Prayer needs, thoughts, and other info

My teammate Drew did a great job of highlight the prayer needs for Salford and surrounding areas we work in. I wanted to share those with you so you can know how to specifically pray for our ministry here in England.

Prayer needs:

CHURCHES: We work closely with 4 local churches.

There are many things that you could pray for including events, outreach, strength for the leaders, a desire to serve, and a desire to get outside of the church walls.

SCHOOLS: We are heavily involved in some of the local schools. We serve in 4 primary (elementary) schools. We also have lunch clubs, which are set up like Sunday school. We’ll have a Bible lesson with any combination of a story, game, skit, music, etc. This is a great opportunity to teach kids about Christ and the Bible.

We also lead bi-weekly school assemblies in these schools. The assemblies are based on a Bible story or biblical truth, teaching the kids about our faith. Also, we’ll be starting to help with after school clubs at the high school in the area which will be for a place for kids to hang out and stay off the streets for two hours after schools.

Prayer would be focused on these things and for the students and faculty.

COMMUNITY YOUTH CLUBS: We work in community youth clubs, which are for the youth in the area. It’s a time to build relationships with the local youth and share with them the love and Gospel of Christ.

Prayer would be focused on those relationships we have with the youth, good behavior at the club etc.

BLACKLEY: Blackley is a new area in which we’ll be working. It is a community about 3 miles away and we have a strong friendship with the pastor of a church there. We’ll be working with the church and the local school.

Prayer would be focused on a great relationship with this new church and school and that lives will be changed there as well.

GREATER MANCHESTER: We are going to be starting to work with a pastor who is a pastor who oversees Evangelism and Outreach among the entire Manchester Diocese for the Church of England. We’re thinking of having some sort of lunchtime service for businessmen and women in the City Centre of Manchester. The purpose is for non-Christians to come and discuss issues of faith, God, etc. We’re still brainstorming to see what God might have for us there. Additionally, we will be starting a Young Adults Group for young adults in the diocese. The group is going to start out meeting monthly. There will be teaching, food, and fellowship. Eventually the goal is for the group to be involved in outreach and evangelism together. Great things could happen with this group.

Prayer would be focused on ideas, direction, leadership, and that people would attend.

FYM TEAM: Right now, there is a team of 4 participants that are coming to England in September and staying until May. They will be involved in the local ministries as well as be discipled and led by the staff.

Prayer would focus on unity, effectiveness in ministry, growth, etc.

FYM STAFF: We have a staff of six working in England (yes, I know, more staff than participants- a bit unconventional but we’re okay with that). This includes Josh, Shannon, Andrea, Christine, Drew and myself. (All of us were over there this past year as well).

We’ll need prayer for unity, strength, wisdom in leading, and effectiveness among other things.

URBIS: The Urbis is a place where skateboarders and gothic kids hang out in the City Centre of Manchester on Saturdays. Drew has built some friendships with a good number of them and I’m excited to see what God does in their lives over this next year.

Prayer would be focused on those whom Drew is friends with, and wisdom and direction about where to take this ministry. Anywhere from 100-200 kids will be there on a Saturday, so there are a lot of possibilities.

Thoughts:

In addition to reading through the bible in a year, I’ve begun the devotional book “A Call to Die” by David Nasser. Here are a few thoughts of his I’d like to share with you:

For every one of us, this journey will be different. The question is: Will you make the effort to find your tailor-made call to die? The call to die is open to all of us who believe, but few us will follow when we know the real cost of discipline. It’s much easer to be a nice Christian than a radical one. It’s much more fun to be entertained by Jesus and the church than to struggle and strain in the pursuit of purity and the presence of God. David Nasser “A Call to Die” p 8

. . . . don’t focus on changing your behavior, but more importantly, focus on letting Jesus change your identity. David Nasser “A Call to Die” p 10

Just since arriving in England on Thursday, God has really challenged me to continue to let him rework me and repaint me into the person he desires me to be. I love to picture myself as a painting and God as the artist. God desires to continually repaint me but I have to be still in his presence and allow him to do his work. After all, we are his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).

Other info:

Yahoo is in the process of closing down Yahoo Photos. This was a great utility because I could post my pictures online and everyone could view them. I had to transfer my photos to another online utility and chose Shutterfly. However, at this time I do not think I can just post my pictures for everyone to see. As a result, if you would like to view photos of my trip to the Grand Canyon, Phoenix, AZ, this past year, as well as this upcoming year, send an email to me at [email protected] with your name and I’ll send you an invitation to view my photos.

If you are interested in supporting me and God’s work in England, please email me at [email protected] and I can get you the information you will need.

As I close, I’d like to do so with a prayer that is close to my heart at the moment:

Jesus, let the light of your presence shine on areas of my life that need to die, and let the fire of your Spirit burn those things away each day. Let my life be so consumed with your love and strength that I become a lighthouse for others, but Lord, only you can accomplish that in me. Have your way, Lord Jesus. Have your way. Amen.

Chaddington