Prayer Focus 2014 (November & December)

November - December

Nov. 25th Praise Point: Our CLC Philippines Team at the Manila International Book Fair 2014

NOVEMBER 1-2 Sat/Sun. UK – IT Systems For some months now, Mick Goodman (Head of Operations) and others on the UK team have been evaluating possible new IT systems in search of a suitable one to be used for the Wholesale Department, Finance Department and the bookshops. Mick asks for continued prayer that they would make the right final decision, probably early this month. They need to choose a system that will support and serve the ministry well over the next 10 years or more.

3 Mon. Portugal – Busy Month Carlos Cunha, the shop manager and only full time staff member of CLC Portugal, has a busy month with CLC book tables at the Global Leadership Summit meetings each weekend. The first GLS event, in Ponta Delgada, has just taken place and during the rest of November they will be held in Coimbra, the Algarve, Lisbon and, at the end of the month, Porto. Carlos has been involved in the organisation of these meetings

and will be travelling extensively to attend them.

Please pray for good health and strength for Carlos and for enough volunteer help to keep the shop and book tables running smoothly.

4 Tue. Cyprus – Christmas Book Fairs “We have just arranged the dates for our Christmas book fairs and our prayer request is that the Lord will bless these occasions. It is a time of fellowship among many Christians, and we pray that good books will be sold to help them in their spiritual growth. There is a lot of work involved in organising and carrying this out. Please pray for good health and energy for all the extra work. We will be in Nicosia on Wednesday November 5th then Paphos, Limasol and Larnaca over the next three Saturdays.” Sotos and Eva Photiades 5 Wed. Ecuador – Seminar in Quito “Please pray with us for an event organised

by CLC for Saturday November 8th. We hope to have around 1,000 women attending a seminar by Jim and Elizabeth George – authors

NOVEMBER from the United States. May God use this event to reach the hearts of many women” Carlos Marin, CLC Ecuador 6 Thu. Canada – Outreach in Verdun In November, we will be trying a new type of publicity, reaching out to around 50,000 people in the area of the Verdun bookshop. We will have several offers including a free book, the French version of More than a Carpenter, which was recently printed by CLC Canada our first publication. Please pray that the Lord would use this book to touch needy lives in this mostly working class neighbourhood of Montreal.

7 Fri. USA – Annual Banquet “Please pray for CLC USA’s ‘Annual Donor Banquet’ that will take place on Saturday, November 8th. Dr. David Apple, a CLC author, will be the keynote speaker. The emphasis of the event will be on an expansion of our Christian Book Link programme to some new urban ministry partners in the Philadelphia area. CLC USA will then donate the good quality used books that they receive to overseas countries and to local ministries that have a need.” Dave Almack, CLC USA Director *For more information about BookLink go to www.clcusa.org and click on the BookLink tab.

Annual Banquet CLC USA

8-9 Sat/Sun. UK – UK Leadership Changes Please pray for those taking on new responsibilities for CLC UK. Gary Chamberlin (European Regional Director) has succeeded Andrew Bowker as the Chairman of the Trustees, and Eddie Olliffe has accepted the appointment as General Manager for a period of 12 months as Phil Burnham has Page 2

stepped down. We are thankful to God for all that Andrew and Phil have brought to the leadership of CLC UK and we pray for Gary and Eddie as they assume responsibility at a time of great change and development.

Eddie Olliffe, CLC UK

Phil Burnham, CLC UK

10 Mon. Korea – Celebrations & Congratulations CLC Korea has just celebrated their 39th anniversary and, at the same time, they have officially recognised and appreciated the work of one of their longest serving members of staff, Jung-Soon Lee. Praise God for dedicated people like this. The team are also planning to hold a special sale of their newest titles this month – they have published around 70 titles this year alone! Congratulations CLC Korea!

11 Tue. New Bookshops in Mexico and Miami At the time of writing, CLC Colombia is close to opening its first bookshop in Mexico and the official inauguration is planned for November.

