2016-17 Prayers of the People - Mid-year Printable by Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Prayers People of the

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowshipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yearlong guide to prayer

April-August 2017 Bearing Witness to Jesus Christ

CBF Leadership

Contents

Suzii Paynter

Ways to Use this Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Sensing God’s Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Bearing Witness to Jesus Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Praying the Senses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Easter Reﬂection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Our Sense of Sight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Our Sense of Taste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Executive Coordinator

Steven Porter Coordinator of Global Missions

Bo Prosser Coordinator of Organizational Relationships

Design Team Jeff Langford Editor and Designer

FEATURED AUTHOR

Tina Bailey, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s ﬁeld personnel, is a visual and performing artist and ordained minister. Tina holds a Doctor of Ministry degree focusing on art and spiritual formation. She lives in Bali, Indonesia, with her husband, Jonathan, and has studied several Indonesian forms of dance, traditional Balinese painting, batik and Balinese Gamelan music. Tina mentors prisoners through teaching painting, drawing and dance in Bali’s High Security Prison.

Ways to Use this Guide Prayers of the People is a yearlong guide to prayer that invites you to explore how your prayers intersect with those of CBF ﬁeld personnel, ministries and partners around the world. This guide is a tool for forming together in shared ministry.

WORSHIP GATHERING

INDIVIDUAL SACRED SPACE

FAMILY TIME

Each day, create time and space in your home or workplace to consider the prayer requests. Pray for transformation and for the courage to be open to God’s love. Discuss with God your connection with this particular ministry or a local variant.

SMALL GROUP EXPERIENCE Use Prayers of the People in a missionoriented group, a prayer group or a Sunday school class. Ask your group members to consider the prayer request within a section’s particular prayer theme.

Create a monthly “Mission Moment” in your worship, sharing a story or prayer request from the prayer guide. Use the guide to shape a children’s sermon or reﬂection time during worship.

Prayers of the People is a great tool to teach children about the various aspects and experiences of prayer. Allow each child to look at the photos and ask questions. Explore other information about the culture of the people for whom you are praying.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS Mission teachers of Form and Spark can use the guide to make connections with the lessons they are teaching. Share copies of Prayers of the People with parents and families of children.

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Meagan Smith Ministries Assistant © 2016 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Calendar information is current as of June 2016 and will be updated June 2017. 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.

Get Prayers of the People on your E-reader Visit www.cbf.net/pray to get a copy of Prayers of the People for Kindle, Nook or other e-readers.

More Prayer Resources

To receive more detailed and current prayer requests from CBF ﬁeld personnel, visit www.cbf.net/pray. Subscribe to CBF’s weekly e-newsletter to receive regular Prayer Associates updates. Download copies to share with others.

To Order More

Contact the CBF Store at www.cbf.net/OGMorder or 800-352-8741 to order more copies of Prayers of the People. Include in welcome packets to church visitors and display on magazine racks.

Sensing God’s Presence

he 2016-2017 edition of the CBF prayer guide invites you to use all of your senses to notice God actively at work in the world. As CBF turns 25, we are celebrating the generations of ministry led by people like you who have prayerfully supported the work of congregations and field personnel as they bear witness to Jesus Christ throughout the world. Tina Bailey, CBF field personnel in Bali, Indonesia, is the author for this edition, and she will help you engage your senses and notice the full presence of God around you. Tina is a gifted artist whose love for God and God’s people is demonstrated through her own beautiful creations. You will love the paintings Tina has offered in Prayers of the People for you to meditate on as you pray. These works of art are reflections of her life and will help you engage your senses as you seek God’s presence.

These pages will inform you of prayer needs throughout the Fellowship and introduce you to the gifted people leading ministry in our CBF “denomi-network.” The prayer guide can help you establish a rhythm of daily prayer — a rhythm of creating space for God to speak love and life into your whole being. As you pray and use this guide to engage fully all of your senses, here is my prayer for each of you:

May you open your eyes to see the world God has put before you — may you pray with your eyes wide open to see as God sees the world — as a beloved community full of God’s children. May you taste something new, something different as you pray; for when you do it expands your ability to be open to the unknown, to be uncomfortable, and to let God lead you to a new place you may not go on your own.

May you smell the aromas of God’s creation, both pleasant and unpleasant, so that you’re fully aware of the creativity of God.

And may God use all of your senses as you pray so that you are fully awake, fully alive to the work of God in you and through you in the world to bear witness to Jesus Christ today and always.

May you listen to the God who speaks quite often in the stillness, encouraging us to remove ourselves from the tyranny of busyness.

Grace and peace,

May you dare to touch — to connect with another person, another soul — so that we remind ourselves that God created each and every person we touch in God’s perfect image.

Joshua Speight Missional Congregations Resources Manager Director, CBF Fellows

Bearing Witness to Jesus Christ

n the pages ahead, this new edition of Prayers of the People will invite you into the lives of an extraordinary group of people bearing witness to Jesus Christ around the world. Whether the prayer concerns at the heart of this guide come from church starters, chaplains, mission ﬁeld personnel, pastoral counselors or CBF ministries and congregations, they will draw you more deeply into God’s heart for the world. Bob Pierce, the American Baptist minister who founded World Vision International and Samaritan’s Purse, once wrote, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.” Over the coming year, may his well-worn prayer become our own. May we allow the burdens of our brothers and sisters across the Fellowship to break our hearts for the sake of the world.

The theme for this year’s prayer guide is bearing witness to Jesus Christ, which also happens to be one of CBF Global Missions’ primary mission commitments. We bear witness to the gospel through words that invite faith in Jesus and actions that embody the way of Jesus. In so doing, the Fellowship refuses to separate the Great Commission from the Great Commandment. We both confess Jesus Christ and follow the example of Jesus who healed the sick, fed the hungry and befriended sinners. Prayers of the People takes you on a world tour of witness over the coming year. I especially am excited to introduce Dr. Tina Bailey, one of CBF’s Global Missions ﬁeld personnel, as the author of this year’s guide. After serving in arts ministry for two decades in Bali, Tina’s heart was

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broken afresh this year through her deep friendships with prison inmates. In Tina’s life, bearing witness to Jesus Christ has taken myriad artistic forms, but this year it required her to walk through the executions of her friends who were fellow artists and brothers in Christ. She knows a thing or two about being broken with the things that break the heart of God. I commend her as a trustworthy guide as we partner and pray together to renew God’s world. Peace, D. Steven Porter Coordinator of Global Missions

Praying the Senses

uthentically bearing witness to Christ requires awareness to the world around us. I believe that God gave us the senses to be able to do that. We can exist without our senses, but perhaps we would not fully live without them. It is mystical and amazing how interconnected they are. When one sense is damaged or lost, one of the remaining senses compensates. That in itself is a testament to the complexity of our existence.

