2011-12 Prayers of the People

prayers of the people the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s yearlong guide to prayer

2011–12

Table of Contents

CBF Leadership Team Daniel Vestal

Executive Coordinator

Rob Nash

Coordinator of Global Missions

Bo Prosser

Coordinator of Missional Congregations

Design Team Devita Parnell

Contents An Invitation to Pray and Sing .............................................. 1 Introduction: “Lord, Listen to Your Children”......................... 2 Using the Guide.................................................................... 4 September–December: Send Us Love .................................... 6 January–May: Send Us Power ..............................................31 June–August: Send Us Grace .............................................. 62

Missional Resources Specialist

Judi S. Hayes Editor

TheFaithLab.com Design Services

Calendar information is current as of June 2011 and will be updated June 2012.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in the U.S.A. Used by permission.

About the Author Tommy Shapard, an ordained Baptist minister, serves as minister of music and worship at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Recently, he has served on the Extra-Musical Resource Committee for the Celebrating Grace Hymnal and the Worship Planning Committee for the 2011 CBF General Assembly. He is a 1997 graduate of Baylor Univeristy (BME, vocal/choral emphasis) and a 2004 graduate of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology (MDiv). Tommy is married to Rachel Gunter Shapard, and they have three children, Drew, Kate, and Mac.

An Invitation to Pray and Sing “There’s within my heart a melody; Jesus whispers sweet and low.” “He Keeps Me Singing” is my alltime favorite hymn. I love the hymnal and the gospel songs. Nothing helps me praise, pray, and hope like good hymns with powerful melodies.

You’ll find a melody within these pages. Jesus is whispering sweet and low. Using the new Celebrating Grace Hymnal, we are bringing you some familiar songs and perhaps some new songs to help us praise, pray, and hope. This book of prayers along with the hymnal will enhance your prayers and your daily living.

Praise mightily, pray daily, hope often, and see how God responds. This will be an exciting journey!

You will be moved within these pages to see the hand of God in your own life and within the lives of those whom you lift up. Hear God’s call on your own life even as God has called these that are listed.

Praise God for the field personnel, chaplains and pastoral counselors, and church planters whose names appear in these pages. Pray to God, calling the names on the printed pages, lifting up these and yourself in your prayers. Hope to God that Heavenly Parent, Earthly Son, and Mysterious Spirit will arouse in each of us a new melody. Can you hear the whisper of the song?

Bo Prosser Coordinator of Missional Congregations

Introduction Lord, Listen to Your Children Lord, listen to Your children praying, Lord, send Your Spirit in this place; Lord, listen to Your children praying, send us love, send us power, send us grace.

“Lord, Listen to Your Children” Words & Music: Ken Medema © 1973 Hope Publishing Company , Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 389

Singing is central to our faith. We hear refrain after refrain of song throughout Scripture—songs of praise, ascent, celebration, lament, remembrance, ritual, and prayer. From Miriam to the Levites and from David to Paul and Silas, we discover that singing is a significant part in the lives of the faithful. Hymn writer Fred Pratt Green reminds us, “And did not Jesus sing a psalm that night when utmost evil strove against the light?”¹ Singing our faith with, over, and against the multiple rhythms of life is a spiritual discipline. For centuries it has been an evolving discipline of the church, for singing is a communal response that can build up one another in the way of Christ (Col. 3:16). Song gathers us, brings us around baptismal 2

waters, welcomes us to the table, proclaims the Word, transforms us, and challenges us to serve and love. Many of us are aware of the power of song, for we are a singing people shaped by the hymns and songs of our upbringing—inspired weekly to sing with one voice before God. The hymns and songs we have lifted to God along our personal journeys have become a kind of prayer book in our memory banks, as perhaps the psalms were for Jesus.

Over the next 12 months, we will raise our voices together in song and prayer, presenting to God many needs and concerns within the CBF family. We pray that the ancient proverb is right— those who sing, pray twice—for we have placed at the heart of this guide a song of prayer by Ken

“Lord, Listen to Your Children” Medema, “Lord, Listen to Your Children.”

The final line of the song provides the threepart structure for this year’s prayer guide, which we have combined with the rhythm of the liturgical calendar. In Part I, “Send Us Love” (September– December), we apply prayer practices to hymn texts that emphasize Christ’s love. During these first four months, we center ourselves in Christ’s agape love so we may better pray for others and serve their needs. This first section culminates in an Advent prayer observance in December as we recognize and celebrate the arrival of love. In Part II, “Send Us Power” (January–May), we sing hymns that emphasize God’s power, praying that God’s power gives us the endurance to walk the way of Christ, empowering those who serve around the world, and strengthening our bond of association with one another. This middle section concludes with a Korean prayer practice as we head into Pentecost Sunday. In Part III, “Send Us Grace” (June–August), we sing hymns that intertwine the gift of God’s

grace with the idea of being sent forth into the world. We conclude this section with prayers of reflection and renewal before our congregations return to begin a new year of ministry.

At the beginning of each month, a portion of a different hymn text is printed. You may learn and sing these hymns individually, as a congregation, and/or as a prayer group. The hymns were selected from Celebrating Grace: Hymnal for Baptist Worship.

The selections are relatively new hymns and songs, some of which are written by Christians from other parts of the world. If you are unable to learn a hymn/song on your own, we encourage you to ask a musician in your congregation or local area to teach the hymn each month. Read aloud the text.

Meditate on its meaning, and sing it daily as you pray the Prayers of the People.

“May God give us faith to sing always Alleluia!”² ¹ Fred Pratt Green “When, in Our Music, God Is Glorified.” ² Ibid.

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Prayers of the People Prayers of the People is a yearlong guide to prayer for CBF missions and ministries. Typically prayer groups, church staffs, individuals, and other interested persons follow the guide chronologically.

The following suggestions offer ideas for churches and individuals to use this prayer guide in creative ways.

• Get a new Celebrating Grace Hymnal and use it in your own personal worship time. In addition to suggested hymns, find those that connect with your own soul, your own needs. Pray the words.

Read the words. Sing the words. Let the music fill your heart. To order a hymnal, go to www. celebrating-grace.com or call (877) 550-7707.

• Create a “Mission Moment” once a month in corporate worship. Share the story of a group, field personnel, or ministry highlighted in the prayer guide. Then pray for these needs. Then use the hymn highlighted in that particular month.

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• Incorporate the hymns in the guide during each hymn’s assigned month. Teach the hymn to your congregation in worship by “lining out” the hymn.

For example, a soloist sings verse 1; the choir or ensemble sings verse 2; all women sing verse 3; all men sing verse 4; and the entire congregation sings verse 5. Incorporating a children’s choir or youth choir might be another addition or substitute. Depending on the length of the hymn, this kind of organization will vary.

• Adapt the prayer guide to your congregation’s music and missions programming for children.

Use each hymn from September through May as the “Hymn of the Month.” Children can memorize a verse or two. Where appropriate, include instruments. Then use the hymn in worship to teach the hymn. Use the prayer guide during the mission time, emphasizing the week or month’s focus in conjunction with study, games, and discussion surrounding the hymn text.

Using the Guide • In August, to introduce the prayer guide, sing Ken Medema’s “Lord, Listen to Your Children” in corporate worship or around a fellowship/ mealtime. Continue singing the chorus throughout the year on occasion.

• Sing “Lord, Listen to Your Children” in worship. Have the choir continue humming the song (unison or parts) while the weekly prayer emphasis from the guide is prayed aloud. When the prayers are finished, sing the chorus one more time to conclude the moment.

• Plan a Taizé service during a churchwide emphasis on missions (see www.thefellowship. info/pray for more information). During the service use the prayer concerns and needs for that particular month.

• Create a kind of “Missional Hymn Festival” (or perhaps create a term of your congregation’s choosing) using the hymns in this guide. If other CBF partner churches are nearby, combine choirs and musicians for the festival. Throughout the event share the stories in the prayer guide, take time to pray the prayer needs between hymns, and take up an offering to support the CBF Offering for Global Missions.

Prayer Calendar Abbreviations CH = Chaplain FP = Field Personnel FPC = Child of Field Personnel GMP = Global Missions Partner PC = Pastoral Counselor PLT = Church Planter

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September–December: Send Us Love “Lord, listen to Your children praying. . . . Send us love.” Jesus challenges us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind; and, we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matt.

22:37–39). Living a life devoted to God while fully loving our neighbor (and self) is at the core of who we are as Christians, but perhaps shaping our Christian journey with this ethical standard is also the most challenging aspect of our faith. A robust, agape love—born of our love for God—is not simply lived, as ethics professor Timothy Jackson reminds us in The Priority of Love. As Christ followers we should strive for an unconditional commitment to the good of others, equal regard for others’ wellbeing, and passionate service open to self-sacrifice for the sake of others. Over the next four months, we will familiarize ourselves with four hymn texts that emphasize the importance of agape. As we pray together across the Fellowship, may God send us a love and a right spirit that enable us to live deeply into a daily practice of loving as Christ loved.

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September: Living into Christ’s Love In Christ We Live In Christ we live and pray for needs of body, mind, and soul, and trust our God’s unchanging love to make the broken whole.

The love and faith we share are strong.

In Christ we live; in Christ we live!

In Christ we live to offer hope to all with doubts and fears.

In worship, service, prayer, and song we stand throughout the years.

The love and faith we share are strong.

In Christ we live; in Christ we live!

Composition/Song Title: IN CHRIST WE LIVE, Writer Credits: Jane Martin and Donn Wisdom Copyright: Words © 2010 CELEBRATING GRACE, INC, Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 258

We begin our 12-month time of prayer with a hymn written in 2004 by two Baptist church musicians who at the time served together at Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Atlanta. The writers remind us that, as a faith community, living for God and others begins in Christ.

Learn and sing “In Christ We Live.” List words that stand out as significant, particularly those that make for a stronger prayer group, church, community, CBF, etc. As you pray for each request in September, consider how you can be a more loving and faithful member of the body of Christ. Pray that God strengthens all of us in the love of Christ as we seek to serve others.

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September 1–8 “ ‘Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’

They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.”

—Psalm 82:3–5

Fourteen foster children live with loving Christian families in the Village of Hope in Bucha, Ukraine. Some of these children were abandoned; some were street children; some were living in the orphanages of Ukraine. They represent thousands of children in need of a home and a family. Pray that more foster families will take street children and orphans in Ukraine. Pray that CBF partner churches will continue to give sacrificially to help support the neglected and abandoned children in the Village of Hope. Pray for Gennady and Mina Podgaisky, CBF field personnel ministering to children at risk in Kiev, Ukraine. This month CBF’s missional formation resources feature the work of the Podgaiskys. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/Resources/Missions-Education.

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September 9–15 “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.”

—Psalm 86:11

CBF is committed to providing quality resources to help churches in spiritual formation and faith education. The Missional Congregations staff at CBF provides conferences, workshops, and retreat experiences for CBF churches.

They also produce resources in multiple forms through print and digital media. At the center of print resources is a “family” of age-appropriate resources for missional formation and missions education: Form, Spark, Ignite, and Affect. These resources inspire learners of all ages to respond faithfully to God’s mission in the world. In the Fellowship’s 20th year, pray that God will inspire the designers, writers, and staff in the CBF Resource Center who produce educational resources. Pray that God will move church members to be on mission in the world through the use of the resources. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/Resources.

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September 16–22 “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

—Psalm 32:8

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The Summit Church, located in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, started five years ago as a small Bible study group that met in the home of Jim and Lisa Dean. The group, led by Jim, began to seek God’s direction in beginning a new church in partnership with CBF’s church starts initiative. The Summit Church’s purpose continues to be bringing all people into a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ. The church family now includes 250 people, most of whom have little or no church background. Pray for the church’s leadership team as they seek God’s direction. Pray that mature believers will step up to help disciple new believers. The Summit currently meets in a school gym for worship and Bible study and has recently purchased property. Pray that The Summit Church can build adequate space to meet the needs of its growing congregation. http://www.thesummitonline.org/

September 23–30 “Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.”

—Psalm 119:33–35

CBF-endorsed Chaplain Saul Burleson serves in the office of Religious Life at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He works with undergraduates by leading Sunday worship services. He fosters and nurtures interreligious collaboration and dialogue. Saul cares for students, helping them make meaning in their lives and the world. Pray for Emory’s staff and faculty as they strive to educate and impact the lives of future world leaders. Pray that faculty will inspire and challenge students to be upright, moral, and faithful. Pray that the Christian faith and convictions of Emory’s students will deepen as they grow in their understanding of others’ religious practices and beliefs. Pray for Saul as he shares the light and love of Christ on campus, so that he may guide and strengthen all with whom he comes in contact. Visit www.religiouslife.emory.edu for more information.

