Streams of Prayer for 17 January 2023
The Streams of Prayer for 17 January 2023, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.
Community and Friendship
Our current theme for Streams of Prayer is Community and Friendship.
Community is the basis for the existence of the Alliance. We are not a community only because of our common goals, though Alliance Organizations do share many common goals. Our participation in God’s mission flows out of our communion with the Triune God and our fellowship within the Body of Christ. We are a community because we joyfully share a common life in Christ. …Our interdependence and interconnectedness creates an environment where all Alliance Organizations generously give and graciously receive. We recognize we are not owners, but only stewards of the gifts God has given us. We affirm each other for who we are and not for what we contribute or for the quantity of the contribution. Our primary goal is to glorify God together. (From the Wycliffe Global Alliance in Community).
We celebrate being on this mission with God as a community. We recognize that although each Alliance organization has its own leadership, board, and staff, all seek to work interdependently and value the Alliance community for friendship, partnership, spiritual encouragement, and other practical forms of mutual support. We pray for all partnerships, and for the ways friendship is demonstrated, both in and through the Alliance.
Alliance Global People Conversation: Europe, Global
As a worldwide community of organizations, we want to make sure that we use the resources God has given us in ways that honour him. One important resource that we have been given in the Alliance is the people God has entrusted to our care. We want to steward well our people as they bring their unique contributions to the Bible translation movement. During 2023, Alliance organizations want to have in-depth conversations about how to best work together as a community in placing and taking care of people. There will be four regional consultations, starting with the European one taking place January 16-20 in Holzhausen, Germany. Toward the end of the year, the regional conversations will be followed by a global consultation. We hope and pray that God will use this Global People Conversation to help Alliance organizations to deepen their commitment to each other in a rich vibrant community.
Area Leaders Gathering: Asia-Pacific
Praise God for a time of refreshing and rejoicing as the Asia-Pacific Alliance organizations leaders gathered in person again for the first time in three years on 22 to 24 November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia. It was a blessing for the 60-plus Alliance organization leaders to reconnect and fellowship once again. Thank God for his guidance and protection for participants during their travels and in the meetings. Pray that these meetings result in re-aligned purposes as well as renewed friendship and community.
Building networks and collaboration: Pacific
Sixty-four people representing more than 20 organizations came together in Fiji for the South Pacific Bible Forum in October 2022. The overall goal of the forum is to build effective coordinated partnerships at regional and national levels so that all the language communities in the South Pacific can have access to the Word of God in a language they can understand. Praise the Lord for fruitful meetings based on worship, prayer, and reflection on the Word. Participants enjoyed robust relationship-building and camaraderie. Each country group had time to discuss plans for how to move forward in Bible translation and Scripture engagement efforts with the language communities in their locality. Pray that participants will be able to maintain momentum and that all who agreed to collaborate will be able to make good progress on the goals discussed. They decided to hold annual regional-level meetings to refresh collaboration and continue building networks.
Serving together: Canada
In the past few years, Wycliffe Global Alliance partners within Canada have been serving together in several ways. During the World Day of Prayer, OneBook, Wycliffe Canada, and Canada Institute of Linguistics collaborated to host an online World Day of Prayer event for the third year. The hour-long meeting included brief presentations from each organization and opportunities to pray in breakout rooms. Participants prayed for the First Nations people of North America, and for a project in which these three partners collaborate. In November 2020 and 2021, the World Day of Prayer events were held exclusively online. This year, it was a hybrid event. Some staff and partners met in person in two locations to watch the online presentations and then pray in person in their own small groups. Praise God for this opportunity to seek him together. Pray for the continued unity of the Spirit as all grow in serving God together. Pray that as partner organizations they would continue to seek to build each other up and have clear, humble, and encouraging communication with one another.
Celebrating some firsts: Hungary, Kenya
Wycliffe Hungary is celebrating the first ever completed and launched New Testament which was supported by Hungarians: the long-awaited Ilchamus translation in Kenya. Praise the Lord with Wycliffe Hungary for those individuals, family businesses, and churches, who have decided to participate in the Bible translation movement through giving. Wycliffe Hungary staff and partners are also celebrating their friends in Kenya, who did a marvelous job and are still continuing with the translation of the Old Testament despite the hardships. But most of all they are “celebrating our Lord – in whom we are connected and can celebrate together!” Wycliffe Hungary is looking forward to another celebration next year in Zambia when they will celebrate the completion of the New Testament in the language of the Kunda people. It will be the birth of the first New Testament completed with the involvement of a Hungarian Bible translation consultant. Their hearts are already full of joy as they are praying for the final steps of preparing the Kunda New Testament for publication, such as typesetting and printing. To God be the Glory!
Working together: Hong Kong
As the Hong Kong government relaxed COVID-19 social distance measures, the Wycliffe Hong Kong office team has resumed face-to-face monthly prayer meetings and other small group activities. The team also formed a trauma-healing working group in March 2022. A book, “Healing the Wounds of Trauma: How the Church can Help,” for the local context is almost finished. Ask God to provide more opportunities for Wycliffe Hong Kong to serve the local churches. Pray that God will bless and guide the team as they promote the vision and mission of Bible translation in Hong Kong.
Sharing with some African leaders: Cameroon
Thank God that on December 6, 2022, some Chief Executive Officers of African origin, who lead international Christian organizations, participated in talks with CABTAL and SIL Cameroon. They met at CABTAL and discussed how they can better work together in the Bible translation movement. The General Directors of SIL Cameroon and CABTAL began by sharing some experiences and updating the guests. Mrs. Fabienne Freeland and her SIL Cameroon leadership team gave an update on behalf of SIL. The General Director of CABTAL, Emmanuel Keyeh, spoke about local efforts to contribute to Bible translation. The gathering was moderated by Dr. Michel Kenmogne, who previously served as the CEO of CABTAL before being called to serve as the Executive Director of SIL International. Before the group shared a meal offered by CABTAL, Michel encouraged the leaders to, above all, ensure that they seek daily to further their own spiritual growth, as they work to transform other communities.
Streams of Prayer is the prayer bulletin of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.
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Valrie McCarthy
Proclaimer Officer
Wycliffe Caribbean
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