Note from the editors:
Dear all
Thank you to the many National offices and Alpha team members who have contributed to this prayer tool during 2009! The e-newsletter really has some momentum now, and we believe that in 2010 the content and timeliness of it will be a substantial blessing - both to you and to the situations and people we will be praying for - as we see God answer our prayers.
The next issue will be sent in January 2010, and we will send an email requesting points at the beginning of the month. But please do let us know if you have urgent prayer needs in the meantime, and we will be sure to send them out to the Network.
The prayer team.
"PERSEVERING PRAYER"
By Jeremy Jennings, Pastoral Director, Holy Trinity Brompton, London
Jesus gave us the teaching about the Persistent Widow recorded in Luke 18, where the narrative begins: "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up."
The real challenge for us is to pray with the kind of tenacity the bible speaks of. Because, by definition, we are bound to find ourselves praying for things that have not yet fully come to pass, and the waiting is so very difficult.
Do you think Jesus was aware that his disciples then and now might be subject to the temptation to give up and stop praying? We know he was and is.
As we read a text like the one quoted above, we see Jesus emphasising how we need to keep asking. I cannot overemphasise the importance of our grasping this concept.
For Alpha to penetrate further, for the Kingdom to come in our churches, communities and countries, for the relief of those facing persecution in many countries and for revival anywhere and everywhere, I urge everyone to renew their zeal for tenacious and persistent prayer. It is not easy but history shows it can be done.
In the mid nineteenth century a small group in Northern Ireland prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon themselves and the surrounding countryside until it came. They were challenged and ridiculed but they kept praying and in 1859, 100,000 people were converted in Ulster.
The Welsh revival was born in prayer, the Hebridean revival was born in prayer. I really want to encourage all involved in the Global Prayer Network that you have the most amazing opportunity for united, concerted and effective prayer that will impact the world. The reason this is possible is because prayer was once described as " the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence". Think about it. How exciting is that? What is the potential of that?
Once you are satisfied with your answers, please undergird Alpha and the Church with all the prayer you can give them. Don't give up, believe God means what he says, and combine the work of prayer with the work of evangelism for a great and wonderful harvest.
Jeremy
Australia:
Prayer,
- Alpha Australia: For God's continuing faithful provision
of finances, prayer support and people; all the resources to accomplish
everything He calls us to do.
- Alpha Australia: That Alpha Australia will continue to make disciples that multiply!
- The Team: Praise God for the wonderful team retreat we
have just had! Pray for the plans made for 2010 - that they would be
God's plans and blessed by Him
- The Marriage Course: Continued wisdom for the relaunch of
The Marriage Course in Australia - that we will be able to implement
similar, effective and good strategies.
- For Alpha For Prisons: For children of offenders who miss their parents in prison and need good role models.
- Global Alpha Training: Pray for the preparation of a team
going to Medan, Indonesia, in November. Pray for a strong team that
will catch the vision for training and equipping leaders in Indonesia.
Austria:
Thankful for,
- A blessed alpha training day with 40 delegates
- All the finances that came in the last months
- The team holding together in difficult times
Please pray with us for,
- Open doors in the catholic church for evangelisation
- Many individuals who want to give regular to alpha
- People being blessed at the next courses and conferences
Thanks!
Be blessed,
Marlene Ranetbauer
Canada:
Hi, thank-you so much for the opportunity to participate.
THANKS AND PRAISE FIRST,
- Thanks for our new Alpha Prisons Director Sue Bennett, a wonderful addition to an extremely important ministry.
- For our free Alpha banner give-away, this has encouraged many
churches to register Alpha Courses with us and also helped them promote
their course.
- Thanks for God's gracious protection of our health at the office and in the field.
- Thanks for the success of our Alpha Conferences all across the country
- Thanks that our energy and efforts are being invested in something that has eternal value.
PRAYER,
- For the continued search for a Alpha Canada National Director
- For financial provision of the Alpha Canada Office and Field Staff
- For our Partnering with More Than Gold, Olympic Committee that we
will be effective in reaching the crowds coming during Vancouver's
Winter Olympics next year.
