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PRAYER VENTURES
August
2009
Prayer
petitions for Sundays follow the World Council of Churches
Ecumenical Prayer Cycle and can be incorporated into the prayers
at weekly worship. Weekday entries are offered as guides to
prayer for the global, social, and outreach ministries of the
church. Thank you for your continued prayers for the life and
mission of this church.
1
Give thanks for the dedicated service of Rebecca Duerst
and David Sensenig, who serve the two Lutheran church bodies in
Namibia. Rebecca
teaches science at the Oshigambo High School in Ondangwa, and
David teaches English at Martin Luther High School in Omaruru.
2 9th Sunday After Pentecost
We
pray for all the people of Canada and the United States of
America: for the young and old; for women and men; for the
hungry, the poor and those who live with plenty; for the broken
and unloved; for those hurting and those who heal; for those who
live without hope and those who bring meaning to life; we ask
that your mercy and loving-kindness may abound.
3 We thank God for Pastor Bonnie Wilcox and the 25
volunteers from Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, St. Paul,
Minn., who cleaned out basements, tore down vinyl siding,
listened to stories of and offered comfort to flood victims in
Bremer County, Iowa.
4
Pray for Pastor Chad and Natalie Rimmer, who serve as
leaders of the International Church of Copenhagen in Denmark.
5 We thank God for congregations who choose to learn from
one another and grow together in faith and action, especially
Trinity, Minneapolis; Nokomis Heights, Minneapolis; and Mount
Olivet, Plymouth, Minn.
6
Give thanks for Jean Wahlstrom and Marv Kananen, who
serve in Tanzania. Jean
is a Christian education developer and pastoral counselor at the
Maasae Girls Lutheran Secondary School and Marv teaches at
Moringe Sokoine Secondary School in Monduli.
7 Celebrate Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd and
Parroquia Luterana San Francisco de Asis, Aurora, Ill., who have
merged into one multicultural congregation -- New Hope Lutheran
Church/Iglesia Luterana Nueva Esperanza -- which seeks to
"nurture faith, receive grace, honor diversity and bring
hope."
8 Remember
in prayer the Rev. David and Carla Schick as they conclude their
service in Slovakia. Ask
God to bless them as they return to their family in United
States.
9
10th
Sunday After Pentecost
God
of creation, we thank you for the awesome beauty of the land and
sea in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, for the rich
diversity of peoples, and for your sons and daughters who seek
to live your will.
10
Pray for the Rev. Bradn and Natalja Buerkle. Bradn is
a professor at Novosaratovka Seminary in St. Petersburg, Russia,
teaching church history and directing contextual education for
pastors.
11
Praise God for the pastors of ELCA prison
congregations and for the faithful people from neighboring
congregations who bring the love of Christ to those
incarcerated.
12
International Youth Day
Remember
in prayer Christie Hanson and Pastor Eric Anspach-Hanson,
serving the English-speaking congregation at Tokyo Lutheran
Church, a congregation of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church
(JELC). Christie
and Eric are also involved in youth programs of the JELC in the
area.
13
Pray for the Essential Pieces program of Lutheran
Family Services of Virginia.
Ask God to support this social ministry organization in
its mission to walk with parents of children with autism and to
guide and strengthen these families.
14
Praise God for the work of Rev. Randall and Gail
Mundt, who serve as leaders of the International Church of
Austria.
15
Mary, Mother of Our Lord
Ask
God to guide and guard the many people caring for aging or
disabled relatives and others so that they can continue to live
in their homes as long as possible.
16
11th
Sunday After Pentecost
We
thank you, O God, for the people of the Pacific island nation,
whose vibrant faith gives reason to celebrate your goodness.
We thank you for the many gifts of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Papua New Guinea and its historic
relationship with the ELCA.
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17
Ask
God to guide the churchwide assembly in its deliberations this
week, sending the Holy Spirit to help the voting members make
wise and loving decisions on behalf of the whole church.
18 Give
thanks for the 1,000-plus voting members attending this year's
churchwide assembly in Minneapolis.
Often they sacrifice vacation days from work and time
with their families to do the "business" of this
church.
19
Thank
God for the staff and visitors who have come to assist the
churchwide assembly voting members in their deliberations and
communications with the rest of the ELCA.
20
Pray
for God's mercy on those called to do the work of this church at
the churchwide assembly. Guide them in love and humility to bear the Gospel today and
as they move forth into the world.
21
Give
thanks for all those who have provided leadership over the years
in this church and its predecessors; ask God to lead today's
leaders to continue to lead faithfully as they continue the work
begun so long ago.
22
Ask
God to protect the voting members, visitors and staff of the
churchwide assembly as they wrap up their week of work and
travel home, providing safe journeys for all.
23
12th
Sunday After Pentecost
God
of grace, look with favor on the people and churches of Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania as they face new challenges and hope.
We thank you for the links in faith and witness that
emerge in the companion relationship between the Estonian
Evangelical Lutheran Church and the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod
and for the mission zeal that emerges from the strong companion
relationship between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Lithuania and the ELCA Grand Canyon Synod.
24
Bartholomew,
Apostle
Pray
for the members of the ELCA North/West Lower Michigan Synod who
will partner with Thrivent Builds, ELCA Global Mission and
Habitat for Humanity to build a house in their companion synod,
the Papua District of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua
New Guinea, in September.
25
Remember the many Lutheran social ministries that
provide safe, caring spaces for people to live out their later
years in loving community.
Pray for the administrators, caregivers and residents of
all Lutheran independent living, assisted care, and nursing care
facilities.
26
Give thanks for the new partnership between ELCA
Global Mission and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s
"Mission in the World" and Global Mission programs.
The two church bodies draw on their long history of
cooperation as they move forward together in global mission.
27
We thank God for the life of Dave Sanders, developer
of affinity groups considering issues of rural America, who died
on May 31. We thank
God for his commitment to the ELCA, his passion for rural
ministry, and his kind, gentle spirit.
28
Pray for the new mission personnel who are being
deployed this summer to many parts of the world. Give thanks for their service to Christ's Church and their
devotion to mission in God's world.
29
August
29th is the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's
landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi, and many of those
affected continue to struggle with the recovery process.
In the midst of yet another hurricane season, pray today
for those still working to rebuild from Katrina and other
devastating storms.
30
13th
Sunday After Pentecost
We
thank you, O God, for the churches in the Czech Republic, Poland
and Slovakia; for the Christian education of children and young
people; for increased practice of Bible reading and prayer in
homes, and for perseverance in confessing the faith in a
changing environment.
31
We pray for members of Trinity Lutheran Church
in Saginaw, Mich., that the Holy Spirit may strengthen
and equip them for their ministry with the youth of their
neighborhood and that the love of God may shine forth through
them.
This
resource may be copied and shared among members and friends of
the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Prayer Ventures is produced by ELCA Communication
Services in cooperation with other units of the ELCA.
Contact info@elca.org for additional information:
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Communication Services.
8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631.
Telephone 800/638-3522, ext. 2458.
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