Two members of the CLC Colombian team, Maria del Carmen Castañeda and Daniel Huertas, have moved to Mexico City to staff the shop. At the same time, CLC Colombia, in collaboration with CLC USA, is opening a bookshop in Miami. This will be managed by Jennifer Scalante, daughter of CLC Regional Director, Gerardo Scalante.

12 Wed. France - Paris Evangelical Book Fair Herve Lessous writes to say: - “CLC France will be involved in the Paris Evangelical Book Fair which will take place from the 16th to the 18th of November. The CLC team, about seven members of our staff, will be able to make many contacts with French speaking publishers. It is also a good opportunity to present and sell our new products.

There are about 200 exhibitors and 2,000 visitors at this event. Thanks for your prayers.”

NOVEMBER 13 Thu. Netherlands - Shop Future With the combination of the landlord’s plans to increase the rent substantially, and shop sales gradually decreasing, we need to seriously think about the future of the Amsterdam bookshop and make decisions by the end of this year. The current location is much loved by customers, and our presence in the centre of the city is definitely a spiritual lighthouse with an influence in the surroundings and beyond. Please pray that the Lord will give wisdom and direction to the team.

14 Fri. Sierra Leone – Ebola Crisis Join the team in prayer as they look to God to supply their needs. They have some outstanding debts to pay, but it is hard to meet their sales targets particularly due to the disruption and concern caused by the Ebola virus. At times the whole country has been shut down and CLC staff have all taken annual leave recently in attempts to reduce possible contact with the virus. Prayer for Donald John, the new Director of CLC, would be appreciated as he has taken over this responsibility at a very difficult time.

15-16 Sat/Sun. UK – Wholesale The CLC Wholesale team would value prayer over the next few weeks. It’s their first Christmas since the closure of TMD (Trust Media Distribution) and we are unsure what to expect with the extra sales we have been gaining all year. By March this year we had already reached pre-Christmas levels of sales, and in the first half of the year sales from the warehouse were up almost 50% compared to the previous year. It could be a very busy Christmas season!

Part of the CLC UK Wholesale Team

17 Mon. Pakistan – Extension Plans There have been a number of delays in the planned building of an extension to the bookshop in Karachi. The current problem is that building permission cannot be granted by the local authorities until the freehold on the property (owned by the Salvation Army) is extended. The Salvation Army approved of our extension plans some time ago but obviously they need to be pro-active in allowing this project to move forward. Please pray for all parties concerned – the owners of the leasehold, the Salvation Army leadership in Pakistan and ELS Pakistan.

18 Tue. Canada - Downsizing Due to financial restraints that we had not anticipated, we are in the process of subletting our Brossard bookshop and warehouse. The implications are significant, having to move the stock to our other three bookshops and relocate the administration, but in order to reduce expenses, it is a necessary step. Please pray for a suitable tenant and the best timing for all concerned.

19 Wed. Italy – A Good Place to Visit We are looking for ways to improve our bookshop service, as more customers prefer to order via the Internet. Visiting a Christian bookshop should be a blessing, and an experience that can be as good, if not better, than an Internet browse.

Please pray that we will find ways to improve our services in terms of the shop appearance and also the welcome and information our staff offer.

20 Thu. Germany - A Special Event On November 21st there will be a reading and book signing event in the Hamburg bookshop with Swiss author Damaris Kofmehl and her husband Demitri Betts who has a quite extraordinary testimony. This artistic couple run a ministry called New Chance International and connect in particular with the younger generation. Valentin Schweigler and the shop team have invited many young people for this event – pray that it will be well attended and that people who think Christianity is not for them might think again!

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NOVEMBER 21 Fri. Barbados – Good Books Bought Thank the Lord for the customer who testified of the change in her daughter’s attitude after she gave her a copy of 101 Words that Matter Most for Teens published by Christian Art. We are also encouraged that My Prayer Book continues to be one of our bestsellers, as customers see the value of prayer in these difficult times.