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September Birthdays 1 Terry Eddinger, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 1 Milton Snyder, Milledgeville, GA (CH) 1 Daniel Stallard, Newport, RI (CH) 1 Ralph Stocks, Romania (FP) 2 Bob Coons, Owensboro, KY (PLT) 2 Ruth Cuellar, Newnan, GA (PLT) 2 Dennis McDuffie, Atoka, TN (CH) 2 Sara Moran, Greer, SC (CH) 3 Jennifer Jenkins, Haiti (FP) 3 Ann Owen, Viera, FL (CH) 4 Monique Criddell, Waco, TX (CH) 4 Vicki Lumpkin, Greensboro, NC (CH) 4 Shirley Massey, Chapel Hill, NC (CH) 5 Eddie Aldape, India (FP) 5 Becky Brannon, Gainesville, GA (CH) 5 David Brown, France (FP) 5 David D’Amico, Emeritus (FP) 6 Carla Cherry, Dublin, OH (CH) 7 Martha Harper, Madison, MS (CH) 7 Lee Hendricks, Greenville, NC (CH) 7 Lita Sample, San Francisco, CA (FP) 8 Kirk Hall, Pineville, KY (CH) 8 Trey Lyon, Atlanta, GA (FP) 9 Yong M. Chang, Asia (GMP) 10 Timothy Brown, Dublin, GA (CH) 10 Nancy Campbell, Hickory, NC (CH) 10 Keegan, 2009, Los Angeles, CA (FPC) 12 Bryan Lake, Cumming, GA (CH) 13 Andrew Gee, Marietta, GA (PC) 13 Richard Morris, Lebanon, PA (CH) 12 13 Alan Redditt, Georgetown, KY (CH)

14 Bart Grooms, Birmingham, AL (PC) 14 Priscilla Howick, Jacksonville, FL (CH) 14 Stephanie Moore, Maryville, TN (CH) 15 Rebecca Holmes, 1992, Europe (FPC) 15 Brandy Mullins, Manvel, TX (CH) 16 Christopher Harrell, 1993, Kenya (FPC) 16 Dick Allison, Hattiesburg, MS (CH) 16 Karen Heistand, Charlottesville, VA (CH) 16 Byron Johnson, Twenty-nine Palms, CA (CH) 16 Charles Leggett, Lawton, OK (CH) 17 Angela Clark, Matthews, NC (CH) 17 Jean Craddock, Lexington, KY (PC) 17 George Rossi, Columbia, SC (CH) 18 Susan Barnett, Green Valley, AZ (CH) 19 , daughter, North Africa (FPC) 19 Wanda Ashworth Valencia, Homestead, FL (FP) 19 Larry Baker, Commerce City, CO (CH) 19 Josiah Maas, 2007, Belize (FPC) 20 David Bluford, Lenoir City, TN (CH) 20 Renée Owen, Burbank, CA (CH) 20 Tanya Parks, Slovakia (FP) 20 Robert Randolph, Swannanoa, NC (CH) 20 Kenneth Walker, Frankfort, KY (PC) 21 Laura Bridges, 1992, San Antonio, TX (FPC) 21 Mark Flores, Lynchburg, VA (CH) 21 Phil Owens, Marietta, GA (CH) 22 Kim Chafee, Virginia Beach, VA (CH) 22 Josh Reglin, Tahoka, TX (CH) 22 John Robbins, Maiden, NC (CH) 22 Becky Shoaf, Atlanta, GA (CH) 23 Byong K. Kim, Asia (GMP)

24 William Stewart, Yukosuka Naval Base, Japan (CH) 25 Gabe Orea, China (FP) 25 Angel Pittman, Miami, FL (FP) 26 Randy Brookshire, Greenville, SC (CH) 26 Sunny Mitchell, Virginia Beach, VA (CH) 26 Keith Parker, Brevard, NC (PC) 26 Beth Sexton, Harrodsburg, KY (CH) 26 Lynwood Walters, Gainesville, FL (CH) 26 Gloria White, Lawrenceville, GA (PC) 27 Cathy Anderson, Kennesaw, GA (CH) 27 Currian Cole, 2002, Spain (FPC) 27 Peggy Johnson, Hurst, TX (CH) 28 Renate Kruklis, Braselton, GA (CH) 29 John Harris, Pelham, AL (PC) 30 Paul Douglas, Ft. Belvoir, VA (CH) 30 Rebecca Wyatt, 1992, Canada (FPC)

October: Sacrificial Love Only Love Only love, only love suffers all and sacrifices all.

It dares to risk and face even death; it always seeks to heal and to mend, tries not to hurt!

Love is kind and forgiving; love is all this and more: God is love!

Only love, only love thinks of others, not just of itself, rejoices not in wrong but in truth; forgives all things and holds not a grudge, believes and hopes!

When it’s true, real, and faithful, love is all this and more: God is love! © 2001 ABINGDON PRESS (Administered By THE COPYRIGHT COMPANY NASHVILLE, TN) Used by permission. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 444

In preparation for the Prayers of the People this month, begin each week meditating on the words to “Only Love.” This short song, based on 1 Corinthians 13, was written in 1987 by Dominican composer Rafael Grullón as a portion of his oratorio entitled, El Caminante de Nazaret (The Sojourner from Nazareth).

Learn its Spanish, flamenco-like melody and sing it with a group before praying. Identify ways in which this kind of love might be needed in your own life, for those who live and work around you, for those mentioned in the requests this month. Pray for this kind of sacrificial love to permeate the people and places that so desperately need it.

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October 1–8 “For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.”

—Psalm 72:12–14

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Most of us see poverty and wonder what we can do about it. CBF field personnel Anna and LaCount Anderson have been called to do more than wonder. Since 2009, LaCount has led the way in the CBF Eastern North Carolina Poverty Network. Union Mission, a homeless shelter for men, is one project that benefits from his leadership. Anna serves Rosemary Baptist Church as minister of music and missions. But her work extends far beyond the walls of the church. Working with Faith House, a women and children’s shelter, Anna works with the director and local churches in getting all the supplies Faith House needs to minister to those who come there. Anna and LaCount’s ministry rests in relationship. “Our job is to show them the way to God and then involve them in local church ministry.”

October 9–15 “Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

—Psalm 143:7–8

When CBF field personnel Kirk and Suzie began working in his village 14 years ago, Noi was a young, energetic leader. But life has been hard. Noi’s wife was struck dead by lightning. He went heavily in debt paying for ceremonies designed to exorcize his wife’s troubled spirit from the village. His mother died, harvests failed, he had fights with his kids, his drinking increased, and, on at least ten occasions, he sat with an empty glass and a bottle of insecticide, ready to commit suicide. Recently, CBF field personnel had the privilege of showing Noi God’s Story, the only video ever dubbed into his language. Afterwards Noi expressed a desire to follow Christ. But before he does this, he wants to talk to his family members—his children and siblings. Please pray for Noi and the CBF field personnel working on the literacy and Bible translation projects for his people group in Southeast Asia.

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October 16–22 “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it.”

—Psalm 96:11

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CBF’s church starts initiative provides resources for individuals, small groups, and congregations interested in starting a new church. The process of church starting is strategic, community concentrated, and evangelistic. At the core of the process are prayer and spiritual discernment. From the beginning CBF has been involved in starting churches and has planted 125–150 churches and another 200 Hispanic house congregations in partnership with a number of organizations. Pray for the individuals, core groups, and established congregations who are discerning a call to start a church. Pray for the leaders of the new churches and the members of the communities they are trying to reach. Pray for the conferences and retreats for church starters that will occur this year to equip those in the process of starting a new church. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/Missions/Ministries/Church-Starts.

October 23–31 “You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’ ”

—Psalm 91:1–2

CBF-endorsed Chaplain Sunny Mitchell is one of the chaplains onboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier based out of Norfolk, Virginia. The ship has been deployed from May 2011 until December 2011. Please pray for the Command Religious Ministries Department (CRMD) onboard, which consists of five chaplains of varying faith backgrounds and five religious program specialists who assist the chaplains. Please pray for the ship’s crew and their families. For many the deployment is their first. Pray for troops around the globe serving in harm’s way, boots both on ground and at sea. Pray for the commander in chief and all those who make decisions for our country. Finally, pray for prisoners of war and all those who are missing in action.

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October Birthdays 1 Tina Bailey, Southeast Asia (FP) 1 Ron Craddock, Evans, GA (CH) 2 Maha Boulos, Lebanon (FP) 2 Keith Holmes, Europe (FP) 2 Rebecca Reynolds, Bulverde, TX (CH) 3 Jonathan Bailey, Southeast Asia (FP) 3 Matt Norman, Greece (FP) 3 Lucy Vick, Cincinnati, OH (CH) 3 Gene Vincent, Fairview, TN (CH) 4 Matthew Eddleman, Spartanburg, SC (CH) 4 Dennis Herman, Raleigh, NC (CH) 5 Gwen Brown, Grayson, GA (PLT) 5 Jo Ann Hopper, Emeritus (FP) 5 Byong Y. Kim, Central Asia (GMP) 5 Gregory Thompson, Oakwood, GA (CH) 5 David White, Johnson City, TN (CH) 6 Hyo S. Ko, Asia (GMP) 6 James Layman, Kirkwood, MO (CH) 6 Jerry Richards, Apex, NC (CH) 8 Melissa Kremer, Rome, GA (CH) 8 Robb Small, Geismar, LA (CH) 9 Sarah Carbajal, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 10 Joseph Boone, Cold Spring, KY (CH) 10 Nomie Derani, Vienna, VA (FP) 10 Beth Duke, Smithville, TN (CH) 10 Amber Hipps, Gadsden, AL (CH) 10 James Martin, Woodland Park, CO (PC) 10 Tina Woody, Spartanburg, SC (CH) 11 Laura Senter, Everett, WA (CH) 11 Sing Yue, Bakersfield, CA (CH) 18 12 Ben Newell, San Antonio, TX (FP)

12 Greg Sink, Ft. Hood, TX, deployed (CH) 13 Yong J. Kim, Asia (GMP) 13 Bob Newell, Greece (FP) 13 John Painter, Charleston, SC (CH) 13 Fran Turner, South Africa (FP) 13 Gretchen Watson, Louisville, KY (PC) 14 Jeffrey Payne, Tampa, FL (CH) 14 Kathy Reed, Hot Springs, AR (CH) 15 Bruce Guile, Mexico, MO (CH) 15 Denise Ryder, Greenwood, IN (CH) 16 Karen Black, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 16 Betty Drayton, Sumter, SC (CH) 16 Gregg Drew, Wiesbaden, Germany (CH) 16 Greg Greason, Kansas City, MO (CH) 16 Monty Self, Little Rock, AR (CH) 17 David Fambrough, Washington, NC (CH) 18 Will Bridges, 1998, San Antonio, TX (FPC) 18 Hank Demous, Opelika, AL (CH) 18 Danny Garnnett, Irmo, SC (PC) 18 Greg Oman, Spain (FP) 20 Carl Brinkley, Fayetteville, NC (PLT) 20 Annette Ellard, Louisville, KY (FP) 20 Luke Langston, Durham, NC (CH) 20 Chuck Hawkins, Pearland, TX (CH) 22 Keith Cooper, Lubbock, TX (CH) 22 Paul Robertson, Sugar Land, TX (CH) 22 Michael Williamson, Clinton, MS (CH) 23 Adele Henderson, Greenville, NC (CH) 23 Carl Price, Lebanon, TN (CH) 23 Michael Weaver, Knoxville, TN (CH) 24 Ben Collins, Deland, FL (PLT)

24 Wes Monfalcone, Casselberry, FL (CH) 24 Robert Powell, Lubbock, TX (CH) 24 Rick Ruano, N. Miami Beach, FL (CH) 25 Suzie, Thailand (FP) 25 Sun Koo Hwang, Philippines (GMP) 26 Dean Dickens, Garland, TX (FP) 26 Doug Dickens, Indian Trail, NC (PC) 27 Robert Carter, Virginia Beach, VA (CH) 27 Terrell Moye, Riviera Beach, FL (CH) 28 Erin Binkley, 1991, Uniontown, OH (FPC) 28 Marilyn Menges, Coronado, CA (CH) 28 Jim Travis, Durham, NC (CH) 29 Sam Scaggs, Dublin, GA (CH) 29 Troy Todd, Kaneohe Bay, HI (CH) 30 Richard Brown, Troutville, VA (CH) 30 Hazel Thomas, Houston, TX (CH)

November: Equality in Christ Who Is My Mother, Who Is My Brother Love will relate us—color or status can’t segregate us, round Jesus Christ: family failings, human derailings— all are accepted, round Jesus Christ.

Bound by one vision, met for one mission we claim each other, round Jesus Christ: here is my mother, here is my brother, kindred in Spirit, through Jesus Christ.

“Who Is My Mother?” Words: Shirley Erena Murray © 1992 Hope Publishing Company , Carol Stream, IL 60188.

All rights reserved. Used by permission. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 275

Shirley Erena Murray, one of today’s most prolific and beloved hymn writers, and Jack Schrader, the best-selling choral composer for Hope Publishing, have contributed to modern hymnody this powerful text that echoes Christ’s declaration that “whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35).

As you prepare to pray this month, take time to sing through “Who Is My Mother, Who Is My Brother.”

Write down the names of those in your life you call family. After spending a couple of weeks with the hymn text, write down more names of people you might add to an expanded picture of your “family.” Give thanks to God for the table of Christ and the bounty of love that provides a seat for all people. Pray to God that your sense of love for others is expanded to all who are “kindred in Spirit, through Jesus Christ.”

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November 1–8 “Some wandered in desert wastes . . . ; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. . . . Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.”

—Psalm 107:4–6, 8–9

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The Center of Hope is a ministry located in Kampala, Uganda. The Center reaches out to urban refugees coming from countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and more. English and computer classes are taught at the Center in addition to sewing classes, sports, Bible studies, CPR/first aid, cooking, and professional training. Most of the students have had to leave their countries due to war so the Center is a place where they find community and experience the love of Christ. Please pray for the ministries at the Center and for the staff, teachers, and all other volunteers involved in this ministry. Pray also for CBF field personnel Jade and Shelah Acker who minister through The Center of Hope. This fall, CBF’s Offering for Global Missions features the work of the Ackers. Learn more about how you can give at www.thefellowship.info/give.

November 9–15 “I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD, and was saved from every trouble.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

—Psalm 34:4–7 CBF-endorsed Chaplain Carla Cherry serves at the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus, Ohio. Her primary responsibility is with the Hospice and Palliative Care Clinic, providing pastoral care and counseling to terminally ill veterans and their families. She provides chaplain support in the clinical setting, through homebound visitations, and by follow-up callbacks. She is involved in establishing a bereavement care program and facilitates programs for staff and veterans. Pray for Carla and for the success of the programs she plans and facilitates. She serves on the ethical committee, patient satisfaction team, and as a relationship-based care facilitator. May God lead her with wisdom and guidance. Pray for healing for patients, comfort to families, and strength for clinic staff to continue providing best-care practice to their most deserving.

