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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 Pray for the summer ministries of Holden Village, Wash.

2 Give thanks for the partnership between the ELCA Global Mission unit and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s Mission in the World and Global Mission programs. Together, they share a long history of cooperation moving forward together in global mission.

3 Pray for those who experience poverty and struggle for daily bread, who live without security, safety or shelter.

4 Pray for Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., as they relocate to new church buildings this summer and continue to reach their community with the presence of Christ.

5 Give thanks to God for the ministry of the Rev. Brian Palmer in Totota, Liberia, and his wife Christine’s service with the library program of the local Lutheran secondary school.

6 Pray for the members of the ELCA e-Advocacy network that the Spirit will move them to action for the betterment of their community, their state and the world, especially as they meet with their legislators in their in-district offices this month.

7 Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

God of creation, we thank you for the awesome beauty of the land and sea in New Zeland (New Zealand) and Australia, for the rich diversity of people, and for your sons and daughters who seek to live out your will.

8 Pray for the ELCA Resource Centers and their ecumenical partners who continue to serve the church as centers for learning and sharing best resources and best practices.

9 Pray for the Rev. Arden and Janna Haug as they serve in Slovakia. Arden is the regional representative for Europe and serves as the interim pastor for the Bratislava International Congregation.

10 Pray for Pastor Bill Pape and the congregation of Peace Lutheran Church in Joplin, Mo.,whose church building was destroyed by a tornado.

11 Pray for Amy Pennenga, a ELCA Young Adult in Global Mission in Toton, England, who works with the youth of the churches in the town. God’s blessings be with them as they travel with a group of English youth and families to Zambia this summer to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project.

12 Give thanks for the gifts of the youth of our societies on International Youth Day (recognized by the UN).

13 Pray for Christie Hanson and the Rev. Eric Anspach-Hanson who serve the English-speaking congregation at Tokyo Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church. Christie and Eric participate in the campus ministry and English teaching program at Hongo Lutheran Church.

14 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

We thank you, O God, for the people of the Pacific Island nations and Papua New Guinea, 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.

15 Pray for all who gather at the ELCA’s 2011 Churchwide Assembly in Orlando, Florida, August 15-19. May their deliberations on behalf of this church be guided by the Holy Spirit.

16 Give thanks for the Reverends Michael and Terri Church who enter their third year working with an English-language ministry in Cluj, Romania, in cooperation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania and the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod.

17 Pray for our elected leaders to create state budgets that care for the poor and vulnerable.

18 Pray for the Rev. Kevin Jacobson as he serves the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname. Pray for Kevin as he continues to master the Dutch language and develop lay leadership training for the church.

19 Pray for the tornado ravaged areas in Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

20 Give thanks for the ministry of the Rev. May Wong-Tsui who serves Union Church, an international congregation in Hong Kong. Pray for the community that [CS1] she serves, many of whom are expatriates from countries from around the world.

21 Tenth 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.

22 Pray for the ELCA public policy directors as they work for reconciliation, care of creation and the end of hunger and poverty nationally and around the world.

23 Pray for all who are affected by the flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and in Minot, N.D.; pray for those who come to help in the wake of disaster.

24 Pray for the ministry of Nathan and Sharonette Bowman as they serve the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kumamoto, Japan, where they work with social services for the elderly and children, serve a local congregation, and assist with an English-language worship community.

25 Pray for Rejoice! Lutheran Church’s "Spirit Matters" ministry to adult mentally handicapped individuals in Omaha, Neb., as they meet every Thursday evening.

26 Pray for peace and reconciliation for the people of Sudan and Darfur.

27 Pray for those around the world who must live far from their families and homes in order to make a living and provide for their families.

28 Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

We thank you, O God, for the churches in the Romania, Poland, Hungary 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.

29 Pray for the St. Matthew Youth Center in York, Pa., as it begins its 44th season of operation in September. The center provides a safe and caring place with recreational activities for youth grades 6-12 three evenings a week.

30 Pray for the new mission personnel who are being deployed to many corners of the world this summer. Give thanks for their service to the church and their devotion to mission in God's world.

31 Pray for the new Congregational Leadership Academy of the ELCA Eastern North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota Synods. The academy seeks to equip lay leaders with best practices for using their God-given gifts in service to congregations.

This resource may be copied and shared among members and friends of the congregations of the ELCA. Prayer Ventures is produced by the ELCA Mission Advancement unit in cooperation with other units of the ELCA. Contact info@elca.org for additional information: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Mission Advancement, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. Telephone: 800-638-3522.