- For the hundreds of Alpha Courses starting all over Canada, that the courses would result in the transformation of lives.
- For increased awareness of the Alpha Course in Canada.
Once again, thanks so much for this opportunity.
Claudia
Alpha Ministries Canada
Czech Republic:
Praise points,
- We presented Czech Ecumenical council with our planned Alpha Initiative in 2013
- Annual growth of The Marriage course 98% (now at least 40 places), 300 couples (growth 75%)
Prayer points,
- 21st October 2009 - presentation of Alpha 2013 Initiative at
Czech Church Denomination leaders Prayer Platform organized by Czech
Evangelical Alliance.
- Both Board and Office to take right steps in right time in Initiative
- preparation.
- Dec. 2009 Alpha board meeting.
Blessings,
Miloš Poborský
Czech Alpha office
India
Please Pray,
- That an Alpha in the Workplace champion would be found to drive the development of this important Alpha variety in India.
- Pray that the churches that regularly use Alpha would be able to effectively integrate new Christians and disciple them.
- Pray that relationships with Armed Forces contacts in the North would develop.
- Please pray for protection of all who use the Alpha course, that all spiritual attacks would come to nothing.
- Please pray that Alpha's coordinators in India would further
increase in their effectiveness, and for doors to be opened to them to
help more people with Alpha.
Kenya:
Our thanks giving points are,
- Continued peace in Kenya and the opening of doors in the different regions for Alpha Courses.
- The very self sacrificing volunteers that help run the GAT trainings Financial supporters
- The changing lives of the rural youth through the Alpha Course
- The opening of doors in the Military to run a GAT training in November
Requests,
- For more volunteers to assist with the ongoing work.
- For financial assistance for printing, and to support the volunteers.
- For a means of transport (Alpha van) especially as we need to go longdistances for Alpha Courses and GAT events.
- For an active Board.
- For new offices in the coming year.
Thank you so much and may God continue to bless you in your ministry.
Liz Odera
Alpha Kenya
Malaysia:
Prayer,
- For Prison Alpha - New course at Bentong Prison
- For April 2010 Kuching Conference with Nicky Gumbel, Tim Hughes and Jamie Haith
- For the Marriage and Family Life Conference, KL, Oct 26-27 with guests Nicky and Sila Lee (UK)
- For more churches to start Alpha courses, and for people to come to faith in Jesus.
New Zealand:
Praise,
- Continued good health for Ray Muller after his stent operation. Growth in guests on Alpha - up over 10% on last year already.
- Successful Transform Conference for Resource Church leaders with Rev Kim Swithinbank from the UK and Vinnie Tang from AAP.
- Encouraging planning day looking at our strategy for next 2 - 5 years
- Jewel Turinsky to replace Jason, as Communications Manager
Prayer,
- Jewel to settle in quickly as a member of the team.
- All our plans for 2010, especially our National Invitation promotion
- The Lord will use the next Update newsletter to encourage and inspire the readers.
- Growth in the number of Resource Churches, Pastor networks and our new Intercessors group.
Very many thanks
John
Russia:
Please pray for,
- Russian churches, who start Alpha 1st time this October.
- Pray for Alpha conferences in Vladivostok (GAT) and European
Russia in Moscow (3 streams) and special pastor's dinner before the
conference (23-24 Oct)
NAO Russia
Marina Savelieva
Singapore:
Praise points,
- His financial provision over the months as Alpha Singapore faced
a severe challenge at start of year. Many have come forward in small
and larger ways to support.
- Opening doors for more outreach work towards foreign communities in Spore especially PRCs and Indians.
Prayer points,
- For the Alpha Invitation next year----for more of His guidance in
how we are to go, many more helpers to come forward, renewal in the
team with staff changes ahead.
- Changes in the spiritual climate in Spore --- that many more
churches will be stirred to what the Lord is pointing us to, a deeper
unity and a hunger for God's presence.