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November 16–22 “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”

—Psalm 78:4

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Habibe Iseni is director of the Future of the Family Kindergarten in Skopje, Macedonia. Forty Albanian and Roma children, who otherwise would get lost in the public school system with no chance of a better life, attend this school each year. CBF field personnel Arville and Sheila Earl are advocates for these children and their families by helping provide them with a quality education, by partnering with churches to provide hot meals and warm clothing for each child, by working with family members during times of economic and personal crisis, and by strengthening the relationships that have formed because of this ministry. Pray that this little school will continue to be a beacon of hope to these families, to the schools these children will attend in the future, and to the community of Cajir where the kindergarten is located. Learn more at earlfamily.blogspot.com.

November 23–30 “Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.”

—Psalm 80:7

CBF began endorsing chaplains and pastoral counselors in 1998. By the end of that year, the Fellowship had endorsed 34 chaplains and pastoral counselors. Since then, CBF has endorsed more than 600 chaplains and pastoral counselors. CBF-endorsed chaplains serve as God’s presence in hospices, hospitals, prisons, Veteran’s Affairs, military, pastoral counseling centers, and other institutions. CBF provides endorsements for membership in professional organizations such as the Association of Professional Chaplains, American Association of Pastoral Counselors, the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, and the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy. Pray for CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors. Pray for the staff in the CBF national office who provide leadership and support. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/Missions/Ministries/Chaplaincy.

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November Birthdays

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2 Karen Alford, Southeast Asia (FP) 2 Mark Elder, Spartanburg, SC (CH) 2 Brad Holmes, Gaffney, SC (CH) 2 Jesse W. Hunt, Ft. Drum, NY (CH) 2 Mickie Norman, Leland, NC (CH) 2 Ryan Yaun, Wetumpka, AL (CH) 3 Sul Hwa Kang, Senegal (GMP) 3 Michael McCawley, Elizabethtown, KY (CH) 3 David Reid, Boise, ID (CH) 3 Jeffrey Ross, Virginia Beach, VA (CH) 4 Cyndi Abbe, Waco, TX (PLT) 4 Eric Maas, Belize (FP) 4 Mark Westebbe, Waynesboro, VA (CH) 5 , North Africa (FP) 5 Michka, 1992, New Jersey (FPC) 5 Cameron Gunnin, San Antonio, TX (CH) 5 Clyde Waters, Columbia, SC (CH) 6 Emerson Byrd, Columbus, GA (CH) 6 Jeffrey Lee, Macedonia (FP) 6 Meghan McSwain, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 7 Craig Butler, Sugar Land, TX (CH) 7 Patricia Coley, Camp Lejeune, NC, deployed (CH) 7 Mike Graham, Asheville, NC (FP) 7 Roland G. Kuhl, Round Lake Beach, IL (PLT) 7 Zachary Morrow, 1995, Aledo, TX (FPC) 7 Jeffrey Porter, Statesville, NC (CH) 8 Mark Weiler, Greeley, CO (CH) 9 Debby Bradley, Owensboro, KY (CH) 9 Charles Seligman, Keesler AFB, MS (CH) 9 Audrey Wilson, Durham, NC (CH) 10 Kevin Crowder, Fredericksburg, VA (CH) 10 Angela Lowe, Lawrence, KS (CH)

10 Ralph Mikels, Jr., Seymour, TN (CH) 10 Jim Smith, Atlanta, GA (FP) 11 Phoebe Angel, 2010, Belgium (FPC) 11 Scott Blair, Oceanside, CA (CH) 11 Dana Durham, Sacramento, CA (CH) 11 Mike Langston, Blythewood, SC (CH) 11 Victor Perez, Knoxville, TN (PLT) 11 Troy Petty, Palmyra, VA (PC) 11 Steve Sweatt, Birmingham, AL (PC) 12 Michael Cox, Elizabethtown, KY (CH) 12 David Cromer, Lancaster, VA (CH) 12 John Lepper, Crestwood, KY (PC) 12 Caroline Smith, South Africa (FP) 12 Jessy Togba-Doya, Athens, GA (FP) 13 Shelia Earl, Macedonia (FP) 13 Earl Martin, Emeritus (FP) 13 Gail Smith, Hillsborough, NC (CH) 13 Cindy Wallace, Carpentersville, IL (CH) 14 Katie Anderson, Louisville, KY (CH) 15 Cris Avila, Newnan, GA (PLT) 15 Marcia McQueen, Eden, NC (CH) 16 Edwin Hollis, Odenville, AL (CH) 17 Chuck Strong, Olive Branch, MS (PLT) 17 Elizabeth Thompson, Littleton, CO (PC) 17 Cade Whitley, 2004, Spain (FPC) 17 Dylan Whitley, 2004, Spain (FPC) 18 Elaine Greer, Frankfort, KY (CH) 18 Kristin Long, Richmond, VA (PC) 19 Will Kinnaird, Keller, TX (CH) 19 Nancy Stephens, Georgetown, KY (CH) 20 Charles Christie, Loganville, GA (CH) 20 Kevin Park, Bellingham, WA (CH)

21 Fred Madren, Indianapolis, IN (CH) 21 , Turkey (FP) 22 Becky Smith, Atlanta, GA (FP) 24 Will Barnes, Savannah, GA (CH) 24 Carol Lynn Brinkley, Fayetteville, NC (PLT) 24 Peggy Gold, Durham, NC (CH) 24 Wilford Manley, Johnson City, TN (CH) 25 Gary Batchelor, Rome, GA (CH) 25 Tony Biles, Richfield, NC (CH) 25 Robert Cooke, Selma, NC (PC) 25 Ed Farris, Topeka, KS (CH) 25 Brad Hood, Knoxville, TN (CH) 25 Sue Smith, Fredericksburg, VA (FP) 25 Lee Weems, Pineville, LA (CH) 26 Carol Fletcher, Athens, GA (CH) 26 Blake Hart, Chile (FP) 26 Michael O’Rourke, Lawton, OK (CH) 26 Charles Reynolds, Spring Lake, NC (CH) 27 Macarena Aldape, India (FP) 27 Butch Branscome, Charlotte, NC (CH) 27 Saul Burleson, Atlanta, GA (CH) 27 Anna Lee, 1995, daughter, Vietnam (GMP) 28 Ronald King, Midland, GA (PC) 28 Abigail Parks, 2004, Slovakia (FPC) 28 Mark Tidsworth, Chapin, SC (PC) 28 Joel Whitley, Spain (FP) 29 Shannon Binkley, 1993, Uniontown, OH (FPC) 29 Paul Mullen, Clemmons, NC (CH) 29 Duewayne Tullos, Clinton, MS (CH) 30 John David Hopper, Emeritus (FP) 30 Lucas Pittman, 2003, Miami, FL (FPC) 30 Peter Stephens, Georgetown, KY (CH)

December: Love Arrives Star-Child Star-Child, earth-Child, go-between of God, love Child, Christ Child, heaven’s lightning rod, this year, this year, let the day arrive when Christmas comes for everyone, everyone alive!

Street child, beat child, no place left to go, hurt child, used child, no one wants to know, this year, this year, let the day arrive when Christmas comes for everyone, everyone alive!

Hope-for-peace Child, God’s stupendous sign, down-to-earth Child, Star of stars that shine, this year, this year, let the day arrive when Christmas comes for everyone, everyone alive!

“Star-Child” Words: Shirley Erena Murray © 1994 Hope Publishing Company , Carol Stream, IL 60188.

All rights reserved. Used by permission. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 145

During Advent we wait, prepare, and anticipate Immanuel, “God with us.” In December, we focus on “StarChild,” another of Shirley Erena Murray’s texts and a tune written by Carlton Young—a veteran church musician who is a stalwart composer, editor, and scholar in the world of hymnody. The hymn is becoming an Advent favorite for many.

Before praying December’s Prayers of the People, make an Advent wreath (see www.thefellowship.info/pray for instructions). During the first week of prayer, light a candle, sing the first verse of “Star-Child,” and name specific individuals who need love to arrive in their lives. During the second week, light two candles, sing the second verse, and pray that love arrives for particular people in your community/city. Continue this pattern, praying during week three for particular people in your congregation and during week four for the world, naming aloud your concerns. Finally, on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, light all candles including the white, Christ candle, and sing the fifth verse. Watch the gathered light. Consider how the “Star of stars that shine” touches us. Consider how God’s people might radiate this same Light to “everyone alive!”

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December 1–8 “Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.

Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.”

—Psalm 85:8–10 For the last ten years, celebrations have brought many people to know the Lord in Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. These celebrations have transformed people’s lives and brought them to a personal relationship with the Lord. Chaouki and Maha Boulos work in Lebanon and the Middle East, and through these celebrations the Lord has done wonderful things. Maha also works with groups of women to counsel and encourage them. Chaouki is building a conference center in the mountains of Lebanon that will be a haven for groups of all kinds. This month CBF’s missional formation resources feature the work of the Bouloses. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ Resources/Missions-Education.

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December 9–15 “It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

—Psalm 136:23–25

CBF-endorsed Chaplain Rachel Hill serves with Hospice Cleveland County in Shelby, North Carolina, ministering to people with life-limiting illness. The patients and families she works with are diverse in regards to ethnic background, religious affiliation, and economic status; but they all have one thing in common: they are facing circumstances that test their faith. Pray for Rachel as she enters into this journey with the patients and families of hospice and as she represents God’s steadfast love to those in her care during the winter season of their lives. Pray also for her relationships with colleagues, nurses, social workers, nursing aides, and bereavement counselors, as she seeks to encourage them in their own calling to walk alongside their patients and families on this difficult road.

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December 16–22 “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ ”

—Psalm 126:2

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Canvas Church, meeting in Bonkers Comedy Club, in DeLand, Florida, is now two years old. The church, which is in a covenant relationship with CBF, has gone from living rooms, to a bar, to an art gallery, and now to a comedy club. God does indeed have a sense of humor. The community laughs at the meandering path they’ve taken both physically and as a community. The core group and membership, as well as giving and service patterns, have fluctuated and changed. Their sense of identity as a community has grown and developed. And they’ve sensed the irony in how beautiful and redemptive a small, messy, misfit community can be in God’s kingdom. Canvas Church asks for prayer for vision and leadership as they stand poised to take the next step as a community. Learn more at thecanvaschurch.blogspot.com.

December 23–31 “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free.”

—Psalm 146:5–7

Khe Khe left her village when the Burmese army attacked. With the army in pursuit, she and her family kept running, eventually landing in the Tham Hin refugee camp in Thailand. In 2006, she arrived in Akron, Ohio, under the U.S. government’s refugee resettlement program and enrolled in the ninth grade. It’s been difficult, but she will graduate from high school in June and is anticipating going to college. Khe Khe is one of more than 60,000 Karen and Chin resettled across the U.S. and one of a new wave of young people trying to fulfill the dream of getting an education and helping their families and people. Please pray these youth can work their way through school, pray for their families, and pray for the many churches working with refugees resettling in the U.S. To see more of the work of CBF field personnel Duane and Marcia Binkley, visit their Web site at www.karenkonnection.org.

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December Birthdays 1 Tori Wentz, Fredericksburg, VA (FP) 2 Connie Madden, Kirkwood, MO (CH) 3 Rosemary Barfield, Jeffersonville, IN (CH) 3 Ed Beddingfield, Fayetteville, NC (PC) 3 Rachel Gunter Shapard, Jacksonville, FL (CH) 3 James Heath, Dry Prong, LA (CH) 3 Shane McNary, Slovakia (FP) 3 Gennady Podgaisky, Ukraine (FP) 3 Jim Tillman, Swansboro, NC (PLT) 3 David Wilson, Chapel Hill, NC (CH) 4 , Jordan (FP) 4 Jose Albovias, Louisville, KY (CH) 5 Chuck Gass, Gainesville, FL (CH) 5 Kenn Lowther, Columbus, OH (CH) 5 Chris O’Rear, Nashville, TN (PC) 5 Judith Powell, Whiteville, NC (CH) 6 Mickael Eyraud, China (FP) 6 John Norwood, Houston, TX (PLT) 7 Phil Hester, Emeritus (PLT) 7 Ed Wilder, Jacksonville, FL (CH) 8 Tommy Deal, Orlando, FL (CH) 8 Edward Erwin, Pensacola, FL (CH) 8 Shane Gaster, Deland, FL (CH) 8 Stephanie, Los Angeles, CA (FP) 8 Donald Kriner, Canton, GA (CH) 8 Robert Pitts, Greenville, MS (PLT) 9 Julie Brown, France (FP) 9 Wayne Hyatt, Spartanburg, SC (PC) 10 Cecelia Beck, Shelby, NC (FP) 10 James Williams, Montgomery, AL (CH) 30 13 Tom Cleary, Emeritus (FP)

13 Rick Landon, Lexington, KY (PC) 13 Scott Lee, Auburn, AL (CH) 13 James Stillwell, Lexington, KY (PC) 13 Robin Sullens, Dallas, TX (PC) 15 Anna Anderson, Scotland Neck, NC (FP) 15 James Close, Louisville, KY (CH) 15 Sheree Jones, Greensboro, NC (CH) 15 Craig Cantrall, Louisville, KY (CH) 16 Cayden Norman, 2000, Greece (FPC) 16 Ina Winstead, Emeritus (FP) 17 Perry Carroll, Anderson, SC (CH) 17 Josh Smith, South Africa (FP) 17 Ronald Wilson, Northport, AL (CH) 18 Joel DeFehr, Oklahoma City, OK (CH) 19 Anna-Grace Acker, 2005, Uganda (FPC) 19 Joseph Alexander, Pfafftown, NC (CH) 19 Bernard Morris, Chester, VA (CH) 19 James Palmer, Pensacola, FL (CH) 19 Harrison Roper, Hewitt, TX (CH) 20 Emily Jane Clark, 2008, Philippines (FPC) 20 Larry Glover-Wetherington, Durham, NC (PC) 20 Alan Willard, Blacksburg, VA (PC) 21 Bethany McLemore, Roanoke, VA (PC) 22 Chang Soon Lee, Southeast Asia (GMP) 22 Sarah Wofford, Greenville, NC (CH) 23 Frances Brown, Surfside Beach, SC (PC) 23 Robert Elkowitz, Cumming, GA (CH) 23 Stephen Ivy, Indianapolis, IN (CH) 23 Hal Lee, Clinton, MS (CH) 23 Mary Lois Sanders, The Villages, FL (PLT) 23 Linda Strange, Denton, TX (CH)

