Introduction and Spiritual Life and Vitality of the Church
One of the ways we sin against God is by ceasing to pray. From this text I was convicted by v. 23 because for a while now our church has struggled to have faithfully attended prayer meetings. If we do not pray, relying on the Lord, then we will do things by our might to our own peril. It is futile to serve the Lord without being devoted to prayer. Please pray that there may be a rekindled zeal to pray because this is a matter of urgency for our church.

Yet there is life in the church because the Lord has brought up men who have been serving faithfully in the church. Two of them have recently done Scripture Reading in the church for the first time. In addition, there are new women in the church who the Lord has used to ignite in them the desire to fellowship as women regularly. Keitu reports that so far the meetings have been a blessing, and the study of the gospel of Mark with Michael Kruger is making the gospel come alive for them, and most informatively, they are learning to read the gospel intertextually as the redemptive story of Christ spans the entire Bible.

Their coming together is an answer to prayer for me, because since we started studying through 1 Corinthians I have felt that the book has been doing some spiritual heart surgery because the problem of worldliness, of Corinth in the church, is a problem we are experiencing. The Lord is busy cleansing and disciplining us. 1 Corinthians 1:10 is also coming alive because people want to unite more and be of the same mind in the things of the Lord.
Towards the end of this month we are going to observe two baptisms. Please pray that all will go well and that we will rejoice by seeing Christians display publicly what has happened to them spiritually. At the same time we have five people who are going through the membership discipleship course. Please pray that they will officially become members of the FSBC.

The Kukunis
At the beginning of Term 3, Keitu returned to work outside the home on a part time basis to help fill the gap that was left by the teachers who resigned at the end of Term 2. It has not been difficult to adjust because her work schedule works for us and does not clash with our kids’ home schooling and church activities. Pray for the shepherding of our children’s hearts and for Keitu to be a gospel influence to the kids that she teaches.
Prayers of Thanks
- Thank God that some members and adherents are striving to apply the teachings of 1 Corinthians, especially 1 Corinthians 1:10.
- Thank God for the new people who are displaying signs of commitment to the Lord and his church.
- Thank God for our home and our spiritual health.
- Thank the Lord that despite the economic turmoil in our country, and our church experiencing its impact, the Lord has kept us existing and serving him faithfully.
- Thank the Lord for the upcoming baptisms and new members’ intake.
Prayers of Needs
- Please pray that we will have a second full time elder in the church. We may be small, but we are desperately in need of a fulltime elder so that I don’t reach burnout. This needs money only the Lord can provide.
- Please pray for zeal for the Lord to be renewed in the hearts of those who have lost the first love for Jesus.
- Pray for awakening and realisation that we desperately need to be a praying church because we can take everything to the Lord in prayer and he will not be overwhelmed and burdened.
- Pray for me, and Tebogo, to have the wisdom and courage to shepherd the church through minor things that are frustrating the work of the Lord in the church. These come and go in every church but they weigh heavy on the pastors (Hebrews 13:17).
- Pray for us to get our sound equipment that was stolen back from the police. They still have not released it back to us but they keep promising to do so almost weekly.
Tsholo Kukuni
Pastor-teacher