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Prayer Ventures

June 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 20th 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 Pray for ELCA synods that gather in assembly this weekend: Southwest California, Minneapolis Area, Central States, Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast, Southern Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Northwest Washington, Montana, Western North Dakota, South Dakota, Saint Paul Area, Nebraska, Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, East-Central Synod of Wisconsin, Greater Milwaukee, La Crosse Area, West Virginia- Western Maryland, Southeastern, and Upstate New York. Pray that they find a “way together” as they discern God’s call for their shared ministry.

2 Pray that the Holy Spirit may strengthen the companion relationships between the Southeast Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) and the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod, and between the ELCSA Western Diocese and the ELCA East-Central Synod of Wisconsin.

3 Holy Trinity/Pentecost 1

God of all kindness, we pray that you may gather the people of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into your protective arms, especially as they face numerous challenges in their lives.

4 Pray for the members of Resurrection Lutheran Church in St. Louis and Pastor John Reigstad as they seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance following a fire that destroyed the 100-year-old church building on Christmas Eve.

5 Ask God for continued guidance in the companion relationships among the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States (ELCROS) and the ELCA Central States and Northwest Washington Synods. Pray for ELCROS as its members, clergy, and new archbishop, Edmund Ratz, face new challenges for the future.

6 Pray for ELCA synods that gather in assembly this weekend: Alaska, Allegheny, Grand Canyon, Lower Susquehanna, Metropolitan Washington, D.C., New England, Northwestern Pennsylvania, Central/Southern Illinois, Metropolitan Chicago, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Southeastern Iowa, Southeastern Minnesota, Indiana-Kentucky, Northeastern Iowa, Northwestern Minnesota and Virginia. Pray that they find a "way together" as they discern God's call for their shared ministry.

7 Take a longer time of prayerful meditation to “fly over” the country in your imagination. At each downward sweep of your eyes thank God for the work of the ELCA Domestic Hunger Grants program.

8 Give thanks for the work of Linda Gawthorne among the indigenous Kogi people of Colombia. Displaced from their land in the Santa Marta mountains by violence, many now reside in Bogotá, where Linda provides spiritual nurturing and is helping translate the Bible into Kogi.

9 Remember before God your friends and acquaintances who are poor. Recall their faces as you pray, seeing through God’s eyes their tears and their smiles. See Jesus’ face in their eyes.

10 Pentecost 2

Merciful God, we ask that you embrace the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone in your calming arms. We pray that you will sustain peace in these countries, and strengthen and encourage their people and leaders as healing and reconciliation continues after years of war and distrust.

11 We ask God’s blessings on the Lutheran Church of Rwanda, which celebrated its 12^th anniversary in May. Accompanied by the ELCA and its companion, the ELCA Sierra-Pacific Synod, the LCR has grown steadily and today has 35,000 members.

12 Pray for all graduating seminarians, that their calls to ministry will be confirmed through calls to service in the church.

13 We give thanks for Katy Harder, Rebecca Lund, and Kaija Swisher. May God be with these young women as they move into the final weeks of their year in Slovakia through the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program.

14 Pray for ELCA synods that gather in assembly this weekend: Southwestern Pennsylvania, Delaware-Maryland, Northern Illinois, Northeastern Ohio, and Upper Susquehanna. Pray that they find a “way together” as they discern God’s call for their shared ministry.

15 We ask your blessings on the companion synod relationship between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone and the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod. May they strengthen one another in their ministry as they walk together on the Christian journey.

16 Pray for all staff members of Phebe and Curran Hospitals in Liberia, as they restore life-giving medical services to the people of Bong and Lofa Counties. Pray also that the strong relationship between the Lutheran Church in Liberia and its companion synod, the ELCA Upper Susquehanna Synod, might continue to flourish.

17 Pentecost 3

God of the nations, we entrust to you the countries of Cape Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal. Give hope where hope is lacking, strength where there is weakness, and faith where it is sought.

18 Tell God of your outrage that hunger persists, that justice still remains elusive for many, that oppressors triumph, that God’s gifts are misdirected or wasted in greed.

19 Give thanks for Dr. Mamy and Noelisoa Ranaivoson in Kenya. Mamy serves as a health consultant, working with churches in the region as they face many health-related challenges, especially HIV/AIDS.

20 Pray for ELCA synods that gather in assembly this weekend: Caribbean Synod and Slovak Zion Synod. Pray that they find a “way together” as they discern God’s call for their shared ministry.

21 Lift up Ian and the Rev. Joyce Graue, serving in the Central African Republic. Ian coordinates the Village Education Program and Joyce coordinates women’s programs for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic.

22 Thank God for the young people who give one year of their lives to serve the church around the world through the Young Adults in Global Mission Program. Pray especially for Hilary Wolski and Mark Yehl, serving in the United Kingdom, and for Anna Prinz, serving in Germany.

23 Thank God for the new relationship between the ELCA and the Lutheran Church of Senegal. May God nurture and strengthen the deepening relationship between the Senegalese church and the ELCA Grand Canyon Synod.

24 Nativity of St. John the Baptist/Pentecost 4

We pray, O God, for the people of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo. Give strength especially to the churches as they witness to your peace and joy in the midst of great challenges and changes in their countries.

25 Offer a prayer of lament for children who suffer needlessly because of war, disease, malnutrition, or separation from their loved ones.

26 Pray for Adam Stubbendick, who is an intern at St. Andrew’s United Church in Cairo, Egypt, and studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. May he bring international gifts back to domestic ministry, especially the challenge of serving in a multifaith context.

27 Pray for the wisdom and sharing that happens through the companion relationships between the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic and its two ELCA companions, the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, and the Slovak Zion Synod.

28 Give thanks for the 100-year history of ELCA campus ministry, which began in 1907 with the calling of Pastor Howard Gold to the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Pray that those gathered today in Chicago for the campus ministry conference will be blessed as they celebrate in worship and fellowship under the theme: Expanding Minds, Deepening Faith, and Inspiring Service.

29 Praise God for Pastor Benjamin and Margit Coltvet, serving at the American Church in Berlin (ACB). The congregation capitalizes on its diverse membership to reach out to the changing population of the German capital.

30 Give thanks on the 60^th anniversary of the formation of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) at the inaugural LWF Assembly held in Lund, Sweden, June 30-July 6, 1947. Praise God for the more than 66 million Lutherans in 140 member churches in 78 countries around the world who minister together as the LWF today.

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.

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