24 Michael Carter, Dallas, TX (CH) 24 Phuc Luu, Houston, TX (CH) 24 Bogdan Podgaisky, 1997, Ukraine (FPC) 25 Taylor McNary, 1993, Slovakia (FPC) 26 Chang Kyun Park, Senegal (GMP) 26 Scottie Stamper, Charlotte, NC (CH) 27 Larry Austin, Fredericksburg, VA (CH) 27 Steve Clark, Louisville, KY (FP) 27 Gail Davidson, Orlando, FL (CH) 28 Jamie Ellis, Chattanooga, TN (CH) 28 Claudia Forrest, Cordova, TN (CH) 28 John Halbrook, Pound Ridge, NY (PC) 28 Mitch Holbrook, Berea, KY (PC) 28 Cynthia Jordan, Conover, NC (CH) 29 Lon Cullen, Hoover, AL (CH) 29 Maner Tyson, Waterbury, CT (FP) 29 Art Wiggins, Triangle, VA (CH) 30 Shay Crenshaw, Raleigh, NC (CH) 30 Revonda Deal, Emeritus (FP) 30 James Garrison, Arden, NC (CH) 30 Kenneth Kelly, Black Mountain, NC (CH) 30 Ramona Reynolds, Orlando, FL (CH) 30 Lex Robertson, Spokane, WA (CH) 31 Nathaniel Newell, 1998, San Antonio, TX (FPC) 31 Pamela Rains, Wynne, AR (CH)

January–May: Send Us Power “Lord, listen to your children praying. . . . Send us power.” During a dark hour Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God. The earth shook, and the prison doors flung open. Hours later the captives were freed; wounds were cleansed; a jailer and his family were baptized; and people gathered around a table for a meal (Acts 16:25–40). The power of the risen Christ was at work. What happened is not fully known. God’s power is mysterious. What we do know, though, is this: Paul and Silas, in the innermost cell of the jail, played a significant role in changing people’s lives through their plea to God in prayer and song. Over the next five months, we will familiarize ourselves with five hymn texts that emphasize the importance of power. As we pray and sing together, may God send a power that strengthens the lives of people near to us and far away.

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January: The Power of “I Am” Halle, Halle “I AM the Bread of Life, feed on me,” “I AM the One True Vine, grow in me;” “I AM the Bread of Life, feed on me,” Hallelujah, hallelujah.

“I AM the Resurrection, live in Me;” “I AM the Way, the Truth, follow Me;” “I AM the Resurrection, live in Me,” Hallelujah, hallelujah. © 1996 George Mulrain. Administered by the General Board of Global Ministries t/a GBGMusik, 475 Riverside Dr., New York, NY. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 433

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The power of the Son of God is best stated through the “I am” statements found in the New Testament. George Mulrain, the connectional president of the Methodist Church for the Caribbean and the Americas, captures these many statements in this energetic song.

As we transition through the Christmas season, into Epiphany, and through the days leading up to Lent, we pray for God to send us power as we seek to influence the world for good. Begin your time with God by praying your own personal breath prayer. Pray your prayer repetitively over the span of several minutes, breathing in as you name one of the “I am” names for Christ and breathing out as you present your prayer for a real weakness in yourself, in others, in the world. (For example: Bread of Life, give me strength.) Pray this month that Christ’s identity is made real to you in new ways. May the power of Christ be in you as you commune each day with God in this form of prayer.

January 1–8 “Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.”

—Psalm 111:2

In May 1992, CBF began to support theological education by providing funds for the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, the Baptist Studies Program at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and the Baptist House of Studies at Duke University Divinity School. The following fall CBF began awarding scholarships to Baptist students. This support of institutions and students demonstrates the Fellowship’s early and ongoing commitment to theological education. In 1997, CBF began providing leadership scholarships for students at partner seminaries.

Today CBF provides financial support at 15 partner schools. Pray for students who receive these scholarships and for faculties and staffs of partner schools who shape the calls and ministries of these young leaders. Visit www.thefellowship.info/About-Us/Who-We-Are/Partners/Theological-Education for more information.

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January 9–15 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.”

—Psalm 46:1–3

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Brenda and Mike Harwood head CBF’s missional efforts in Grand Goâve, Haiti. They partner with the Convention Baptiste d’Haiti to help Haitians recognize and use their God-given talents for the glory of God, their community, and themselves. The Harwoods are involved in rebuilding a school that collapsed in the earthquake. The school educates approximately 300 children including street kids who cannot pay the fees. They run mobile clinics to villages without access to medical care. The Harwoods hope to enhance water education and partnerships with water organizations—only 40 percent of Haitians have access to clean water. Pray for the Harwoods. To learn more, visit mchbjh.blogspot.com. This month CBF’s missional formation resources feature the Harwoods and other personnel in Haiti. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/Resources/Missions-Education.

January 16–22 “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

—Psalm 62:5–8

North Africa is a land that has been full of political upheaval and insecurity. CBF field personnel encounter those with needs as they share techniques for growing food and raising animals in the backyard. “We share a few material resources, but mostly we share ideas and ourselves.” People hear the good news in dreams, visions, and in personal encounters with other believers. Some ask to receive the bread of life. The church is formed. “Then the unfortunate happens. In a congregation of three, one runs off with the offering plate. That happened. Rather than give up, the two who remained said, ‘Let’s keep walking together.’ We are trying to be church.” Pray for the church of indigenous believers to be established. Pray for disciples to be made. Pray for fellowship to be fully directed by the Holy Spirit. Pray for the poor. Pray for the church to grow in purity.

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January 23–31 “May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!”

—Psalm 29:11

The difficulty with international student ministry is that the population being served is transitory. For Aaron and Stephanie, representing the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and American Baptists at the University of Southern California among its international student population has been bittersweet in that regard. However, many of the graduates have found jobs in the greater Los Angeles area and are now beginning to get married to young women from their home countries and are bringing them back to Los Angeles to live. Pray for Aaron and Stephanie as they expand their international student ministry to include newly married couples who have the added difficulty of not only adjusting to married life but doing so in a foreign country without their traditional social support systems.

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January Birthdays 1 Sam Bandela, Atlanta, GA (FP) 2 Gabriella Newell, 2002, San Antonio, TX (FPC) 2 Jon Parks, Slovakia (FP) 2 Tammy Stocks, Romania (FP) 2 Jack Younts, Blythewood, SC (CH) 3 Christopher Bowers, Powhatan, VA (PC) 3 Bill McCann, Madisonville, KY (CH) 3 Meilyn Norman, 2001, Four Oaks, NC (FPC) 4 Joshua Hickman, Newnan, GA (CH) 5 Richard Durham, Mount Pleasant, NC (CH) 5 Charles Kirby, Hendersonville, NC (CH) 5 Kevin Lynch, Spartanburg, SC (PC) 5 Calvin McIver, Sacramento, CA (CH) 5 Linda Serino, Memphis, TN (CH) 6 Larry Hardin, Topeka, KS (CH) 7 Denny Spear, Dunwoody, GA (CH) 8 Rachel Hill, Shelby, NC (CH) 8 Gerard Howell, Lexington, KY (CH) 8 Ethan Lee, 2009, Slovakia (FPC) 8 Mee K. Lee, Philippines (GMP) 9 Bill Cayard, China (FP) 9 Paul Hamilton, Lodge, SC (CH) 9 Patrick Moses, Mansfield, TX (PLT) 9 Jonathan Myrick, 1994, Kenya (FPC) 9 Bella Smith, 2010, South Africa (FPC) 10 Melody Harrell, Kenya (FP) 10 Kenny Sherin, Columbia, MO (FP) 11 Chris Carson, Korea (CH) 11 Ed Waldrop, Augusta, GA (CH) 12 Neil Cochran, Greenville, SC (CH) 12 Larry Connelly, Decatur, GA (CH)

13 Dianne McNary, Slovakia (FP) 13 George Pickle, Marietta, GA (CH) 14 Randy McDaniel, Floyd, VA (PLT) 14 Maxine Moseley, Olive Branch, MS (CH) 15 Keith Ethridge, Yorktown, VA (CH) 15 John Foxworth, El Paso, TX (CH) 15 Dae Jun Kim, Asia (GMP) 16 Fran Graham, Asheville, NC (FP) 16 Merrie Grace Harding, 1995, Orlando, FL (FPC) 16 Jerry Hendrix, Abilene, TX (PLT) 16 David Hormenoo, Durham, NC (CH) 16 Mary Lynn Lewis, San Antonio, TX (CH) 16 Michelle Smith, Fort Dix, NJ (CH) 16 Jessica Togba-Doya, 2002, Athens, GA (FPC) 17 Latha Bandela, Atlanta, GA (FP) 17 Anjani Cole, Spain (FP) 17 Donna Manning, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 17 Aaron Norman, 2005, Greece (FPC) 17 Glenn Norris, Sherwood, AR (CH) 17 Neal Sasser, Suffolk, VA (CH) 18 Jeanell Cox, Smithfield, NC (CH) 18 Bill Cubine, Lousiville, KY (CH) 18 Justin Nelson, Norcross, GA (CH) 19 Kaelah-Joy Acker, 2008, Uganda (FPC) 19 Jackie Ward, Goshen, KY (CH) 20 Marcia Binkley, Uniontown, OH (FP) 20 Marshall Gupton, Smyrna, TN (CH) 20 Kevin Morgan, Brevard, NC (CH) 20 Paul Tolbert, Clayton, NC (CH) 21 Jim King, Fort Belvoir, VA (CH) 23 Richard Atkinson, Bastrop, TX (CH)

23 Mark Williams, South Africa (FP) 25 Mich, New Jersey (FP) 25 Kyong Sun Kim, Asia (GMP) 25 Cynthia Levesque, China (FP) 25 Chris Nagel, Houston, TX (CH) 26 Sandy Hale, Lebanon, NH (CH) 27 Darrell Bare, Boone, NC (CH) 27 Ben Sandford, Camp Lejeune, NC (CH) 27 Eric Smith, Willow Park, TX (CH) 28 Chuck Ahlemann, Des Moines, IA (CH) 29 Darryl Jefferson, Charlotte, NC (CH) 30 Hal Ritter, Waco, TX (PC) 31 Rebecca Andrews, Irving, TX (CH) 31 John Manuel, Dupont, WA (CH) 31 Paul Smith, Oakland, TN (CH)

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February: Sustaining Power For the Troubles and the Sufferings For the troubles and the sufferings of the world, God, we call upon Your mercy: the whole creation’s laboring in pain!

Lend an ear to the rising cry for help from oppressed and hopeless people.

Come! Hasten your salvation, healing love!

We pray for peace, the blessed peace that comes from making justice, to cover and embrace us. Have mercy, Lord!

We pray for power, the power that will sustain Your people’s witness: until Your kingdom come. Have mercy, Lord! © 2004 General Board of Global Ministries t/a GBGMusik, 475 Riverside Dr., New York, NY 10115.

All rights reserved. Used by permission. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 691

Transforming a hurting world and eliminating injustices is a constant responsibility of Christians. This hymn, written for the ninth assembly by of the World Council of Churches held in Brazil in 2006, reads like many of the Hebrew psalms. This modern lament hymn for the world ends with a plea for power to sustain the work on earth. As we enter into the Lenten season this month, instead of forfeiting a food or activity for 40 days, take up a time of journaling whereby you freely write down meditations, thoughts, and prayers in relation to the troubles and sufferings you experience, you observe, you might help change, you can’t change. Sing the hymn before and after you journal. May the time you spend each week, dwelling on this hymn text and the Scripture quotations provided, give you an awareness of the needs for which you are praying and allow you to respond more fully to God’s guidance.

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February 1–8 “Great is our LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.”

—Psalm 147:5–6

Robert Owusu is pastor of Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Atlanta and is also the Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC) church planter-facilitator for North America. In a partnership between GBC and CBF, Pastor Owusu’s task is to facilitate new church plants in North American cities with high concentration of Ghanaians and other Africans.

Pray for positive response from the target group and for unity and growth in the churches. Pray also for funding, for host churches, and for devoted leaders and workers for new church plants and existing ones. Pray that leaders will be able to provide effective ministries to African youth and children and to respond adequately to the spiritual and social needs of their communities. This month CBF’s missional formation resources focus on the planting of Ghanaian churches in the U.S. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/Resources/Missions-Education.

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February 9–15 “I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.”

—Psalm 30:1–2

Jorge and Tatiana, a couple from Cuba, moved to Spain several months ago searching for a better life in a new country. With only a few belongings in their possession, they hoped for religious freedom and greater personal prosperity. However, because of a poor Spanish economy, adjusting to a new culture is proving more difficult than expected. With help from CBF, the couple got some much needed clothing and household items. Please pray for this Cuban couple and other immigrants in the eastern region of Spain where Greg Oman, one of CBF’s field personnel, seeks to assist them. Pray also for Spain, a country steeped in a rich religious heritage but now deeply secular and largely unreached by the gospel.

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February 16–22 “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”

—Psalm 50:5

After 12 months of preparation, Crossroads Community Church (CCC) launched in September 2008 under the leadership of Bruce Hunter, a church planter in partnership with CBF. CCC worships in leased facilities in Zion Crossroads, Virginia, a growing community located in the I-64 corridor between Charlottesville and Richmond.

A theologically diverse congregation with Christ followers from various backgrounds and cultures, CCC finds unity through their common faith in Jesus Christ and a strong sense of call to servant-oriented ministry in the community. Key to this mission are partnerships with secular nonprofits, area businesses, and other churches.

Their greatest challenge is the need for additional worship space and musicians. Pray for God to bless CCC with the necessary resources to serve an expanding mission. To learn more, visit www.ccc4mission.org.

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February 23–29 “These all look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.”

