Prayer Focus July/August 2014

Left to right: First we have Saya Lee and Melissa Arnston, who are interns with our CLC USA editorial department.

Next we have Jennifer Scalente, the newest member of our CLC Miami/Colombia team, and Erika Cobb, the new CLC USA Managing Editor. Finally we have Bethany Tibbetts, who plans to be an intern with CLC in the UK.

JULY 1 Tue. USA – Interns (Photo above) “Please pray for CLC USA summer interns Saya Lee and Melissa Arnston, who will be working in the editorial department, and for Bethany Tibbetts as she plans to work with CLC in the UK. We are trusting God to use this pivotal time in their lives, and that they will be a blessing to all the people they come in contact with.” Dave Almack, National Director 2 Wed. Spain – Changes in Madrid Please pray for the new combined warehouse/bookshop in Madrid which opened for business recently. It is just 40 metres from the old bookshop and CLC has been in the same area of the city for at least 30 years so our customers should be able to

find us! The new CLC centre will enable us to be far more flexible in the way we serve our customers. Pray too that we will find someone to rent our previous warehouse, which is owned by CLC. At the moment, the Spanish economy is at its lowest point and there are just a few signs of recovery.

3 Thu. Kenya – New Staff Member “We thank God for Margy Muiruri, a new staff member who joined us in February. She has adapted well to the ministry. We pray for strength and wisdom for her as we work together for the kingdom.” Edith Wamalwa, National Director 4 Fri. Burkina Faso – Relocation At the time of writing, our bookshop in Ouagadougou was due to relocate in June.

We thank the Lord that a new suitable

JULY property was found after the landlord of the previous property doubled the rent earlier this year. Please pray for the team that serves in this shop – Prosper (the Director for CLC in French speaking West Africa), Luc (the bookshop manager) and Gérard.

5-6 Sat/Sun. UK – IT Systems Please pray for Mick Goodman, Head of Operations, and the heads of wholesale, retail and finance as they have recently been evaluating another possible IT system for both shops and wholesale.

Please pray that the right decision can soon be made as the age of the old system is causing increasing problems, particularly for the wholesale department.

7 Mon. Mozambique - Beira We have an opportunity, in July, to double our floor space in the Beira shop and to partner with a local Christian printing ministry. This is a very exciting step! We also hope that we will finally be given permission for an external sign that will be visible from the busy main street where we are located.

8 Tue. Switzerland – Decisions about the Future “We give thanks to God that the owner of our bookshop agreed to reduce our rent for the last six months. Now we are in July, we have to contact the owner again and make some decisions about the future. We ask for your prayers for God’s wisdom and guidance in this situation. We need to know if we are to stay here, which realistically needs to be at a reduced rent, or if He wants us to move to another location.” Carlo Ciafani, Manager Page 2

9 Wed. Uruguay – Facing Difficulties CLC Uruguay would appreciate your prayers for the distribution of our books and Bibles; the first three months of this year showed a drop by almost 20%. We trust God to give us strategies and ideas to be able to move forward in this situation. A major part of the problem is related to the crisis that Argentina is going through, which affects Uruguay, and the rise in the value of the US dollar. In addition, it is election year in Uruguay and this means that the economy has a tendency to weaken.

10 Thu. France – Christian Convention We will be holding bookstalls over three weeks (13th -18th July and 3rd -17th of August) at the Gagnières Christian Convention again this summer. Heidi Lauber, who manages the CLC Montelimar bookshop, will be there to run the bookstall. At the end of this year Heidi will be retiring after more than 30 years service with CLC France.

CLC Montelimar bookshop

11 Fri. Mozambique – Pastors’ Conference Please pray for the Annual Pastors’ Conference, run by Editora FIEL from Brazil, which takes place on the 18th and 19th of July. CLC Maputo helps with the book tables at this event, and also takes care of all the pre-registration. Liz Patten, the CLC Africa Regional Director, will visit at this time.

12-13 Sat/Sun. UK – Holidays for Some!

As the summer holiday season gets underway in the UK, many shops will be providing books

JULY for missions, holiday clubs and camps. Pray that God will use all of this material for His glory. Pray too for the shops and warehouse in general as staffing is often tight over the summer as team members take holidays.

14 Mon. Canada – Difficult Decisions CLC Canada is facing some difficult decisions with regard to the future of its recently opened bookshops in the east of Montreal and in Brossard. The anticipated increase in total sales did not materialize, and the expenses were much higher than expected.

Please pray for the board and the leadership team, as they grapple with the situation. The team is grateful for the involvement of CLC International Office and the offer of expertise on the part of CLC USA. 15 Tue. Russia – Bookshop in Difficulties The oldest and best known Christian bookshop in Moscow is going through rocky times. Because of this, many of their customers are finding CLC for the first time, which is an encouragement for us.

