Latest Prayers by Church Mission Society

St Peter’s Church in Jaffa, Israel has been closed for over 70 years. Mission partners Jennifer and Kevin Cable are preparing to reopen the church building. Give thanks for four new members who have settled into the congregation and are now reading Scripture in their services, coming to Bible study and one who is preparing for baptism. Please pray for permits to be granted to allow repair of the tower at St Peter’s and for patience as the Cables wait.

From his base in Jordan, CMS local partner Medhat is building a network of evangelists throughout the Middle East through visiting and training volunteers and following up with individuals. Please pray for Medhat and those he works with, for God’s guidance as they share Jesus with people and grow the network.

Local partner Habeeb Kamal seeks to share the gospel with unreached people groups in Egypt, South Sudan and Sudan, including preaching, teaching and discipling believers, and sharing the gospel with people he meets on a day-to-day basis. Pray for God to open up opportunities for Habeeb to share Jesus with people.

Please pray for Mark and Rosalie Balfour as they continue to offer pastoral care to Street Kids Direct-supported projects in Guatemala and Honduras. Pray for wisdom and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as they spend time with people and protection for them as they travel. Most importantly, please pray that they keep Jesus at the centre of all they do.

CMS local partner Gabriel Parra is planting a church in Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile with his family. He writes that the church has begun two training programmes for members, one which focuses on mission and evangelism, and one for preachers. Pray for the congregation to be strengthened and equipped through this training.

Society Local partner Isaac Goh recruits, trains and sends people out for mission and development work in rural indigenous communities in Malaysia. Isaac writes that though there are churches, many of them are without a pastor and lack Bible teaching and discipleship, leaving them weak and vulnerable. Please pray for Isaac as he works with others to meet the need for leaders to disciple the rural churches.

From his base in Jordan, CMS local partner Medhat is building a network of evangelists throughout the Middle East through visiting and training volunteers and following up with individuals. Please pray for Medhat and those he works with, for God’s guidance as they share Jesus with people and grow the network.

CMS mission partners J and R, working in Bible translation in the Middle East, write that the book of Ezra will be reviewed for accuracy and readability (consultant-checked) in September. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guard against anything that would hinder this vital work. Pray, too, for J and the other Bible translators as they work to balance the time and effort on each book at each stage of the translation.

A CMS mission partner who is a lawyer serves persecuted Christians in the Middle East and North Africa using his legal qualifications, skills and expertise. As he advocates for religious freedom across the region, pray for authorities to respect the right to freedom of religion, for charges against Christians to be dropped and convictions overturned, and for churches that are closed to be permitted to reopen.

CMS mission partners Nabil and Sarah Shehadi are seconded to Alpha International and based in Lebanon, where Nabil is Alpha Levant coordinator while Sarah manages the hospitality and administration side of things, and they run courses together. They ask for prayer for Lebanon’s economic and financial crisis which has no foreseeable solution or end. Pray for new economic opportunities, food security and the provision of basic necessities.

Mission partners Andrew and Lisa Peart are based in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where they are part of Cristo Luz del Mundo, a church located in the heart of the financial and residential centre of the city. Hundreds of new flats are being built in the immediate area, and the church is developing a community garden on the church property. Pray for God to guide the church in creating a tranquil space where people will find rest from the outside world and connect with each other and God.

Local partner Christian Donoso and his wife Faby lead a church plant in Concepción, Chile. Pray for them and the team as they continue to lead the church in reaching out to those around them, specifically through gathering people for meals. Pray for God to prompt members of the church to invite specific people both to events and into their homes.

Local partner Russell de Alwis is church relations and training coordinator at LEADS, an organisation in Sri Lanka which works with abused and traumatised children. Praise God for the time and effort Russell has invested in awareness-raising programmes for parents and children over the past year. Pray for children to be rescued from abuse as more people learn to recognise the signs of child abuse and speak up on their behalf. 

Christine and David Torrance are CMS mission partners newly arrived in Kondoa, Tanzania, where they are looking to come alongside local Christians in discipleship and ministry and David teaches at Kondoa Bible College. Christine and David ask for prayer that Jesus remain their first love, for more of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and for David as he begins teaching theology in Swahili.

CMS mission partners Marcio Ciechanovicz and Noemi Celeti and their four children moved from the UK to São Paulo, Brazil, in January. They are connecting with people beyond the reach of traditional church, sharing the gospel and ministering to people’s physical needs. Pray for each member of the family as they continue to settle in and for God to prepare the way for them as they explore the city and make new connections.