Blessings.
Lilian
South Africa:
Prayer and Praise Points,
Soweto GAT:
A successful GAT event was held in Soweto, Gauteng on 30 August-1 September!
We thank God for Josephine Mhlongo and her team - for their loyal
dedication and hard work in the Soweto region. Please pray for God's
provision of the necessary resources to establish the Soweto regional
Alpha team and for new culture of volunteerism to be birthed.
The Marriage Conference:
We are grateful for Nicky and Sila Lee who will be coming out for our
first annual Marriage Conference. Gavin and Jill Morley have been
heading the Marriage and Marriage Prep Courses in SA and have been
involved in arranging these conferences along with the dedicated local
teams at Edge Church-Cape Town, St Agnes-Kloof and Bryanston
Methodist-Johannesburg. Marketing and brochure distribution for these
conferences is well underway.
Please continue to pray for an increase in the number of registrations
coming in as well as for a successful event on all fronts, and for the
subsequent growth of this specialty ministry.
Alpha SA Vision Day:
The Alpha National Office is planning 3 regional Vision Days to take
place in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg in October this year.
Please pray for the success of these three events. Pray for the
refreshment and re-envisioning of the existing teams and church leaders
in these regions.
Fundraising:
We thank the lord for his provision for us thus far. Please pray for
his continued provision and even a supernatural increase in resources.
Please also pray for wisdom and guidance in implementing the various
aspects of our fundraising strategy.
Localized DVD:
We are in the early phases producing an localized DVD to cater for an
African audience. Please pray for the Lord's wisdom and guidance on
this front and also for his provision.
United Kingdom:
Praise God,
- We thank God for all the Alpha courses running in the UK and the
difference that Jesus is making in peoples lives across the country.
- We are thankful for the network of Alpha Advisers and Regional Teams working together to impact their local communities.
- For all the launch events that are taking place across the
country in September and October and the opportunity to reach out to
people in our communities.
- For 24-7 prayer rooms and prayer meetings taking place throughout the UK
Please pray for,
- For all the Alpha courses running this term in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and the teams involved.
- That God powerfully impacts the hearts and lives of those attending the Alpha course.
- Praying for those running Alpha courses outside the church in public venues such as coffee shops, pubs etc
- Prayer for more Alpha champions to rise up in all regions of the UK
- For GAT trips being organised by teams in churches across the UK.
- For Alpha in Wales and Welsh, for unity between denominations, churches and Alpha teams.
- Prayer for development of Alpha ESOL resources
- Student launch parties happening over Scotland (Glasgow,
Edinburgh and St Andrews in particular) - for churches to catch the
vision, unity amongst the churches and many to come along to the course
and encounter Jesus
- For new courses in Northern Ireland.
- For the planning and preparation of the Scotland, Northern Ireland and England Vision Days in early 2010.
United States:
Praise,
- In the last 12 months -
- 25%+ growth in churches running Alpha
- 95% growth in Regional Leadership Teams
- Tenfold increase in Alpha Invitations which now cover 316 cities/towns across America
- An estimated 40,000+ people who will make a commitment to Christ in 2009
- Six fold increase in Foundation giving to Alpha
Prayers,
- For more prayer and intercession to undergird the work
- For senior pastors to catch the vision and fully integrate the
Alpha/Kingdom DNA in their churches (and encourage others to do
likewise)
- For more business people to join the movement to spread the gospel across America via Alpha.
- For courage and boldness across the regional teams as they plan and implement our 2010 initiatives.
- For an outstanding National Alpha Conference with Nicky Gumbel on 20/21 October including a record attendance of 3,000.
Blessings
Gerard
Zambia:
Greetings in Jesus Name our LORD and SAVIOUR.
Our prayer items are as follows,
- Breakthrough in Alpha for Defence forces - namely Zambia Army ; Zambia Air Force - (ZAF) ;Zambia Police -(ZP) Zambia National Service - (ZNS)
- For more Volunteers to step out for God's glory.