For me, there is also a bit of delight in knowing that “speech” is not one of the ﬁve senses! Our ﬁve senses connect to an inner awareness and by quieting

…even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139:12

ourselves, our senses are freed to experience what is going on around us. When we take the time to pay attention by engaging our senses, we discover more about each other and learn to love our The range of subject matter is a neighbors and our world better. We begin reﬂection of my life and art journey, to connect. both creatively and spiritually. I hope the artwork and the meditations will help to As we explore meditations on the senses guide you in your prayer journey. throughout this prayer guide, we will discover different ways that we bear witness to Christ’s presence in the world. The artwork accompanying each meditation is my own. I work in several different mediums, and art-making is part of my spiritual practice. When I create, it is because there is something that needs to be expressed.

Why Give? When you give to CBF, you share in the ministry of Christians throughout the world. Your gift is a pleasing offering to God, meant to bless the world through all of our senses for the work of Christ Visit www.cbf.net/give

Internal Peace batik on cotton

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ennard Weever is a CBF church starter who serves as the pastor of Innovation Park Church in Lawrenceville, Ga. Weever has a passion to help people discover their God-ordained potential and connect more deeply to the Kingdom of God. With degrees in counseling and theology, Weever has served in various roles within the church. He has also been the founding pastor of two congregations in New Jersey and North Carolina.

Pray that Kennard will remain dedicated to the work of community building and communicating the Word in a relevant way. Pray that God will help him to address the needs of Innovation Park Church and the community it hopes to reach.

April 1-8 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. Hebrews 3:13-14

Pray for Kennard as he follows his vision to engage in cutting edge ministry. Pray that he will continue to expand the Kingdom of God by reaching out to un-churched and wounded people. Ask that God would begin to change the way these people think about church.

BF field personnel Scarlette Jasper was commissioned in 2014 and serves through Together for Hope, CBF’s rural poverty initiative. Scarlette strives to meet people’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs so they can move out of the cycles of poverty and crisis. As she ministers in one of the poorest regions of the United States — rural, central and southern Kentucky — she resources families in crisis, including the homeless, survivors of domestic violence and those in urgent medical situations. One of the ways Scarlette serves is through financial counseling with families and individuals. Her goal is for low-income persons to become self-sufficient in managing their finances in order to be freed from their debts and so that they build more stable futures for their families. Please pray for continued partnership development, especially in McCreary County, Scarlette’s TFH county. Pray

for the people that Scarlette ministers to — those facing addiction issues, housing instability, medical crises such as cancer and other chronic diseases and those in ﬁnancial crisis due to lack of employment or other economic issues. Pray for families in cycles of generational poverty, that opportunities will be presented to build sustainable budgets for their households and futures for their families. Pray for Scarlette as she travels throughout rural Kentucky, ministering to the most marginalized populations. Pray as she seeks additional church and individual partners who share her passion for building stable families and communities through ﬁnancial literacy and economic development.

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April 9-15 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Easter Reflection

by Bo Prosser, Coordinator of Organizational Relationships

aster is a climactic and defining moment for the Christian Church. This is a day of celebration and optimism, of resurrection and promise. On Easter Sunday, churches are overflowing with attendees, many of whom come only a few times a year. Pray today for your church and for your church staff as they lead and proclaim Christ crucified and resurrected. Pray for those who will hear the message, some for the very first time!

awn is that miraculous morning moment when darkness gives way to light. Like the start of each new day, life with God provides new dawns. Long dark nights are dissipated by the dawn. A stressful season can turn at the break of a new day. A joyful experience can begin with the rising of the sun. CBF Dawnings offers churches the opportunity to live a lifetime of fresh new days through a congregational process of visioning, forming and engaging.

This is another of those days when family and friends gather. Children hunt colored eggs in back yards all across the nation. Families share stories and revisit traditions of long ago. On this day, pray that families too might be resurrected. Pray that Easter will mean new life and new traditions. Pray that all who gather, whether in church houses, back yards, or dining rooms, will be impacted with the Good News of a Risen Lord.

Pray for the churches who attended a Dawnings regional retreat this year. Pray for the churches whose Dawnings Visioning Teams are presently being coached through the congregational visioning, forming and engaging design process. Pray that churches will lean into trusting the Spirit to discover the next step in their missional journey. Pray that churches will courageously seek to be shaped by the mission of God.

Rather than depending upon one’s ability to accurately predict the future then to plan and invent the next movement of the church, Dawnings encourages the congregational leaders, through prayer and preparation, to discover God’s next vision for the church. This process helps the congregation to shift from doing a church-shaped mission to being a mission-shaped church.

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April 16-22 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… Matthew 28:19

he Cooperative Baptist Fellowship values theological education as an important component of vocational ministry preparation. As a result, CBF invests in current and future ministry leaders by awarding up to 70 scholarships annually to Baptist students enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program at an accredited insitution of higher education, including those studying at a CBF-partner theological school or seminary.

the calling of God upon their lives. Pray that they might ﬁnd new and creative ways to engage with others in dialogue about God’s love and redemptive work in the world. Pray that they might ﬁnd a place to voice their hopes and dreams for the church, particularly in the life of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

April 23-30 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Pray for CBF Leadership Scholars as they engage in theological inquiry that opens and expands their understandings of God, Jesus Christ and the Church. Pray for guidance as they seek to discern

1 Jennifer Dill, Pittsburgh, PA (CH) 1 Greg Smith, Fredericksburg, VA (FP) 2 Christie McTier, Dearing, GA (CH) 2 Leonora Newell, San Antonio, TX (FP) 3 Charles Mason, Mansfield, OH (CH) 3 Mark Reece, Elkin, NC (CH) 3 Wayne Sibley, Pineville, LA (CH) 3 Thomas Wicker, Salado, TX (CH) 4 Truett, 2011, Southeast Asia (FPC) 5 Patrick Baxter, Atlanta, GA (CH) 5 Darcie Jones, Columbia, SC (CH) 5 Eddy Ruble, Southeast Asia (FP) 6 Lauren Deer, Wallace, NC (CH) 6 Ka´thy Gore Chappell (S-North Carolina) 6 Steven Mills, Flat Rock, NC (CH) 7 LaCount Anderson, Scotland Neck, NC (FP) 7 Tricia Baldwin, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 7 Nathan Dean, Atlanta, GA (CST) 7 Bonnie Hicks, Woodstock, GA (CH) 7 Mary Timms, Hawkinsville, GA (CH) 7 Mary Wrye, Henderson, KY (CH) 8 Laura Johnson, New Bern, NC (CH) 8 Drexel Rayford, Birmingham, AL (CH) 9 Olen Grubbs, Hixson, TN (CH) 9 Jessica Hearne, Danville, VA (FP) 9 Scarlette Jasper, Somerset, KY (FP) 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, San Diego, CA (CH)

