February 17- 23 Please pray with MNA Church Planting Coordinator Ted Powers as he coordinates efforts among the other church planting staff members and works to advance the ministry of church planting in the PCA through recruiting, training, assessing, and coaching church planters, and celebrating church planting: - Pray for the February and April 2013 MNA Church Planter Assessment Centers (February and April); for those who will attend to further discern their call to church planting and for the assessors who will bring their wisdom and pastoral heart to bear in the assessment process. In all cases, pray that God will expand His Kingdom and that the harvest of souls will be great.
- Praise for the approximately (all presbyteries have not yet reported) 50 church planters placed in the field during 2012, including New City in Royal Oak MI, Redeemer in Burlington VT, and St Patrick's in Denver CO. Please pray that they all will thrive and bring hope and healing to their communities through the Gospel message.
- Pray for the opportunity for five Covenant Seminary students during this summer 2013 to participate in an MNA Church Planting Internship of 6-8 weeks duration. Students considering church planting ministry will be selected for these on-the-job learning experiences in March.
Please join Church Planter Aaron Anderson of City Church in York PA in praying for continued opportunities to represent Christ well in word and deed among a diverse, struggling city. February 20-26 Please pray for MNA Korean Ministries Coordinator Henry Koh and Assistant Grace Song: - Pray that the 8 Korean presbyteries, 260 Korean Churches and 500Korean ministers in the PCA will be truly committed to the Reformed faith and PCA standards in their evangelical ministry.
- Pray that God will give the first generation church a vision to raise up and train the second generation to plant English speaking multiethnic churches.
- Pray that God will raise up young second generation leaders who will find mentors from culturally attuned first generation Korean pastors and experienced Anglo pastors.
- Ask God to supply the necessary funds for the Korean ministries through both Korean and English language churches in the PCA.
Join Church Planting Apprentice Corby Shields of Christ the King (CTK) Church Planting Center (Cambridge MA) in asking God to give wisdom to his family and the CTK Church Planting Center as they decide if the Shields should stay in Braintree MA and begin calling a core group for a new church plant. Pray for thousands in Braintree to be reached by the Gospel, whether the Shields plant there or pass the work to someone else. Pray with Church Planter Paul Calvert of Centerpoint Christ Community Church in Troy OH that they will be in tune to God's leading at Centerpoint. Pray for peace, joy, and harmony within the Calvert family, and for more church visitors and a larger reach. February 27-March 2 Please pray for MNA English as a Second Language (ESL) Ministries Director Nancy Booher: - Praise God for sending the World to our Doorstep. Please pray for more churches to open their eyes to the wonderful opportunity that God has given to them to reach the nations right in their own backyard. Pray for these churches to start ESL Ministries.
- Please pray for more churches to become aware of the training and mentoring that MNA ESL Ministries provides. Pray for God to raise up more lay people to lead these local ministries.
Gospel Presbyterian Church in Riverton UT has officially launched its first weekly Sunday night service. Please join Church Planter Doug McNutt in prayer for: (1) continued outreach resulting in faith in Christ among LDS peoples (Mormons); (2) the conversion of two non-believers who are attending the church, Jason and Sarah; and (3) more people attending worship (they have about 35 in the congregation currently) and quality of growth as they begin to train leaders. Please join Church Planter Scott Horne in prayer for Valdosta Mission Church in Valdosta GA as they hold their first Sunday morning service on March 3. Pray for financial support for the work and for leadership for their ministry to college students. Pray also for the sale of Scott's home in Knoxville TN.