- More Partnerships through Churches to support the Alpha Ministry.ie more Resource Churches
- For committed and available leadership in various Alpha ministries.
- Development of Youth Alpha in Schools.
Our PRAISE item is what God did last saturday on the 3rd of October: 37 lives of University of Zambia Students (UNZA) were touched wholesomely and all received the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT during the weekend away.
Yours In His Service,
Mwape Chibwe
Zimbabwe:
We thank God,
- That the first Global Alpha Training (GAT) event held at
Northside Community Church in Harare from 9 - 12 September 2009 was
fully funded, that the team from London, Cape Town and Ghana travelled
to Zimbabwe and returned home safely, that delegates were enthusiastic,
that there were no power cuts during the four-day event, and for
prayers answered.
- For the International Team and the Zimbabwe Alpha Team who
taught, inspired and encouraged delegates who had been involved with
Alpha and those planning to become involved.
- For the dedicated help and support received from Pastor Gary
Cross and the Northside Community church's Team who exceeded all
expectations.
- For the opportunity to run our first Alpha Course in a Zimbabwe
prison, and for the Chaplain's enthusiasm following the GAT event to
use Alpha to extend God's Kingdom in the prisons and bring hope where
there is presently despair.
- For the British and Foreign Bible Society for English and Shona
Bibles donated to guests on a Workplace Alpha Course run by Workplace
for Christ Jesus.
Please pray,
- For God's guidance as we recruit assistants for the Director and Administrator.
- For all the delegates who attended the GAT training that they will create opportunities to extend God's Kingdom using Alpha.
- For wisdom in prioritizing how Alpha Zimbabwe uses limited resources.
- That we will have all the resources needed to run two GAT events
early next year in Bulawayo and in another centre, a National Youth GAT
and two other GAT events later in the year.
- That we get the Alpha Mazda Drifter pick-up on the road and our Director will obtain his Driver's Licence.
ALPHA MINISTRIES AND RELATED MINISTRIES
Alpha in the Catholic Context:
Praise,
- Give thanks and praise for Alpha International Week - for the 200
Catholic delegates that attended, the great relationships formed and
the wonderful weather that was had.
- Give thanks and praise for all the new Alpha courses that have happened so far this year in the UK and across the World.
- Give thanks and praise for everyone involved with Alpha in a
Catholic Context around the world - thank God for their amazing work
and commitment.
- Give thanks and praise for Jose Alberto Barrera Marchesi (Tote)
who has been appointed NAO Director of Spain and please pray God raises
up a Catholic team to support him in this work.
Prayer,
- Please pray for all the alpha courses which are happening in the
Catholic church this Autumn 2009 - for all the teams and guests
involved.
- Please pray for six new alpha courses which will be running in the Dublin Catholic Archdiocese this Autumn.
- Please pray for the Global Alpha Training events which are happening in Lithuania and Slovakia in the coming months.
- Please pray for the Alpha Conference in Bogota, Columbia (October 23rd, 24th & 25th 2009).
- Please pray for an Alpha training event in Verona, Italy (October 2009).
Relationship Central:
Prayer Points,
- For the local teams working hard on the South Africa Marriage
Conferences to be held in November. The conferences will be taking
place in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Please pray that we will
see many Marriage and Marriage Preparation Courses start across the
country as a result.
- The Asia Pacific Marriage and Family Life Conference is taking
place on 26/27 October. Please pray for the local conference team and
that the conference will result in many marriages being strengthened as
a result of new courses starting.
Praise Points:
- For the success of The Parenting Book - that it has received good
coverage from the media and that it has already been a useful resource
for so many parents.
- For the relationships formed during International Week among Family Life contacts.
- For the success of the pilot Parenting and Parenting Teenager Courses that have been run around the world.
Multicultural Alpha:
Praise,
- Many more multicultural alpha courses are about to start in the USA and Canada.
- For all of the lives that have been changed while on a
Multicultural Alpha course, and for all of the new brothers and sisters
in Christ!
