FEBRUARY 2019
FRIDAY 1 ECM SERBIA: Branko and Rada Tihojevic in Zajecar With the Church building in Zajecar there is great challenge to present the Gospel Message of Hope. It takes time to gain people's trust to believe that it is the Truth. Here people are influenced by lots of religious and political turmoil, therefore with suspicion approach "new idea". Pray that the Lord will move people’s hearts to accept the Message as God's Word. Also pray for funding for the printing project for the book “Escape from Reason”, by Francis A. Schaffer. SATURDAY 2 SPAIN: Ron and Brenda Anderson, Church Planting Consultant Pray for the first M4 Church Planting training event in the Catalunya area on February 1 and 2. Pray that the participating teams will be encouraged and strengthened from the event. Pray for the organization team as they learn how to run these events. The National Spain M4 team will be mentoring and advising the Catalunya team throughout the event. SUNDAY 3 ECMI USA: George Brown Praise the Lord for the conversations we had at Urbana. 187 people gave us their contact information for follow up. Pray that the Lord would direct many more workers to the harvest in Europe. Pray for Lila Groth as she continues to mourn the loss of Doug and explores new ministry opportunities with ECMI. Pray for the Board of ECMI-USA as it continues the search for the next Executive Director when George Brown steps down from this role, May 31, 2019.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23
MONDAY 4 ECM AUSTRALIA: Matt and Louise George The Maegraith Family hope to return to Berlin in February. They have been in Sydney raising support. May God provide the support they need and prepare the hearts of many more Berliners to hear the gospel through the church plant. Calvin, our son was adopted from Bulgaria and still suffers trauma. He starts school on February 4. Please pray for his teacher Mrs Kirk that she would have wisdom in educating him and that he would have peace despite anxiety. would have peace despite anxiety.
TUESDAY 5 ECMI: Chris Wigram, International Director Pray for the ECM Foundations course taking place at DMG in Sinsheim from 4-9 February. Chris Wigram, Peter and Anna Crawford are the facilitators and there are ECM members from at least five different European ministries. Pray for good teaching, fellowship, prayer and presentations from the participants. Please pray for all the preparations, as we have revised the curriculum a little, and for the travel of all participants especially those with children. We will have 19 children, and a wide spread of nationalities, some of whom will need translation into Portuguese.
WEDNESDAY 6 SPAIN: Sharon Graves, Member Care Coordinator in Camarma de Esteruelas I would like to request prayer for the Equip 4 Christian Coaching Seminar on February 4-8, 2019, in Camarma de Esteruelas, Spain. Please pray that participants will be equipped with strategies and tools to engage in authentic coaching relationships that will strengthen individuals and communities working in ministry. Please pray for sustaining energy and stamina for the participants and the trainer throughout this 5day seminar. Please pray for safe travels for all those participating.
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THURSDAY 7 ALBANIA: Chris and Sarah Downing in Tirana We are grateful to God for a few significant relationshipbuilding opportunities over New Year, especially among our neighbours. Please pray for the Lord to work through these friendships to soften hearts and minds, and for us to speak boldly as we should and as He leads. FRIDAY 8 ECM AUSTRALIA: Matt George, Director Pray for Susan Tan, our new office manager at our Sydney office, who is learning on the job. Pray she can learn quickly and comes to thrive in a mission support context. Thank God for the garden unit that has recently been completed on our main property in Sydney. Pray that other construction work which has been approved for 2019 (including a new driveway, extra room on the main residence and landscaping) will be completed well and according to schedule. Also, please pray for candidates Dan and Beth Carmody as they continue support raising to go to the Republic of Ireland. SATURDAY 9 SPAIN: Dan and Anna Julian in Valencia Please pray for us as we settle back into field ministry after four months on furlough. Pray as Dan begins teaching a class for the Escuela EvangĂŠlica de TeologĂa. Pray also for the MOCLAM Spain team as the number of students continues to grow; pray the team is able to serve the students well and that the students grow in their faith and understanding of the Word. SUNDAY 10 GERMANY: Martin and Anja Teubert in Ribnitz-Damgarten In autumn we had bible-classes for Beginners in our Little church plant. Similar to the Alpha course, we started with dinner, then had a bible study and ended with discussion groups. We were surprised that around 25 people attended. Now we plan to go on and meet twice a month until summer. A lot are new people who do not attend our church service. In January we start our kid`s club on a regular basis (once a month on a Saturday). Martin will lead it, with two other people. 3
Dan & Anna Julian
MONDAY 11 ECMI: Chloe Wolfson, Short-Term Team Coordinator Many students are starting to think now about their summer plans and consider how to spend 2 months. Pray that they choose to put that time in God’s hands and consider coming alongside our ministries short term. Pray that God would use us to link people with experiences that grow their picture of God, challenge their misconceptions, give them a sense of how God might use them long term, and ignite in them a heart for reaching Europe.