It’s not so good for the city, however, as there is sufficient demand for the viability of both shops and more. Please pray that we can meet the customers’ needs and that the other shop will, by God’s grace, be a blessing once more for this city and nation.

Viveca Nhancale,

CLC Maputo, Mozambique

16 Wed. Mozambique – New Staff Please pray for Viveca Nhancale, the new staff member at CLC Maputo, as she settles into the ministry. In her first few weeks, she has been busy taking book tables to venues

outside the shop. Please pray as she makes contact with leaders of both Christian and secular events, in order that these opportunities might continue.

17 Thu. Mozambique – New Shelving God willing, a container full of donated shop fittings will be on its way from UK to Mozambique in July. These are needed so that we can re-fit our two shops - especially Maputo where the fittings have been destroyed by termites. Please pray for safe arrival and for no problems with customs - thank you.

18 Fri. CA2 – Conference and Congratulations!

Please pray that we would be able to hear from the Lord at our team conference which, at the time of writing, is expected to take place late July or early August 2014. Please also pray that the team would be prepared to run things at the bookshop without the American Director and her husband while they return to the USA, for a few months, in September for the birth of their first child.

Resources Books Books Gifts Gifts Resou rces

Opening Soon!

*Not actual shop sign.

19-20 Sat/Sun. UK – Birmingham CLC now has two bookshops in Birmingham, having just taken over a bookshop in Carrs Lane. Pray for Neil MacLennan, the manager, and the new team as they work together in the early weeks to establish the shop stock and systems, and as they promote the shop to the churches and Christians in the greater Birmingham area.

Pray too for our original shop in Stephenson Street as it serves the many passing customers Page 3

JULY who come out of the nearby train station.

Structural and road alterations, started almost 5 years ago, continue in the area of the train station and outside the shop, but access is not as restricted as it used to be!

Outside our shop: Stephenson St.

21 Mon. Japan – Shop Closure The decision has been made to close one of the bookshops, CLC Higashikurume, in August 2014.

The manager, Chiharu Kamiya, and his coworker, Mrs. Watanabe, will both be retiring.

Thank God for the ministry of this shop over the years, and pray that He will bless and guide the staff as they move into a new stage of their lives.

22 Tue. Trinidad - Protection “As we review the last few months, we are grateful to God for His keeping power. As the crime rate escalates in our country, one can develop a sense of fear. Recently a Senior Counsel was gunned down and we believe a list was found with a number of high profile individuals who will ‘be eliminated’.

God has promised to keep our coming in and going out, and we will continue to be a beacon in this darkness.” Director for CLC East Caribbean 23 Wed. Trinidad - Distribution We purchased some Bibles and distributed over a hundred copies in one of the ‘hot spots’ for crime and violence near Port of Spain. What was amazing was the fact that as they received the Bibles, some people opened them and started reading Page 4

straight away! May God’s Word take root in their lives. We thank God that all four CLC bookshops in Trinidad are doing well.

24 Thu. Sierra Leone – Change in Leadership After serving as National Director for CLC since 2005, Jusu Wai Sawi will be leaving CLC at the end of July. We give thanks for Jusu’s dynamic leadership and pray God’s blessing on him as he will be seeking to serve the Lord, and some of Sierra Leone’s poorest communities, through another organisation.

Please pray for his successor, Donald John.

25 Fri. Venezuela – Obtaining Currency Yohel Peña writes “We give thanks to God that after months of waiting, we have finally been able to arrange to buy foreign currency which has enabled us to pay off some debts to publishers in the USA. This was made possible because the government has recently introduced an alternative system for acquiring currency.” Please continue to pray for CLC in Venezuela as the whole country is experiencing difficult days.

26-27 Sat/Sun. UK – Focus 2014 This week CLC is again providing a large bookstall for the Focus conference, run by Holy Trinity Church, Brompton. Pray for Geoff Bearham and the team as they travel to Sussex to set up, run and then take down the bookstall. Pray that in the hard work and tiredness there will be joy and satisfaction as they advise and serve the customers.

28 Mon. Barbados – Library Orders We are thankful to the Lord for giving us another opportunity to supply the local Public Library with an order of books. We really appreciate this sale in these difficult economic times. Please pray that the books would be a source of blessing to those using the Library.

29 Tue. Kenya - Partnerships With changing economies and trends, CLC Kenya is looking for a change of strategy to

JULY & AUGUST ensure sustainability. We are asking the Lord to open doors for other Christian organisations to partner with us in ministry. We hope and pray that this will be a paradigm shift for us.

30 Wed. Netherlands – Registration Process “We are currently in the process of registering the CLC Bookshops and Publishing as a separate entity from the charitable foundation. We appreciate your prayer in this, because it requires some careful decision-making and paperwork.”

