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Prayer Ventures

January 2007

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. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Thanks be to God! Thank you for your continued prayers for the life and mission of this church.

1 As the new year begins, ask God to kindle in our hearts a love of peace and to enable the leaders of the nations to guide with wisdom. May God give peace to the Church, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts, so that all the earth is filled with the knowledge of God’s love.

2 Thank God for Pastor Scott Anderson and the Transformation Team of Euclid Lutheran Church in Euclid, Ohio, as they seek to become inclusive of their neighborhood with support from the Northeastern Ohio Synod African American Task Force and Natural Church Development.

3 Pray for Pastor Julie Rowe, communications assistant for Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). Pray also for the ELCJHL and its witness in a turbulent region.

4 Pray for Pastor Stephen Deal, the regional representative for Central America, who assists the ELCA in its accompaniment of churches throughout the region. Pray for Martha Giron, Steve’s spouse, as she helps the Costa Rican Lutheran Church train women in arts and crafts and sewing so they can generate income for their families.

5 Pray that newly elected members of the 110^th Congress protect the poorest of our citizens by opposing cuts in spending to millions of low-income families, children, elderly, and people with disabilities.

6 Epiphany of Our Lord

Pray that young adult leaders of African descent will be filled with a spirit of joy in each others’ presence and will be strengthened for service in the church as they meet for a consultation in Chicago January 5-7.

7 Baptism of Our Lord—Epiphany 1

Merciful God, we remember with hope the gift of peace. Grant your peace upon Saudi Arabia, the other countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, and Iraq, that the power of your love may be known.

8 Praise God for the refugee ministry of St. Andrew’s United Church in Cairo, Egypt, served by Lynn and Richard Allhusen. Its extensive services include a program for the children of refugees who cannot attend public school.

9 Pray that God will strengthen the ELCA synodical bishops for their work on behalf of God’s mission and that during their January 6-11, 2007, meeting they build strong relationships and grow spiritually.

10 Remember Lisa Hutson, James Dotson, April Remus, and Heather Simpson—all English teachers who serve in Tokyo and Kumamoto, Japan, as part of the J-3 program of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church (JELC). Pray for all teachers and students who participate in this education program and ministry of presence in schools of the JELC.

11 Pray that ELCA seminary students participating in a two-week class in Geneva, Switzerland, called “The Ecumenical Church in a Globalized World,” will listen well, learn from each other, and be inspired to deepen their sense of Christian unity.

12 Pray for Pastor Glen Egertson and the El Camino Pines Lutheran Camp in Southern California. The camp staff experienced a wildfire that burned for more than three weeks last fall close to El Camino Pines in Los Padres National Forest.

13 Pray for the family of Earl Mummert, a member of the ELCA Church Council, who died October 20, 2006, after a long struggle with depression. Give thanks for Earl’s many years of dedicated service to the ELCA and other service organizations.

14 Epiphany 2

Lord, who through a vision to your servant John of Patmos revealed yourself amid the seven churches of Asia, encouraging, reproving, and challenging those first Christian communities: continue to walk with today’s churches in Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey.

15 Pray for some of the companion relationships that exist between ELCA synods and dioceses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania: Northwestern Ohio and Dodoma, Northwest Pennsylvania and Karagwe, and Lower Susquehanna and Konde.

16 Pray for Erica Spilde, communications assistant for the Costa Rican Lutheran Church. She facilitates communication with delegations visiting Costa Rica to learn and share with their Lutheran brothers and sisters. Thank God for the companion relationship between the Southwestern Texas Synod and the Lutheran Church in Costa Rica.

17 Thank God for the ministry of the schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jerusalem and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) as they reach out with God’s love to all people, even in the midst of hardships. Pray for Sylvia Countess, who is assisting Dr. Charlie Haddad, the director of ELCJHL schools.

18 Pray for Jane and Pastor Ted Zimmerman in their ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong (ELCHK). Ted teaches in the field of New Testament studies at Lutheran Theological Seminary and assists with pastoral leadership with an ELCHK congregation.

19 Pray that the members of an ELCA consultation on “Book of Faith: Lutherans Read the Bible” will share their passion for learning and insights on scripture during their January 18-20, 2007, meeting in Chicago.

20 Thank God for Pastor Moses Dennis, a mission developer serving at Immanuel in East Landsdowne, Pennsylvania. Pray for the passion, skills, and energy necessary to plant the seed of God’s word in this community.

21 Epiphany 3

Almighty God, grant your wisdom and love upon the people of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, that they may live in peace and harmony.

22 Thank God for Katie Blobaum and Marjorie Graetz, volunteer teachers at the Evanjelické Gymnazium J.A. Komenskeho in Kosice, Slovakia, and Carsten Burnside, who teaches at the Lutheran High School of Tisovec, Slovakia.

23 Give thanks for the continued “shuttle ministry” of Drs. Helmut and Rotraut Diefenthal, who spend 10 months a year at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania, and two months a year in Minneapolis, raising support for the school.

24 Remember Barbara and Pastor John LeMond as they serve the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong. John coordinates the interreligious programs of the Tao Fang Shan Centre, which fosters relationship and dialogue among religions, and teaches world religions at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Hong Kong.

25 Thank God for Pastor Titus Clarke, a mission developer for Peoples Community Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Pray for God to gather these people together, energize them for mission, and make them church.

26 Pray for Karen Gabe, who teaches counseling at Nanjing University in China through the Amity Foundation. Karen also assists with volunteer counseling services among the Chinese and expatriate communities of Nanjing.

27 Give thanks to God for Rachel Dexter, Justin Haaheim, and Lesley Johnson and their willingness to serve the people of Argentina. They are all in the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program.

28 Epiphany 4

Gracious God, we remember the Christian communities in China, Hong Kong SAR, Macao, and Taiwan, and give you thanks for the vitality and growth of the churches. We lift up to you ELCA synods who work and pray with their companion churches: Sierra Pacific and the Taiwan Lutheran Church, and Southwest California and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong.

29 Give thanks for the participants and organizers of the National Ecumenical Workshop on Christian Unity in Washington, D.C., January 29 – February 1. Pray that these faithful church leaders are equipped in the quest for Christian unity.

30 Pray for Judy Perry as she assists in medical work among mothers and infants in the People’s Republic of China and engages in health worker training with Evergreen Foundation. Pray for all medical workers and those who care for the ill and suffering throughout Asia.

31 Remember Pastor May Wong-Tsui, who provides pastoral leadership for the interdenominational, English-speaking, international Union Church, established in Hong Kong in 1844.

Prayer Ventures is a guide to daily prayer for the global, social, and outreach ministries of the church. The Sunday prayers, based on the New Ecumenical Prayer Cycle from the World Council of Churches, take us on a prayer journey through various parts of the world. In addition to their use for daily prayer, Prayer Ventures can be incorporated into the prayers at Sunday worship.

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 Evangelical Outreach, Church in Society, and Global Mission program units, in cooperation with ELCA Communication Services. Contact the units for additional information: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. Tel. 1-800-638-3522.

Prayer Ventures is available electronically. Visit us at www.elca.org/prayerventures

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