April 2019
MONDAY 1 CROATIA: Frank and Angelika Bosch in Zagreb A church in Sibenik is interested in Frank’s help. They want to focus on young families. We are praying to see if it would be possible to work closely with them. For God's guidance for our plans of moving to Umag. Please pray for God’s blessing and guidance for us all. The 5 weekends before Easter are a women's breakfast in different cities. Please pray that God sends us the ladies who are open to him, pray for interest for the Bible studies and other groups to which we invite after the meetings. TUESDAY 2 SPAIN: Mauricio and Karina Aldana in Zalla As a team, we ask you to pray for the Lord to open doors for the pilgrim hostel. We have been talking with the board of the Catholic parish in town for months now, and the response so far is not ideal. May the Lord show us if he wants us to use the parish or guide us to another place. In March, our teammates the Webbs have started an English conversational program on the radio of this region, and also with the Vazquez we will start one with a focus on the family. WEDNESDAY 3 GERMANY: Vimal and Louise Vimalasekaran in Karlsruhe Please pray for our ongoing plans and courses to equip the refugee Christians with training in evangelism. Please pray for the Tamil Community cafe that is on Wednesday evenings in the Evangelical Migrant Centre in Karlsruhe, that the Christians there will have the boldness to share their testimonies and lead others to Christ. They have in recent months seen a decrease of those who come, but sometimes in God's economy, less is more. Pray for the women Louise has been contacting recently. They are other mothers with children in the same primary school as
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might Ephesians 6:1
Celeste and David. Louise has been intentional in inviting them for coffee and getting to know them, trusting that she will be able to share her testimony and be of help to them in practical ways, to lead them to Christ. She has also been helping refugee ladies with their German language and prepared them for an exam. Please pray for these ongoing relationships with these women who are predominantly Muslim, that she will have opportunities to share the Gospel with them. THURSDAY 4 SERBIA: Branko and Rada Tihojevic in Zajecar Please pray that the construction of the Dormitory and the Conference Hall at the Camp Timok will finish soon. There is still a lot of work inside and outside to be done and we hope to start using it this year for summer camps and conferences. Especially pray for developing a Camp property for children with disabilities, who are using wheelchairs. We are working together with the humanitarian organization Hanna’s Hope, specialized working with children with disabilities in the Balkan region. FRIDAY 5 SPAIN: Delyth Sutton in Pozoblanco, Córdoba. I will be leading the children's work with Montse at the FIEC'S annual congress in Cadiz from 5-7 April. Pray as we sow into their lives. The theme of the Congress is Christian faith, sexuality and gender ideology which is so relevant for today. Pray that the church in Spain will be equipped to faces these challenges. Pray for the prayer team from Brazil which will be visiting towns in Cordoba from 7-14 April. We appreciate their intercessory prayer and know that an army of prayer warriors are raised through them as they return to their churches. Easter processions are so important in Andalucia to pray for opportunities to speak of the hope in Christ in the gospel this Easter.
SATURDAY 6 SLOVENIA: Sarah Deacon in Ljubljana Please be praying for the Spring Youth Camp my church is running in collaboration with a church from Austria from 5-7 April. Please be praying for all the organisation of the camp and that everything will run smoothly. Please pray for the relationships that will be built between the teenagers of the different countries and that there will not be any cross-cultural difficulties. Please also be thanking God that we have the opportunity to hold this camp. 2
SUNDAY 7 FRANCE: Steve and Rosemary Cox in Veneux-les-Sablons The church's annual general meeting in March went well. There will be another meeting on 7 April to vote specifically on accepting Sylvain and Nadia as the new pastoral couple when they finish their studies in July. For the week preceding Easter, we have prepared a series of daily meditations to help people follow Jesus through the events of those 7 days. There will be a service on Friday evening and a celebration on Sunday morning! We sure need a bigger building. MONDAY 8 PORTUGAL: Peter and Anna Crawford in Lisboa Lisbon has recently become a very popular tourist destination resulting in huge increases in city central house rentals, more than what most ordinary Lisboetas can afford. As a result, many have had to move to the outskirts or across the river, and this has had a negative impact on urban church planting in the city, including ours, Alta CristĂŁ and also the Nepali fellowship. Pray that small and fragile fellowships like these in the city centre will continue to thrive in spite of these challenges. TUESDAY 9 GERMANY: Christiaan and Kseniya Kooiman in Schwerin Could you please join us in a prayer for a man who is alcohol addicted? Last time Christiaan