Prayer update - September 12, 2012

For more information on our presbytery, please visit our website.

Featured Church/Mission: Trinity Presbyterian Church (profile), St. Albans, VT (Pastor Seth Anderson)

1. Praise God for a growing amount of young children.  We have had neighborhood children come which is very encouraging and an answer to prayer.

2. Praise for the presence and work of the Holy Spirit.

3. Pray for our neighbors, that God would give us favor with them and open their hearts to His grace.  A retirement home was just completed across the street, along with several homes being built behind it, and a large apartment building is currently in process just to our north.

4. Pray for God to raise up and strengthen elders and deacons for the church.  

5. Pray that we would grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

Featured Potential Church Planting Site: South-central New Hampshire (profile links below)

1. Pray for the spiritual and economic prosperity of the people of Salem, Derry, and Londonderry, New Hampshire.

2. Pray for the progress of the church in south-central New Hampshire.

Featured Potential College Ministry Site: University of New Hampshire (profile), Durham, New Hampshire

1. Pray for the students, faculty, and staff of the University of New Hampshire as they begin this new academic year.

2. Pray for the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship group at UNH and the reformed students group connected to Pilgrim Presbyterian (OPC) in Dover, NH.

MNA Committee work:

Continue to pray for work of church planting in Northern New England.

1. Pray that God would be raising up men who would have a heart for planting churches in the region.

2. Pray for an abundance in God’s provision for new works to begin.

3. Pray for Herb Shipman as he ministers to the farmers of Northern Vermont; that God would provide richly above all he could ask or imagine, and that a rich harvest would be seen.

RUF/University of Vermont:

1. Pray for John Meinen as he has begun his new RUF ministry at the University of Vermont.

2. Pray for their ministry among the students and faculty to be enlivened as they bring the gospel of Christ to this campus.

NNEP Presbytery Meeting: Pray for God’s peace and blessing to be upon the upcoming Northern New England Presbytery meeting in Manchester, NH (September 15).

Prayer Update - August 9, 2012

For more information on our presbytery, please visit our website.

Featured Church/Mission: Exeter Presbyterian Church (profile), Exeter, New Hampshire (Pastor Steve Magee)

1. The church is preparing to open up nominations for elders and deacons in September. Please pray that we would have the Lord's wisdom at this important time.

2. We are also considering calling Nathan Snyder as an Associate Pastor. Again, we seek the Lord's leading with much thankfulness for Nathan's year of internship with us.

3. Please pray for our teaching and preaching this fall. Nathan and I will be working on a new Sunday School class on the Wisdom books of the Old Testament. I will be teaching a course on the Bible as Literature through the town Adult Education Enrichment Program. My wife, Candy, will be leading two women's groups through a study of Hebrews. One of our deacons, Dave Herrod, will be teaching Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

4. Ask the Lord to give us all clarity, focus, and joy as we seek to be faithful living letters of the gospel of the grace of God in our place and time (Acts 20:24). 

Featured Potential Church Planting Site: Brunswick, Maine (profile)

1. Pray for the spiritual and economic prosperity of the people of Brunswick.

2. Pray for the existing evangelical churches in Brunswick, including Merrymeeting Bay OPC, currently meeting there.

3. Pray for the expansion of the Kingdom in central Maine.

Featured Potential College Ministry Site: Bowdoin College (profile), Brunswick, Maine

1. Pray for the students, faculty, and staff of Bowdoin College as they begin to prepare for the new semester.

2. Pray for Mike and Narelle Whitney as they minister to the students of Bowdoin College through a partnership between InterVarsity and Navigators.

MNA Committee work:

Continue to pray for work of church planting in Northern New England.

1. Pray that God would be raising up men who would have a heart for planting churches in the region.

2. Pray for an abundance in God’s provision for new works to begin.

RUF/University of Vermont:

1. Praise the Lord for the ordination/installation of John Meinen as the new RUF minister at UVM on August 4^th.

2. Pray for John and Megan as they get settled in their new home in Burlington, VT.

3. Pray for John as he prepares to begin this new ministry to the students at UVM.

Prayer Update - July 19, 2012

For more information on our presbytery, please visit our website.

Featured Church/Mission: Free Grace Presbyterian Church (profile), Lewiston, Maine (Pastor Per Almquist)

1. Praise the Lord with us for recent examples of living out the gospel as we love each other through the trials of life.