11 11 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 14

Laura Broadwater, Louisville, KY (CH) Steve James, Haiti (FP) Ryan Clark (S-Decatur) Andy Hale, Clayton, NC (CST) Beverly Hatcher, Winston-Salem, NC (CST) Allie Kilpatrick, Milledgeville, GA (CH) Landon Alberson, Chula, GA (CH) Steve Sullivan, Little Rock, AR (CH) Brian A. Warfield, Spencer, OK (CH) Kerri Kroeker, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (CH) 15 _______, Turkey (FP) 15 Jeff Flowers, Evans, GA (CH) 15 Jeff Langford (S-Heartland) 16 Kaitlyn Parks, 2006, Slovakia (FPC) 16 Victoria A. White, Richmond, VA (CH) 16 Kay Wright, Virginia Beach, VA (CH) 17 Allison Anderson, Morgantown, WV (CH) 17 David Jones, Newberg, OR (CH) 17 Doug McKinney, Salisbury, MD (CST) 18 Cyrus Bush, Pfafftown, NC (CH) 18 Ray Cooley, Wallingford, CT (CH) 18 Susan Crumpler (S-North Central Region) 18 Mason Jackson III, Fort Myers, FL (CH) 18 Nathan Solomon, Swansboro, NC (CH) 19 Michael Lee, Hendersonville, NC (CH) 20 David Chan, Houston, TX (CH) 20 Susan Stephenson, Edmond, OK (CH) 22 Tere Canzoneri (S-Decatur) 22 Judith Wortelboer-Grace, Temple, TX (CH) 22 Lucas Newell, 1997, San Antonio, TX (FPC)

April Birthdays CH = Chaplain CST = Church Starter FP = Field Personnel

22 23 23 24 24 24 24 24 25 25 25 27 27 28 28 28 29 30 30 30

Barry Pennington, Blue Springs, MO (CH) David Kolb, Lexington, NC (CH) Isaac Lopex, Crowley, TX (CH) Brenda Atkinson, Greenville, SC (CH) Rhonda Gilligan-Gillespie, Wichita, KS (CH) Laura Mannes, San Antonio, TX (CH) Travis Smith, Forest City, NC (CH) Leslie Stith, Liberty, MO (CH) Connie Graham, Fitzgerald, GA (CH) Megan Francis (S-Decatur) Victoria Whatley (S-Decatur) Pat Davis, Baton Rouge, LA (CH) Pete Parks, Williamsburg, VA (CH) Joy Hammond (S-Decatur) Carrol Wilson (S-Decatur) Gary McFarland, Charlotte, NC (PC) Ted Dougherty, Winston-Salem, NC (PC) Joseph Caldwell, Alameda, CA (CH) Melissa Neal, Floyd, VA (CH) Charles Wallace, Fort Worth, TX (CH)

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FPC = Child of Field Personnel PC = Pastoral Counselor S = CBF Staff Member

Our Sense of Sight

o see, to know, to witness, is risky. Seeing requires that we too are not hidden but can also be seen. I think about the idea of removing a blindfold and becoming aware in a new way. There are many realities around us that may be hidden in plain sight: the victims of domestic abuse or human trafficking; the lonely newcomer to our neighborhood who does not look or talk like us. Seeing changes our perspective. For me, beginning to mentor in an art program in a prison was this kind of experience. Before I went the ﬁrst time, I had no real vision of the inmates or their lives. It did

not take long before I began to see them, to learn about who they are and to allow them to know and see me. The situation became very real, and I began to see them for who they are: people with pasts and futures. When I began to see them, I learned of their joys, dreams, wounds and, for some, about their journeys towards death. This seeing has changed me. I witnessed directly the trauma inﬂicted by the death penalty. I saw its effects, not only for those who were killed along with my friend, Myuran Sukamaran, but also for other inmates, families, prison guards and even journalists. Because I saw, I was changed.

Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Psalm 119:18

When you dare to see, you cannot un-see. Today and everyday, see. Remove the barriers to your sight and risk being changed. Pray with your eyes open.

Why Give? When you give to CBF, you open the eyes of our Fellowship to the refugee, the orphan, the hungry, the sick, the forgotten, the displaced. When our eyes are opened to those who are pushed out and ignored, Christ compels us to invite them in and offer our love. Visit www.cbf.net/give

Soul Sight acrylic on canvas

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he adolescent journey is one of physical, mental and emotional transformation. The change mirrors the disciples’ growth in the Gospels as they seek to follow Jesus’ way of love. Youth ministry provides important space for teenagers to learn from mentors, reﬂect on experience, seek God in life’s challenges and connect with the wider Body of Christ.

comfort zone and standing apart from the crowd. Pray for those who struggle to be free from the lure of peer approval, academic success, human achievement and beauty standards. Pray for youth who struggle with illness, family instability and abuse.

Pray that Restoring Hope Fellowship will continue to be faithful to its call to colabor with Christ to promote abundant life. Ask God to empower their efforts to help persons envision their potential in Christ and take the necessary steps to realize it.

Pray for all those who serve God by loving, leading and learning alongside youth in our congregations. Pray for CBF Youth Ministry Network works to youth ministers whose gospel work encourage, support and challenge all competes with soccer schedules, those serving God and youth within the parents’ expectations and teens’ Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The ﬁckle approval. Say a prayer of network unites congregations over the thanksgiving for all those adult common calling to connect youth with volunteers who offer support as God through ministry that is authentic, they embody Jesus’ promise that formative, mission-focused, relational, love never stands alone. Pray for safe and sustainable. those adults who are coming to realize that their gifts could be Pray for youth within CBF congregations transformed into instruments and beyond. Pray for those who are of supportive presence, learning by experience that following spiritual guidance and Biblical Christ can mean stepping out of one’s interpretation.

hristopher Jones is a CBF church starter who serves as the pastor of Restoring Hope Fellowship in Carrollton, Texas. After years of ministry and efforts to promote justice and a loving adherence to the gospel, a small group in the North Dallas/Denton area gathered to envision a new, innovative ministry. The group sought to promote young adult leadership, to integrate the social and behavioral sciences and technology with theology and to remember God’s call for rest. Out of this pursuit emerged the Restoring Hope Fellowship.

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May 1-8 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” Mark 10:14

May 9-15 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine… Ephesians 3:20

or 10 weeks each summer, undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to serve with congregations, CBF ﬁeld personnel or ministry partners in meaningful experiences to discover their place within God’s mission to change the world. Student.Church places interns in CBF partner churches that care about calling out future ministry leaders. While being mentored by seasoned ministers, students explore the breadth of congregational life, including worship planning, connecting with a wide variety of people and taking time to understand church.

