Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

1610 Carlisle Road, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 17011

Phone: (717) 737-0439 / Fax: (717) 737-5421

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Prayer Ventures

August 2007

1 Pray for those who are seeking rest and relaxation during their well-earned vacation time, that the Holy Spirit fill them with love and re-energize them. May they find rest and renewal during this time.

2 Pray for Lutheran Men in Mission, the ELCA men's ministry, as it builds a dynamic ministry to address the needs of men of all ages as they gather in Chicago August 3-5 to learn more about what it means to enhance their relationship to Jesus Christ, to build families, men's ministries and congregations.

3 As hundreds of worship leaders (pastors, musicians, educators) gather to worship, celebrate and learn with one another at the ELCA Worship Jubilee 2007, give thanks for the richness and diversity of leadership in the ELCA, and in its newest core resource, Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

4 Thank God for the vital ministry Dale Linder provides as an ESL (English as a second language) teacher with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon. He teaches at the College Protestante in Ngaoundere.

5 - 10th Sunday after Pentecost

We pray for the people of Canada and the United States of America: for the young and old; for women and men; for the hungry, the poor, the broken and unloved, and for those who live with plenty; for those hurting and those who heal; for those who live without hope and those who bring meaning to life; we ask that your mercy and loving-kindness may abound.

6 Give thanks to God for the 2,000 voting members, staff and visitors who will review and set directions for ministries of the ELCA in its 10th Churchwide Assembly, August 6-11 in Chicago. Ask that the Holy Spirit will guide their deliberations and grant them safe journeys.

7 Pray for all students at ELCA colleges who will be studying abroad this year and encountering new perspectives on the world.

8 Give thanks for the 77 young adult voting members to the churchwide assembly as they came together for a pre-assembly gathering and continue to meet during the assembly. Praise God for all people who serve in the world and in the church, and ask that the Holy Spirit guide these young adults as they connect with each other in service to the life and mission of this church.

9 On this International Day of the World's Indigenous People, pray for churches around the world that serve indigenous people, including the Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church, whose members are Aymara and Quechua. Give thanks for the new president, Cristóbal Alejo, and for the new board's first women members.

10 Pray for the Rev. Heidi Torgerson, who facilitates immersion experiences for ELCA members at the Lutheran Center in Mexico City and coordinates the Young Adults in Global Mission program. May she continue to open the hearts and minds of participants to the faith, strength, dignity, and culture Mexicans offer with ELCA churches.

11 Summer is the season when continuing education for pastors was invented, in the form of the summer clergy conference. Today summer continuing education conferences for pastors are part of a wide array of year-round lifelong learning opportunities for all leaders in this church offered by ELCA seminaries, colleges and universities, synods, and other lifelong learning programs. Many of these collaborate as ELCA Lifelong Learning Partners. Pray that all leaders will grow in wisdom and knowledge through engaging in lifelong learning in the faith.

12 - 11th Sunday after Pentecost

God of creation, we thank you for the awesome beauty of the land and sea in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, for the rich diversity of peoples, and for your sons and daughters who seek to live your will.

13 Pray for the many individuals who got a job, found a place to live, addressed an addiction, or received a first driver's license after much encouragement and many hours of counseling through a Lutheran social ministry organization. Pray that men, women and youth may find the support they need through Lutheran social ministries to live full, productive lives.

14 ELCA theologians who teach at our seminaries and colleges, universities or at other institutions of higher education share a vocation to lead this church in theological reflection and understanding. Pray for those theologians who served as advisers to this year's churchwide assembly and who gather August 12-14 at Lenoir-Rhyne College for their association's convocation on the theme of "Theological Foundations in an Age of Biological Intervention."

15 - Mary, Mother of Our Lord

Pray for Maria, who spent 13 years learning to read and earning her GED through Lutheran Settlement House while living in an abusive marriage. Maria has found the resources and strength to leave the violence behind. Continue to pray for her and for all women, men and children who suffer from domestic violence.

16 Pray for the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and its companion synod relationship with the ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod.

17 Give thanks for Jean Wahlstrom and Marv Kananen, who serve in Tanzania. Jean is a Christian education developer and pastoral counselor at the Maasae Girls Lutheran Secondary School and Marv teaches at Moringe Sokoine Secondary School in Monduli.

18 Pray for the staff of Phebe Hospital and School of Nursing in Liberia, including administrator John Lunn. Give thanks for all the revitalization of health care ministries that has been made possible through European and North American church partners, contributions and volunteer efforts.

19 - 12th Sunday after Pentecost

We thank you, O God, for the people of the Pacific Island nations and Papua New Guinea, whose vibrant faith gives reason to celebrate your goodness. We thank you for the many gifts of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Papua New Guinea and its historic relationship with the ELCA.

20 Pray for the Rev. Devin Strong and Abundant Life Lutheran Church in Braselton, Ga., that the Lord will bless this young ministry and help it grow.

21 Pray for Elizabeth, the full-time caregiver for her husband who has Alzheimer's. Through Legacy Corps volunteers at her Lutheran social ministry organization, Elizabeth gets a weekly break of a few hours. Pray for her, for all caregivers, and for the volunteers who lift spirits and brighten lives through their service.

22 Ask God to bless the leaders and members of Faith Lutheran Church, Toledo, Ohio, an inner city congregation responding to the needs of their neighborhood. They fill over 100 backpacks with school supplies and invite families of children attending schools in the neighborhood to attend a "fun for all" event where each school-age child receives a book bag filled with new school supplies.

23 Give thanks for the teaching ministry of Sister Ruth Ellen Rebelein at Senior Flierl Seminary near Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea. Sister Ruth engages students and teaching colleagues in Bible study and prayer. Pray also for the students and faculty as they learn and witness God's love together.

24 - Bartholomew, Apostle

Pray for the new mission personnel who are being deployed this summer to many corners of the world. Give thanks for their service to Christ's Church and their devotion to mission in God's world.

25 Thank God for the more than 100 years of relationship between ELCA congregations in South Carolina and the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, and for the continued companion synod relationship that unites them.

26 - 13th Sunday after Pentecost

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, and Madagascar, whose Lutheran Church is engaged in outreach on Comoros and Reunion Islands.

27 Ask God to bless the Rev. Martin Pauschke and the people of Savior Divine Lutheran Church, Palos Hills, Ill., as they seek to deepen their presence and relationships to the wider community, using their greatest strength -- their prayer and healing ministry.

28 Give thanks for the impact on everyday ministry of the relationship between the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod and the Mahajanga Synod of the Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar.

29 On this anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, pray for guidance for elected officials as they address issues of justice raised by natural disasters. Pray that local leaders may be sensitive to the frustration born of the fact that disasters so often unequally affect those who are living in hunger and poverty.

30 Pray for Kirsten and the Rev. Stephan Kienberger, who serve the American Lutheran Church (ALC) in Oslo, Norway, and for the ALC's ministry to English speakers and internationals.

31 Pray for the companion relationship between the 60 congregations of the Tolagnaro/Ambovombe Synod of the Malagasy Lutheran Church and the 158 congregations of the ELCA Central/Southern Illinois Synod, that the connections between the synods and their ministries might deepen and flourish.

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 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.

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 Communication Services in cooperation with other units of the ELCA. Contact info@elca.org for additional information: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Communication Services. 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. Telephone 800/638-3522, ext. 2957.

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