Bertus Keuter, Director 31 Thu. USA – New Title “Pray for the release, on August 5th, of a 2 very important new CLC book entitled Books b o o k s that Change Lives. This t h a t book is being produced in conjunction with the c h n g e Parable Group. It is l i e s a vital resource for anyone seeking to develop a Christian reading habit. It has recommendations on the best Christian books to read, as well as an extremely valuable topical resource guide.” Dave Almack, National Director Each of us can gain so much from reading

revised

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chosen for depth of wisdom and

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Topical Resource List for those who minister to others

l i v e s

Library List, this book includes:

c h a n g e

books to lend to others.

In addition to the Personal Growth

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t h a t

Our prayer is that this guide may assist you in

building a personal library to deepen your faith

walk with God and help you choose life-changing

b o o k s

we have carefully compiled

a list of highly-recommended books,

their power to transform hearts and lives.

2-3 Sat/Sun. UK – London The tourist season in London is well under way with many people visiting St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Pray that these visitors will find our nearby London shop, receive a warm welcome there and discover resources which will help them. Many CLC shops are experiencing an increased demand for foreign language Bibles. Pray that the shop staff will be able to find UK sources for all the Bibles requested.

These lists were compiled by Christian retail book experts, members of The Parable Group.

ISBN 978-1-61958-171-5

Recommended Reading Lists for Christian Readers

9 781619 581715

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4/28/14 9:36 AM

AUGUST 1 Fri. Austria – Holiday Season During August the bookshop in Graz is closed for the holiday season. Please pray that Edeltraud Heumann, the manager, and her helpers Ilse and Tanja will rest and have renewed energy for a good and fresh start in September. Pray too about the future of the bookshop. At the time of writing, we are actively looking for a full time member of staff who could become the new manager. If no suitable candidate has been found by now, the long term future of the shop is uncertain.

4 Mon. Germany – Sold Out! “We are thankful that we have sold almost all the copies of the innovative evangelistic book Alltagstourist (meaning everyday tourist) that has been distributed exclusively through CLC since it was released in December 2013. People have been very impressed with this book and now a second edition will be produced.” Valentin Schweigler 5. Tue. Indonesia - Major Facelift Following the recent removal of large trees, and the addition of new paving stones, outside the Surabaya bookshop, CLC (Yakin) has now repainted the outside of their building.

Another recent change is to the new CLC bookshop in a shopping mall in Surabaya. CLC took over the management Page 5

AUGUST of this existing bookshop earlier in the year but in June it was renamed as a CLC bookshop.

Boroko Shop Team

6 Wed. PNG – Bible Supply “Pray for our Boroko shop in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Sales have been low due to lack of much needed stock. I have been ordering from the US and the Philippines. Pray that we will also be able to find a supplier of KJV Compact Bibles to supply the schools that have been requesting them. Pray for our team, that we will find creative ways to market our products to the churches and schools throughout Port Moresby and the other provinces.” Vere Babona 7 Thu. Antigua – Encouragement “Despite sales seeming a bit slow at times when better sales are expected (e.g. Mother’s Day), God has provided for us in terms of sales.

We are very thankful for the opportunity to take a book table, and to promote CLC, at the PAWI (Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies) convention which was well attended.

At this event we made connections with other churches in the eastern Caribbean as well as places further afield like the USA and England.” Arah Martin, Manager 8 Fri. CA2 – Beyond Borders Praise God that books bought this year from our bookshop in CA2 were taken to a more ‘closed’ country and there they have greatly impacted at least one person, and are being used to reach out to others.

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9-10 Sat/Sun. UK – Accounts Software The UK finance department has switched to a new accounting software system, Sage Line 50. Pray for John Auger and Will Cerri as they get used to operating it. Give thanks that this will make things easier for them and enable them to be more productive and also produce a greater range of reports and financial information for the mission.

11 Mon. Philippines – Expired Contracts Pray for our Publishing Department. A number of our titles have expired contracts.

Please pray for replacement titles, and that foreign publishers would be generous in granting permits.

12 Tue. Ecuador – New Property Please pray that, if it is His will, God would open the doors for CLC to obtain a property, with some land, that they have found near the current bookshop in Quito. The building is being sold and, at the time of writing, the missionary who is dealing with the sale was considering our offer. The property has much needed parking space as well as a place to relocate the bookshop.

13 Wed. Korea – Preparing Books “We are preparing books which will be used as textbooks for the next academic semester. Please pray as pressure is on from some of the professors to work really quickly with the publishing; this can be stressful for us and, in some cases, it could mean that mistakes are made. Please pray for wisdom, good planning and diligence on our part as we publish these books.

14 Thu. Japan – Staff Changes Due to ill health, Mr. Aketa, the bookshop manager for CLC in Okayama, has had to retire. Please pray that he would know God’s guidance, grace and comfort at this time.

