Presbyterian Church in Ireland - Mission Overseas - PL2010-26, 30-Jun-10

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PL2010-26, 30-Jun-10

The 'Day' and 'Country' designations below refer to the respective right-hand page(s) in the 2010 edition of the Points for Prayer Handbook, which contains useful background information to these prayer requests.

Click on these links for further information on Countries, Partners and People.

Day 5 – PORTUGAL

James and Heather Cochrane send the following prayer points:-

• Give thanks for the first year of the Portuguese Bible Institute (IBP), which provides leadership training, Bible teaching and discipleship in Olhão. The final class of the academic year was held last Friday evening (25th). Give thanks for all the students who completed the year and pray that they would enjoy a rest from their studies over the summer months. 
  
  
• Pray for the teachers as they continue to prepare and update modules for the next academic year.
  
  
• This Saturday (3rd), there will be an informal get together over lunch for the Algarve students and their families. Pray that this will be an encouraging time of fellowship and for James as he leads a short devotion and seeks to encourage the students from God’s Word.
  
  
• Pray for James and Heather as they complete the end of year administration.
  
  
• James and Heather and family will be in N Ireland for most of July and August and will be speaking in several congregations, as well as meeting informally with other friends and supporters. Pray that many congregations and individuals within PCI would be challenged and burdened to pray for Portugal, which is a very spiritually needy part of Europe. Pray too that the summer will be a time of rest for the Cochrane family.

Day 7 – LATVIA

The Baltic Reformed Theological Seminary (BRTS), which was established in Riga in 1998 to train and equip ministers and Church leaders, continues to grow and develop. It also works closely with two congregations, Riga Reformed Bible Church and Riga ReformedChurch, and helps train ministers for the Evangelical Reformed Church of Lithuania (ERCT). 

Prayer Points:

• Give thanks for the class on John's Gospel held at the beginning of June, which was taught by Rev Prof Gordon Campbell from Union Theological College, Belfast and was such a help to the students as well as the pastors and Bible teachers. 
  
  
• Pray for BRTS’ upcoming Apologetics class (end of June/start of July) which will benefit students in Riga (in Latvia) and Vilnius (in Lithuania).
  
  
• Pray for Dr Ted Turnau and the lectures that will he give at an evangelistic summer camp organised by the Reformed Church which is being held during Latvia’s summer solstice holidays (this is a time when traditionally Latvia’s historic paganism is celebrated).
  
  
• Pray for BRTS graduate Martins Martinsons in the youth ministry he leads at Riga Reformed Bible church. Pray also for a summer evangelism project taking place in one of Riga’s parks along with a related Christianity Explored class.
  

LITHUANIA

Prayer Points:

• For student Jonas Ziauka (living in Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania), as he runs a Christianity Explored class in Kaunas congregation and in all the other work he does in the church.
  
  
• For God’s blessing on the life and ministry of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Lithuania (ERCT), and that the renewal that has started within the church would continue, bringing vitality to the Church’s life and witness.

Days 13 to 15 – KENYA

Stephen Cowan writes, “Give thanks for a good teaching time last week. It often seems that there is little listening, and even lessapplication.Nutritional teaching this time focused on the use and value of a tree called Moringa Olifera. When used properly, it can boost peoples’ immunity, andsave a lot of money on medication that people cannot afford if they are sick. Unfortunately, development often teaches people about incomegeneration, when what is needed is ways of reducing costs and being healthy. Participants went home, each with one tree to plant and protect.

Preparations are underway for some wedding blessings. There is still a lack of understanding about the legal implications of this event. Some people need to have an ID card before the marriage can take place.”

• Pray for increased understanding about this and not just the spiritual aspects. The date for this event is Saturday 10th July 2010.
  
  
• Pray for the Tuum water system. Improvements are being constantly promised but with no coordination or direct community involvement, nothing has happened so far. It seems that self-interest by some is part of the problem. Pray that all hindrances will be set aside and that the good of the community will become a priority in this matter.

Day 24 – NEPAL

The Marriage Day that Janet and Joe Campbelll organised on Sunday last for leaders of a congregation in Bhaktapur went well. Eighteen Nepali couples attended. Taken together, they represented more than 350 years of marriage, all in one room! One couple had been married for three days and another had been married for 54 years. In Nepal, the Pastor has a key role in helping couples decide about marriage. However normally there is no marriage preparation and no organised support for marriage within the church. The pastor and his wife at this church in Bhaktapur now want to build this into a significant ministry within the Christian community in Nepal.

Over these past few months, UMN has had to cut back the number of Nepali staff it employs. This is due mainly to the economic downturn and rising costs in Nepal.  Around 12 staff members have lost their jobs. Thankfully, some of them have been able to find other work.

While there has been some rain in the country it is clear that the monsoon is again late this year. It is now widely accepted that global warming caused by developed countries is seriously affecting the weather patterns in this developing country, where small farms are the mainstay of society.

Prayer Points:

• For Christian marriages in Nepal, that pastors will be given wisdom, and that couples will be protected from negative cultural practices. Due to economic pressures, many couples have to live apart often for up to three years.
  
  
• For the children of Christian couples.
  
  
• For UMN staff who have recently lost their jobs, that they will find other jobs or means of support in a country with no social security.
  
  
• That the regular monsoon rains will soon come to Nepal so that there will be a good harvest this year.

Days 27 to 29 – INDONESIA

Elsye McCroskery will be leaving Timor on Sunday to travel to the Philippines, where she will undertake a week’s training for Leaders in Theological Seminaries. 

Barry McCroskery reports that last week’s training workshop for ministers on the island of Sumbawa went very well, and that ministers and congregations were very encouraged by it. Congregations in Sumbawa need much prayer as they continue to witness in the face of increasing pressure from hard-line Islamic groups.