Student .Go

esignated a couple of years ago as the number one city for human trafficking in the United States, Houston, Texas, is a place of pain and suffering for victims of trafficking. The Department of Justice estimates that as many as one in four victims of human trafficking passes through Houston at some point during their trafficking experience. Major airports, one of the world’s busiest ports, the I-10 corridor passing through the city and the proximity to the Mexico border are all reasons for Houston’s prominence in the industry.

Student.Go is a missions program of CBF that provides opportunities for students to serve with CBF ﬁeld personnel and ministry partners as they live out CBF Global Missions commitments—cultivating beloved community, bearing witness to Jesus Christ, and seeking transformational development. Please pray for the students serving, that they will remain open to seeing and experiencing God in new ways and that they will give of themselves and truly represent the love of Christ. Pray for the congregations and ﬁeld personnel they work with in life-changing ministry. Continue to pray for them during their summer experience.

May 16-22 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us… Hebrews 12:1

Student

.Church

Cities (CCHT – TX). Pray for protection for pastors and leaders as they teach about and bring awareness to the issue. Pray that victims identiﬁed will be able to receive help and begin recovery. Pray for a greater awareness of labor trafficking, which is often overlooked. Pray for the Greens as they connect people and resources to bring an end to the purchasing and selling of human beings for the purposes of labor and sexual exploitation.

To address the issue, CBF ﬁeld personnel Butch and Nell Green have helped to form a coalition of church and civic leaders between Texas gateway (border) cities and destination cities. Pray for the work and advancement of the Coalition Combatting Human Trafficking Texas Gateway/Destination

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May 23-30 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2

May Birthdays CH = Chaplain CST = Church Starter FP = Field Personnel

1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 8 8 8

Michael Coggins, Navarre, FL (CH) Bob Whitten, Springfield, VA (PC) Karen Borchert, Talbott, TN (CH) Cathy Cole, Aiken, SC (CH) Stephen Murphy, Hull, MA (CH) Deborah Reeves, Atlanta, GA (CH) Matthew Sherin, 2004, Mitchell, SD (FPC) Lynn Walker, Chickasha, OK (CST) Terry Wilson, Mt. Pleasant, SC (CH) Johann Choi, Decatur, GA (CH) Gary Metcalf, Kingsport, TN (CH) Skip Wisenbaker, Atlanta, GA (CH) Austin, 2004, Thailand (FPC) Bruce Gourley, Bozeman, MT (CST) Karen Long, Birmingham, AL (CH) Carol Dalton, Swannanoa, NC (CH) Terry Maples (S-Virginia) Rusty Elkins, Edmond, OK (CH) Bruce Hunter, Midlothian, VA (CST) Brenda Pace Jones, Hendersonville, NC (PC) 8 Christopher Jones, Carrolton, TX (CST)

FPC = Child of Field Personnel PC = Pastoral Counselor S = CBF Staff Member

9 Rich Behers, Lakeland, FL (CH) 9 David Harding, Orlando, FL (FP) 9 Leigh Jackson, Austin, TX (CH) 11 Larry Ballew, China (FP) 11 Leah Boling, Waipahu, HI (CH) 11 Robbi Francovich, Emeritus (FP) 11 Jonna Garvin, Manassas, VA (CH) 11 Cy Miller, Marion, NC (CH) 12 Lori Irons-Crenshaw (S-Decatur) 13 Tracy Dunn, Hereford, TX (CH) 13 Samson Naidoo, Denison, TX (CH) 14 Doretha Bailey (S-Decatur) 14 Scott McBroom, Charleston, SC (PC) 14 JoAnne Morris, Louisville, KY (CH) 14 Rob Norman, North Brunswick, NC (CST) 15 Paula Settle, Eastern Kentucky (FP) 15 Kennard Weever, Lawrenceville, GA (CST) 16 Lauren Bass, Cambodia (FP) 16 Lauren Hall, Wilmore, KY (CH) 16 Steven Harris, Salem, VA (PC) 16 John Reeser, Sautee Nacoochee, GA (CH) 16 Alex Ruble, 2001, Southeast Asia (FPC)

ustin Payne serves as the teaching pastor of The Forum Christian Church in Houston, Texas, one of CBF's new church starts. A graduate of Truett Seminary at Baylor University, he felt called to Northwest Houston — a very diverse and eclectic area — and to the task of sharing life and the gospel with Millennials and Generation Z. The Forum is centered on authentic, Christ-centered community, discipleship, and the recreation of the city. Their vision is to be a Christian community working to live life to the fullest through the process of discipleship while engrossed in the beauty of God and the restorative work of Jesus Christ.

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Barry Wright, Jacksonville, FL (CST) Jennifer Call, Salem, VA (CH) Robert Duvall, Lawrenceville, GA (CH) Nell Green, Houston, TX (FP) Filip Zivanov, 1998, St. Louis, MO (FPC) Ciera Maas, 2003, Belize (FPC) Clay Polson, Waco, TX (CH) Christa Sfameni (S-Decatur) Greg Slate, Littleton, CO (CH) Mary Ahn, Round Lake, IL (CH) Gwyen Driskill-Dunn, Fort Worth, TX (CH) Eddie Hammett (S-North Carolina) Micah James, 1994, Haiti (FPC) Julie Perry, Charlottesville, VA (CH) Marcy Thomas, Brentwood, TN (CH) Carson Foushee, Japan (FP) Pat, New Jersey (FP) Ron Winstead, Emeritus (FP) Jon Ivy, Tuscaloosa, AL (CH) Gabe Lyon, 2005, Atlanta, GA (FPC) Steven Unger, Falls Church, VA (CH) Travis Yelton, Prattville, AL (CH) Cheryl Adamson, Conway, SC (CST) Polly Barnes, Brandon, MS (CH) Jared Neal, Atlanta, GA (CH) John Schumacher, Smyrna, GA (CH) Stephanie Vance (S-Decatur) Harold Phillips (S-Heartland) Paulette Porter-Hallmon, Spartanburg, SC (CH) 25 Brady Dennis (CST)

that they will believe that the God of the Universe, Cosmic Jesus, can reach out and touch the people of The Forum, causing transformation, renewal and healing.

Pray that the Forum Christian Church can see Jesus in all that they do. Pray

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Valerie Hardy, Loganville, GA (CH) Hunter, Thailand (FP) Gerry Hutchinson (S-Decatur) Kenneth LeBon, Fayetteville, NC (CH) David Smith, Alpharetta, GA (PC) Aleesa Naish, Birmingham, AL (CH) Randy Ridenour, Norman, OK (CH) Winston Shearin, Jacksonville, NC (CH) Stacey Buford, Murfreesboro, TN (CH) LouRae Myhre-Weber, Twin Bridges, MT (CH) 31 Kelley Woggon, Louisville, KY (CH)

June 1-8 Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. Matthew 18:10-11

s a family, we gather each year for fellowship, for inspiration, for worship and to do the business of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. This annual event is called the General Assembly.

