Streams of Prayer for 4 October 2021
The Streams of Prayer for 4 October 2021, is a circular from Wycliffe Global Alliance. This is made available through Wycliffe Caribbean.
Missions belong to God and the agent of missions is the Church. Please join with us as we pray for Alliance organisations engaged in the Church Participation Stream. We pray also for the Church as it participates in the Bible translation movement.
Leaders of Partner Organisations: The Netherlands
Wycliffe Netherlands asks prayer for the leaders of their partner organisations. With these organisations, Wycliffe Netherlands is involved in projects such as Bible Translation, literacy, Scripture engagement and capacity building. Some of these organisations face not only COVID-19 related challenges but also situations of violence and unrest (i.e., in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia). These leaders carry a lot of responsibilities. Pray that they will find people close by to share their burdens and whom they can ask for advice and pray with, such as leaders from churches or from other ministry partner organisations or NGOs. Pray also that these leaders will find ways to clearly share the visions of their organisations with their staff and that together they can translate this into a clear strategy to follow.
Bible translation promotion: Japan
Josh Matsumaru, Wycliffe Japan’s Executive Director, regularly promotes Bible translation by speaking at churches and mission conferences throughout Japan in the summer and autumn every year. This year, Josh has also been asked to speak about Bible translation work to high school students at a Christian school in Tokyo, for their new practical project class. Ask the Lord for wisdom and guidance in his preparations and travels. Pray that God will use these opportunities to invite more people to participate in Bible translation work, including planting seeds in these young students’ lives.
Sharing the vision of Bible translation: Argentina
LETRA Argentina leadership shares the vision and mission of Bible translation ministry by encouraging believers in Christ to get involved in the literacy and Bible translation projects. Leaders also encourage collaboration with different agencies and mission organizations, allowing for greater integration between their ministries in this time of the pandemic.
Currently, LETRA Argentina works as a team with the Transcultural Missionary Training Center (CCMT), the Church Planting Missionary School (EMPI), MOVIDA, the World Missions Network (RMM), the Guaraní Mission and others at the national and regional levels. Due to the great distances in Argentina, LETRA leaders have reorganised the work teams in different regions of the country that serve in the areas of mobilisation, prayer, training, communication and comprehensive care. Leaders have used virtual tools to hold meetings to encourage and mobilize the different teams and to contact churches and mission organizations that wish to collaborate in the ministry of Bible translation. Pray for the leadership of LETRA Argentina as they continue to lead the dispersed teams, thus opening opportunities for wider collaboration in the Bible translation movement.
Expanding church participation: Brazil
Recently leaders of 15 organisations of AMTB, Associação de Missões Transculturais Brasileiras, (the Brazilian Association of Transcultural Missions), which are part of the Aliança Pró Tradução da Bíblia (Pro-Bible Translation Alliance), met together. They discussed the topic, “Involving the Brazilian Church in translation: What practical steps can we take so that the Brazilian Church becomes more actively involved in the translation of the Bible?” All agreed that it was necessary to analyse the situation and to identify the needs and possibilities. In addition, the group decided that the next step will be to form a team to prepare promotional materials. Pray that God will guide efforts toward an effective approach that may include face-to-face meetings, videos, printed materials, and other media and initiatives.
New times, new leadership: France
Wycliffe France is coming to the end of a two-year period of inactivity. The global pandemic delayed the ability to get things started again. In 1 Chronicles 12, the writer talks about the leaders of Issachar understanding the times and knowing what to do. So please pray for the leadership of Wycliffe France to understand these new times and, with God’s wisdom, to know what to do.
Wycliffe France staff conducted a survey into the experiences of French churches from the first lockdown in March 2020 until now. Stewart Johnson, the interim director, and the board of trustees are confident that this will provide leadership with a key understanding of the needs and dreams of French churches keen to play their part in the Mission of God.” Please also pray for stamina for the small team of people making contact with church leaders over the next three months. Pray, too, that church leaders would be available and happy to share their experiences with the team.
Leaders persevering: Tonga
Pray for Maxy Koloamatangi, the Director for Wycliffe Tonga Missions (WTM). Thank the Lord for Maxy’s leadership and perseverance through this time of the global pandemic. Pray for God’s continuing protection and good health for Maxy and his family. Ask the Lord to provide for their needs. Praise the Lord for the commitment of the WTM’s board and the support they give to the director. Ask the Lord for his wisdom and guidance as they provide overall direction and governance for the ministry. Pray Ephesians 6:9-11 for the leaders and personnel of WTM.
New administrative personnel: Papua New Guinea
Praise the Lord for the new people recruited in August to serve in various administrative roles with the Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association. They are serving in roles in the Human Resources, Partnership Development and Media departments. Pray for a positive learning experience as they work with their leaders and mentors to build skills and knowledge in these roles. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to build capacity. Pray that these men and women will be nurtured and developed to take up leadership roles in the organisation in the future. Praise the Lord for their churches encouraging them through financial support and prayer. Ask the Lord to provide for any shortfalls in their support.
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