In the past week, a tragic accident took place at a beach near Kupang involving a GMIT Sunday School Retreat for members of a New Communicants’ Class. The teenagers had just finished a time of worship and a picnic on the beach, when some of the class, along with their minister, Rev Leni, decided to venture out in a small boat. About 500 meters from the shore, the boat overturned in the waves and six of the teenagers were tragically drowned. The minister, who survived, along with a number of others, remains in hospital and is still unconcious.

Prayer Points:

• For all Elsye’s travel arrangements to go smoothly, for strength, refeshment and encouragement through the course material and through her fellowship with staff from other Asian Theological Seminaries.
  
  
• For the ministers on the island of Sumbawa that they will be better equipped, strengthened, renewed and encouraged in their personal walk with God and in their ministry following last week’s training. Pray for all the Christians on the island as they continue to witness in the face of increasing pressure from hard-line Islamic groups.
  
  
• For the families of the teenagers who died in the boating accident and for Rev Leni and the other survivors as they recover and seek to come to terms with the tragedy.

Mervyn and Raing McCullagh resigned from service with the Board of Mission Overseas at the end of April, after 11 years’ (Mervyn) service with the Christian Church of Sumba (GKS). On Monday of this week (28th), the Irish Council of Churches and the Irish Inter-ChurchMeeting [see website]confirmed Mervyn’s appointment as Executive Officer to both Councils [see press release]. He is due to take up his new role on 1st August.

• Give thanks for Mervyn and Raing’s faithful service in Sumba and for their valued contribution to the life of both Church and community on that island.
  
  
• Remember them both as they continue to adjust to life in Ireland - particularly Raing, for whom this is still a ‘foreign’ culture. Give thanks for the new chapter in their service for God that’s now beginning and pray for Mervyn that he will know God’s anointing, wisdom and blessing as he takes up his new responsibilities.
  
  
• Pray for God’s guidance as they now seek to find somewhere to live and begin to put down more permanent roots for the foreseeable future

OVERSEAS TEAMS

A number of teams are overseas over the next week as follows and we encourage you to pray for them:

INDIA – Derek and Helen McKelvey and Ronnie Wilson from Fisherwick Presbyterian Church are returning to the Vellore Diocese of the Church of South India (CSI) for the fourth time, to work with pastors and leaders.  Along with them, 13 young people are going to build a primary school for a rural Dalit village called Melveilamur in memory of Miss Mary Leigh, former headmistress of Dungannon Girls’ High School, and an adult team of 14 are going to renovate a nursing school at Vandavasi for training Dalit girls in nursing. These three teams depart on 3rd July and are due home again on 18th July

MALAWI – A team of ten people from Ballygilbert Presbyterian Church is in Malawi where they are working alongside Maurice and Helen Kennedy and the Madziabango Project doing refurbishment and community development work.  The team is due to return home again on 10th July.

A team of ten people from Howth and Malahide Presbyterian Church left for Malawi today (30th) who will also be working on the Madziabango Project, doing painting and decorating and helping to run a holiday Bible club.  The team is due home on 18 July 2010. 

Tomorrow, Thursday 1st the Board of Mission Overseas' ‘Go See' Malawi Team sets off under the leadership of Rev Dr Jim Campbell. The team consists of 10 people from various congregations and will be travelling to a number of places in the Blantyre Synod area of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, to see and learn about its work and witness. The team is due home on 17th July.

This Sunday (1st), 15 members of Ballycarry Presbyterian Church leave for Malawi where they will be involved in running an After-School Bible Club (along with Malawian Sunday School teachers), for children aged 6-11. They are expecting 200 children! They will also work in the village of Kachere, making equipment for pre-school children and working alongside local carpenters, and they will have an opportunity to visit an orphanage near Lake Malawi; and the ladies who knit the 'chics' and 'shamrocks' sold here in N Ireland. A number of the team will also spend time with some Malawian ladies and cook for each other. The team is due home on 16th July.

POLAND – A team of 36 people from New Row, Coleraine Presbyterian Church leaves for Warsaw this Saturday, (3rd). They will be helping in the running of a children’s camp, with food distribution to needy people and in the repairing of a playground. The team is due home on 11th July. 

ROMANIA – A team of six young people organised by PCI’s Board of Youth and Children’s Ministry left today (30th) for Romania. The team will be helping PCI missionaries, Csaba and Ilona Veres, lead an English Language Camp for 10-16 year olds from all over Transylvania. The team is due home on 15th July. 

A team of six from Glengormley Presbyterian Church, leaves on 2nd July for Cluj [see blog], in north-west Romania, where they will work at the Csemete Christian Nursery School doing practical work and working with the children. Rev Prof Lehel Lészai, who studied at Union Theological College in Belfast (2007-08) is involved in the nursery school and his wife also works there. The team is due home on 13th July.

SLOVENIA – A team of five from Glengormley Presbyterian Church, leaves on 9th July for Slovenia [see blog], where they will be working with Gloria and Sebastian Forjan in the Lake Bled area, doing English language training at a church camp. The team is due home on 18th July. 

UGANDA – A team of 19 from Kilkeel Presbyterian Church left today (30th) to travel to Uganda [more], where they will be involved in refurbishing and building work, and pastoral work with children and staff. The team is due home again on 15th July. 

A team for 15 from Bannside Presbyterian Church, leaves this Saturday (3rd) for Uganda and will be working with Abaana helping to build a school and working with street children. The team is due home on 23rd July.

Prayer Points for these teams –

• Good health, safety, strength and energyfor all the team members and those they are working with.
  
  
• The work that each of the teams will be involved in.
  
  
• For the Word of God to be explained clearly and for spiritual fruit in the lives of those the teams are going to help or work alongside.

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