Pray for the attendees, that the fresh ideas and relationships that are discovered at Assembly will continue to impact local churches and the Kingdom throughout the upcoming year.

No matter where we meet, people come from all over just to be a part of the celebration. Our hope is that everyone will ﬁnd something of interest. Great speakers, amazing musicians, gifted workshop presenters and unique resources can all be found at Assembly.

June 9-15 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. John 14:27

None of this happens by accident. It takes an entire year to prepare for the Assembly. Pray for staff and volunteers who endeavor to execute this massive event. Pray for members of CBF’s boards, councils and committees who gather to do the work of the Fellowship.

inistry is a marvelous calling and journey, but too often it is one traveled in loneliness and isolation. By providing opportunities to connect with other pastors, Minister Peer Learning Groups (PLGs) help the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship live into the idea that “we can do this alone or we can be a fellowship.”

Pray for the ministers involved in Peer Learning Groups, that they will ﬁnd encouragement and friendship within their calling. Pray for more Peer Learning Groups to form, and pray for those ministers who are still traveling alone.

Over 100 PLGs of 6-12 members — stretched across the United States from the Paciﬁc to the Atlantic and from New England to Florida — gather monthly for worship, spiritual growth, learning, sharing, fellowship and, above all, friendship along the journey. PLGs come in all shapes and sizes — pastors, all ministers, male, female, coed, all Baptist, ecumenical and more. There is not a single model or a cookie cutter approach.

Prayers of the People — April-August 2017 | 12

June 16-22 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Psalm 116:5-6

thiopia ranks as the third poorest country in the world and suffers from chronic and acute disasters such as drought and lack of access to safe drinking water. The most vulnerable people live in villages on the edge of existence, enduring incredible hardship in extreme living conditions. In the midst of this suffering, God loves them and has decked them with “majesty and dignity” (Job 40:10). Unfortunately, many have forgotten this great reality and have become trapped with a mindset of dependency and hopelessness. Since 2006, CBF has assisted in the formation of over 500 Sustainable Living Teams (SLTs) to reverse the mindset at the root of extreme poverty and to offer opportunity and hope.

will increase their income and general well-being. They voluntarily gather weekly to learn how to save and loan their own money in a safe place where trust and love can grow. A dynamic learning process is integrated into team life that helps restore personal dignity, respect, responsibility and leadership for the common good. Once this transformation begins, SLTs become eager to learn other critical behaviors such as drinking clean water, practicing good sanitation and hygiene, producing more food and linking with government and church resources that were initially out of reach. SLTs are a great example of forming for transformation by cultivating beloved communities in the Spirit of Christ.

June 23-30 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:9-10

SLTs are primarily comprised of 15 to 20 of the poorest women who selforganize to learn new skill sets that

1 Thong Lun, Houston, TX (CH) 1 Betsy Young (S-Decatur) 2 Carmen Beard (S-Decatur) 2 Caitlyn Furr (S-Decatur) 2 Susan Hunter, Troy, VA (CST) 2 Inakali Kuruvilla, San Antonio, TX (CH) 3 Susan Arnold, La Grange, KY (CH) 5 Stacy Sergent, Mount Pleasant, SC (CH) 5 David Smelser, Lucedale, MS (CH) 6 Erskine Alvis, Black Mountain, NC (CH) 6 Wayne Bruner, Augusta, GA (CH) 6 Linda Cross, San Antonio, TX (FP) 6 Todd DeLaney, Alexandria, VA (CH) 6 Greg McClain, Lillington, NC (CH) 6 Norberto Prado, Oak Ridge, TN (CST) 7 Bill Peeler, Cambodia (FP) 7 Diana Place, Tucson, AZ (CH) 7 Gary Skeen (S-Decatur) 7 Butch Stillwell, Candler, NC (CH) 8 Larry Lawhon, Stephens City, VA (CH) 8 Janice Newell, Emeritus (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 Sara Stubbs, Monroe, NC (CH) 9 Patricia Taylor, Tuscaloosa, AL (CH) 9 Doug Wiggington, Pineville, LA (CH) 10 Cindy Goza, Little Rock, AR (CH) 10 Christopher McDaniel, Charleston, SC (CH) 10 Ansia Picou, NY (CH)

10 10 11 12 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 15 16 17

Michael Osment, Martin, TN (CH) Kim Wyatt, Raleigh, NC (FP) Joshua Hearne, Danville, VA (FP) Mark Chambers, Ness City, KS (CH) Emma Jane Conley, Round Rock, TX (CH) Brady Lanoue, Danville, VA (CH) Richard Forest, Louisville, KY (CH) Kim Thompson, Columbia, SC (CH) Chaouki Boulos, Lebanon (FP) Tracey Lopez, Vienna, VA (CH) Robbin Mundy, Fairview, NC (CST) Josh Speight (S-Decatur) Melissa Whaley, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) Kimberly Emery, Hartville, OH (CH) Linda Jones, Winston-Salem, NC (S-North Carolina/CST) 18 Bill Hayes, Bogart, GA (CH) 18 George Linney, Durham, NC (CST) 20 Tim Johns, San Diego, CA (CH) 20 Wanda Kidd (S-North Carolina) 20 Jeff Lancaster, Cartwright, OK (CH) 20 Cherry Moore, Bryan, TX (CH) 20 Lonnie Turner, Emeritus (FP) 21 Jim Cook, Salisbury, NC (CH) 21 Susan Harthon, Indianapolis, IN (CH) 21 Jeff Hoppe, Albuquerque, NM (CH) 21 Ken Lake, Fort Mill, SC (CH) 21 Adam Page, Kingsport, TN (CH) 22 Sharon Eldridge, Smithfield, NC (CH) 22 Joanne Henley, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 22 Kirk, Thailand (FP) 22 Jessica Prophitt, Palmetto, GA (CH)

June Birthdays CH = Chaplain CST = Church Starter FP = Field Personnel

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Andrew, 1998, Thailand (FPC) Sarah Ballew, China (FP) David Lowe, Fort Worth, TX (CH) Helen McNeely, Emeritus (FP) Dustin Payne, Houston, TX (CST) Robert Fulkerson, Tulia, TX (CH) Elias Crosby, Lilburn, GA (CH) Michael Ferguson, El Paso, TX (CH) Anna Jacks, Birmingham, AL (CH) Alicia Lee, Macedonia (FP) Michael Brainerd, Alexandria, VA (CH) Roger Rich, Lexington, SC (CH) Scott Sterling, Whispering Pines, NC (CH) Kevin Adams, Cincinnati, OH (CH) Jeni Cook, Poquoson, VA (CH) Carrie McGuffin (S-Decatur) Ira Campbell, Nashville, TN (CH) Margaret Guenther, Richmond, VA (PC) Amy Holtz, Richmond, VA (CH) Gail McAlister (S-North Carolina)