22-23 Sat/Sun. UK – CLC World “At the time of writing, I am about to send the newest edition of the CLC World magazine to the printers. In order to be wiser with both our workload and resources, we have made the decision to once again include the Prayer Focus, which will become a quarterly prayer diary, into our CLC World magazine. We trust and pray that this will be appreciated and useful in keeping people better informed about what is happening in CLC around the world.” Amanda Lutes, CLC World Editor 24 Mon. USA – Busy Days “Please pray for the CLC retail teams in the Philadelphia area on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th of November, as these two days follow the Thanksgiving holiday in the USA and they are two of the busiest days prior to Christmas.

We want to serve well even when it is hectic in the stores. We will be having a major sale on both of those days.” Dave Almack, USA Director 25 Tue. Philippines – Praise Point Praise God for a good turnover at the recent 35th Manila International Book Fair. Huge crowds gathered and the CLC booths, six of them, were always full of people. Despite bad weather on one day, with heavy rain and flooding, sales exceeded those of the previous year. During the fair we had three book signing sessions, released a new CLC title, Transforming Households, by a local author and one church ordered 500 copies of the new title!

26 Wed. CA2 – The Team’s Work Please pray for our team in this central Asian country in the National Director’s absence.

Pray that they would have wisdom in running the bookshop and in planning Christmas Page 4

book tables and events. We have also been blessed with a few textbook orders from some government offices. Please pray for continued favor and orders from others who hear about us.

27 Thu. Romania – Shop Future We need to consider the future of the CLC bookshop in Timisoara (a large city in western Romania and over 300km from the main CLC bookshop in Brasov). Sales are not increasing and the shop, as it is now, is no longer sustainable.

We need to look at possible options, including a change of location, and ask for prayer for God’s wisdom and guidance in decision making.

28 Fri. USA – Fellowship Gathering Please pray for CLC USA as they will be holding their next ‘Fellowship Gathering’ on Monday, December 1st. This is an important time for the whole team to enjoy a meal together, have fun and fellowship and prepare for the next few weeks of the busy Christmas season.

29-30 Sat/Sun UK – Gifts that bring Life As we supply items for Christmas book tables in churches, whether it is our church partners or CLC colleagues who actually look after the sales, pray that the items bought for friends and family members who are not yet in a living relationship with the Lord, will be used to bring them closer to Him. Beira’s New External Shop Sign

CLC Mozambique

DECEMBER 1 Mon. Trinidad – Reaching Goals During the latter part of last year and well into this year, we experienced numerous strikes and closures of Government offices. God has answered prayer in that, despite the difficulties, most days we were able to accomplish our goals.

We have fallen short slightly in the Port of Spain branch (in comparison to last year) but we trust that we will be able to reach our sales targets by the end of the year. Please pray with us for protection, good sales and, most importantly, that we will remember the reason for the season!

2 Tue. Mozambique – Home Leave Claudia Middendorf, the missionary who oversees the CLC bookshop in Beira, will be on home leave in Germany from December. Please pray that she will have a restful and refreshing time with family and friends, and also pray for Jose Sacramento who works in the bookshop and will miss Claudia’s support for a few months.

3 Wed. Sierra Leone - Makeni Earlier this year, CLC in Sierra Leone opened a bookshop in the northern city of Makeni and the early days have been challenging. This is partly due to the shop location, a small room on the outskirts of the city as rent is too high in the centre, and because of the effect that the Ebola virus has had on the whole nation this year. Alie Kamara, who left the CLC team in Freetown to run the bookshop, has been relying on visiting offices and workplaces to promote CLC’s material but, although this is normal practice in business here, this year offices are, understandably, not so open to visitors.

4 Thu. A Sign of Improvement!

It is important that our bookshops are noticed by passers by! Praise the Lord that, after two or three years of waiting, we have finally been given permission to have external CLC bookshop signs outside our shops in the Ceaderbrook Plaza, Philadelphia (USA) and on the Bible School complex in Beira (Mozambique). Please pray that this will bring in many new customers, even if they are just curious to know what CLC is all about. We would be happy to explain our purpose!