—Psalm 104:27-28

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has a partnership with the Amen Fellowship to support CBF-partner mission personnel from Korea. These personnel work in more than 10 countries, including North Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia, where they provide a variety of ministries. Plagued by poverty and malnutrition, North Korea is a difficult place to find hope. Through the efforts of CBF-partner mission personnel, Yoo Jong Yoon, a noodle factory and kitchen is being established in a remote area of the country. This factory will provide employment opportunities for locals, and the connected kitchen will serve as the only food source for many of the laborers. Pray for Yoo and his fellow workers that are serving a hot meal and a cup of water in the name of Christ.

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February Birthdays 1 Susan Collins, Stone Mountain, GA (CH) 1 Carrie Dean, Atlanta, GA (PLT) 1 Yong Ja Hur, Philippines (GMP) 1 Brad Jackson, Springfield, OH (CH) 1 James Touchton, Ithaca, NY (CH) 2 Joe Alverson, Nicholasville, KY (CH) 2 John R. Fogarty, Freeport, FL (PLT) 2 Jaisis Orea, 2002, China (FPC) 2 Dianne Otwell, Dunwoody, GA (CH) 2 Terry Tatro, Louisville, KY (CH) 3 Richard Dayringer, Grove, OK (PC) 3 William Elliott, Lexington, KY (CH) 3 Philip Whisnand, McAllen, TX (FP) 4 Thelma Chambers-Young, Oklahoma City, OK (CH) 5 Arley Hughes, Saint Mary’s, GA (CH) 5 Joanna Tarr, Norfolk, VA (CH) 6 Jong Bin Jeon, Asia (GMP) 7 Lauren Efird, Durham, NC (CH) 8 Biju Chacko, Morrisville, NC (CH) 8 C.J. Wehmiller, Murrayville, GA (FP) 9 Andy Cooper, Greenville, SC (CH) 9 Joe Lentz, Biloxi, MS (CH) 9 Elizabeth Milazzotto, Louisville, KY (PC) 9 Willie Smith, Fredericksburg, VA (CH) 10 Karen Estle, Indianapolis, IN (PC) 10 Hae Sung Kim, 1999, daughter, Philippines (GMP) 10 James Rentz, Spartanburg, SC (PC) 10 Sam Southard, Naples, FL (PC) 10 Cynthia Thomas, Houston, TX (CH) 11 Lauralee Estes, Northport, AL (PC) 11 Ann Miller, Arlington, TX (CH)

11 Will Runyon, Maryville, TN (CH) 11 Rick Stevenson, Shelbyville, TN (CH) 11 Derrick Togba-Doya, 2001, Athens, GA (FPC) 12 Mera Corlett, Louisville, KY (CH) 12 Sasha Zivanov, St. Louis, MO (FP) 13 Dianne Swaim, North Little Rock, AR (CH) 14 Roger Bolton, Conyers, GA (PC) 14 Charla Littell, Burlington, NC (CH) 15 Mi Hwa Lee, Central Asia (GMP) 15 Tolly Williamson, Decatur, GA (CH) 17 Nancy James, Haiti (FP) 17 Ryan Wagers, Salisbury, NC (CH) 18 Edward Fleming, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 18 Jean Pruett, Charlotte, NC (CH) 20 Timothy Doremus, Mt. Washington, KY (PLT) 20 Amanda Ducksworth, Columbus, MS (CH/PLT) 20 Younsoo Park, Fort Bragg, NC (CH) 21 Rebecca Church, Louisville, KY (CH) 21 Linda McComb, Clinton, MS (CH) 21 Jeffery Thompson, Gainesville, GA (CH) 23 Gene Murdock, India (FP) 23 Michelle Wildes, West Columbia, SC (CH) 24 Danny Tomlinson, Belton, TX (CH) 25 Lindell Anderson, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 25 Kwang Jung Choi, Asia (GMP) 25 Rick Foster, Lynchburg, VA (CH) 25 Mira Zivanov, St. Louis, MO (FP) 26 Rodney Craggs, Franklin, IN (CH) 26 Zeke DeLozier, Bogart, GA (PC) 27 Lori Myrick, Kenya (FP) 43

March: The Power of Surprise Outcast Stranger Beaten-up Stranger, no place to go. Passed by, forgotten, greeted with, “No!” Who’s going to heal you?

Who’s going to try? Who’s going to wipe the tears from your eyes?

This is our mission; this is our call. Welcome the Stranger, welcoming all. Hungry or beaten, thirsty or scorned, Outcast Stranger—come through our doors!

Risen-up Stranger, surprising friends. Seen in the garden, worshipped again! We’re going to serve you!

We’re going to mend! We’re going to sing the unending hymn!

This is our mission; this is our call. Welcome the Stranger, welcoming all. Hungry or beaten, thirsty or scorned, Outcast Stranger—come through our doors!

(Hymn written for the 20th Anniversary of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship; Tune: CALIFORNIA) WORDS: Tommy Shapard, 2011, MUSIC: Ken Medema, 2011

This hymn was used at the 2011 General Assembly in Tampa, where Fellowship Baptists celebrated 20 years of missions and ministry (visit www.thefellowship.info/pray for music to hymn). The hymn text is based on the Assembly’s theme, “God’s Mission, Your Passion,” with Matthew 25:35-40 as the central Scripture. Implied in the Scripture reference and the hymn text is the element of surprise, a powerful tool for teaching and learning.

How has Christ surprised you? In March as you move throughout your day, be aware of the presence of the Stranger. Reflect on the following questions as you pray: Who is the stranger in my life on a daily basis? in my neighborhood? church? community? Can Jesus work through me as a stranger? How might Christ work through me to “surprise” those who need to receive good news? Pray that you may have the same great joy and dedication as the disciples discovered at the end of Luke’s Gospel.

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March 1–8 “Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.”

—Psalm 25:5

Tatianna and Taisha wait eagerly with other schoolchildren, looking for the bus from Touching Miami with Love (TML). From homework help, to literacy, social skills, fitness, Bible time, computers, and cultural arts, each day is full and exciting. Staff lead students K-eighth grade as they show love and mentor the children who come from around Overtown, an inner-city community in Miami. Historically African-American, Overtown suffers through high crime, gangs, and drug trafficking. The schools TML serves are rated as inferior by the state. Children and youth in the community see TML as an oasis of hope. Directed by Angel and Jason Pittman, who live in Overtown with their two sons Isaac and Lucas, TML’s mission is to share the love of Christ as they provide hope, opportunities, and resources to their community. Visit www.touchingmiamiwithlove.org to learn more.

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March 9–15 “The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.”

—Psalm 22:26–27

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The first Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Offering for Global Missions was launched in September 1992. The theme for the offering was “Keeping the Promises,” with a goal to raise $2 million to support the work of field personnel, the Baptist Theological Seminary at Rüschlikon, Switzerland, and to fund relief for hungry and homeless people.

Each year the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship continues to work with churches to raise support for CBF Global Missions. Gifts to the CBF Offering send field personnel to the mission field and keep them there to be and share the presence of Christ. This year’s goal is $4.8 million. Thank God for the faithful and generous giving of church members over the last 20 years. Pray that God would continue to bless the efforts supported by the CBF Offering.

To give or learn more, visit www.thefellowship.info/give.

March 16–22 “O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”

—Psalm 107:1–3

Fatima is an immigrant from North Africa. Coming to Marseille with her family and building a new life has not been easy. Differences in language and culture are challenging for Muslims in France during an economic crisis.

CBF field personnel David and Julie Brown offer ministries in Marseille that help welcome Muslim immigrants like Fatima, equip them to find their way in French society and discover the love of Christ. One of these ministries is a weekly artisanal workshop organized and led by Julie. Among other activities, Fatima is learning to sew. She is committed to her learning and thankful for the opportunity. Through these sessions friendships are developed, and precious opportunities for sharing life and faith present themselves. Thanks to your caring, praying, and giving, Julie’s presence is possible, materials are available, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is shared.

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March 23–31 “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.”

—Psalm 71:18

Jackie Ward is the director of pastoral care for Christian Care Communities (CCC). This organization is the largest nonprofit, religious social agency in Kentucky. Its mission is to enhance the journey of life for older adults. CCC focuses its ministry on the aging population, primarily those without means. In 2015, Kentucky will have more than 600,000 individuals over 65 years of age. In 2025 that number will be more than 1 million. The increase in the number of senior adults will occur not only here but throughout the United States. More and more individuals are coming to their golden years and realizing there is no gold but fear. Please pray for the future, not just for CCC as an organization but also for Kentucky and the nation as the population ages.

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March Birthdays 1 Vicki Hollon, San Antonio, TX (CH) 1 Brent Peery, Conroe, TX (CH) 2 Michael Patterson, Harker Heights, TX (CH) 2 Laurice Rogers, Hodgenville, KY (PC) 2 Glenn Williams, Louisville, KY (PC) 3 David Bosley, Vienna, VA (CH) 3 Carolyn Hicks, Belmont, NC (CH) 4 Ed Lemmond, Athens, TN (CH) 4 Jane Martin, Emeritus (FP) 4 Kevin Traughber, Paducah, KY (CH) 5 Buddy Corbin, Asheville, NC (CH) 5 Donnie Marlar, Rochester, NY (CH) 6 Ronnie Adams, New York City, NY (FP) 6 Bekah Hart, Chile (FP) 6 Chad Hawkins, Pearland, TX (CH) 7 Duane Binkley, Uniontown, OH (FP) 7 Wade Rowatt, Louisville, KY (PC) 8 Isaac Pittman, 1999, Miami, FL (FPC) 9 Stuart Collier, Vestavia, AL (CH) 9 Michelle Norman, Greece (FP) 10 Dean Akers, Fort Bragg, NC (CH) 10 Joshua Ballew, 1992, China (FPC) 10 Cindy Bishop, Piedmont, SC (CH) 11 Julia Flores, Lynchburg, VA (CH) 11 Rebekah Newton, Concord, NC (CH) 11 Genene Nisbet, Louisville, KY (PC) 11 Beth Ogburn, Oklahoma City, OK (CH) 12 Kenneth Bentley, Carbon Hill, AL (CH) 12 Jameson Williams, Shelby, NC (CH) 14 Mary Beth Caffey, Lewiston, ME (PLT) 14 Wayne Lanham, Forest, VA (CH)

15 Mary van Rheenen, Europe (FP) 17 Mary Gessner, Madison, AL (PC) 17 Joel Sturtevant, Frankfort, KY (CH) 18 Dodie Huff-Fletcher, Louisville, KY (PC) 18 Denny Jones, Atlanta, GA (CH) 18 Gregory Qualls, Mooresboro, NC (CH) 18 David Robinson, Newport News, VA (PC) 19 Jennifer Bordenet, Orlando, FL (CH) 19 Kim Schmitt, Hampton, GA (CH) 20 Cynthia Corey, Brunswick, GA (CH) 20 William Hemphill, Stone Mountain, GA (CH) 20 Tom Sanders, The Villages, FL (PLT) 21 Walter Jackson, Louisville, KY (PC) 21 Grace Kim, Asia (GMP) 21 Mina Lee, 2002, daughter, Vietnam (GMP) 21 Alan Melton, Waynesboro, VA (PC) 23 Andy Overmon, Mustang, OK (CH) 24 Edgar Berryman, Chicago, IL (CH) 24 Michael Gross, Roswell, GA (CH) 24 Kevin Quiles, Canton, GA (CH) 24 Mark Spain, Canyon Lake, TX (CH) 24 Todd Walter, Inman, SC (CH) 24 Sara Williams, South Africa (FP) 25 Jade Acker, Uganda (FP) 25 Bryan Cottrell, Sahuarita, AZ (CH) 25 Gary Nistler, Columbia, SC (CH) 27 Ken Chapman, Jefferson City, MO (CH) 27 David Gladson, Pendleton, SC (CH) 27 Amy Karricker, Great Falls, MT (CH) 27 Joshua Witt, Jefferson City, TN (CH) 28 Aaron, Los Angeles, CA (FP)

28 Lynda Schupp, Flower Mound, TX (CH) 28 Megan Whitley, 2002, Spain (FPC) 29 Phil McCarley, Charleston, WV (CH) 30 John Emmart, Stoughton, WI (CH) 30 Layne Rogerson, Winterville, NC (CH) 31 Dale Cross, Lawrenceville, GA (CH) 31 Larry Davidson, Goshen, AL (CH) 31 William Davidson, Wetumpka, AL (CH) 31 Tim Madison, Fort Worth, TX (CH)

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April: The Power of the Resurrection O Praise the Gracious Power O praise the gracious power that tumbles walls of fear and gathers in one house of faith all strangers far and near: We praise you Christ! Your cross has made us one!

O praise the power, the truth, the love, the word, the tide.

Yet more than these, O praise their source, praise Christ the crucified: We praise you Christ! Your cross has made us one!

“O praise the gracious power” by Thomas Troeger © Oxford University Press Inc. 1986. Assigned to Oxford University Press 2010.

Verse reproduced by permission. All rights reserved. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 357

“O Praise the Gracious Power” was written by Thomas Troeger, one the most influential hymn writers and theologians of the past 30 years. This text reminds us that God’s power does not work for evil, but instead God’s power is gracious and works for peace. The source is Christ the crucified.

This Easter, take note of the power of God in the new life budding around you outside. Take a cross and place it before you as you pray this month’s requests. Each week, place at the base of the cross an object from nature that represents God’s gracious power and symbolizes the peace and beauty that come from the new life we find in Jesus Christ, the resurrected One! Sing this hymn as you reflect on the gathered objects and consider how much more powerful God’s grace is in your life.

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April 1–8 “I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

—Psalm 118:21–23

Fu Ling is one of more than 150 orphans at the Hainan Welfare Orphanage. She is eight years old, has a beautiful smile, and is blind. The kids around her were mostly abandoned because they are girls or because they have disabilities. CBF field personnel Kamille and Mickael Krahwinkel go to this orphanage twice a week to teach the children a little English through games and activities, but what Kamille and Mickael are really hoping is that through their classes the kids will begin to have more confidence and feel more loved. Pray for these children, their futures, and more adoptions. Pray for China and that the people will learn better ways to care for orphans. To learn more about their work or about China, subscribe to CBF’s missional formation resources at www.thefellowship. info/Resources/Missions-Education. Find Kamille and Mickael’s blog at http://chinaai.bbnow.org/.