Prayers of the People — April-August 2017 | 13

FPC = Child of Field Personnel PC = Pastoral Counselor S = CBF Staff Member

Our Sense of Taste

h, the vastness of the experience of taste! The sweetness and bitterness balancing each other out as life is shared. Taste is the doorway to expanding our palates, whether through the hospitality of sharing a meal or the willingness to experience the ﬂavors of new cultures. When Jonathan and I ﬁrst moved to Indonesia, there were several foods that did not suit my palate, but now most of those foods are the ones I love best. Exploring new tastes is like experiencing a different culture. Learning new ways to connect is often a struggle in the beginning of living in a new and

unfamiliar place. But just as my palate changed as I grew to love Indonesian food, new experiences — often uncomfortable in the beginning — may eventually become your favorites. We see how important food was in the life and ministry of Jesus. He took time to eat, drink and hang out, building community in the most natural way — sharing life and food. We still have much to learn from his example.

O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

for me to be willing to step outside the familiar to learn and love something not yet known and experienced. May your prayer today be one that motivates you to expand your palate and savor the tastes of the unfamiliar. Savor it and let it settle into your awareness.

Savoring what is happening around us — sitting, waiting, watching — takes time. Although it may not feel productive, it is the work of cultivating fellowship with others. It is at the heart of ministry

Why Give? When we give to CBF, we empower our ministers and field personnel to offer grace and hospitality to everyone they encounter. Our gifts encourage them to invite people to Christ’s banquet table where everyone is able to taste the bread of life and the cup of salvation. Visit www.cbf.net/give

Savoring Community watercolor on paper

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BF’s Associate Coordinator of Global Missions Sam Harrell believes that the dignity of persons is enhanced when they are engaged in meaningful and productive work, work that is in harmony with their community and environment. Sam enjoyed his years working to engage African communities in expanding opportunities for sustainable livelihood that translates into more abundant life. Through these activities, the health of children improves, opportunities for education for girls increases and the future is more secure. One partner in this effort is a work among the Masai people bordering the Mara/Serengeti eco-system in Kenya. The Maa Trust provides training for women in bead-making, helping them to enhance their skill in this craft while providing income for their families. Bee keeping is another activity that translates into a sustainable product that enhances

abbath. Sabbatical. A time of rest, of stepping away from the work in order to renew. These are critical (and biblical) needs that many ministers are unable to make time for in our fast-paced, 24/7 world, where clergy are regularly exposed to new dimensions of stress. Study after study has shown that the health of ministers is on a downward spiral, and recent research has shown that ministers suffer from maladies like obesity, hypertension and depression at higher rates than most Americans.

environmental conservation in the region. Both of these provide alternatives to traditional cattle-keeping, the growth of which has begun to threaten the surrounding eco-system, and stretch available resources to unsustainable limits. When the lives of people are enhanced, God is gloriﬁed. More abundant life can translate into fertile ground for giving and receiving, including the sharing of the love of Jesus. Sam and Melody Harrell are thankful to have played a part in supporting the development of opportunities and outreach that this and similar organizations are dedicated to.

July 1-8 See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Isaiah 55:5

Please pray that as skills continue to be enhanced, the beneﬁt will spread to more families and to whole communities.

Pray for our ministers experiencing sabbatical now. Pray for the ministers who are seeking rest and renewal. Pray for our churches as they invest in the longevity of the minister through sabbatical. Pray for a time of renewal for the congregation during sabbatical.

CBF’s Sabbatical Initiative offers resources to both ministers and congregations to assist in planning this life-giving experience. Churches are making space for ministers to ﬁnd rest and renewal. Ministers are taking time to do the precious work of caring for themselves. Together, they are investing in the health of both the congregation and the minister, leading to a longer tenure and renewed energy for ministry.

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July 9-15 I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world! John 16:33

haplain Christensen serves as an army chaplain for the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment at Fort Drum, NY. As a battalion chaplain, Dave is responsible to provide religious support for over 800 soldiers and their families. He also serves on the pastoral staff of Chapel Next Fort Drum, where over 300 people worship every Sunday. He has been deployed to combat twice, serving in Iraq in 20082009 and Afghanistan in 2015-2016. He has also been deployed to West Point, NY, where his unit led the cadet summer training for the United States Military Academy in 2016. Dave and his wife, Meredith, met in college and have been married for 17 years and have four children.

Dave asks that you pray for the physical, psychological and spiritual safety of his soldiers. He also covets your prayer for his counseling ministry as many soldiers come to him with heavy emotional and spiritual burdens.

of the differences they are making in the local community is to reach out and minister to the prostitutes who work the streets. This “ladies-in-waiting” ministry has already made an impact in the lives of over 30 prostitutes coming from the countries of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, France, Ghana and Nigeria.

uman trafficking is the slavery of our time. Women who have been trafficked often have been subjected to profound trauma, both physical and mental. They also face social rejection, discrimination and humiliation in their own society and in the one for which they are forced to work. In our communities, there are urgent needs and great opportunities to provide these women with various forms of assistance. It may be just a smile or small gift to let them know they are not forgotten, or it can take the form of health care, occupational training or emotional support.

Please pray for the families of his soldiers to have peace in times of anxiety, rest in times of exhaustion and hope in times of despair. Pray for Dave to have wisdom and discernment as he advises his commander on religion, morality, morale and ethics. Dave asks for you to pray for his family as they support him in a ministry that often requires long periods of separation and for his own spiritual health as he seeks to be more like Jesus.

Please pray for the “ladies-in-waiting” ministry. Pray speciﬁcally for the prostitutes who have found themselves trafficked or trapped in this profession and for the women working to make a difference through this ministry.