2. Pray for us to trust in God and his goodness through the trials of life as various members face surgery, needs for new homes, etc.

3. Pray for Ken as he counsels many to see God's hand at work in every aspect of their lives and how they need to trust him in all of it.

4. Pray for the mission team from First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS, as they are with us the week of July 30. Pray that God would use their time with us to draw them and us closer to him and to bring his gospel into the community. 

Featured Potential Church Planting Site: Littleton, New Hampshire (profile)

1. Pray for the spiritual and material prosperity of the people of Littleton, NH.

2. Pray for the progress of the church in the northern portion of New Hampshire and for wisdom in the development of plans for planting churches in the rural regions of the state.

Featured Potential College Ministry Site: Middlebury College (profile), Middlebury, Vermont

1. Pray for the students, faculty, and staff of Middlebury College during their summer beak. 

2. Pray for God to bless the several campus ministries at Middlebury, including Campus Crusade for Christ and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

MNA Committee work:

Presbytery Interns: Pray for Nathan Snyder, who has completed his internship and is seeking God’s direction in calling; for Mike Viera, who is continuing his studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS, as he and his family also make preparations for participating in English Language Institute of China beginning in the summer of 2013; and for Tom Powell, who is seeking the Lord’s leading in a pastoral call.

Herb Shipman: Pray for strong prayer and financial support for Herb’s ministry among the dairy farmers in northern Vermont. Give thanks for the spiritual fruit that God has brought about through his labors.   Praise God for continuing recovery and health from physical ailments, and that God would continue to grant Herb strength to labor in this ministry.

NNEP Presbytery Meeting: Pray for God’s blessing upon the upcoming Northern New England Presbytery meeting in Exeter, NH (July 21).

Prayer Update - June 28, 2012

For more information about our presbytery, please visit our website.

Featured Church/Mission: Christ the Redeemer Presbyterian Church (profile), Portland, Maine (Pastors Doug Warren and David Stewart)

Please join us in praising God for these answered prayers:

1. Several of our summer congregants have returned and it is a joy to catch up with them and worship God together.

2. A few of the people we have been reaching out to in the love of Christ have responded with increased interest.

3. He has provided a great book keeper to help in the church office.  Welcome Cheryl!

Please continue to boldly ask God for the following:

1. That Explorer Camp (July 16-20) would be an effective outreach in our community.

2. That God make us bold in proclaiming the gospel.

3. That God would raise up additional elders and deacons to help equip the saints in ministry.

Featured Potential Church Planting Site: Keene, New Hampshire (profile)

1. Pray for the people of Keene and for the spiritual and material prosperity of people in the western part of New Hampshire.

2. Pray for the reformation of the church in Keene and for God’s blessing upon the evangelical churches there.

3. Pray for God’s provision of a church planter to establish a new church in Keene.

Featured Potential College Ministry Site: Keene State College (profile), Keene, New Hampshire

1. Pray for the students, faculty, and staff of Keene State College during their summer break and for the school’s impact on the state through the large number of public school teachers who study there. 

2. Pray for the campus ministries at Keene State, including the work of Campus Crusade for Christ.

MNA Committee work:

1. Pray for the committee members as they make plans for fall recruiting visits and meet with potential church planting candidates.

2. Pray for a strategic and coordinated development plan for church planting in the Northern New England Presbytery.

3. Pray for Joseph Pensak and his family as they move towards public worship this fall at Redeemer Burlington.

4. Pray for John and Megan Meinen as they move to Burlington to begin the RUF work at the University of Vermont this fall.

Prayer Update - May 30, 2012

For more information about our presbytery, please visit our website.

Featured Church/Mission: Church of the Redeemer (profile), Manchester, New Hampshire (Pastor Jon Taylor)

1. Praise God for three new families that have been attending CTR in the past several weeks and are considering membership.

2. We are still waiting on God for 99 South Mammoth, and should find out by June 11th if this property is the Lord's will for us.

3. Please pray for our leadership as we are working through some conflict right now.

4. We are hosting the Islamic Society for a potluck dinner this Saturday night, and I'll be speaking on "the motivation for mercy." Pray for the Lord to provide open ears and hearts, and for the building of bridges for the gospel.