5 Fri. Barbados – Christmas Event and Greetings “CLC Barbados has been invited, once again, to have a book table at an event for ladies - the Stonecroft International Christmas Lunch. Please pray for good sales and for lifechanges as a result of the purchases. We would also like to take this opportunity to wish a blessed Christmas to all CLC staff and prayer supporters everywhere.” Marion Manning for CLC Barbados 6-7 Sat/Sun. UK – Christmas Prayer for the Shops Christmas can be a lonely time for some. ‘Lord, despite the busyness and the pressures of each day, keep us sensitive to You. May our shops be places of fellowship, prayer and solace for those genuinely in need. May our words minister life and hope, comfort and assurance.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.’

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Philadelphias’ New External Shop Sign

CLC USA

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DECEMBER 8 Mon. Philippines – Publications Please pray for our CLC Publications department.

We rely on our own CLC publications for maintaining stock levels during the periods in the year when we have no shipments of imported books. Please pray for wisdom in choosing new titles to publish and for favour from existing publisher partners when we request permission to reprint some of our best selling titles.

CLC Publications CLC Philippines

9 Tue. Italy – Refugees Arriving in Italy Please pray for the growing number of refugees coming to Sicily and Italy from various parts of the world – many of whom have experienced the horrors of war and persecution. They are kept, for up to a year, in specific refugee reception centres where they are not allowed to leave or to work while they wait for a response regarding their asylum request. In some of these camps, local Christians are providing comfort, practical help and are sharing the gospel. CLC, in cooperation with other mission organisations, is providing literature in the languages of these refugees.

10 Wed. Longer Opening Hours Please pray for CLC staff and volunteer helpers as many of them are working extra hours this month in the lead up to Christmas. Pray that they will keep well, serve well and finish well at the close of this year. Pray too that they will not miss out on quality time with family, friends and their church congregations and, most importantly, to have time to focus on what Jesus’ birth means to them.

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11 Thu. Ecuador – New Software “We value your prayer for us as we are putting a new software system in place in all our CLC departments. It is already up and running in the warehouse (Quito) and the bookshops in Manta and Cuenca. Now it will be implemented in the two bookshops in Guayaquil and the main bookshop in Quito. We trust that this will be a great help in serving our customers well and in our stock control.” Carlos Marin, National Director 12 Fri. Indonesia – Sales at Christmas Last year sales at Christmas were not as good as expected; we are noticing a decline in Christmas card sales particularly as many people now use Facebook or text messaging etc. to send greetings. We are also concerned for the Christian bookshop in the shopping mall that we took over at the beginning of the year, sales here dropped during September.

Please pray for a turnaround in this situation, and for wisdom and creativity to present and promote the good books we have to offer.

13-14 Sat/Sun. UK – Partnership Scheme We give thanks that the CLC UK ‘Partnership Scheme’ has given us the opportunity to get resources from our bookshops into churches and Christian organisations at attractive prices and to involve us in their initiatives and programmes. Pray for more sign-ups by churches and groups within reach of our shops so that we might equip the saints for ministry and better fulfil our Mission.

15 Mon. Thailand – Outreach in & out of the Shop CLC Thailand’s ministry in Chiang Mai extends beyond the bookshop. One of the shop team is assisting Christians from the hill tribes who need help and support in their specific situation. The church in these mountainous and forested regions is growing, but with this comes social and religious antagonism as a former way of life is changed dramatically, and accusations are made against them. While we are happy to be able to serve these people in practical ways, the bookshop work is causing concern with declining sales and this needs to be addressed

DECEMBER

17 Wed. Venezuela – Youth Congress in Merida We praise God for the opportunity we had earlier this year to participate in the Annual Youth Congress in Mérida. Young people from all across the country attended the event and they were able to make good use of our CLC stand. Pray that the books and Bibles they bought will be a blessing in their lives.

Youth Congress

CLC Venezuela

18 Thu. Last Minute Ideas As many people will still be looking for Christmas gifts, we hope they will find good gift ideas in our bookshops. Even if they don’t normally go into a Christian bookshop, may they be attracted by the books and gifts on display in our shop windows and be prompted to go inside for a closer look. Pray that our staff, although very busy, will have time to welcome visitors and be available to help new customers.