In Strasbourg, France, a group of international women from local churches have joined together through “The Difference” international women’s ministry. This group of women aims to recognize the difference God makes in their individual lives and then to make a difference in the lives of others. One

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July 16-23 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Romans 8:31

July 24-31 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

1 Alysia Pennington (S-Decatur) 1 Debra Walters, Lawrenceville, GA (CH) 2 Jennifer Dockum, Ashland, VA (CH) 2 Aaron Mussat, Shreveport, LA (CH) 2 Steven Smith, Springfield, MO (CH) 2 Kyle Tubbs, Round Rock, TX (CST) 3 Nathanael Ballew, 1994, China (FPC) 3 Elizabeth Ellis, Crestwood, KY (PC) 3 Brenda Lee, Williamsburg, VA (CH) 3 Ascanio Peguero, Fort Worth, TX (CH) 3 Meagan Smith (S-Decatur) 5 Coy Callicott, Spartanburg, SC (CH) 5 Jeff Fryer, Murfreesboro, TN (CH) 5 Amy Dills-Moore, Atlanta, GA (CH) 5 Bob Potts, Emeritus (FP) 5 Mark Snipes (S-Virginia) 6 Shelah Acker, Uganda (FP) 6 Sam Harrell (S-Decatur) 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 Julie Rowan, Washington, DC (CH) 7 P. Randall Wright, Rockhill, SC (CH) 8 Ruth Perkins-Lee (S-Decatur) 8 Renato Santos, Miami, FL (CH) 8 Steve Sexton, Knoxville, TN (CH) 8 Robert Summers, Lexington, KY (CH) 9 Miriam Dakin, Lynchburg, VA (CH) 10 John Helms, Jefferson, GA (CH) 10 Heather Rothermel, Lilburn, GA (CH)

10 Whitney Edwards Russell, Whiteville, NC (CH) 10 Tiffne Whitley, France (FP) 11 Allie McNary, 1995, Slovakia (FPC) 11 Steven Shaw, Jacksonsville, NC (CH) 12 ________, North Africa (FP) 12 Christopher Morris, Winston-Salem, NC (CH) 12 Stacey Pickering, Laurel, MS (CH) 12 Mark Podgaisky, 1999, Ukraine (FPC) 12 Jerell Wesley, Rembert, SC (CH) 13 Craig Stevens, Saluda, SC (CH) 14 John Deal, Emeritus (FP) 14 Denise Massey, Lilburn, GA (CH) 15 Jean Randolph, Swannanoa, NC (CH) 15 James Tippins, Fernandina Beach, FL (CH) 16 Mark Hart, Fair Oaks Ranch, TX (CH) 16 David McDaniel, Kansas City, MO (CH) 17 Wayne Boyd, Honolulu, HI (CH) 17 Caleb, 1996, Thailand (FPC) 17 Cindy Meadows, Roanoke, VA (CH) 17 Leanna Pearse, St. Louis, MO (CH) 17 Kimberly Sheehan, Nashville, TN (CH) 18 David Graves, Atlanta, GA (CH) 18 Timothy Hunter, Gatesville, TX (CH) 18 Tom O’Neal, Charlotte, NC (PC) 19 Steven Hill, Knoxville, TN (CH) 19 Jason Pittman, Miami, FL (FP) 20 Tim Mayhall, Birmingham, AL (CH) 21 _______, daughter, Turkey (FPC) 21 Peter Arges, Durham, NC (CH)

ho am I? What am I to do with my life? How do I find my place in God’s world? These are the perennial questions that face every generation of college and graduate students seeking to be faithful followers of Jesus. Many factors and influences make it difficult for students to process life experiences and to wrestle with such questions. Society at large, family members, professors, and even church leaders place expectations on their lives, making it confusing at times to pursue their callings, much less to hear the voice of God. In the context of Selah Vie, CBF’s annual end-of-summer retreat for young adults in college and graduate school, participants are encouraged to put their lives on hold in order to regain balance and find their center. Throughout the unhurried rhythms of the retreat, students worship, pray, reflect in small groups, play and have

July Birthdays CH = Chaplain CST = Church Starter FP = Field Personnel

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FPC = Child of Field Personnel PC = Pastoral Counselor S = CBF Staff Member

Susan Lanford, Wichita Falls, TX (CH) Twyla Nelson, Jackson Springs, NC (CH) Keith Tekell, Beaumont, TX (CH) Walter White, Arlington, TX (CH) Lavonia Winford, Doraville, GA (CH) Steve Abbe, Waco, TX (CST) Jessie Kearns, Abbeville, SC (CH) Dorothy Potts, Emeritus (FP) Bonnie Reedy, Lumberton, NC (CH) Butch Green, Houston, TX (FP) Mark Traeger, Peoria, IL (CH) Glynn Ford, Reston, VA (PC) Jeff Huett (S-Atlanta) Laurel Link, Winston-Salem, NC (PC) Ronald Oliver, Goshen, KY (CH) Scott Jensen, Saint Joseph, MO (CH) Rick Sample, San Francisco, CA (FP) Peter Ott, Oak Harbor, WA (CH) Sandra Smith, Moore, SC (CH) Emily, 2000, Thailand (FPC) Daniel Fairchild, Goldsboro, NC (CH)

intentional conversations focused on the particular stage of life in which they ﬁnd themselves. Some students will process a particular experience like a church internship, mission placement or camp staff assignment. These students will be anxious to let down their hair and breathe after a long and intense summer of service. Others will come ready to meet God and to be refreshed for the next stage of their journeys. Pray that students will meet God at Selah Vie. Pray for this year’s leaders as they help students understand the all-demanding nature of discipleship. Pray also that the small groups will be able to form deep spiritual community to allow for healing and growth. Thank God for the opportunity that Cooperative Baptists have to walk alongside young adults in their exploration of faith.

Prayers of the People — April-August 2017 | 17

29 Michal Patrik Brunclik, 2006, Czech Republic (FPC) 29 Wayne Morris, Lawton, OK (CH) 29 Carrie Tuning, Roanoke Rapids, NC (CST) 29 William (Butch) Wise, Spokane, WA (CH) 29 Karen Morrow, Aledo, TX (FP) 29 Martha Crocker Strong, Olive Branch, MS (CST) 29 Briana Whaley, Clearwater, FL (CH) 30 Paul Byrd, Birmingham, AL (CH) 30 James Francovich, Emeritus (FP) 30 Garnett White, Midlothian, VA (PC) 31 Amber Blackwell-Childers, Inman, SC (CH) 31 Cindy Thorpe, Greenwood, SC (CH) 31 James Tille, Lakewood, WA (PC)

August 1-8 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

avid and Lauren Bass are recently-appointed CBF ﬁeld personnel serving in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Basses are partnering with the Cambodia Baptist Union, supporting its country-wide church planting movement. Christians make up less than one percent of the population of Cambodia, but the CBU has a goal to plant churches in each of Cambodia’s 13,869 villages.

a community of people around them who will provide emotional, spiritual and ministry support during the transition phase of their lives in this country. Pray for Cambodian pastors as they minister to their churches and share the gospel throughout Cambodia.

August 9-15 Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also “was faithful in all God’s house.” Hebrews 3:1-2

David and Lauren are working to equip Cambodian churches to engage their communities holistically through developing church leadership programs for pastors and church planters and through exploring opportunities for economic development projects. Pray for David and Lauren as they learn to speak, read and write the Khmer language. Pray that God would raise up

ayne Weathers, a CBF new church starter, serves as the pastor and organizer of Vision of Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa. Vision of Hope is a multigenerational church that focuses on inreach and out-reach ministry, providing hope in Jesus Christ to members of the congregation and community through practicing spiritual disciplines.