5. Pray for a mission team from Birmingham, AL, as they (and we) prepare for an Explorer camp July 9-13 at Derryfield Park.

Featured Potential Church Planting Site: Raymond, New Hampshire (profile)

1. Pray for the people of the growing town of Raymond and especially for the spiritual growth of the many young families in town.

2. Pray for the progress of the church in Raymond and the surrounding communities.

3. Pray that God would raise up men equipped to plant churches in the small towns of northern New England.

Featured Potential College Ministry Site: Colby College (Waterville, Maine) (profile)

1. Pray for the students, faculty, and staff of Colby College during their summer break.

2. Pray for the campus ministries at Colby, including Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and Campus Crusade for Christ.  Pray for a strong evangelical witness among the student population there.

3. Pray for the encouragement of Christian students at the school and the evangelical churches in the community.

MNA Committee work:

1. Pray that God would call men to the work of church planting in Northern New England.

2. Ask God to support the work of planting churches by growing the number of those willing to support the work in prayer and finances.

3. Pray for the men of the MNA Committee of presbytery that God would give them a clear vision in reaching the lost in Northern New England.

4. Pray for John Meinen and the new Reformed University Fellowship work being established at the University of Vermont.

5. Pray for Redeemer Burlington and the families going on the first church retreat this weekend, that it would be a fruitful time as they grow together and plan for the fall.

Prayer Update - May 16, 2012

For more information about our presbytery, please visit our website.

Featured Church/Mission: Faith Presbyterian Church (profile), Lancaster, New Hampshire (Pastor Mike Kooy)

1. Pray for wisdom for our facilities committee as they consider options for a future place of worship for our church. Pray that the Lord would bless us as we seek to raise funds for a new building.

2. Pray for our day camp outreach in August. Ask the Lord to work faith and repentance in the hearts of the children as they hear the gospel message at the day camp. Pray for staff that is needed to help run the camp and for funding as well.

3, Pray that the Lord would help us to reach out with the gospel to those in our community and that he would draw many to faith and repentance in him.

4. Pray that the Lord would continue to provide for our church the funds necessary to continue ministry here in northern NH. 

Featured Potential Church Planting Site: Berlin, New Hampshire (profile)

1. Pray for the work of God’s Spirit in the north country of New Hampshire and especially in the town of Berlin.

2. Pray for good economic opportunities for the people of Berlin and the surrounding region. 

3. Pray for the resources necessary for the planting of churches in the rural regions of northern New England.

Featured Potential College Ministry Site: Bates College (profile)

1. Pray for the students, faculty, and staff of Bates College as they take their break between academic years.

2. Pray for the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship group at Bates and for a strong evangelical witness among the student population there.

3. Pray for the encouragement of Christian students at the school.

MNA Committee work:

NNEP:

1. Pray that God would raise up men to plant churches in Northern New England.

2. Pray for adequate funding and support to provide all that is needed to reach the lost in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

3. Pray for interns Tom Powell as he seeks the Lord’s leading; Mike Viera, as he continues his studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson; and Nathan Snyder, as he looks to God’s call in ministry.

Prayer Update - May 2, 2012

For more information about our presbytery, please visit our website.

Featured Church/Mission: First Presbyterian Church (profile), Concord, New Hampshire (Pastor Doug Domin)

1.       Please give thanks for the covenant family at FPC.  We have good elders, 2 potential deacons in training, a great spirit among us, good ministries among the women, and often visitors each week.  We see God at work at FPC.

2.       Please pray for new families and individuals to become a part of FPC and that as members we would share Christ with others.

3.       Please pray for our facility needs.  Part of the building we are in will be torn down and we and all the tenants have to be out September 1.We at this point do not know where we will go.  We thought we would have to be out July 1 but have been able to stay until September 1 at only $600 a month rent with no utilities.  So, we have seen God provide for us and we give praise.  We need a 24/7 facility as this facility is sometimes used 6 days a week.  This is a serious dilemma for us.

4.       Give thanks that we have a purchase and sales agreement for our church property.  We concluded it has become to cost prohibitive to build and purchasing an existing building makes better sense.

5.       Please pray for our finances.  We have been down about $2,000 a month and our general fund balance is very low. 

6.      Please pray for God’s direction as we seek with the involvement and support of Presbytery about Ted planting a church in Hooksett, NH. 