March 3-9 City Presbyterian Church has entered phase 3 of their church planting process in downtown Oklahoma City OH. Please pray with Church Planter Doug Serven as they train leaders who will love God, love people and love Oklahoma City. Join Church Planter Jody Stancil of The Cartersville Project in Cartersville GA in praising God for their new partners and recent increases in funding. Pray that God will continue to provide the resources needed to plant this new work, and that He will bring them into contact with the lost and have a great impact in Catersville and Bartow County. Please pray that He will raise up laborers to work with them to form a core group, and that many will come to see the love of Jesus through their ministry. March 10-16 Give thanks with Church Planter Bob Willetts of Grace Presbyterian Church in Chesapeake VA for the unity in their new church. Ask for God's leading as they seek to reach every man, woman, and child in Chesapeake with the Gospel. Pray for open doors for the Gospel to penetrate their community, for boldness in proclaiming the Gospel, and for deliverance from wicked men who would seek to thwart God's Kingdom. Finally, pray for growth in their youth group and for their Christianity Explored outreach courses. March 17-23 Please pray for Church Planter Brandon Addison of The Boulder Project in Boulder CO as he and his family (his wife Amy, and two-year-old Aidan) prepare to move to Boulder this May. Also, pray for the new church and the RUF couple who will be moving to start a new campus ministry with students at Colorado University. Boulder is such a strategic and important place for ministry; please pray that God will build His church and raise up financial supporters for their work that will impact people who are far from God. Church Planter Louis Surprenant of Christ Church Greensboro in Greensboro NC and his wife, Jamie, are excited about the journey they begin this year as they prepare to plant a church. Please pray that God will prepare them to learn all they can through their church planting apprenticeship. Pray God will provide funding for 2013 and that they will be able to build a team of financial supporters who will stay with them throughout the church planting process. Ask God to continue to bless their ministry so that lives will be changed by the Glory of God through them. March 24-30 Please pray for Church Planter Dan Rogers and Christ the King (CTK) in Dorchester MA. Pray that CTK Dorchester will always have a deep love and care for Dorchester such that they will be a part of the solution needed to address their community problems. Pray for the eight men and women leading in ministry who minister to those in need, the sick, and the friendless. Pray that many of the new worshipers will find Jesus and get involved in the community of the church. Pray for the recently opened CTK Resource Center, a ministry helping neighbors in need connect with resources in the community with the ultimate goal of connecting them to the greatest resource, Jesus and His body. Pray for God's provision for this much needed center. Ask God to use their Sunday school program, community groups, and Bible studies to teach and equip their people for the work of mission ministry. Finally, pray for their neighborhood, which has seen an increase in violence and crime. Pray for Parakaleo, MNA Church Planting Spouses Ministry: - The evil one most often attacks church planters in the area of their family and marriage. The most crucial need reported from church planters is for the training and care of their wives. Please pray for Parakaleo as they develop user-friendly teaching templates so many others can become trainers and join in the nurture of planters' marriages and families.
- Pray that their intensive training retreats will prepare women for their crucial role in church planting, equipping and encouraging women so that they can embrace their calling more deeply and fight the good fight of faith.
- Pray for their newly launched virtual network for urban church planting spouses, the "Urbanistas." Pray for Maria Garriott as she seeks to connect geographically dispersed women who are serving churches in challenging neighborhoods. In addition to the issues faced by all church planters, these women also navigate additional challenges, including neighborhood crime, violence, racism, inadequate schools, and serious financial limitations.
- Finally, please pray with for increased funding of the Parakaleo staff (Director Shari Thomas, Associate Director Tami Resch, Cristina Caires, Ruth Ann Batstone, Susanne Rodriguez, and Maria Garriott) so that they can work with additional church planting spouses.
March 31-April 6 Join Church Planter Troy Albee of Grace Presbyterian South Shore (www.gracesouthshore.org) in Boston MA in praying for God's Spirit to create a hunger for the Word in their area. Pray also for their ministry to children and for a suitable replacement for their children's ministry coordinator. Please pray for Church Planter Beau Berman and Ethos Presbyterian Church in Tulsa OK (www.ethostulsa.org), asking God's blessing on this new plant. Pray that they will have a fruitful strategic meeting this spring and that God will open the doors for the financial provisions needed. April 7-13 Please join Church Planter David Hutchinson of Christ the Shepherd in Danbury CT in prayer for two candidates being trained as elders as the church prepares to organize as a particular church in Fall 2013. Praise God with Church Planter Brad Beier of Living Hope Church in Chicago IL that phase one of their two-year-long renovation of an abandoned pool hall is almost completed and ready to be their new church home. Please pray for an influx of stable, solid Christians to join their work in the inner city, and that they will continue to see people cross over from death to life. Give thanks for Jeremy and Melissa Huff, who moved from Birmingham to join them, and pray that their ministry will strengthen Living Hope's music ministry, discipleship, and outreach. April 14-20 Pray for MNA African American Ministries: - Pray for African American campus ministers as we trust God to raise up future leaders:
- Pray for Elbert McGowan as he pursues ministry on the campus of Tougaloo College in Jackson MS.
- Pray for Roy Hubbard, who is in his third year as RUF minister at Alabama A&M in Huntsville AL.
- Pray for Elbert McGowan, who has a growing RUF ministry at Jackson State University in Jackson MS.
- Pray for our African American church planters and church planting interns:
- Pray for Russ Whitfield and his work at Grace DC in Washington DC as he prepares to church plant in 2013.
- Pray for Ronnie Perry, assistant pastor at New City Fellowship (Chattanooga TN), as he seeks to understand his call.
- Pray for Raun Swafford, pastor of New Beginnings Church in Memphis TN.