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April 9–15 “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

—Psalm 118:24

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Carrie and Nathan Dean are working to start a church in Edgewood, a neighborhood two miles east of downtown Atlanta, with the support of CBF and other ministry partners. Approximately 80 percent of the people within a mile of Edgewood are not involved in church. The Deans have been working for two years to build relationships and trust in Edgewood. Last October they began weekly worship services. Pray that the resources needed to sustain a consistent, meaningful presence in Edgewood will be provided; that God will move in the hearts and lives of people who see God and church as irrelevant and superfluous; that the crowd becomes a church—learning to love one another, their community, and God; and that the Deans’ leadership will be marked by courage, wisdom, and attentiveness to God’s direction. Learn more at edgewoodchurchatlanta.org.

April 16–22 “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!”

—Psalm 133:1

Refugees live outside their country of origin because they cannot return home due to fear of persecution. There are 16 million refugees worldwide with 80,000 being resettled each year in the U.S. As Christians we are called to welcome them, walk alongside them, and treat them as our own. The goal of resettlement is employment and selfsufficiency. Limited education, training, and English language proficiency make this difficult for many. They need Christians to be the presence of Christ in their lives as friends, mentors, and cultural guides. Pray for individuals and churches to reach out to refugees teaching English, life skills, job training and providing a spiritual home. Pray for Karen Morrow, one of CBF’s field personnel in Texas, as she builds networks to provide ministry to refugees.

Pray that Christians will share the love of Christ in word and deed.

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April 23–30 “Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.”

—Psalm 4:1

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CBF-endorsed Chaplain Leigh Jackson serves with the Seton Family of Hospitals at Seton Medical Center Williamson (SMCW) in Round Rock, Texas. Leigh is the sole staff chaplain at SMCW, the largest faith-based hospital in Williamson County with 181 beds. She ministers to a diverse group of patients and families throughout the treatment areas of the hospital, including neonatal intensive care, adult intensive care, and a level-two trauma emergency department. Jackson ministers to staff by providing opportunities for reflection, ritual, and worship. She also serves as staff faculty for several of Seton’s clinical pastoral education students. Pray for Leigh as she reminds patients of God’s presence and love for them, even in the midst of pain. Pray for SMCW and the staff as they grow and stretch to meet the health-care needs of one of the fastest growing counties in the nation.

April Birthdays 1 Frank Dawkins, Greenville, NC (PC) 1 Greg Smith, Fredericksburg, VA (FP) 2 Christie McTier, Dearing, GA (CH) 2 Leonora Newell, San Antonio, TX (FP) 2 Wayde Pope, Crestview, FL (CH) 3 Marjorie Avent, Daniel Island, SC (CH) 3 Charles Mason, Indianapolis, IN (CH) 3 Michele Norman, Four Oaks, NC (FP) 3 Wayne Sibley, Pineville, LA (CH) 3 Thomas Wicker, Salado, TX (CH) 5 Darcie Jones, Columbia, SC (CH) 5 Eddy Ruble, Southeast Asia (FP) 6 Steven Mills, Hendersonville, SC (CH) 7 LaCount Anderson, Scotland Neck, NC (FP) 7 Tricia Baldwin, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 7 Nathan Dean, Atlanta, GA (PLT) 7 Bonnie Hicks, Woodstock, GA (CH) 7 Mary Timms, Hawkinsville, GA (CH) 7 Mary Wrye, Henderson, KY (CH) 9 Olen Grubbs, Hixson, TN (CH) 9 Jim Pruett, Charlotte, NC (PC) 9 Steve Vance, Charlotte, NC (CH) 10 George Hemingway, High Springs, FL (CH) 10 Ben Hodge, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 10 Alan Rogers, Kaneohe Bay, HI (CH) 11 Geoffrey Bailey, Leavenworth, KS (CH) 11 Laura Broadwater, Louisville, KY (CH) 11 Dee Donalson, San Francisco, CA (FP) 11 Steve James, Haiti (FP) 12 Ryan Clark, Philippines (FP) 12 Beverly Hatcher, Winston-Salem, NC (PLT)

13 Steve Sullivan, Little Rock, AR (CH) 14 Kerri Kroeker, Lakeland, FL (CH) 15 , Turkey (FP) 15 Jeff Flowers, Evans, GA (CH) 16 Kaitlyn Parks, 2006, Slovakia (FPC) 16 Hyun W. Shin, Southeast Asia (GMP) 16 Kay Wright, Virginia Beach, VA (CH) 17 Allison Hicks, Middlesboro, KY (CH) 17 David Jones, Newberg, OR (CH) 18 Cyrus Bush, Pfafftown, NC (CH) 18 Ray Cooley, Wallingford, CT (CH) 18 Nathan Solomon, Swansboro, NC (CH) 19 Michael Lee, Hendersonville, NC (CH) 19 Jack Wehmiller, Murrayville, GA (FP) 20 , North Africa (FP) 20 David Chan, Houston, TX (CH) 20 Susan Stephenson, Edmond, OK (CH) 21 Richard Dorsey, Albuquerque, NM (CH) 22 Judith Grace, Temple, TX (CH) 22 Lucas Newell, 1997, San Antonio, TX (FPC) 22 Barry Pennington, Blue Springs, MO (CH) 24 Brenda Atkinson, Greenville, SC (CH) 24 Daniel Bucur, Minot AFB, ND (CH) 24 Rhonda Gilligan-Gillespie, Indianapolis, IN (CH) 24 Laura Mannes, San Antonio, TX (CH) 24 Travis Smith, Forest City, NC (CH) 24 Leslie Stith, Liberty, MO (CH) 25 Connie Graham, Fitzgerald, GA (CH) 26 Hyun Woo Shin, Southeast Asia (GMP) 27 Pat Davis, Baton Rouge, LA (CH) 27 Carter Harrell, 1995, Kenya (FPC)

27 Pete Parks, Williamsburg, VA (CH) 28 Gary McFarland, Charlotte, NC (PC) 29 Ted Dougherty, Winston-Salem, NC (PC) 30 Charles Wallace, Fort Worth, TX (CH)

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May: The Power of the Holy Spirit Wind Who Makes All Winds That Blow Wind who makes all winds that blow—gusts that bend the saplings low, gales that heave the sea in waves, stirrings in the mind’s deep caves— aim your breath with steady power on your church, this day, this hour.

Raise, renew the life we’ve lost, Spirit of God of Pentecost.

“Wind who makes all winds that blow” by Thomas Troeger © Oxford University Press Inc. 1986.

Assigned to Oxford University Press 2010. Verse reproduced by permission.

All rights reserved. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 226

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Another Thomas Troeger authored-text, “Wind Who Makes All Winds That Blow,” speaks to the renewal of God’s church by way of the Holy Spirit’s power as symbolized in wind and flame.

Meet with a group to pray CBF mission and ministry requests this month and use a corporate form of prayer from Korea. In this style of prayer, every person speaks aloud his or her prayer simultaneously. This form of prayer reminds us of the many languages spoken on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). To start the prayer time, have one person cue the beginning of the cacophony of prayers by first praying, “O God of Wind and Flame, this day we take time to pray for the renewal of your church. In your mercy, hear now our prayers.” Following this statement, everyone prays aloud. As you move through the month of May, lengthen prayers so the sound continues longer. As the final prayer dies away, the person who began the prayer for the group ends by saying, “Amen.” Conclude your time together by singing the three verses of this month’s hymn.

If you cannot meet with a group, pray with the sound of wind chimes in the background, so you are reminded of the power of the “Wind who makes all winds that blow.” For ideas on how to create the constant sound of wind chimes, go to www.thefellowship.info/pray.

May 1–8 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.”

—Psalm 23:5–6

Providing daily bread for more than 100 families per week, the Family Food Pantry reaches out to a diverse population including Bosnian refugees who now call St. Louis home. Bosnian-speaking Pastor Sasa Zivanov and his wife Mira, CBF field personnel, attempt to meet the physical and spiritual needs of this community. Confronting prejudice, mistrust, and misinformation along with historical, cultural, and religious roadblocks, Mira and Sasa build relationships and share the gospel. Measuring their success in connections and in building trust, their ministry now includes coordinating mission teams to serve and encourage churches in their home country. One of their important connections is with their encourager church, Kirkwood Baptist in St. Louis. Learn more about the ministry of Kirkwood Baptist Church with the Bosnians in St. Louis at www.kirkwoodbaptist.org/community/local/.

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May 9–15 “When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.”

—Psalm 104:30

CBF-endorsed Army Chaplain Chris Carson serves at Camp Walker in Daegu, Korea. He ministers primarily to the soldiers, civilians, contractors, and Korean nationals of the 36th Signal Battalion and their families. Carson provides marital enrichment, premarital training, and various types of counseling to his married and single soldiers. Pray for Carson as he seeks to embody Christ to his battalion personnel in word and deed. Carson also serves the greater Daegu Army community by providing religious support. Few single soldiers attend their chapel services. Pray for Carson and his fellow chaplains to be Spirit led as they seek ways to reach them. Pray for single soldiers to be convicted of their need for the living God. 58

May 16–22 “Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the LORD, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.”

—Psalm 22:30–31

Costel Sonsori is a Roma pastor in the tiny village of Calaminesti, Romania. He is the proud father of six children and ten grandchildren! He is unemployed and has been for two years since the local farming association modernized and replaced Roma laborers with tractors and combines. The work situation is bleak. But, oh, what joy fills his home when his children and their children gather to hear him tell stories from the Bible! Costel is enrolled in Gypsy Smith School (GSS) led by CBF field personnel Ralph and Tammy Stocks. The leadership training school offers biblical, theological, and practical ministry courses to assist Roma pastors in their calling to minister. Please pray that Costel and other Roma will be given work opportunities and for GSS as it seeks to prepare Roma people to reach other Roma for Christ! Read the Stocks’ newsletter at http://romany.gypsyministries.com/currentinfo.html.

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May 23–31 “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.”

—Psalm 1:1–3 At the first CBF General Assembly in 1992, the Fellowship commissioned four field personnel, JoAnn and John David Hopper in Rüschlikon, Switzerland, and Charles “T” and Kathy Thomas in Bucharest, Romania. Over the next four years the CBF Global Missions team grew to meet the 100-member mark in 1996. Today 140 people serve as CBF field personnel in the United States and around the world in a variety of ministry areas. Pray for the health and safety of CBF field personnel. Pray that God will bless the ministries they provide in the communities they serve. Pray also for CBF Global Missions staff members who provide coordination and resources as they serve and equip field personnel. To learn more, visit www.thefellowship.info/fieldpersonnel.

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May Birthdays 1 Michael Coggins, Navarre, FL (CH) 1 Katherine Higgins, Mint Hill, NC (CH) 1 Bob Whitten, Springfield, VA (PC) 2 Cathy Cole, Aiken, SC (CH) 2 Stephen Murphy, Honolulu, HI (CH) 2 Deborah Reeves, Austin, TX (CH) 2 Matthew Sherin, 2004, Columbia, MO (FPC) 2 Lynn Walker, Chickasha, OK (PLT) 2 Terry Wilson, Mt. Pleasant, SC (CH) 3 Leah Harding, 1992, Orlando, FL (FPC) 4 Gary Metcalf, Kingsport, TN (CH) 4 Skip Wisenbaker, Atlanta, GA (CH) 5 Austin, 2004, Thailand (FPC) 5 Jimmy Cole, Spain (FP) 5 Bruce Gourley, Bozeman, MT (PLT) 5 Karen Long, Birmingham, AL (CH) 6 Carol Dalton, Swannanoa, NC (CH) 6 Steve Smith, Liberty, MO (CH) 7 Jennifer Lyon, Atlanta, GA (FP) 7 Dora Saul, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 8 Stanton Cheatham, Madison, MS (CH) 8 Rusty Elkins, Edmond, OK (CH) 8 Bruce Hunter, Troy, VA (PLT) 9 Rich Behers, Lakeland, FL (CH) 9 Evan Bridges, 1995, San Antonio, TX (FPC) 9 David Harding, Orlando, FL (FP) 9 Leigh Jackson, Austin, TX (CH) 9 Jin Chul Kim, Philippines (GMP) 10 T.J. Cofield, Princeton, NJ (CH) 10 Sun Woo Kim, 2000, son, Philippines (GMP) 10 Jane McKown, Burnsville, NC (CH)

11 Larry Ballew, China (FP) 11 Robbi Francovich, Emeritus (FP) 11 Joanna Humphrey, Ruther Glen, VA (CH) 11 Cy Miller, Shelby, NC (CH) 12 Charles Admire, Sanford, NC (CH) 13 Sa Mo Choi, Asia (GMP) 13 Samson Naidoo, Garland, TX (CH) 14 Scott McBroom, Charleston, SC (PC) 14 JoAnne Morris, Louisville, KY (CH) 15 Paula Settle, Eastern Kentucky (FP) 16 , daughter, North Africa (FPC) 16 Dewey Bland, Inverness, FL (CH) 16 Steven Harris, Salem, VA (PC) 16 John Reeser, Sautee Nacoochee, GA (CH) 16 Alex Ruble, 2001, Southeast Asia (FPC) 16 Leela Togba-Doya, 2007, Athens, GA (FPC) 17 Robert Duvall, Lawrenceville, GA (CH) 17 Nell Green, Houston, TX (FP) 17 Filip Zivanov, 1998, St. Louis, MO (FPC) 18 Wayne Hill, Greenville, SC (PC) 19 Gwyen Driskill-Dunn, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 19 Becky Schultheiss, Elyria, OH (CH) 20 Micah James, 1994, Haiti (FPC) 21 Pat, New Jersey (FP) 21 Laley Norman, 2005, Four Oaks, NC (FPC) 21 Ron Winstead, Emeritus (FP) 22 Jon Ivy, Tuscaloosa, AL (CH) 22 Gabe Lyon, 2005, Atlanta, GA (FPC) 22 Steven Unger, Twenty-nine Palms, CA (CH) 23 Cheryl Adamson, Conway, SC (PLT) 23 Polly Barnes, Brandon, MS (CH)

23 Jared Neal, Atlanta, GA (CH) 23 John Schumacher, Smyrna, GA (CH) 24 Cindy Clark, Philippines (FP) 26 Hunter, Thailand (FP) 26 Valerie Hardy, Loganville, GA (CH) 26 Gerry Hutchinson, Culpeper, VA (CH) 27 James Gilbert, Deville, LA (CH) 27 Nelson Taylor, Richmond, VA (PLT) 28 Hardy Clemons, San Antonio, TX (PC) 28 Laurel Morrow, 1992, Aledo, TX (FPC) 30 Randy Ridenour, Norman, OK (CH) 30 Winston Shearin, Lakeland, FL (CH) 31 Kelley Woggon, Louisville, KY (CH)

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June–August: Send Us Grace “Lord, listen to your children praying. . . . Send us grace.” Grace is ineffable. To define it shrinks its very nature. To name it limits our understanding. However, through our own experiences with the living Christ as well as our understanding of Scripture, we might argue that grace is the holy gift necessary to carry forward in life as a Christ follower. As author Anne Lamott contends, “I do not at all understand the mystery of grace—only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” God’s grace is transforming; it is energizing; it is life giving.