Thank God for the joy Wayne has experienced during his journey to organize and establish Vision of Hope. Pray that the church will continue to walk by faith. Pray that they will always seek to ﬁnd innovative ways to show others the Kingdom of God.

While pastoring another congregation in Philadelphia, Weathers felt a call from God to launch a church in the city that would provide hope to individuals dealing with challenges and despair in their lives. The mission of the church is to go out into the city to create disciples who can minister to both the congregation and the Strawberry Mansion community of Philadephia.

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August 16-23 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

im Wyatt, CBF field personnel working in North Carolina, first met Abdul, a 50-year-old refugee, when he came unannounced to her English as a Second Language class. He had been resettled in the U.S. about a year prior. Until recently, he had a job and was taking care of himself. But his job ended and with it came the realization, once again, that he was not from here. He spoke very little English. He could not read or even write his own name. The first hour of class, it was obvious that Abdul did not want to be there. He was there because he had to learn the language of his new homeland. On that day the lesson was on making introductions. “My name is Kim. What is your name?” The class took turns practicing these simple sentences. Abdul stood up, opened his wallet and took out a small

1 1 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 7 8 8 8 8 9

Steven Safreed, Waynesville, NC (CH) Stephen Saunders, Live Oak, TX (CH) Mike Beach, Knoxville, TN (CH) Mina Podgaisky, Ukraine (FP) Scott Uzzel, Marietta, GA (CH) Mary Ellen Yates, Louisville, KY (PC) Hannah, 1999, Thailand (FPC) Paisley, 2012, Southeast Asia (FPC) Mark Pruitt, Martinsburg, WV (CH) Diane Stamey, Clyde, NC (PC) Matthew Wysocki, Augusta, GA (CH) Susan Allen, Midway, KY (CH) John Henson, Shreveport, LA (CST) Ronald Howard, Tuscaloosa, AL (CH) Donald Lederer, Kingsport, TN (CH) Mary, Thailand (FP) John Oliver, Durham, NC (CH) Larry Hamm, Greenwood, IN (CH) Deborah Jenkins, Novato, CA (CH) Merrie Harding, Orlando, FL (FP) Janée Angel, Belgium (FP) LuAnne Prevost, Knoxville, TN (CH) Donald Robinson, Spring, TX (CH) Jon Wyatt, 1995, Raleigh, NC (FPC) Elizabeth Sample, 1998, San Francisco, CA (FPC) 10 Elliott Sample, 2004, San Francisco, CA (FPC) 11 Robbie Byrd, Fayetteville, NC (PC) 11 Justin Murphy, Leesburg, FL (CH) 11 Karen Rector, Jacksonville, FL (CH) 12 Charline Berry, Baltimore, MD (CH)

12 12 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 14 15 16 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 21 22 22 22

piece of paper. On the paper, a friend had written Abdul’s name. If and when he needed to share his name with someone, he would show them the paper. He had done this for most of his ﬁrst year in Raleigh. By the end of that ﬁrst morning, Abdul was able to introduce himself to his classmates. He didn’t need that folded piece of paper anymore.

August 24-31 When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings. Deuteronomy 24:19

These small steps Abdul is taking are bringing him closer every day towards an understanding of what it means to be created in the image of God. Please pray for Abdul and others like him who have found their way to safety at the end of the Refugee Highway. Pray for Kim and Marc Wyatt, CBF Advocates for Internationals serving the needs of immigrants and refugees in North Carolina’s Research Triangle.

Chris Boltin (S-Decatur) Rudolfo Rodriguez, Kernersville, NC (CST) Clyde Angel, Indianapolis, IN (CH) Rodney Bolejack, Denton, TX (CH) Thomas Dougherty, Mechanicsville, VA (PC) Martha Kate Hall (S-Georgia) Wayne Maberry, Alturas, FL (CH) Fortino Ocampo, Siler City, NC (CST) Johnny Taylor, Plano, TX (CH) Mike, Southeast Asia (FP) Daniel Shadix, Prattville, AL (CH) Don McNeely, Emeritus (FP) Joe Moffitt, Wetmore, CO (CH) Susan Rogers, Jacksonville, FL (CST) Anna Sample, 2001, San Francisco, CA (FPC) Ben Craver, San Antonio, TX (CH) Ron Fairley (S-Decatur) Thomas Riley, Wilson, NC (CH) Brickson Sam, Charlotte, NC (CST) Jennifer Graham (S-Decatur) Kaela Ruble, 1998, Southeast Asia (FPC) Adam Stovall (S-Decatur) Joyce Cleary, Emeritus (FP) Reid Doster (S-Louisiana) Jim Ivey, New Albany, IN (CH) Sharon Spivey, Wilmington, NC (CH) Alice Tremaine, Corbin, KY (CH) Doug Brown, Franklin, IN (CH) Daniel Hix, Maryville, TN (CH) Ana Podgaisky, 2001, Ukraine (FPC)

August Birthdays CH = Chaplain CST = Church Starter FP = Field Personnel

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Mike Bumgarner, Norman, OK (CH) Keith Little, New Bern, NC (CH) Allen Williams, Rising Star, TX (FP) Richard Woodall, Memphis, TN (CH) Marc Wyatt, Raleigh, NC (FP) Timothy Boschen, Waynesboro, VA (CH) Craig Klempnauer, Hewitt, TX (CH) Brian Wilson, Louisville, KY (CH) Arville Earl, Emeritus (FP) Robert McMillan, Oklahoma City, OK (CH) Cindy Ruble, Southeast Asia (FP) Alan Tyson, Rogers, AR (CH) Bernie Calaway, Franklin, NC (CST) Jim Kirkendall, New Orleans, LA (CH) Verr Dean Williams, Rising Star, TX (FP) Sarah Greenfield, Richmond, VA (CH) David Morrell, Jacksonville, FL (CH) Randal Walton, Lynchburg, VA (CH) Pam Foster, Haslet, TX (CH) Teresa Darnell, Louisville, TN (CH) Becky Buice Hall (S-Decatur) Stacey Painter, Charleston, SC (CH)

Prayers of the People — April-August 2017 | 19

FPC = Child of Field Personnel PC = Pastoral Counselor S = CBF Staff Member

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Karen Sherin, Mitchell, SD (FP) Karr La Dickens, Emeritus (FP) Michael Pimpo, Grayslake, IL (CST) Cecelia Walker, Montgomery, AL (CH)

160 Clairemont Avenue, Suite 500 Decatur, GA 30030