- Pray for Joel Miller, pastor of The Summit Mission Church in North Dallas TX.
- Pray for African American pastors looking for a call:
- Pray for Reformed Theological Seminary graduate Lloyd Dawson as he pursues a call in the PCA.
- Pray for James Williams as he works a secular job to support his family.
- Pray for Mark Robinson, who is looking for a ministry opportunity.
- Pray for Wy Plummer, the African American Ministries Coordinator:
- Pray that God will continue to provide support for 2013 as He has so faithfully done from the beginning.
- Pray that this ministry will be run on an engine of prayer and not worldly planning.
Pray with Church Planter Joe Holland of Christ Covenant in Culpeper VA that they will see many, many adult converts. Pray that their office candidates will have the hearts of shepherds, the mouths of evangelists, and the minds of theologians. Pray that the Lord will provide the finances to make them financially self-sufficient and able to contribute significantly to church planting.
April 21-27 Please pray for Leadership and Ministry Preparation (LAMP) Director Brian Kelso and LAMP Administrative Assistant Carolyn Boyer, as well as for the LAMP Theological Seminary: - Pray for one church a month to start a Learning Site to provide an opportunity for seminary education while still continuing with local church ministry.
- Pray for students who have a passion for the local church and a desire to pursue Biblical studies to apply to LAMP.
- LAMP is continuing to pursue technological advances for providing support at each site. Please pray for creative and economical solutions.
Give thanks with Church Planter Paul May of Grace Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls SD for a healthy new baby boy last November, and for having launched weekly worship at the beginning of February 2013. Ask God to sustain Grace as they focus on Real Worship (Word and Sacrament) and Real Renewal (Equipping and Connecting) this Spring and Summer while remaining focused on missions and outreach. Since this is their first full year of weekly worship services and using this model of equipping the saints, please pray for their leadership and members to grow together as a Body, reach the lost for Christ, and grow in their relationships with God. Please join Church Planter Steve Mayes in praying for Hope Community Church in Jacksonville AL as they prepare to organize as a particular church this year. Pray that they will be effective in reaching the lost and unchurched in their community. Pray that they will be able to call a music director and that the Lord will raise up leaders and workers for the church's ministry. Please also pray for their financial resources, since some pledged support will be ending this year. April 28-May 4 Join Church Planters Vinny Tauriello, Maranatha Chung and Jason Stryd as they praise God for His work in continuing to build and strengthen Northeast Community Church in Northeast Philadelphia PA, which worships weekly in English, Chinese and Albanian. Please pray for Northeast Community Services, the new nonprofit arm of the church that seeks to reach immigrants from all over the world in their neighborhood through word and deed. They are currently raising funds for expanded ministry to unreached people groups in their neighborhoods. Please also pray for ministry among the young people of their community, especially those outside their church, that God will raise up other laborers and resources to help them lovingly engage these youth with the Gospel in a relevant and relational way. Please pray with Church Planter Per Almquist for financial support for Free Grace in Lewiston ME. Free Grace is located in a financially depressed area, and although everyone at church is giving, it is not enough to cover their regular needs. God has provided for the church with outside funding all along; pray that Free Grace will continue to look in faith and hope to the Lord to provide new donors to keep the church going. Praise the Lord with Free Grace for all of His wonderful provision, especially in the areas of musicians and excited church members. Praise God for the new members added recently and for those to come. Pray also for the hearts of all those in Central Maine to be softer and ready to hear God's call.
May 5-11 Pray for MNA Special Needs Ministries:
- Praise God for the wonderful opportunity MNA Special Needs Ministries had to partner with Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Young Life Capernaum and New York City Parents of Children with Autism to hold an Autism and Your Church event in New York City in early 2013.
- Please pray for the over 400 PCA congregations who received Gospel and Disability Education Gift Packs from MNA Special Needs Ministries in the last year who are now actively beginning to use those materials in "making the Gospel--the good news of the coming of the Kingdom--accessible to all, in word and deed."
- Please pray for the final phase of the 2010 WIC Love Gift Project (Hear the Call of the Kingdom) for MNA Special Needs Ministries as they evaluate grant proposals to distribute Luke 14 matching grants to PCA congregations that present creative ideas for advancing special needs ministries in their local congregations.
Praise God with Church Planter John Gullett for new part-time communications, counseling, and children's ministry staff at Christ Community Church in the Lake Nona community of Orlando FL. Please pray for God to provide a meeting place for weekly worship services, which are projected to begin on March 10, 2013. Pray for the church's launch to be a blessing to the community, and for more men, women, and children to come to faith in Jesus Christ in Southeast Orlando and Osceola County.
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