- Praise that many of the leaders involved in Multicultural Alpha
have been able to take holiday time this summer and rest before
starting up another busy season of Multicultural Alpha.
- A successful Multicultural Alpha training in Toronto, Canada that happened in August
Prayer,
- Continued prayer for the publishing process of the official Multicultural Alpha course.
- More leadership would be identified in the countries running Multicultural Alpha.
- Pray for an upcoming Multicultural Alpha training in Winnipeg, Canada on 16 October.
- Pray for protection over all of the leaders and their families involved in Multicultural Alpha globally, nationally and locally.
Senior Alpha:
Praise God,
- We thank God for all the Senior Alpha courses running in the UK and
the difference that Jesus is making in peoples lives across the country.
- We are thankful for the network of Alpha Advisers and Regional Teams working together to impact their local communities.
- We thank God for putting this ministry for the Older Generation on the hearts of men and women around this country.
Please pray for,
- For the Senior Alpha courses running during the Autumn term.
- That God powerfully impacts the hearts and lives of those attending the Senior Alpha courses.
- For the leaders and helpers running the Senior Alpha courses in churches, care homes and sheltered housing.
St Paul's Theological College:
Praise,
- Give thanks for the last academic year and all the students we had with us.
- Give thanks for the continued work on our Faithtrack and
Bibletrack DVD's that we are working on as a resource for churches
around the world.
- Give thanks for the number of students we already have registered on our courses beginning in September/October.
Prayer,
- For all the new students who will begin our courses, both Monday Theology and School of Theology in September/October.
- Prayer in particular for the new ordinands who are beginning their training with us very soon.
- For all the staff at the beginning of the new academic year.
- For the St. Jude's project and all the work that is being done to get that ready to be the home for St. Mellitus College.
Students:
Praise God,
- For our brand new blogsite, studentalpha.org which went live last month, with all student alpha resources and information on it!
- For a successful EMERGE stream with around 200 delegates at
International Week, training those involved with youth and student
ministry.
- For the partnership between Campus Alpha USA (Student Alpha) and
Campus America (24/7 Prayer), which will see hundreds of new Student
Alpha courses starting in 2010 alongside increased prayer
Please Pray For,
- The right replacement following Rich Phillips' departure in July.
- The continued development of the partnership between Student Alpha
and IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students) in Europe.
- The training conference for the Alpha Network in Europe, taking place in late November.
- The continued growth of Student Alpha around the world and that
more and more countries will be led to reach out to the university
campuses
Worship Central:
Praise for,
- The growth of the Worship Central Network over the last 6 months.
We now have some wonderful Worship Central Coordinators helping in
various parts of the world.
- All of the worship leaders and their team who came to Worship
Central events and were trained and equipped transform the worship in
their churches.
Prayer Points,
- Pray for the continued development of the Worship Central Book.
That it would become a book and eventually a course that churches all
around the world can use to effectively train their worship teams.
- Pray for the seeds that have been sown into the countries visited
in the first half of 2009 (The Netherlands, Germany, USA, India,
Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong). That the excitement and passion for
training up worship teams would be nurtured by the local Worship
Central teams and that the momentum established at Worship Central
events would continue locally.
- Pray for the Worship Central UK Tour in October. That many
worshippers across the UK would register for these evenings of worship
and reignite their communities through worship.
- Pray for the planning for 2010. As Worship Central considers its
priorities and where God is leading the ministry over the coming
months.
Youth Alpha:
Praise God,
- We are thankful for the time we had at Soul Survivor, hearing loads of great feedback about courses around the world.
- We are grateful that we had an exciting and invigorating summer, getting ready for the year ahead.
Please pray for,
- New courses starting this term, for all the teenagers who will be
hearing about Jesus for the first time and those teenagers who will be
running the courses for their friends.
- For the Youth Alpha conference 18-19 feb 2010. For everyone
planning and preparing for this event and that lots of teenagers will
be inspired to attend as well.
- The team as we finish off writing the new version of the Youth Alpha Leaders' Guide and web resources