Hymn writers have tried their best to communicate the substance of God’s grace. Newton called it “amazing.” Lillenas declared it “wonderful” and “matchless.” And Johnston described it as “marvelous.” It is not by accident that our newest Baptist hymnal is titled Celebrating Grace, for the editors have dedicated the publication not only to God’s glory but also “to bringing the presence of God’s grace nearer to the hearts of all those who lift their voices in the joyful and faithful singing of hymns.” Over these final three months, let us sing and pray together songs of grace, so that those serving throughout the world in the name of CBF will experience a renewed sense of mission and calling. May God continue to supply all of us the transforming grace of Jesus Christ so we may go with God and move the world.

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June: Grace to Move Grace Alone Every promise we can make, every prayer and step of faith, every difference we will make is only by God’s grace.

Every mountain we will climb, every ray of hope we shine, every blessing left behind is only by God’s grace.

Grace alone which God supplies, strength unknown He will provide.

Christ in us, our Cornerstone; we will go forth in grace alone.

Composition/Song Title: GRACE ALONE, Writer Credits: Scott Wesley Brown and Jeff Nelson Copyright: © 1998 Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publishing (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

Used By Permission. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 43

This song, written by two veteran songwriters and performers of band-based Christian worship music, reminds us that what we do is by the grace of God. This month, as you prepare for the Prayers of the People, practice lectio devina, which is Latin for “spiritual or holy reading.” It consists of four movements. Typically used for reading Scripture, use this practice with the song’s lyrics. First, read (or sing) the chosen passage from the song slowly and intentionally, paying special attention to any words, phrases, or images that present themselves as prominent. Second, read the text again, reflecting on the word, phrase, or image. What significance does the word possess? What could God be trying to communicate through the writers of this song? Third, after reading (or singing) the selected passage again, converse with God about the impact of the word, phrase, or image upon the entire self. Respond to God with gratitude, anxiety, or whatever else the text has produced. Finally, rest in the tender embrace of the Lord.

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June 1–8 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

—Psalm 138:7–8

KidsHeart provides a way for mission teams to work with community centers, schools, and churches in the colonias along the Texas-Mexico border. Churches engage in construction projects, children/youth ministries, adult education classes, gardening projects, and medical/dental projects. These colonias are populated by Hispanics, many of whom are first-generation immigrants to the U.S. Most of them moved here to escape the poverty and the growing drug violence in Mexico. Pray for those who serve in the colonias, and pray that the people living in the colonias will be able to provide for their families and escape the poverty and the drug culture which harms so many. Learn more about KidsHeart and Together for Hope, CBF’s rural poverty initiative, at www.ruralpoverty.net.

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June 9–15 “The LORD answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.”

—Psalm 20:1–3

Guy is a beautiful young woman in her third year of study as a university student. She comes from a small fishing village in Southeast Asia. Thanks to the scholarships provided by CBF, she is one of only a few who have had the opportunity to attend university. CBF field personnel Hunter and Mary have been able to build close personal relationships with Guy and her family. They have walked with this family through the loss of Guy’s grandmother and continue walking with them in the recent loss of her father. Guy’s religion does not afford her the comfort of praying to a loving Father. The family experiences God’s personal presence among them through the field personnel. Pray that this family, as well as Guy’s people group, will come to know the Heavenly Father, who dearly loves them, in a personal and redemptive relationship.

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June 16–22 “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.”

—Psalm 92:1

On a day-to-day basis the Fellowship draws its leaders from teams of creative and committed staff members and a coordinating council of lay and clergy leaders. In May 1992, Cecil Sherman was installed as the first coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He provided five years of faithful leadership for the Fellowship. Thank God for Cecil Sherman. Daniel Vestal was named CBF’s executive coordinator in September 1996 and continues to provide vision along with a team of others. Thank God for Daniel Vestal. Pray that God will enable Fellowship leaders to be focused and inspired servants. Pray that God will continue to call leaders for the Fellowship movement for the next generation of free and faithful Baptists.

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June 23–30 “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

—Psalm 9:9–10

CBF-endorsed Chaplain Claudia N. Forrest ministers to hospice patients in three counties for Methodist Alliance Hospice in Memphis, Tennessee. She is welcomed into the homes of diverse neighborhoods as well as long-term care facilities and Methodist hospitals in the Memphis area. Claudia supports her patients and families with compassion and a caring presence to help prepare them for the time when God welcomes them to their eternal home. Pray for hospice patients and their caregivers. Pray that they receive God’s healing touch of love and comfort. Pray that pastors and congregations continue to provide spiritual care to members who are ill and no longer able to attend church services.

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June Birthdays 1 Thong Lun, Houston, TX (CH) 2 Susan Hunter, Troy, VA (PLT) 2 Terry Jackson, Lorena, TX (CH) 2 Gary Sparks, Tyler, TX (CH) 3 Susan Arnold, La Grange, KY (CH) 3 Rachel Brunclikova, Czech Republic (FP) 5 Stacy Sergent, Mt. Pleasant, SC (CH) 5 David Smelser, Lucedale, MS (CH) 5 Kody Witt, Buies Creek, NC (CH) 6 Erskine Alvis, Black Mountain, NC (CH) 6 Wayne Bruner, Augusta, GA (CH) 6 Linda Cross, San Antonio, TX (FP) 6 Todd DeLaney, San Diego, CA (CH) 6 Greg McClain, Lillington, NC (CH) 6 Norberto Prado, Oak Ridge, TN (PLT) 7 Kiersten, 2006, Los Angeles, CA (FPC) 7 Diana Place, Tucson, AZ (CH) 7 Butch Stillwell, Candler, NC (CH) 7 Diann Whisnand, McAllen, TX (FP) 8 Larry Lawhon, Front Royal, VA (CH) 8 Janice Newell, Greece (FP) 8 Randy Parks, Sparta, NJ (CH) 8 Clay Porter, Stanton, TX (CH) 8 Joseph Primeaux, Pensacola, FL (CH) 8 Jeromy Wells, Great Falls, MT (CH) 9 Michelle Cayard, China (FP) 9 Richard Poindexter, Indian Trail, NC (CH) 9 Patricia Taylor, Tuscaloosa, AL (CH) 9 Doug Wiggington, Pineville, LA (CH) 10 Rob Edwards, Norfolk, VA (CH) 68 10 Cindy Goza, Little Rock, AR (CH)

10 Michael Osment, Martin, TN (CH) 10 Kim Wyatt, Canada (FP) 11 Joshua Hearne, Danville, VA (PLT) 12 Brady Lanoue, Schertz, TX (CH) 13 Richard Forest, Louisville, KY (CH) 14 Chaouki Boulos, Lebanon (FP) 14 Tracey Lopez, Springfield, VA (CH) 15 Jack Brown, Dublin, GA (CH) 15 Robbin B. Mundy, Fairview, NC (PLT) 15 Melissa Whaley, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 16 Kimberly Emery, Ovilla, TX (CH) 17 Linda Jones, Winston-Salem, NC (PLT) 18 Bill Hayes, Bogart, GA (CH) 19 Alicia Porterfield, Wilmington, NC (CH) 20 Tim Johns, Swansboro, NC (CH) 20 Jeff Lancaster, Cartwright, OK (CH) 20 Cherry Moore, Bryan, TX (CH) 20 Lonnie Turner, South Africa (FP) 21 Jim Cook, Salisbury, NC (CH) 21 Susan Harthon, Indianapolis, IN (CH) 21 Jeff Hoppe, Riverside, PA (CH) 21 Ken Lake, Fort Mill, SC (CH) 21 Adam Page, Kingsport, TN (CH) 22 Kirk, Thailand (FP) 22 Sharon Eldridge, Smithfield, NC (CH) 22 Joanne Henley, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 22 Brenda Lisenby, China (FP) 22 Jin Joo Park, daughter, Senegal (GMP) 22 Jessica Prophitt, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 23 Andrew, 1998, Thailand (FPC) 23 Sarah Ballew, China (FP)

23 David Lowe, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 23 Helen McNeely, Emeritus (FP) 23 Jin Park, 1999, daughter, Senegal (GMP) 24 Robert Fulkerson, Tulia, TX (CH) 25 Franklin Duncan, Atlanta, GA (CH) 26 , North Africa (FP) 26 Michael Ferguson, El Paso, TX (CH) 26 Denise Jacks, Birmingham, AL (CH) 26 Kamille Krahwinkel, China (FP) 26 Otto Mazzoni, York, PA (CH) 26 Tim Myrick, Kenya (FP) 27 Roger Dobbins, North Charleston, SC (CH) 27 Alicia Lee, Macedonia (FP) 28 Michael Brainerd, Germany (CH) 28 Mark Judd, Elizabethtown, KY (PLT) 28 Roger Rich, Lexington, SC (CH) 28 Scott Sterling, McDonough, GA (CH) 29 Kevin Adams, Louisville, KY (CH) 29 Jeni Cook, Poquoson, VA (CH) 30 Stan Campbell, Nashville, TN (CH) 30 Margaret Guenther, Richmond, VA (PC)

July: Grace to Follow Will You Come and Follow Me Will you come and follow Me if I but call your name?

Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?

Will you let My love be shown, will you let My name be known, will you let My life be grown in you and you in Me? Lord, your summons echoes true when You but call my name.

Let me turn and follow You and never be the same.

In Your company I’ll go where Your love and footsteps show.

Thus I’ll move and live and grow in You and You in me.

“Will You Come and Follow Me/The Summons” by John L. Bell Copyright © 1987, Wild Goose Resource Group, Iona Community, Scotland GIA Publications, Inc., exclusive North American agent 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638 www.giamusic.com 800.442.1358 All rights reserved. Used by permission. Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 473

The grace of God moves us to follow Jesus. Sometimes we follow him to a Bible study, to a seminary, across town, across the world, down the road, or up the mountain. This hymn comes from the Iona Community in Scotland. John Bell is a Church of Scotland minister whose hymns and songs have been circulated throughout the world. Graham A. Maule joins John Bell on the Wild Goose Resource Group of the Iona Community. Both men are activists for worship renewal at the grassroots level, particularly training and educating laity.

As you learn and sing this month’s hymn (also known as “The Summons”), take time to reflect quietly, being intentional with a period of silence before and after you sing the hymn. Sing one verse a week, and in the silence reflect on ways you might live out the ways of grace posed by the writers of this challenging hymn text.

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July 1–8 “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! . . . I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.”

—Psalm 130:1–2, 5–6

A woman recently arrived at a migrant camp in the Middle East where CBF field personnel minister. She came to become a second wife to a man, and she is cousin to his first wife! When she arrived, she was already pregnant with the man’s child. Culturally this would have necessitated her death, but by the time the camp could focus on this, she was obviously pregnant and liked by the other women in the camp. Many of these women are attracted to the gospel, which confronts their cultural practice of polygamy, but quite a few of the women still hold with the old beliefs that men can do as they like. Pray for CBF field personnel as they share with these women and bring the true light of the gospel to their world.

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July 9–15 “In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light. He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.”

—Psalm 78:14–16

A group of individuals and families have begun meeting in the Springfield neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, to form a new faith community. This neighborhood, once overrun by crime, has experienced some economic renewal and has become a melting pot of people from various economic, racial, and social identities. This new church is striving to live out Christ’s mission and ministry by offering radical love and compassion, welcoming people from all walks of life, and partnering with others in the community to bring about hope and transformation. Pray that this new church will indeed become a spiritual home to those who have never found their place in God’s story of great love. Pray for Susan Rogers as she begins to plant this missional faith community in partnership with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Follow her journey at www.susanharrisrogers.blogspot.com.

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July 16–22 “Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.”

—Psalm 24:9–10

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Kathy is a student from the Philippines; she will become a Chinese language teacher. Jean is Ghanaian; he is working on his PhD in biology. Peter and Cindy from Australia own a factory. Several committed expatriate Christians are sharing the best of their lives with some of the most neglected people in China while other internationals are meeting Christ as Savior. What do they have in common? They attend church in a Chinese government-approved fellowship with 200 believers from 30 different countries. Not every town in China has such a blessing. Whether a young single student or a whole family, having a place to worship is a great blessing and an opportunity to make a difference. Pray that Xiamen International Christian Fellowship will reflect Christ in their community. Pray for Pastor Gabe Orea, who also serves as one of CBF’s field personnel.

July 23–31 “O LORD, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence, let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.”

