http://archive.elca.org/prayerventures/ Prayer Ventures is a guide to daily prayer for the ministries of the church. It is produced by ELCA Communication Services on behalf of the whole church. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Give thanks that God raises people to lend hands and feet, heads and hearts to do God's work in the world. Ask that God continue to raise up leaders with wisdom and faithfulness to lead congregations as outposts of mission to the world. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for the moral formation of children and youth through the Scriptures, the church’s tradition, reason, and experience, and for all those people who help them develop by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, such as Christian educators, in each congregation of the ELCA. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Give thanks to God for the leadership of David Wunsch and Kate Lawler. Regional representatives to Latin America, they embody accompaniment to the Lutheran churches in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. Kate is also site supervisor of the Young Adults in Global Mission program in Argentina. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Thank God for the 14 adults and children who were baptized this spring at Bridge of Peace Lutheran Church, Camden, N.J. May they and the participants in the current baptism class be inspired by the Holy Spirit to a life of discipleship. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for Megan Hunt and Richard Hansgen, who teach English as a second language in China at universities under the auspices of the Amity Foundation. Give thanks for all Amity-based teachers who serve throughout China. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Thank God for the members of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Cincinnati, who are active in music, missionary support, food pantry, quilting for Lutheran World Relief, a cupboard of resources for new mothers, feeding hungry neighbors and a community garden. Ask that their stewardship continue to be healthy as they expand the latter new ministries. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT We pray, O God, together with the people of Cameroon, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea: "Grant that we might sleep in peace, and that at the break of day we may find ourselves in safety." http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Living Waters Lutheran Church is a new ELCA mission congregation being developed in Port St. Lucie, Fla., by Pastor Sean Forde. As God calls, gathers, and sends this community of faith for the sake of neighbor and the world, please pray for leadership, guidance, and obedience to the will of God. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for Alicia and Pastor David Brondos in Mexico City. David teaches at the Theological Community of Mexico, an ecumenical association of theological schools that includes the Lutheran Seminary. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for our congregations in the southeastern part of the United States who, four years after Hurricane Katrina, continue to bring God’s light and hope to their communities. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for Robin Strickler, who assists the Lutheran Church of Rwanda (LCR) in developing its secondary education ministry for young people and adults. Pray that the relationship between the ELCA Sierra-Pacific Synod and the LCR may deepen as this small church ministers to a country still healing from the 1994 genocide. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Thank God for "Mission Partners" who pray for, encourage, work with, and give to new and renewing congregations. May their involvement encourage and motivate the recipients to be strong witnesses to the resurrection. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Mon, 9 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Praise God for the commitment and ministry of ELCA volunteer missionaries. Give thanks for the gifts of the many English-speaking teachers serving at the Lutheran schools in Bratislava, Košice, Liptovsky Mikulas, and Tisovec, Slovakia. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sun, 8 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Merciful God, we thank you for the power of the Bible that speaks to the people of Sao Tomé and Principe, the Republic of Congo, and Gabon. May they find strength and wisdom in you to witness amid the social challenges of today. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sat, 7 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for the health and wellness program of the Vocation and Education staff; let them serve as good role models to other leaders of this church so that the program may have its intended impact of better health for all leaders in the ELCA. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Fri, 6 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War Give thanks for the online Journal of Lutheran Ethics which for eight years has promoted study of and conversation about Christian ethics in the Lutheran tradition among students, pastors, professors and lay leaders. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Thu, 5 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Remember Pastor Stephen and Jean Godsall-Myers, co-directors of the ELCA Wittenberg Center, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany. They help ELCA members explore and engage the Lutheran tradition in order to inform, guide and renew the church’s mission today. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Wed, 4 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT We pray for Ascension Lutheran Church Kentwood, Mich., that they may experience the loving guidance of the Good Shepherd as they seek clear direction and purpose for the future. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Tue, 3 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Thank God for the work of Dr. Steve and Bethany Friberg as Steve continues to reactivate medical dispensaries in North Maasailand in Tanzania, and Bethany works with Maasai women to create and market beadwork internationally. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Mon, 2 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for the new leadership teams of diaconal ministers and associates in ministry, that they may be energized by the Spirit, that they may find joy in their service, and contentment in what God brings about through their limited efforts. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sun, 1 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT We bless you, O God, for sending your Spirit into the hearts of the saints of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Even as challenges continue, including discord, we ask that your grace abound. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for the youth of the ELCA as they participate in “Change the World: 2009 Lutheran Youth Challenge” to raise money for and learn about ELCA World Hunger and what they can do to help eradicate hunger and poverty in the world. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Give thanks for Carol and the Rev. James Sack, serving with the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church. Pray for James as he teaches pastoral care and counseling at the Japan Lutheran Theological College and Seminary, Tokyo, and for Carol as she reaches out with a ministry of music thanatology within the church and the greater Tokyo community. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for participants in the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Leadership Training Event who are meeting in Texas as they work to improve their administrative skills as leaders of Lutheran camps and retreat centers. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Remember in prayer Peter and Michele Johnson, regional representatives for the Middle East, who work with churches in Egypt, Syria, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan. Peter fosters relationship with churches that are emerging from long years of persecution and living in the midst of oppressive environments. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for the 350 community-based projects supported in 2009 through ELCA World Hunger domestic grants, that they may continue to provide renewed hope for people like Jay Iguchi in Northern Illinois when their jobs are lost and lives are turned upside down because of a struggling U.S. economy. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Ask God to bless the members of our armed forces as they perform the tasks of their calling, to protect them from all harm and danger, and to comfort those in areas of conflict and those at home, especially in their hours of loneliness, anxiety and worry. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT We praise you, God of the islands, for the warm welcome and hospitality experienced by visitors to the Indian Ocean island nations of Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives and Madagascar, and the Lutheran Church outreach on Comoros and Reunion Islands. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for Dirk and Sarah Stadtlander, serving with the Lutheran Church of Senegal in Linguere, in an evangelism ministry among Pulaar-speaking Christians in this 99 percent Muslim country. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Ask God’s guidance and direction for Pastor Glenn Zimbelman and the lay leaders of Joy Lutheran Church, North Ridgeville, Ohio, as they develop this new congregation in a growing area. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/