Featured Potential Church Planting Site: Montpelier, Vermont (profile)

1. Pray for the work of God’s Spirit among the people of Vermont’s capital city. 

2. Pray for the leaders of the Vermont government including Governor Peter Shumlin.

3. Pray for God’s blessing upon the church in northern Vermont.

Featured Potential College Ministry Site: University of Maine (profile), Orono, Maine

1. Pray for the students, faculty, and staff at the main campus of the University of Maine in the summer ahead and for the town of Orono.

2. Pray for the campus ministries at the University of Maine, including Campus Crusade for Christ, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and the Maine Christian Association.

MNA Committee work:

REDEEMER BURLINGTON

Please continue to pray for our work to establish a new PCA church in the most unchurched city in the most unchurched state in the U.S.--Burlington, Vermont! It is our joy to serve Christ's church here in this beautiful but broken city, and we desperately need your prayers. 

STATUS OF THE CHURCH PLANT

As you might expect, planting a church in Burlington is all about the LONG VIEW. We are encouraged to have six families involved in our launch team. These families have been regularly attending our weekly Wednesday night Bible study in our home for over six months now. Praise God for providing people to help us in this difficult work.

We also meet once a month together at our downtown art space once a month for singing, prayer and teaching.

Please pray for continued momentum as many families travel in the summer. We will be scaling down our events and activities during summer months as we focus on planning and preparing for a potential Fall launch date for our first worship service. 

PRAYER AND PRAISE

• We have all six families (and some singles and college students) signed up for our first church retreat on Lake George in Silver Bay, NY, just across the Vermont/New York border, June 1st-3rd. Please pray that this time would be a fruitful one as we grow together as a community and make plans for the Fall. 
• Praise God for the wedding of Anjanette Decarlo and Joel Salvador Paulino, our first ever event in our new worship space, the Burlington Greek Orthodox church. Our core group put on this wedding as a gift to Anjanette and Joel, and the party and reception afterward were held at the New City Galerie (our art space and church offices). Anjanette told me that I had just preached to the toughest crowd I'll ever preach to--most of her friends and collegues at the University of Vermont and St. Michael's College were "Jewish intellectuals, atheists and agnostics" (her words)! It was a wonderful way for our growing church community to serve and witness to the great love of our great Bridegroom, Jesus! Many of those who attended commented on a specific point I made in the sermon: that our natural tendency is to create a mental list of how our spouse has wronged us and use it to prove how they now owe us! But the gospel is different: Jesus takes the list of the ways we have wronged God and applies it to himself, absorbing the cost of it. So that's how Paul can say in 1 Corinthians 13, "love keeps no record of wrongs." It's because of Jesus that God, who is LOVE, can tear up our list and embrace us as we are. Praise God for his open-handed and costly love for sinners such as we are!
• I have been invited to speak at a regional Vermont youth conference of 200 students in New Haven, VT the weekend of June 30th. Please pray that God would be at work in the messages and the time of fellowship. 
• A team from the Presbyterian Church of Coventry (our former church during our time with RUF at UConn) will be coming up to help us put on an outreach camp to the Nepalese refugee community in Burlington the last week of June. This team is raising funds to attend and I will be working together with Dan Raut, the pastor of a church plant among the refugees to put together this five day outreach. Please pray for much fruit!
• Pray for upcoming events at the New City Galerie, our art space/offices on historic Church Street in downtown Burlington. Redeemer's own Bech Evans and his friend Erik Rehman will be presenting 'VESSELS AND SEMBLANCES: NEW WORKS IN CLAY", an exhibit of their pottery and sculpture, this Friday, May 4th, 5-10pm at 132 Church Street.  On Friday, May 11th, my friend Josh Stamper, a jazz musician based in Philadelphia, will be playing a concert with a three piece woodwind ensemble. Photography and film inspired by music from Josh's latest album will be on display from Amherst, MA artist W.R. Cooley and Ben Stamper (of the band Ben & Vesper). 
• Praise God for a four day time of rest for our family this past week on Lake George, NY. Provided for free by Silver Bay YMCA's pastor's retreat ministry. Thank God for these folks!
• Pray for time fundraising, attending RUF's church planter training, and visiting family this summer during the month of July. 

NNEP:

Herb Shipman: Please keep Herb in your prayers for physical healing, that he might soon return to his ministry to the dairy farmers of northern Vermont.