—Psalm 88:1–2

Endorsed by CBF, Stephen Murphy serves with Pacific Health Ministry in Honolulu, Hawaii, as a chaplain at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children. Stephen works with the neonatology department, which cares for an average of 50 babies per day. Most of these babies are born premature, some as small as 1½ pounds.

Stephen provides spiritual support for parents who anxiously wait for their babies to move through serious health hurdles. He also works with pediatric oncology patients and their families. This ministry is long-term; some patients receive treatment for years. Pray for Stephen and the staff as they work with patients who are terminal.

Pray for the staff as they feel the heaviness of loss. Pray that Stephen may assist patients and their families as they seek dignity and meaning even in the last days of their lives. Pray that patients will feel God’s love and assurance.

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July Birthdays 1 Debra Walters, Lawrenceville, GA (CH) 2 Steven Smith, Houston, TX (CH) 3 Nathanael Ballew, 1994, China (FPC) 3 Ken Cook, Pinson, AL (CH) 3 Elizabeth Ellis, Crestwood, KY (PC) 3 Brenda Lee, Williamsburg, VA (CH) 3 Michael Maness, Woodville, TX (CH) 3 Ascanio Peguero, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 4 Rachel Coggins, Navarre, FL (CH) 5 Coy Callicott, Spartanburg, SC (CH) 5 Jeff Fryer, Murfreesboro, TN (CH) 5 Bob Potts, Emeritus (FP) 6 Shelah Acker, Uganda (FP) 6 Sam Harrell, Kenya (FP) 6 Debbie Kubo, Arlington, TX (CH) 6 William Womack, Columbia, MO (CH) 7 Barbara Dail, Greenville, NC (CH) 7 Steven Flowers, Waynesboro, VA (PC) 7 Paulo Orea, 2005, China (FPC) 7 Julie Rowan, West Point, NY (CH) 8 Sherman Buford, Montgomery, AL (CH) 8 Renato Santos, Miami, FL (CH) 8 Steve Sexton, Lenoir City, TN (CH) 8 Robert Summers, Evansville, IN (CH) 9 Miriam Dakin, Marion, VA (CH) 10 Whitney Edwards Russell, Whiteville, NC (CH) 10 Tiffne Whitley, Spain (FP) 11 Allie McNary, 1995, Slovakia (FPC) 11 Steven Shaw, Norfolk, VA (CH) 12 , North Africa (FP) 74 12 Christopher Morris, Winston-Salem, NC (CH)

12 Mark Podgaisky, 1999, Ukraine (FPC) 14 John Deal, Emeritus (FP) 14 Denise Massey, Lilburn, GA (CH) 15 James Tippins, Fernandina Beach, FL (CH) 15 Jean Randolph, Swannanoa, NC (CH) 16 Michelle Greer, Hot Springs National Park, AR (CH) 16 Mark Hart, Fair Oaks Ranch, TX (CH) 17 Caleb, 1996, Thailand (FPC) 17 Wayne Boyd, Gaithersburg, MD (CH) 17 Cindy Meadows, Roanoke, VA (CH) 17 June Pearse, St. Louis, MO (CH) 17 Carolyn Sears, Shelby, NC (CH) 17 Kimberly Sheehan, Nashville, TN (CH) 18 Timothy Hunter, Gatesville, TX (CH) 18 Tom O’Neal, Charlotte, NC (PC) 19 Lyde Andrews, North Charleston, SC (CH) 19 Steven Hill, Knoxville, TN (CH) 19 Jason Pittman, Miami, FL (FP) 20 Errol Simmons, Hattiesburg, MS (CH) 21 Peter Arges, Durham, NC (CH) 21 , 1995, Turkey (FPC) 21 Susan Lanford, Wichita Falls, TX (CH) 21 Twyla Nelson, Jackson Springs, NC (CH) 21 Matthew Pogue, Atlanta, GA (CH) 21 Keith Tekell, Beaumont, TX (CH) 21 Walter White, Arlington, TX (CH) 22 Steve Abbe, Waco, TX (PLT) 22 Dorothy Potts, Emeritus (FP) 22 Bonnie Reedy, Lumberton, NC (CH) 23 Butch Green, Houston, TX (FP) 24 Glynn Ford, Reston, VA (PC)

24 Laurel Link, Winston-Salem, NC (PC) 24 Ronald Oliver, Goshen, KY (CH) 26 Scott Jensen, Saint Joseph, MO (CH) 26 Richard Min, Carrolton, TX (CH) 26 Rick Sample, San Francisco, CA (FP) 26 Erin Spengeman, Richmond, VA (PLT) 27 Diana Bridges, San Antonio, TX (FP) 27 Lindsay Comstock, Southeast Asia (FP) 27 Peter Ott, Oak Harbor, WA (CH) 28 Emily, 2000, Thailand (FPC) 29 Michal Patrik Brunclik, 2006, Czech Republic (FPC) 29 Wayne Morris, Lawton, OK (CH) 29 Karen Morrow, Aledo, TX (FP) 29 Martha Crocker Strong, Olive Branch, MS (PLT) 30 Paul Byrd, Birmingham, AL (CH) 30 James Francovich, Emeritus (FP) 30 Garnett White, Midlothian, VA (PC) 31 James Tille, Lakewood, WA (PC) 31 Cindy Thorpe, Greenwood, SC (CH) 31 Amber Sloan, Inman, SC (CH)

August: Grace to Tell We Go in Peace We go in peace, we go in love, We go with grace and mercy from the Lord above to tell the world this very thing: that Jesus Christ is Lord and King, Jesus Christ is Lord and King!

Composition/Song Title: WE GO IN PEACE, Writer Credits: Keith Christopher Copyright: Words © 2010 CELEBRATING GRACE, INC., Celebrating Grace Hymnal, 512

Keith Christopher is the director of Church Choral Publications for Hal Leonard Corporation. His contribution to the Celebrating Grace Hymnal is “We Go in Peace,” a simple song and text that send us forth into the world.

Before praying the Prayers of the People, move through the steps of the examen, or examination of consciousness. This highly structured prayer form is detailed in The Spiritual Exercises by St. Ignatius of Loyala (1491–1556). The examen contains five points. First, we call to mind the recent blessings of God and offer praise to the Giver of every good gift. Second, we ask for insight to help us see ourselves as we are seen by our Creator. Third, we name our sins in the presence of God and strive to rectify them with God’s assistance.

Fourth, we request forgiveness for the times we have impeded the formation of God’s kingdom on earth. Finally, we accept God’s calling upon our lives to be participants in the mission of God as we go into the world. As you finish this prayer form, pray the current week’s requests and close your time by singing “We Go in Peace.”

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August 1–8 “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore.”

—Psalm 125:1–2

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The Aymara live isolated in the mountainous desert of northern Chile. With the nearest cities hours away, life comes from the fields and their livestock. Surviving at such high altitudes is hard; they spend most of their time working, which means their children are overlooked and feel unloved. These children are sent to a boarding school in nearby Ticnamar, Chile. Bekah and Blake Hart, CBF field personnel, are working with these children, embodying the love of Christ for them. They also work with adults through discipleship and church planting, training indigenous leaders who can challenge others to grow in faith and love. Pray that the children experience God’s love and that God will raise Aymara leaders for local churches. For more stories and information, visit the Harts’ blog at thehartbeat.wordpress.com.

August 9–15 “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!”

—Psalm 130:1–2

Margaret Guenther is a CBF-endorsed pastoral counselor who works in private practice in Richmond, Virginia.

Margaret’s ministry involves working with people seeking help for many issues ranging from troubled marriages and families under stress to individuals dealing with grief and loss, depression, and anxiety. At the heart of many of these problems are issues of faith and relationship with God. Margaret also works with students at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond in the basic pastoral care class. Pray for Margaret as she shares God’s love with hurting people. Please pray for healing for the individuals and families who seek her care. Also pray for the students as they learn to care for a hurting world.

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August 16–22 “I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

—Psalm 40:1–2

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For 20 years CBF has responded when disasters strike. The Fellowship’s model for disaster response is to be a long-term presence to help communities recover and rebuild. The first CBF relief project was for Florida victims of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. CBF provided supplies, volunteers, and a grant. Since 2002, David Harding has served as CBF’s coordinator for international disaster response. In 2007, CBF partnered with several states and regions to hire Charles Ray as a national disaster response coordinator. In response to the 2010 earthquake, CBF field personnel and short-term workers continue to provide relief efforts with partner organizations in Haiti. Pray for CBF’s disaster relief efforts. Pray that God will call individuals to give and serve in response to disasters. Pray for the presence and hope of God in places where disasters strike. Learn more at thefellowship.info/cbfresponds.

August 23–31 “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.”

—Psalm 84:3

Persecuted for their faith, Galyana and her six children emigrated from the Ukraine in December 2005. They arrived knowing no English and bearing only two suitcases each. Now they are dependable and valuable volunteers with Western North Carolina Slavic Ministries, sorting donated household items at the warehouse, organizing sewing classes, and identifying needs of the community. Organized and coordinated by CBF field personnel Fran and Mike Graham, WNC Slavic Ministries, Inc. serves the growing population of Slavic immigrants to the region around Asheville, North Carolina. Please pray for them and for these immigrants from the 15 former Soviet countries as they adjust to a new culture that often clashes with their family and religious traditions. To learn more about the Grahams, visit www.wncslavicministries.org.

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August Birthdays 1 Steven Safreed, Fayetteville, GA (CH) 1 Stephen Saunders, Live Oak, TX (CH) 2 Mike Beach, Knoxville, TN (CH) 3 Mina Podgaiskaya, Ukraine (FP) 3 Scott Uzzel, Marietta, GA (CH) 3 Mary Ellen Yates, Louisville, KY (PC) 4 Hannah, 1999, Thailand (FPC) 4 Michial Lewis, Hoover, AL (PLT) 4 Mark Pruitt, Martinsburg, WV (CH) 4 Diane Stamey, Candler, NC (PC) 4 Matthew Wysocki, Cibolo, TX (CH) 5 Mary, Thailand (FP) 5 Susan Allen, Midway, KY (CH) 5 John Henson, Shreveport, LA (PLT) 5 Ronald Howard, Tuscaloosa, AL (CH) 5 Donald Lederer, Indian Trail, NC (CH) 5 John Oliver, Durham, NC (CH) 7 Merrie Harding, Orlando, FL (FP) 7 Vernon Westenbroek, Columbia, MO (CH) 8 JanĂŠe Angel, Belgium (FP) 8 Ellen Holmes, 1992, Europe (FPC) 8 Robin Robinson, Spring, TX (CH) 8 Jon Wyatt, 1995, Canada (FPC) 9 Elizabeth Sample, 1998, San Francisco, CA (FPC) 10 Dawn Hood-Patterson, Pensacola, FL (CH) 10 Elliot Sample, 2004, San Francisco, CA (FPC) 10 Nicholas Wright, Waco, TX (CH) 11 Robbie Byrd, Fayetteville, NC (PC) 11 Justin Murphy, Leesburg, FL (CH) 11 John Norman, Four Oaks, NC (FP) 80 11 Karen Rector, Kaneohe Bay, HI (CH)

11 Robert Townsend, Nathalie, VA (CH) 13 Clyde Angel, Indianapolis, IN (CH) 13 Rodney Bolejack, Denton, TX (CH) 13 Thomas Dougherty, Mechanicsville, VA (PC) 13 Cathy Hollon, Union Springs, AL (CH) 13 Wayne Maberry, Alturas, FL (CH) 13 Johnny Taylor, Plano, TX (CH) 14 Maurice Graham, Richmond, VA (PC) 14 Roy Moritz, Elizabeth City, NC (CH) 15 Daniel Shadix, Prattville, AL (CH) 16 Don McNeely, Emeritus (FP) 17 Joe Moffitt, Wetmore, CO (CH) 17 Susan Rogers, Jacksonville, FL (PLT) 17 Anna Sample, 2001, San Francisco, CA (FPC) 18 Ben Craver, Albuquerque, NM (CH) 18 Fran Stevenson, Fremont, CA (FP) 19 Kaela Ruble, 1998, Southeast Asia (FPC) 20 Joyce Cleary, Emeritus (FP) 20 Reid Doster, Madisonville, LA (PLT) 20 Jim Ivey, New Albany, IN (CH) 20 Barbara Marshall, Petersburg, VA (CH) 21 Alice Tremaine, Corbin, KY (CH) 21 Inetta Taylor-Shuetz, Lubbock, TX (CH) 22 Doug Brown, Franklin, IN (CH) 22 Daniel Hix, Maryville, TN (CH) 22 Ana Podgaiskaya, 2001, Ukraine (FPC) 23 Mike Bumgarner, Norman, OK (CH) 23 Keith Little, New Bern, NC (CH) 23 Allen Williams, Cross Cut, TX (FP) 23 Richard Woodall, Memphis, TN (CH) 23 Marc Wyatt, Canada (FP)

24 Craig Klempnauer, Hewitt, TX (CH) 24 Timothy Boschen, Waynesboro, VA (CH) 25 Arville Earl, Macedonia (FP) 25 Robert McMillan, Oklahoma City, OK (CH) 25 Hyang Shon, Southeast Asia (GMP) 26 Cindy Ruble, Southeast Asia (FP) 26 Mi H. Shon, Vietnam (GMP) 27 Carson Cole, 2001, Spain (FPC) 27 Verr Dean Williams, Cross Cut, TX (FP) 27 Jim Kirkendall, Pineville, LA (CH) 27 Randall Walton, Lynchburg, VA (CH) 28 Hattie Jackson-Harris, Montevallo, AL (PLT) 28 Jin Jae Lee, Vietnam (GMP) 28 Inez Register, Lexington, SC (CH) 29 Pam Foster, Haslet, TX (CH) 30 , son, North Africa (FPC) 30 Christiana Liem, Houston, TX (CH) 30 Karen Sherin, Columbia, MO (FP) 31 Karr La Dickens, Garland, TX (FP) 31 Michael Pimpo, Grayslake, IL (PLT) 31 Cecelia Walker, Montgomery, AL (CH)

Refuge and hope in Africa

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