PRAYER GUIDE
Local Focus
GIBC
Pray that God would use our efforts in youth ministry to lay a foundation of faith for our students. Pray for Pastor Chris as he leads the ministry, as well as his adult volunteers. Pray that God would grow them to be faithful followers of Jesus who read the Word, pray, and share their faith regularly. Pray our students will finish their first semester well and God would stir their hearts to be bold as they talk about Jesus, invite others to church, and live righteously.
Community
Pray for our sister church, FBC Leesburg. Pray for pastor Cliff Lea and the staff. Pray for the members, especially those volunteering in key roles. Pray that they would have a great impact on reaching the community for Christ. Pray that God would grow their fervor for telling others about Jesus, reading the Word, and prayer.
USA
Pray for our state Baptist Conventions. Especially, pray for the Florida Baptist Convention. Pray for the convention staff, including Stephen 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.
North America:
New York City
From Broadway to Times Square and Wall Street to the Statue of Liberty, New York City is North America’s cultural epicenter and business capital. With close to 8 million people in the city and more than 22 million in the metro area, it is the largest city in the United States. It is also the largest metro area in the world and is considered by many to be the most influential city in the world.
A city with such magnitude can define culture, dictate movement and inspire change. And if the heartbeat of this city were connected to the Church, the rhythms of grace would echo throughout the nation and around the globe. The possibilities for gospel impact are infinite, which is why dedicated churches, planters and partners are needed here.
In New York City and the rest of the tristate area, church planting can be an intimidating task. The population is incredibly diverse. Some 36 percent of the population is foreign-born, resulting in varied cultural and religious backgrounds. Though 83 percent of New Yorkers are affiliated with some form of organized religion, only 4 percent identify themselves as evangelical, per a recent study by the Values and Research Institute.
The Church has some incredible success stories with pastors, individuals and families who have invested in neighborhoods by meeting practical needs and offering places to connect and belong. Though it often takes years and even decades, change is possible. There’s already a network of believers on the ground, but with such a vast population to serve, church planters, partners and teams with all experience levels and backgrounds are needed.
Pray for Send City Missionary: John Welborn
John Welborn began overseeing Send Network’s church planting strategy throughout New York State, including Metro New York City in 2023. Born in the deep south and raised in the Atlanta area, God first called him into the gospel ministry at the age of 15. He placed deep within John’s heart a formative principle found in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, “But seek first the kingdom of God and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) In the many years since, John has strived to leverage his time, gifts, calling, and life to the end of kingdom advancement. With this primary passion, God brought John & his family to New York City in late 2015 to become the Senior Pastor of Salem Church on Staten Island for the express purpose of making disciples and multiplying churches to the glory of God. John has been married to Ashley for twenty years, and they have three children at home. John holds a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Liberty University, a master’s degree in ministry leadership from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Evangelism and Church Planting from Liberty University. He enjoys traveling with his family, riding motorcycles, playing golf, and watching the Braves play baseball & the Georgia Bulldogs play football.
Send an encouraging word to John at
Information gathered from North American Mission Board
Every Country:
Gaza Strip and West Bank
Population: 2,141,643
Unreached: 98.9%
Christian Population: 0.13%
West of Syria and Jordan lay some of the most contested lands on earth: The Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The West Bank is landlocked between Israel and Jordan and borders the Dead Sea. The Gaza Strip, located between the Mediterranean Sea and Israel, borders Egypt. The West Bank contains the city of Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world. Since the formation of the State of Israel in 1948, Palestinian life has been dominated by conflicts. Many have left due to poor living conditions and instability. Sixty-one percent of all Palestinians live as exiles. The local population numbers only 5 million.