prayed for him and the man was so touched by the prayer that he could not stop crying. Please pray that God would give him the strength to stop drinking and a meaning to live further. Through our street events we know many men with alcohol problems and very often we hear that they die. That is very sad. WEDNESDAY 10 AUSTRIA: Allie Everson in Villach Please pray for wisdom in making upcoming decisions about elongating my term here in Austria, what I should be doing and that everything goes well with my visa! Along with this, we need prayer for the youth work here! Prayer specifically for the youth here (and specifically in my church) to begin to grow a heart to hear and learn God's Word. For unity within the churches and youth workers, alongside the desire and courage to begin reaching out to those around us with the Gospel of Christ. 3
Christiaan & Kseniya Kooiman and Family
Matt and Louise George and Family
THURSDAY 11 ECM AUSTRALIA & NZ: Matt George, Director Thank God for a new year and new challenges. Praise Him for Féy Cotter and pray for her as she commences Mobilisation support in New Zealand. We thank God for Susan, our new Office Manager. Please pray for her as she adjusts to her new role and that God may guide her in the everyday tasks. Please also continue to pray for the construction work on our Croydon site. FRIDAY 12 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Jonathan and Nicola McCracken in Claremorris Pray for the kids Easter club on 13 April in the Town Hall. Recently, one family have sent their girls along to kids’ church on Sunday mornings. We will also have a Good Friday service in the Town Hall. Pray that this weekend will be a special time for the church and any who come along as visitors. SATURDAY 13 CROATIA: Frank and Angelika Bosch in Zagreb On 13 April we are in Cakovec and I, Angelika will give my testimony, and Frank will do the music. Please also pray for Frank and our co-worker who are meeting regularly with foster children. Most of them are Roma kids. Pray that God will touch their hearts through these contacts. Please also pray that David will find a professor for his piano studies in Germany. SUNDAY 14 GERMANY: Gerard and Janneke de Wit in Schwerin We have been living in the centre of Schwerin for almost a year now. We will have to make a decision soon where we will serve long term in the future. That could very well be a church plant in one of the suburbs of Schwerin. Please pray for God’s guidance. That we will hear His voice clearly and that He will show where he wants to use us for his glory. And for the courage to obey. MONDAY 15 AUSTRIA: Hans and Margret Hoprich in Eisenstadt Praise God for the chance of new beginnings, the gift of friendship, and safekeeping on our travels. Pray for getting used to new circumstances, coordinating our new task, and of the end of our training course, and also our family. 4
TUESDAY 16 ECM AUSTRALIA: Samantha Boog, ECM Office in Sidney Please pray as I settle into my new role as ECM Media Promotions Officer that I can perform the job well and know how best to promote ECM in Australia and beyond for the Lord Jesus' sake. I am also now on the board for the ECM magazine. So please pray that I can contribute helpfully to the content.
WEDNESDAY 17 SPAIN: Edgar and Jane Ă lvarez in Collado Villalba Pray for our local church in Madrid. Lots of changes have happened over the last 9 months, but now there is a lot of unity. Jane is involved in trying to rebuild our youth work. Do pray for our teens, and it is a small group, but interested in getting involved in different aspects of church life. Edgar has also been going through a lot of change, but we are thankful for how things are coming together. Pray for him as he picks up a study routine for his MA course and also for the sharing of his time between several responsibilities. Pray for a high school students camp in Easter. Edgar and the team are expecting around 100 teens from the Madrid area. Pray also for the team that will help run the activity.
THURSDAY 18 FINLAND: K I have two months left of my basic studies in the Inari-Saami language, till the end of May. Please pray for strength and stamina. Our Inari-Saami speaking scouting group is meeting about once every 3 weeks. Thank God for this opportunity to strengthen the children's language and identity. Pray that they may understand at some point in their lives that their main identity is in Christ if they choose to follow Him.
FRIDAY 19 NETHERLANDS: Roland and Carolien Smith in Maastricht Last month a group of young volunteers worked with asylum seekers to paint inside the building where they are temporarily resident. We would like to do more to help now that this initial contact has been made and there is trust. Please join with us in praying about what we can do during this year. 5
SATURDAY 20 ITALY: Richard and Pinuccia Wilson in Trento In March, the Sunday School class we teach (10-13 years old) prepared and gave a lesson to the class of the smaller children (4-7 years old). It went well, especially seeing S. (who has ADHD) sit down for 10 minutes to help the younger children colour in. For most of our class, it was their first experience of ministry. Pray that it will be the beginning of a lifetime of service.
