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, 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/ Thu, 22 Oct 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. Praise God for transforming lives and human worth through love. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Thank God for John and Mary Moore and the many other ELCA Mission Builders who help congregations construct their first facilities or additions. May they continue to find fulfillment in offering their hands and hearts for God’s work. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Thank God for the Lutheran Church in Guam and the dynamic ministry of Pastor Jeff and Mary Johnson. Jeff serves the Lutheran Church of Guam and Mary teaches at the Pacific Islands Bible College. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Ask for God’s blessing on The Rev. Newman Chiu, developer of Glory Lutheran Church, Torrance, Calif., as he witnesses to Jesus Christ and offers discipleship training to new Christians. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT God of the nations, we give you thanks for the Christian communities in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Give them strength to be witnesses to your love and peace. We lift up to you the companion relationships among the South Andhra Lutheran Church of India and the ELCA Northeastern Minnesota Synod, and the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Northwestern Minnesota Synod. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for Pastor Andrew and Barbara Hinderlie, regional representatives for East Africa, who work with churches in Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, and Uganda. Barbara serves as administrator of the ELCA mission in Madagascar, including the Famine Relief Project in Southeast Madagascar. Ask God’s mercy on those who are hungry and God's blessings on this project. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT World Food Day is a worldwide event designed to increase awareness, understanding and year-around action to alleviate hunger. Pray for the grassroots hunger leaders of the ELCA as they work to end hunger in the United States and around the world. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Please pray for the Board of the Youth Ministry Network -- a ministry of renewal, education and connection for nearly 700 youth ministry workers in ELCA congregations, and a primary partner of ELCA Youth Ministry -- as it gathers for vision and mission shaping October 16-18. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for Community Lutheran Partners, Inc., and its executive director, Sherri Schafer, as this Lutheran social ministry organization in the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod supports people in communities that lack access to safe water because of local mining practices. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Please pray for Pastor Edwin Fernando Arumanayagam and Nava Jeevan (New Life) Lutheran Church, a congregation under development in Kendall Park, N.J., reaching out to recent immigrants from India and South Asia. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT We pray for those pastors and ministers who begin their new calls and responsibilities on college and university campuses as they walk among the students, faculty and staff who are also new to this academic world, struggling with identity and searching for community. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Lord God, in the midst of economic, political and social challenges, we pray that you will give strength and wisdom to the people of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for Sarah in South Africa and other members of a bread-baking cooperative supported by ELCA World Hunger and the Lutheran World Federation, that the ELCA’s partnership may be the yeast that helps sustain this small business. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/ Fri, 9 Oct 2009 06:00:00 GMT Pray for Pastor Arden and Janna Haug, ELCA regional representatives for Europe, who relate to companion churches and international congregations in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, including territories of the former Soviet Union. http://www.elca.org/prayerventures/