Peter & Anna Crawford
TUESDAY 12 PORTUGAL: Peter and Anna Crawford in Lisbon It has been good to see the way the church plant in Alta de Lisboa has been growing in depth and spiritual hunger. There is an encouraging enthusiasm about the Wednesday evening Bible studies in Acts that Peter has been helping to lead, and God has been bringing new people into the fellowship. Pray for Sofia who was baptised last month, and for Rui who leads the team. WEDNESDAY 13 NETHERLANDS: Roland and Carolien Smith in Maastricht Praise the Lord! On Christmas Eve a Zimbabwean student was baptised at the Anglican Church here in Maastricht. In September she flew from Namibia, where she lives with her husband and three children, to start a postgraduate course in psychology at Maastricht University. She found All Saints Anglican Church in the web and as she was walking towards it, heard the song 'In Christ Alone' coming through the window. It was practice time for the musicians. At that moment she knew she should be baptised. THURSDAY 14 FRANCE: Steve and Rosemary Cox in Veneux-les-Sablons Our church is preparing for its annual general meeting in March. There are important decisions to be made in this 'year of change' concerning the future leadership and practical measures to encourage future growth in the church. Your prayer for discernment, wisdom, faith and unity would be appreciated. 4
FRIDAY 15 IRELAND: Marcus and Andressa Barido, candidates for Portugal We are thankful for all the opportunities that we are having in ministry. Please also pray for a healthy pregnancy for Andressa. Also, for our trip to the foundation course in Sinsheim, Germany from 4-9 February. Also pray that we would develop good relationships with local churches, and for our children to keep healthy, and for our financial support. SATURDAY 16 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Jonathan and Nicola McCracken in Claremorris We give thanks for good outreach with church and community over the Christmas period. Pray as we build on this over the coming year especially with the children's ministry. Give thanks too for some new workers on the horizon. We had a couple apply through the Calvary network and will be coming to work in Claremorris later in the year. SUNDAY 17 ROMANIA: Gary and Ioana Stoll in Piatra Neamt Please pray for us as we spend some time in the UK visiting, praying and reflecting on the work in Romania. We ask for clear guidance and vision from the Lord. On February 10 Gary will be speaking at his supporting church at a 'Missions Sunday' event. MONDAY 18 ECM BRITAIN: Rachel Gurney Joany is a short-termer from the UK who is serving with the van Dijks in Rostock from 1 to 20 February. Please pray for God’s blessing and protection during her time in Germany. Joany also asks for prayers for her elderly father’s health while she is away. TUESDAY 19 SPAIN: Ron and Brenda Anderson in Camarma de Esteruelas Pray for the Alpha Course that is being offered each Thursday during the months of January and February at the new church plant in Alcalá de Henares. Pray that those attending would be drawn to Jesus and have a hunger to know more. Please also 5
pray for the Camarma church as we seek the next steps for growth. We are running out of space in the school building we are using and need to decide on how to expand, by either finding a new building or dividing the congregation into several smaller regional congregations or do both options. WEDNESDAY 20 SPAIN: Delyth Sutton in the Pedroches Valley At the end of the year I was voted in to be ECM South team leader. This involves serving my fellow missionaries and supporting them in their ministries as and when necessary. This year it is our responsibility to organise our national prayer days. Pray for a willingness from the team and that we would listen to God as we prepare this special time for ECM Spain. For wisdom for me to serve them well. THURSDAY 21 SLOVENIA: Sarah Deacon in Ljubljana I would greatly appreciate prayer for the country of Slovenia