Streams of Prayer for 18 September 2023

The Streams of Prayer for 18 September 2023, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. Wycliffe Caribbean makes this available.

September 17 – September 23, 2023

Leadership

Our current theme for Streams of Prayer is Leadership. We give thanks for leaders in Alliance organisations. One way the Wycliffe Global Alliance serves Bible translation movements is by nurturing current and future leaders. Opportunities are available for them to learn and grow through intergenerational forums, coaching, formal and informal mentoring, and encouragement in leading as servants and shepherds. They need our support and prayers to discern how God is leading the organisations in times of great change.

Each Alliance organisation needs godly men and women to lead and discern how to engage with God in his mission. Thank God for those who courageously led in the past year. We will pray for those being trained and prepared for leadership, and for those transitioning into and out of leadership roles. May each one know the equipping, anointing and gifting from the Holy Spirit as we ask God for wisdom and discernment for leadership teams and organisation boards. 

Need to find leaders: Europe

Pray for the staff of the Alliance’s Europe Area team. The team is small and some members are transitioning to new roles later this year. Finding new team members has not been easy as many organisations in Europe are short-staffed themselves. Some have even struggled to fill vacant leadership roles. Where leaders of Alliance organisations are transitioning out of a role, they are weary and in need of rest before they can commit to serving in a different capacity. Pray for organisations in Europe to find well-equipped staff for all their leadership roles. Ask God to provide staff for the Europe Area team who are ready and able to join the team quickly. Ask God to encourage the remaining team members as they wait.

Diverse leadership levels involved: Cameroon

Thank God for the varied levels of leadership at the Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL). Leadership flows from the General Assembly to the Board of Governors down to the general director, then to the four directors, before going down to the coordinators and various strategy facilitators. This is accompanied by numerous opportunities for staff training at various levels. CABTAL staff are grateful because as a result many new leaders are being trained and staff productivity is increasing. These efforts also build a better organisational culture. Praise God for this structure of responsibility that also reaches the linguistic communities with which CABTAL works. Thanks to this, interchurch committees are taking increasing initiative in their leadership of translation programmes. Thank God for their commitment to achieving this vision.

New board members: Bangladesh

Give thanks to the Lord for the new Connections board members. This has been a prayer request for some time. Praise God for his guidance in the appointment of two people as vice chairman and treasurer. Pray for these new board members as they adapt to their new roles. May the Lord continue to bless the leaders of Connections with wisdom, encouragement and unity as they serve him through their leadership.

Our plan B is probably God’s plan A: France

Wycliffe France has been on a two-year trajectory into brand new proactivity, radically different responses, focused support in prayer, and support and service to churches seeking to get involved in the mission of God. The vision statement says: Serving churches who share the same point of view that every person can be transformed by the love of God, Wycliffe France is committed to ensuring that the Bible, the Word of God, is translated and distributed in the language and culture of each person. After a successful two-year restart and acceleration into new areas of ministry, Wycliffe France began a recruitment campaign to find a director to replace Stewart Johnson, who had committed to two years as interim director. Unfortunately, the successful candidate from the recent interview was unable to take the role. Often our plan B turns out to have been God’s plan A all along. Please join Wycliffe France, its board and supporters in prayer during another round of candidate searches.

Pray for re-elected leaders: Japan

Praise God for Wycliffe Japan’s bi-annual members conference held at the end of June. During the conference, staff members re-elected Rev Koji Miyakawa as board chair and Josh Matsumaru as executive director for another two years. Thank God for Rev. Miyakawa and Josh as they continue to faithfully serve Wycliffe Japan through leadership responsibilities. Pray for God‘s guidance and wisdom. May He bless them to lead like Jesus with servants’ hearts and love.

Leading amidst security challenges: Nigeria

Mrs Patience Toma, executive director of Nigeria Bible Translation Trust (NBTT), travels within the country for crucial partnership engagements, often on challenging roads. Please pray for her safety and for fruitful results in her work. The departmental heads lead staff in pursuing departmental goals. Ask God to provide wisdom, insight and grace for them to achieve the desired results. Pray especially for the director of the language department who leads interactions with the language communities. NBTT continues to equip the staff in leadership skills, and trains consultants under a mentorship process. Ask God to create a fruitful relationship between the mentors and the consultant trainees. Pray for the leadership of the country in their efforts to address insecurity issues. Ask God to provide peace and protection for NBTT coordinators relating with the language communities amidst the dangers surrounding the work.

The Word of God in multiple forms and languages: Colombia

The National Intercultural Mobilisation Meeting was held from 21-23 June in Cartagena, Colombia. The theme was ‘Multiplicity: The Same Message in Multiple Forms and Languages’. Two hundred people attended, including pastors and leaders from Colombia, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, the United States, Mexico and Guatemala. Topics included generosity and biblical stewardship, church participation in the task of translation, distribution and use of the Scriptures, use of technologies for interaction with the Scriptures, methods for narration of Bible stories and educational tools to link children with Bible translation. Thank God for this meeting and the commitments that were made to continue supporting the ministry of Bible translation and the church’s participation in God’s mission in the Americas.

Streams of Prayer is the prayer bulletin of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.

Valrie McCarthy
Proclaimer Officer
Wycliffe Caribbean
7A South Avenue
Kingston 5
JAMAICA, W. I.
876 754 9334, 908 2970, 582 6592

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