SUNDAY 21 ECM NEW ZEALAND: Féy Cotter, Mobiliser and International Support Please pray for wisdom and creativity as I begin to share the needs in Europe with churches, small groups and Bible Colleges. Pray for wisdom and guidance as I organise speaking engagements for Chris Wigram when he visits New Zealand in July. Give thanks that I have almost reached my support target for the year!
MONDAY 22 AUSTRIA: David and Linda James in Villach After the trauma of moving out from us, Ahmad is adjusting well to life in Linz. We have been in regular contact, supporting him as he adjusts. David has connected him with colleagues in the Grace International Fellowship hoping that he would quickly make friends there. He likes it as it is a smaller church and they have food after each service. He even said that the sermon was good. He has also met with a student worker who lives near to him and joined the football evening that they have each week. Belonging and then believing? We are praying that the Lord would save him.
TUESDAY 23 ECMI: Chris Wigram, International Director I will be leading the ‘Mission Strategy’ module at All Nations Christian College, 23-26 April. This involves 12 hours of teaching with students online from around the world. Pray that this kind of high-tech teaching would work as Chris has never done teaching in this way before.
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WEDNESDAY 24 PORTUGAL: Peter and Anna Crawford in Lisboa As ECM continues to strengthen its ties with some key leaders in Athens, please pray that our understanding of the needs in Greece, and our capacity as a Mission to help meet them will grow. Two approved ECM projects for church planting and social ministries need funding. Pray that the resources will be provided. God is raising up young Greek leaders with vision and purpose to reach their city of Athens. Please pray for the revitalisation of the 3rd Greek Evangelical Church in the Neos Kosmos area of Athens. The 2nd Greek Evangelical Church in Athens under the leadership of Pastor George Adam is looking for missionaries to join a new church plant in a student area of the city. Pray that someone from ECM will respond to these needs.
THURSDAY 25 ITALY: Erwin and Almut Buschlen & Richard and Pinuccia Wilson The Italian field will be meeting together on April 25-26 to talk and pray together. Pray that it will be a helpful time for all of the missionaries and that we will be able to think well about our desires and vision for ECM-Italy in the future.
FRIDAY 26 ECMI-USA: George Brown US Director Please pray for Roman Matviyiv and Oksana Savka as they travel in the USA April 4-29. Pray for good contacts with partners and potential ministry partners. Pray for safe travels, smooth connections and no lost baggage. Pray for the ECMI-USA Banquet being held in Colorado Springs April 26 – “Looking Back, Moving Forward Together” is the theme. Roman and Oksana will be our featured guests. Pray for an excellent turnout.
SATURDAY 27 ENGLAND: Phil and Martina Jolley in Gloucester We thank the lord for our Alpha group and that 2 of the members who are not believers are slowly growing in their knowledge of who God is and what he has done for them. One of them, B, has never read the Bible before and has asked for help in doing that, so pray that the Holy Spirit will awaken him to God’s truth as we do that together. 7
PERSONNEL OPPORTUNITIES Taking the Gospel to Albania We are looking for people who share this vision and are willing to come to Albania short-term to serve with this focus. Our goal is to see the churches we are working in grow towards maturity, and for this reason we would like more people to join our various ministries Together with you and the ECM Tirana team, we will prayerfully discern together the best ministry opportunities for you, depending on current needs in the churches, and your gifts, skills and interests. If you are interested or have any questions please Contact your nearest ECM office
SUNDAY 28 Austria: Stephan and Claudia Pohn in Dornbirn Please pray for the Langham preaching conference on 28 April especially for everyone who’s giving a talk or holding a seminar. (From this year on it’s all Austrian-led after being kick-started with a speaker from the UK for the first three years.) Stephan is involved in the steering committee. Please pray that a new batch of people will attend and churches will be blessed by this ministry, that layleaders, in particular, would become better equipped in their handling of and trust in God’s powerful Word.
MONDAY 29 UKRAINE: Iryna Matviyiv, New Hope team in Ukraine. Please praise God together with us for the wonderful things in the lives of many people he has done and continues to do through the ministries of the New Hope/ECMI in Ukraine. Please pray for an Orphan Care Workers and Families training session and a seminar on Biblical principal on fundraising for the New Hope Ukraine team.
TUESDAY 30 GERMANY: Rich and Ali Maegraith in Berlin Please pray for our son to be given a place in the school where his brothers are already attending.
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