which is very spiritually needy. Pray too for the work and spread of the gospel, and also for God to raise up Slovene gospel workers. That God would be glorified in all things. FRIDAY 22 ROMANIA: Adi and Jennifer Grocott in Timisoara Please pray for wisdom as we network with Children’s ministry organisations here in Romania to discern who we can partner with long term. Pray that we can use our time well and that we can balance family life, church commitments and ministry. Please pray for health as both children have had ongoing coughs and colds. Pray as we continue to re-establish relationships with both friends and ministry partners, that we would be an encouragement to all we meet. SATURDAY 23 SPAIN: Andy and Andrea Warner in Castellón Andy has a suspected broken meniscus in his left knee. Please pray for healing and full functionality of the joint. Also pray for patience with his immobility and the healthcare process.
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SUNDAY 24 ITALY: Richard and Pinuccia Wilson in Trento The church at Trento has begun monthly meetings on Friday afternoons with various activities, which are open to the people that live in the neighbourhood of the church hall. It is hard to know how the church can seek the good of the city, when there are excellent government services and 40 volunteer organisations just in our neighbourhood meeting the needs of the population. Pray that we will learn to be a help and a witness to our area. MONDAY 25 SPAIN: Hans and Jennifer Anderson in Málaga Praise God! We are finishing up home assignment in the USA but have arranged for a house to rent upon our return to Spain. Please pray for a clear gospel message to be communicated in love to all who come to the Diez42 ministry centre, which serves a mostly North African immigrant population in Málaga. TUESDAY 26 GERMANY: Christiaan and Kseniya Kooiman in Schwerin Last time we have asked for prayer that we could find the thief who stole several wallets with money and telephones from the Patchwork Centre. It came out that it is an 8 years old girl who spends most of her free time with us and sees us as her family. Please pray for this girl that she will understand that she did wrong and ask God to help her to stop stealing. Please also pray for the people in the Patchwork Centre where she stole the items from, that they could forgive her. WEDNESDAY 27 SPAIN: Peter and Kate Knowlson in Azuaga The Langham Trust set up a Preachers' Ministry through Spain which has continued in Southern Spain. This February and March there should be two more workshops in the second of four years but few of the forty who should come have responded. Pray that this ministry may carry on and move men and women to preach the Word clearly in the Spanish churches.
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PERSONNEL OPPORTUNITIES PRAYER EXPEDITION– PORTUGAL Many people pray for our work here in Portugal and we can see the fruits of it. To offer you even more involvement in the work here in Portugal we offer a unique opportunity— The prayer expedition! You and your group will travel to all our missionaries and intercede and pray for them as you are spending time in the area where they work.
Contact your nearest ECM office for more details.
THURSDAY 28 NEW ZEALAND: Murray and FĂŠy Cotter, retired missionaries I am settling into both of my jobs in New Zealand, and now have clear job descriptions for each of them. I am enjoying the challenges that each one brings. Please pray for wisdom as I juggle both jobs especially through busy times. Please continue to pray for me to raise the full amount of funds that I will need for this year. Please pray as I continue to follow up the ECM contacts in New Zealand.
For any correspondence concerning this publication contact: ecm.ni@ecmi.org ECM Ireland, Ballymacoss Avenue, Lisburn BT28 2GX If you wish to receive the Prayer Diary by email contact: prayer.diary@ecmi.org Prayer Diary is a publication of European Christian Mission International