutally reactive military left hundreds dead. Conflict continues to polarize the nation. Amid an increasingly repressive government, Egypt is terrorized by Islamic extremism. Following the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) led an insurgency, bringing widespread terror and the tragic deaths of thousands. Political unrest has inhibited the nation from addressing economic problems, corruption, and strained resources. Approximately a quarter of the population lives in poverty, only exacerbated by the water crisis. Farmers face imprisonment or hunger due to the regulations on crops that require more water. In addition to this tragedy, forced labor and sex trafficking leaves street children especially vulnerable.
Egypt was a majority-Christian nation for over 1,000 years, and today it remains home to the Middle East’s largest body of Christians – the Coptic Church (12%). Evangelical Christianity is on the rise, though still only about 3% of the population. Yet Islam remains the state religion and the faith of 87% of its people. Egypt is also often seen as the intellectual center for Sunni Islam. Though the Egyptian Church has endured persecution for over 2,000 years, recent instability and the presence of the Islamic State have intensified their suffering. Horrific scenes of church bombings have brought the plight of Egyptian Christians to the world stage. However, even as persecution increases, so does the number of Muslims turning to Christ! Scripture is more accessible than ever, and the Church is growing in unity across theological differences.
- Pray for a stable and trustworthy government to act in the interest of all its people.
- Pray for the Church to continue to overcome evil with divine forgiveness and love.
- Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself to an unprecedented number of Muslims disillusioned by Islamic State.
Information gathered from PrayerCast.com and Operation World.org
Unreached Peoples:
Halebi Romani in Egypt
Population: 1,016,000
Worldwide: 1,016,000
Christian Population: 0.05%
Main Religion: Islam
Halebi is an Egyptian name for Romani. The Halebi reside in the Nile delta in four tribes. They claim to come from Yemen or Syria, but this is uncertain. Traditionally, the men trade in horses and the women practice folk medicine, fortune-telling and divination. They also performed music for weddings. There are three main Romani subgroups in Egypt: the Nawar, Ghagar and the Halebi. Some migrated to Sudan because of economic hardship.
Today the Halebi Romani have low status in Egypt just as they did in generations past. For that reason, most have low income jobs. Some try to disguise their identity.
The Halebi Romani in people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship. The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah. Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will. In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.
The Halebi Romani people need to put their identity and hope in Jesus Christ, who provides for all spiritual and physical needs.
- Pray for the Lord to demonstrate his love and power by providing for Halebi Romani families.
- Pray for the Lord to give the Halebi Romani a sense of spiritual need.
- Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers to the Halebi Romani people in Egypt.
- Pray for Halebi Romani disciple to make more disciples.
Information gathered from JoshuaProject.net