St. John the Baptist, Burscough

Monthly Prayer Letter

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

Sunday

Pray for all our Christmas services. Pray that hearts and minds will be moved and won, that the message of our Lord will supersede the froth and sentiment of the world. Pray that the message will be given clearly and received gladly and pray for the message bearers, whether children or adults, that the Holy Spirit will rest upon them and be an inspiration to all who come. Thank God for all who work hard to make our Christmas services so special, and pray too for the street witness of our carol singing on Saturday 6th December.

Monday

Let’s pray for Matty as he continues his work for Youth for Christ in Staffordshire. Pray for his ministry particularly in the schools and youth clubs. Pray that he will draw ever nearer to Jesus as he works with other young Christians and leaders so that his faith may mature and deepen. Thank God that he has taken to this work and found good fellowship so that he is being encouraged. Ask the Lord to keep him steady and low at the cross, and pray for good and prayerful leadership for him and his fellow workers.

Tuesday

Please pray for the Youth Service at 6pm on 7th December. Thank God that our young people are eager and willing to participate and lead in our church. Pray that the Lord will inspire and guide them in their ministry to us, and that they in turn will inspire us, especially the young people from other churches who will come. Pray that the home congregation will encourage these young workers for Christ by turning up to support them.

Wednesday

Continue to pray for the people in the recently completed basics group. 7 people have committed their lives to Jesus, and, with the help of God, more may follow as they prayerfully consider what this means. Pray that this group will soon find a home in which to meet together, and someone to nurture and lead them in their new life in Christ. Pray that their faith may be much encouraged by all the Christmas activity and fellowship, and that Christmas 2008 will be a blessed experience for them.

Thursday

Pray for the mums and toddlers and All Stars nativity services. This is a very special way to touch the hearts and minds of mums and dads. Pray for a great movement of the Holy Spirit’s blessing on people as they witness the Christmas story through these little ones. Pray for hearts to be softened and opened to the Saviour’s love.

Friday

Let’s pray that what we have learned from our Sermon on the Mount series in recent weeks will show forth in our lives in 2009, and that we will all become stronger witnesses for Jesus in our homes, places of work and in our community. Pray for Richard as he becomes more familiar with our church and parish; ask the Lord to equip him for his ministry to the people of Burscough, and pray that as we all reach out with His love, we shall see a wonderful harvest of souls.

Saturday

Let’s not forget that Christmas can be a time of heartache and loneliness for some people, especially those who no longer have loved ones to share it with. Pray that we may all be sensitively aware and make ourselves available for a visit, a kind word or an invitation. It is so easy to be too busy at this time of year; ask the Lord to show you a need that you can meet.