CMS mission partners I and S are based in Southeast Asia, where they lead an international congregation, teach English classes and come alongside people to preach, teach, disciple and help lead them into a transforming encounter with Jesus. Pray for both I and S to get to know students outside of class, for God to show each of them who to come alongside and invest in.

Please continue to pray for relationships to deepen as community is formed,” write Lea and Petra Williams, mission partners leading the Anglican congregation in Brno, Czech Republic. They seek to cultivate a vibrant Christian community where people can meet Jesus and grow as disciples. Pray for people currently gathering for weekly Bible study in preparation for baptism. 

One of our local partners, Wilhelm Polikhronidi, manages a faith-based rehab centre in Tel Aviv, Israel. We praise God for Wilhelm, who has built close, trusting relationships with the eight men currently living in the rehab centre. As a result, the men are more open to hearing God’s word. Pray for God to continue working in these men’s lives, for healing and restoration. Pray for God to equip more servant-hearted people to reach those who are searching for hope in Jesus.

St Peter’s Church in Jaffa, Israel has been closed for over 70 years. Mission partners Jennifer and Kevin Cable are preparing to reopen the church building. Give thanks for four new members who have settled into the congregation and are now reading Scripture in their services, coming to Bible study and one who is preparing for baptism. Please pray for permits to be granted to allow repair of the tower at St Peter’s and for patience as the Cables wait.

Local partner Tamar Dawood, based in Lebanon, uses her filmmaking skills to amplify Arab Christian voices that are not often heard, creating short, powerful films. Pray for her new series of testimonies of people who are holding onto God’s promises despite difficult life circumstances - for God to use this series to encourage his people in the Arab world and draw more people to himself. Pray, too, for God to open new doors for creative programmes to reach those who are seeking him.

Chris and Suzy Wilson are working in reconciliation and peacebuilding with Christian leaders in Ethiopia. Pray for God to bless their efforts to improve their Amharic and help them not just to get to grips with the language’s many consonant sounds and add to their vocabulary, but also for God to bring the right words and turns of phrase to mind when they speak to people.

Please pray for mission partner Azaria Spencer in Guatemala and the at-risk children and young adults she comes alongside to disciple and empower. Pray for opportunities to open up for children and young people in Guatemala and for Azaria as she explores serving in different ministries and projects through her local church.

Steve and Lindsey Poulson, mission partners working with Street Kids Direct in Honduras, spend time mentoring, creating safe spaces for at-risk children and young people to grow, and supporting local project development. They ask for prayer for the children and young people they work with, and for more volunteers for one of Street Kids Direct’s mentoring projects, Proyecto Alas.

Mission partners Marcio Ciechanovicz and Noemi Celeti and their four children arrived in Indaiatuba, northwest of São Paulo, Brazil, in January. They plan to connect with people beyond the reach of traditional church, share the gospel in new ways and minister to people’s physical needs. Please pray for the whole family and for Brazil - for unity among Christians and justice for all people.

Please continue to pray for relationships to deepen as community is formed,” write Lea and Petra Williams, mission partners leading the Anglican congregation in Brno, Czech Republic. They seek to cultivate a vibrant Christian community where people can meet Jesus and grow as disciples. Pray for people currently gathering for weekly Bible study in preparation for baptism. 

n Groningen, Netherlands, mission partner Berdine van den Toren Lekkerkerker is living a life of mission, both locally in her community and globally as she supports Christian leaders in Africa and Asia. Pray for Berdine and others in the local community of Het Pand as they build relationships with each other, grow in their faith and reach out to people on the edges as God calls them

Pray for a lasting peace agreement and for food and medicine to reach those who urgently need it,” write Chris and Suzy Wilson, CMS mission partners working for forgiveness, reconciliation and peacebuilding in Ethiopia, where the situation continues to be tense. Pray for Christians in the country to be agents of peace and reconciliation as the different parties negotiate and find a way to live together in harmony.

Pray for CMS’s pioneer teaching team, who invest so much in students year after year. Having embraced hybrid teaching during the pandemic, pray for them as they balance online and in-person teaching, finding teaching methods that help everyone feel included.

CMS pioneer student María “Paz” de la Paz Zabala is based in Argentina, where she connects with young people through football and helps them discover God’s father heart for each one of them. She regularly meets with a group of five girls, offering friendship, guidance and discipleship. Pray for wisdom for Paz as to what each girl needs, and for each girl to develop a strong identity in Jesus so she can stand firm under pressure.