19 Fri. Swaziland – A Better Position Praise God for a small loan to help with building up the work in Swaziland. Please pray that it will be used in a productive way and that

20-21 Sat/Sun. UK – New Staff in Scotland Please pray for our two new Scottish teams - in Aberdeen, Melanie Gardiner (Manager) and Sophie Scholle and in Dundee, Rosemary Maclean (Manager) and Mark Buchanan. Pray for them as they learn the procedures involved in running a bookshop and also as they reach out into the community to communicate what the shops have to offer.”

22 Mon. French West Africa - Travels Martine Foto (Ivory Coast) and Emmanuel Ladeyo (Benin) visited France for the first time last month, to attend the Christian Publishers’ Exhibition in Lognes, and also to strengthen links with CLC France and Livr’Afrique - a project to get affordable new and second hand books from France to French speaking west African countries. As they return to their home countries, please pray that they will be able to serve with fresh inspiration and strength as they seek to put new ideas into practice.

WINDOWDISPLAYS

16 Tue. CA2 – Customer Testimony We had the privilege of seeing one lady accept Christ through the bookshop ministry last year and since then she has been to the shop many times for different books. She told a staff member, “Everything I’ve learned is from the books at this store”. Please pray for this lady as she grows in her relationship with Jesus.

the ministry will be able to pay it back within the terms and conditions. CLC workers Petra Nemansky and Liz Patten, who moved from the UK to Mozambique in October, will now be in a better position to oversee the work as Swaziland is only a few hours drive away from their base in Maputo.

Please pray for impactful Christmas

too. Pray that ways and means will be found to bring effective ministry and business together directly through the bookshop.

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DECEMBER 23 Tue. CLC in Africa Several of our ministries in Africa have supplier debts but our team leaders are making efforts to overcome this. Please pray for wisdom in business planning and also for good sales in order to help meet the commitments of repayment plans. We praise God especially for those ministries that are debt-free, and want to see more added to that list!

24 Wed. Family Celebrations Christmas is a time when families and friends get together to celebrate and our CLC staff will be no exception. However, as often happens, there will be sadness too. Please pray for the CLC team in Spain; they have gone through very difficult times, major structural changes to the ministry and staff from each of the three bookshops have lost close family members this year. May God bless and comfort them.

25 Thu. Christmas Day “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10. Praise God for the privilege of being involved in sharing good news with many people around the world, good news that brings joy and casts out fear. Hallelujah!

26 Fri. Boxing Day December 26th has many different names around the world. In the UK it is known as Boxing Day. It is based on the centuries old tradition of giving gifts, in boxes, to the less fortunate members in society; a tradition that is

not generally followed now. Pray for ministries, including CLC, that provide books as gifts, or at very low cost, to people who do not have the means to buy books at the regular prices.

27-28 Sat/Sun. UK – Take Note CLC UK’s Take Note is a quarterly promotional magazine recommending a great selection of books and Bibles to the public. With each edition we also send out, on a sale or return basis, two copies of each book highlighted in the magazine to the CLC UK bookshops and about 50 independent bookshops. This is proving to be a great resource. Please pray for Sarah Williams, who joined the CLC UK Wholesale team last January, as she takes over the responsibility for producing this information.

Starting from December 29th we will be including Prayer Focus into CLC World Magazine 2014, Issue 4. We will be doing the prayer points in a weekly themed layout that we hope you will find informative and enjoyable. If you don’t already susbscribe to CLC World, but would like to, please send us your address.

By Post: CLC International Office, 291 Abbeydale Rd. Sheffield S7 1FJ

By Email: clcworld@clcbookshops.com

To receive an electronic or ‘online’ version: Email us at office@clcinternational.org

If you’d like to help us cover printing and postage costs please make your cheque payable to CLC International (UK) and send it to CLC Finance, 51 The Dean, Alresford, Hants, SO24 9BJ