St. John the Baptist, Burscough

Monthly Prayer Letter

This is the Prayer Letter for March.  Please use this list to target praying in your group over the next month.  The prayer requests focus on quality rather than quantity.

Sunday

There is to be a Holy Spirit weekend at Parcevall Hall on 7th-9th March. Please pray for this weekend to be very special for all who attend. Parcevall is such a special place, a place of quietness and reverence where our Lord becomes somehow more accessible. Pray that every heart will be opened all that the Holy Spirit has to offer, and that people will come back refreshed and spirit-filled, and eager to do the Lord’s bidding.

Monday

Please pray for OAKS church; thank God for Duncan and Ann and all the other leaders, for their commitment to minister in Skelmersdale. There are several groups now meeting at Oaks House; pray that they will continue to grow together in love and fellowship, but also that their new found faith will be deepened. Pray for Duncan and his team as they seek to encourage true discipleship in this fledgling church. They also need help with ministry to teenagers and would love to find a young couple with plenty of love and enthusiasm for reaching out to this age group. Please pray about this important work for the Lord.

Tuesday

Pray for Joanna as she leads the thanksgiving and commissioning service on 16th March at 6pm. Joanna does not find ministry to adults easy (but isn’t she brilliant with kids!) so uphold her with prayer. We have so many who minister to the young ones in our church, who really care about them and the need to teach them about Jesus and bringing them into God’s kingdom. Let’s pray for all these willing helpers doing God’s work with the little ones. Ask the Lord to bless Joanna and Sarah as they lead the way. Thank God for the blessings he has poured out on our youth and children’s work.

Wednesday

Please pray for Richard, Jo, Rachael and Josh as they approach the time to leave their present church family. This is bound to be a difficult time for them all and they may be feeling apprehension as well as excitement. Let’s keep them in our prayers throughout the coming months, asking the Lord to prosper all the work we shall be doing together in His name. Let’s pray that He will do even greater things as we move forward together.

Thursday

Continue to pray for the new basics course. There are about 16 seekers in this group and they are making really good progress, bonding well together and opening up to the love of Jesus. Pray that they will continue to grow in love and fellowship with each other and with our Lord. Later in the month they will be considering making a commitment to follow Jesus for the rest of their lives. Ask the Lord to put His hand upon them and draw them to Himself. There is no work more important than helping to bring people to Christ: keep on praying for Simon and his helpers.

Friday

Pray for all our Easter services. Pray that, as God’s people we will all walk with Jesus as He goes to the cross for us, and as we celebrate with true thanksgiving on Easter morning. Pray for a full church and that many hearts will be moved afresh or perhaps for the first time by the Easter message of hope and reconciliation. Ask the Lord to empower by His Holy Spirit all those who will lead and preach, and that we may all be filled with His love and grace as we worship together and meet new people. We do have more visitors over the Easter period; pray that we may surprise and delight them with our Spirit-filled hearts of generosity and welcome.

Saturday

We are having a gift day over the Easter period. Thank God for the generosity of our people in the past, and for the wonderful things that have been achieved through that giving. We hope to be able to do more for our various overseas projects, but we know there are more financial pressures on people in these days. Pray that we may focus on the needs of others rather than on ourselves, and that whatever we decide to give will be given joyfully out of a generous and thankful heart.