Pray too for Mrs. Imanaka, the staff member who has taken over as the new manager.

AUGUST 15 Fri. USA – Editing Staff Managing Editor, Erika Cobb, joined the CLC team in May. Please pray for her as she adjusts to her new role and works on the next cycle of CLC Publications titles. We have been so blessed to have Tracey Lewis-Giggetts as the Managing Editor for the last couple of years and are delighted that she will be staying on in a part time, freelance role.

16-17 Sat/Sun. UK – Marketing Team There have been changes recently to the warehouse marketing team. Amanda Lutes has moved to the International Office in Sheffield and will be concentrating on raising the mission profile of CLC in the UK. Sarah Williams will continue the wholesale marketing, informing CLC shops and independents of the titles we supply and, in particular, the new titles and resources coming into the warehouse. Pray for both of these ladies that they may have skill, insight and imagination as they convey this information to the public and the book trade.

18 Mon. Philippines – Manila Book Fair Preparations are under way for CLC’s attendance at the 35th Manila International Book Fair to be held in September (17th21st). Please pray for the Art Department as they prepare for the promotional materials like free entrance tickets, flyers etc. Pray too for our orders to suppliers, that there would be no delays in processing and shipment and that we would have good terms and conditions from the suppliers to help finance this major event.

19 Tue. Russia – Changing Leadership Roger and Anita Jones will, God willing, be moving to the UK in the New Year. Please pray for the visa application process for Anita and for the new leadership of the CLC ministry in Russia. At the time of writing, we are considering several candidates and should have someone in place by the end of June, leaving plenty of time for the hand-over.

20 Wed. Germany – Encouragement in CLC Hamburg Because another Christian bookshop in Hamburg had to close, we have had some new opportunities for book tables in churches. It has been a joy to get to know some more dedicated book agents who run these book outlets. Many shops are suffering from the rise of internet shopping, but we see an encouraging number of people who still value a ‘real shop’, face to face communication with staff and opportunities to browse among the book shelves discovering titles which they might not come across online.

21 Thu. Netherlands – Relocation We need to examine the possibility of a relocation of the CLC shop in Amsterdam before the end of this year. We seek God’s guidance in this, so please pray that God will open a door for us.

22 Fri. Papua New Guinea - Bibles At the time of writing, we are in the process of ordering a large quantity of Bibles from the PNG Bible Society; these will be for a new print run of The Pidgin Pocket Bible and The Good News Pocket Bible. The Bibles will be printed in South Korea and they should be ready to ship to PNG in August. Please pray that this shipment will arrive, and be processed, this month.

23-24 Sat/Sun. UK – The ONE Event This weekend, a team lead by Geoff Fanning will be at Lincoln for the ONE Event with another large bookstall. Please pray for the logistics involved in getting stock and fixtures there and back.

Pray too that our service to the event will be good and that we will be able to talk about the wider work of CLC to the customers.

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AUGUST 25 Mon. Liberia – Two Years On In September it will be two years since CLC re-opened in Liberia. Although there has been encouragement, there are difficulties as well, as sales have not been as high as projected. Many of the books we sell are second-hand, which means that the price is very low, and therefore we need to sell huge quantities, as well as a decent amount of new books with a proper margin, in order to make ends meet. Please pray about this situation.

26 Tue. Indonesia – Book Sales Please pray that the two CLC bookshops in Surabaya will find ways to increase sales and reach out to more customers, as sales are low. In particular, it would be good to sell more of our own titles published by CLC Indonesia.

27 Wed. Venezuela – New Leadership Team We would appreciate your prayers for everyone on the CLC Venezuela team and for those who have recently been appointed to form a new Leadership Team. Join us in praying for these people, that they would know God’s grace, wisdom and strength as they carry out the work of the ministry in the midst of some very difficult times for the whole country.

28 Thu. Korea – Multi-Language Publications CLC Korea has recently published a series of 10 books on evangelism, by Dr. Lim, which they translated into Chinese. In addition, volumes 1 to 3 will also be translated into English, and then into Tamil, Burmese and Urdu. Please pray that these books will be well used in evangelism in many countries.

29 Fri. Philippines – Product Promotion Pray for the continued promotions of our Kinder Curriculum. The Sales Department has travelled to various provinces to promote the book. Pray for good returns, orders and follow-up orders, from private and public schools in the country.

30-31 Sat/Sun. UK – Thinking of Christmas!

Towards the end of August most shops will be starting to think not just about the autumn trading but also Christmas! As Christmas stock arrives over the next few weeks, pray that the process of checking in and pricing will be done smoothly and efficiently. Pray too that shop staff will have wisdom as they think how to display the extra stock and rearrange the shop

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