The Gaza Strip and the West Bank’s history is, at best, complicated. The mostly Muslim-Arab region was part of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1900s, then became known as British Palestine in 1917. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were moving to the area around this time and violence was breaking out between Jewish and Arab communities. In 1947, the United Nations planned to divide the region for the two communities yet Arab leaders were not pleased with this plan. They invaded in 1948 to keep Palestine unified. Israeli forces won and claimed much of the territory. Many Palestinian communities were expelled from the land. At this point, the Gaza Strip was still controlled by Egypt, and the West Bank by Jordan. But the Gaza Strip and West Bank came under Israeli military occupation after another conflict in 1967 known as The Six Day War. Today, unemployment soars as high as 26% in the occupied regions. Roughly 80% of the population depends on external aid. In Gaza, 60% live in poverty and very few have access to clean water. Between oppressive living conditions, heavy-handed treatment from Israel, and poor Palestinian leadership, many are susceptible to violent Muslim extremist recruitment, especially youth.
Palestinian Christians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are often caught in the crossfires. They face constant pressure and persecution from both radical Islamists and Israelis. The city of Bethlehem in the center of the West Bank — and Jesus’s birthplace — has dwindled from more than 80% Christian in the mid-20th century to less than 12%. Throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, military occupation and violent Muslim persecution have practically forced out the Arab Christian minority, now down to roughly 1%. Christians who remain feel largely abandoned and ignored by the global Church. Arab evangelicals face isolation and rejection from Arabs, Jews, and even many Christians worldwide. Many factors from the loss of leadership to continuing emigration remain a hindrance in Church growth. The hope for true peace and a solution over the territories often seems bleak. May God bring peace in the land, and may both Jew and Arab alike meet the Prince of Peace! Through Him alone will any meaningful reconciliation occur.
- Pray for Arabs and Jewish people to find meaningful reconciliation in the Prince of Peace.
- Pray for Palestinian Christians to boldly live out the Gospel despite oppression.
- Pray for believers to show Jesus’ love and concern for Palestinian exiles.
Information gathered from PrayerCast.com
Unreached Peoples:
Muhamasheen in Yemen
Population: 1,133,000
Worldwide: 1,577,000
Christian Population: 0.04%
Main Religion: Islam
The Akhdam are a marginalized group in Yemen. In fact, though their name means “servant”, they prefer to call themselves “Al-Muhamasheen” — “the marginalized ones.” They live on the bottom rung of a supposedly abolished caste ladder. The 1962 revolution allegedly did away with that societal hierarchy.
It is believed the Akhdam are descendants of Ethiopian soldiers who moved into the area to conquer. Unsuccessful, they were expelled at the start of the Islamic era in the region. Those who stayed behind when the army left became slaves, hence their name. This version of their history has been denied by Hamud al-Awdi, a professor of sociology at Sana University. He concedes that they are probably descendants of people from an African country, but he will add little more.
The people are shorter and darker than typical Yemenis. A study found they were more apt to have sickle-cell anemia, a characteristic attributed also to the Veddoids of South Asia.
Akhdam mostly live in slums in the big cities, primarily in Sana. Sana’s Sawan area does have government housing available for the Akhdam. Other cities include Abyan, Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, Lahij and Ta ‘izz. The US State Department’s human rights report on Yemen for 2011 lists their population there at 440,000-1.1 million.
They live in fierce poverty, discriminated against and helped by only a handful. Many of the men work as street sweepers when work can be found. The women and children collect cans and bottles for income and beg. Almost none of the children attend school.
There are constant reports of mistreatment of the workers by their supervisor. Such treatment almost never brings punishment, even if Akhdam are killed as a result. Recently the group has had a modicum of success in making their voice heard in the political arena. There has been a small increase in their daily wage and they have been able to stage protests against their unfair treatment and low pay. Still, the workers have no vacation at all.
A New York Times article indicates that their life of poverty may be ongoing: “Part of the problem, many members of the community say, is that most of the Akhdam have internalized their low status and do not try to better themselves, find real jobs or seek an education. Much of their meager income goes to buying qat, the plant whose leaves many Yemenis chew for its mildly narcotic effects.” (NY Times)
They desperately need better living conditions, clean water and sanitation. Education and lack of employment opportunities are a problem.
- Pray that the effects of the Arab Spring of 2011 may serve to lift the group out of poverty.
- Pray for protection of workers from mistreatment from their supervisors.
- Pray that the increasing information in the media about this group will spur action to enable the community to improve their state.
- Pray there will be an opening for Christian aid workers to share the gospel with them.
Information gathered from JoshuaProject.net