We pray this Sunday for Goodwood Baptist Church (GBC) in South Africa, where Martin Drysdale serves as pastor-teacher. Here is how to pray for the church.
Praise
- Give thanks for faithful servants in the church—both those appointed as deacons, and those who do not hold the formal office but who serve admirably as members of the body, often unrecognised by others. Give thanks for active members who take seriously their commitments, having spiritual appetites.
- Give thanks for the prayers of our physically weak and infirmed, who by their very great service to Christ and his bride uphold the church and its ministries constantly—often in the restless night hours. Eternity will reveal the full extent of their intercessions.
- Give thanks for the continued influx of visitors to the church in recent times.
- Give thanks for the births of a number of babies and the imminent arrival of more.
- Give thanks for numerical growth, with the addition of a number of new members in the last year.
- Give thanks for the funds to meet missionary commitments and other church needs as they arise.
- Give thanks for supported missionaries and churches and their sacrificial labours in circumstances far more difficult than our own. Give thanks for their witness and example.
- Give thanks (and pray) for our various focused ministries to men, women, young adults, youth, children, small groups. We are grateful for the servant-heartedness of those who serve in them, and the appetite of many of those who attend them.
- Give thanks for the introduction of a church covenant last year, and pray that it will be actively realised rather than nominally appreciated from afar.
- Give thanks for small groups and the addition of more groups and leaders within them.
Petition
- Pray for an authentic spirit of repentance and faith to be present, so that numerical growth is genuine spiritual growth; and that the church’s attraction will be to Christ, rather than “families attracting families” and “young people attracting young people.”
- Pray for an unfeigned interest in Christ in all members. Pray for true spiritual growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, and the fear of his holy name.
- Pray for the church’s missionaries:
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- Abrie and Taryn Lourens (Mozambique) and their recent/ongoing attempts to minister to children and pastors in their context.
- Anselmo and Charlene Vilanculos, as he continues to travel to Mozambique as often as he is able, to train church leaders through M.O.S.T.
- Hans-Walter and Sabine Ritter (Germany) as they train and mobilise students for missions work.
- Colin and Melany Wyatt-Goodall (soon Japan) as they finalise their plans, visas, and support to go to Okinawa, Japan, hopefully by November.
- Supported / partnered / sister churches in Cape Town and the expansion of their elderships and the growth of their congregations.
- Pray for the church’s general outreach and those who regularly attend to it.
- Pray for marriages in the church, a number of which are experiencing the effects of sinful choices and bringing ruin upon themselves.
- Pray for the church’s elders, who have long sought to attend to the above situations, some of which are rising in complexity. Pray for them generally, in all matters of ministry of the word and prayer as they feel the weight of the ministry. Pray that they will be wise.
- Pray for the Lord’s preparation of future elders and deacons.
- Pray for work for several faithful members who remain unemployed through no fault of their own.
- Pray for new parents as they adjust to changes, and pray for the conversion of their children and their growth in godliness.
- Pray for a spirit of discernment in our members, particularly in view of historical/present efforts from “Shincheonji” (cult) to influence various people in the local body.
- Pray for the growth of our prayer Sunday and Wednesday meetings, but also give thanks for the faithfulness of those attending them and for the prayer happening in all the various others ministries and groups.
- Pray that the Lord will make up all that is lacking in our prayers by his providence and grace.
Thank you for your prayers.
In Christ,
Martin Drysdale
Pastor-teacher