PRAYER VENTURES – August 2006 

1 Give thanks for the links in faith and witness that emerge in the companion relationship between the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church and the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod. 

2 Offer thanks for Pastor Elizabeth Graham and the people of Risen Lord Lutheran Church (Aspen Park, Colorado) as they prepare to organize as a congregation of the ELCA.  Pray for them as they continue to invite new people to sign their charter and be part of this ministry that serves people in the foothills west of Denver. 

3 Give thanks for the ELCA Upstate New York Synod’s LYO for their sponsorship of the second annual Tour de Synod.  In 2005 the event raised over $13,000 for Zimbabwe.  The 2006 projects are the Nile Sudanese Lutheran Mission in Rochester, New York, and Salem Arabic Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New York. 

4 Thank God for the vital ministry Dale Linder provides as an ESL teacher with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon. He teaches at the College Protestante in Ngaoundéré 

5 Ask God to fill members of the ELCA with generosity as they respond to the appeals for financial support from local Lutheran social ministry organizations.  Pray that these ministries, which currently serve 3,000 communities in the United States, continue to thrive. 

6 Pentecost 9

We pray for the people of Canada and the United States of America: for the young and old; for women and men; for the hungry, the poor, the broken and unloved, and for those who live with plenty; for those hurting and those who heal; for those who live without hope and those who bring meaning to life; we ask that your mercy and loving-kindness may abound. 

7 Pray for all students at ELCA colleges who will be studying abroad this year and encountering new perspectives on the world. We remember students from Augsburg College who will spend this semester in Namibia, learning about Namibia and South Africa and their struggle to build nationhood, deal with the legacies of apartheid and colonialism, address the challenges posed by underdevelopment and unequal development, and tackle the long-term project of decolonizing the mind.  

8 Give thanks to God for the legacy of Christian service that this church has established across the land through Lutheran social ministry organizations, especially those celebrating landmark anniversaries this year, such as Lyngblomsten in St. Paul, Minnesota, on the centennial of its founding. 

9 On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, pray for churches around the world that serve indigenous people, who often are second-class citizens in their own land. 

10 Pray for Pastor Heidi Torgerson, who facilitates immersion experiences for ELCA members at the Lutheran Center in Mexico City and coordinates for the Young Adults in Global Mission program. May she open the hearts and minds of visitors and participants to the wealth of faith, strength, dignity, and culture Mexicans can share with our churches in the United States. 

11 Praise God for Bridge of Peace Community Church, a multicultural and multiracial congregation in poverty‑stricken Camden, New Jersey, and Pastor Wolfgang D. Herz‑Lane.  After five years of mission development work, this young church is approaching chartering and organization. 

12 Praise God for the mission zeal that emerges from the companion relationship between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lithuania and the ELCA Grand Canyon Synod. The relationship was strengthened in May when Bishop Mindaugas Sabutis attended the Synod’s assembly.  

13 Pentecost 10

God of creation, we thank you for the awesome beauty of the land and sea in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, for the rich diversity of peoples, and for your sons and daughters who seek to live your will. 

14 Remember Pastor Rosemary Sanchez-Guzman and the people of Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey in El Paso, Texas. Pray that they receive the financial resources to buy the facility where they worship and that they can continue to offer after-school and health programming, border immersion experiences, and numerous small groups. 

15 Give thanks for Jean Wahlstrom and Marv Kananen, who serve in Tanzania. Jean is a Christian education developer and pastoral counselor at the Maasae Girls Lutheran Secondary School and Marv teaches at Moringe Sokoine Secondary School in Monduli. 

16 Thank God for the solidarity in witness and service that has developed through the companion relationship between the Lutheran Church in Nicaragua (ILFE) and the ELCA South Dakota and Caribbean Synods, all three of which are led by women.  

17 Pray for Rani Abdulmasih and the leaders of Abundant Life Arabic Ministry as they continue to reach out to and welcome people from the Arabic community in Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. Pray that God will inspire and strengthen this developing congregation. 

18 Pray for the staff and those involved with Phebe Hospital and School of Nursing in Liberia. Give thanks for all the revitalization of health care ministries that has been made possible through European and North American church partners, contributions, and volunteer efforts.  

19 Pray for the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and its companion relationship with the ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod. 

20 Pentecost 11

We thank you, O God, for the people of the Pacific Ocean island nations and Papua New Guinea, whose vibrant faith through the years gives reason to celebrate your goodness. 

21 Give thanks for Pastor Jordan Long and the Nile Sudanese Lutheran Mission (SAWC) in the Upstate New York Synod of the ELCA.  The SAWC works with Sudanese refugees and immigrants in Rochester and Buffalo. Pray that the Holy Spirit inspires leadership development in these new communities. 

22 Give thanks for Pastor Steven Hartten and the people of Elizabeth Lutheran Mission and Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, Colorado, who are working toward becoming a federated worshipping community with a new name this summer 2006. Pray for their maturing identity and continued outreach as an ecumenical community.   

23 Give thanks for the teaching ministry of Sister Ruth Ellen Rebelein at Senior Flierl Seminary near Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea. Sister Ruth engages students and teaching colleagues in Bible study and prayer. Pray also for the students and faculty as they learn and witness God’s love together. 

24 Pray for the new mission personnel who are being deployed this summer to many corners of the world. Give thanks for their service to Christ’s Church and their devotion to mission in God’s world. 

25 Thank God for the more than 100 years of relationship between ELCA congregations in the South Carolina Synod and the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, and for the continued companion relationship that unites them.  

26 Rejoice in the ministry of Cristel Churchill, serving with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG). Cristel is a certified public accountant working with the finance office of the ELC-PNG.  

27 Pentecost 12

We praise you, God of the islands, for the warm welcome and hospitality experienced by visitors to the Indian Ocean island nations of Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Madagascar, whose Lutheran Church is engaged in outreach on Comoros and Reunion Islands.  

28 Give thanks for the impact on everyday ministry of the relationship between the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod and the Mahajanga Synod of the Malagasy Lutheran Church, whose president Rev. Dr. Modeste Endor Rakoto participated in the Rocky Mountain Synod’s assembly in April.  

29 Pray that God sustain the people of the Gulf Coast with hope and healing as they continue to rebuild their lives following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall a year ago today. 

30 Pray for Kirsten and Pastor Stephan Kienberger, who are beginning service at the American Lutheran Church (ALC) in Oslo, Norway. Pray also for the successful upgrade of the ALC’s building, which offers a meeting place for various community and church groups.  

31 Pray for the companion relationship between the 60 congregations of the Tolagnaro/Ambovombe Synod of the Malagasy Lutheran Church and the 158 congregations of the ELCA Central/Southern Illinois Synod, that the connections between the synods and their ministries might deepen and flourish. 

Prayer Ventures is a guide to daily prayer for the global, social, and outreach ministries of the church. The Sunday prayers, based on the New Ecumenical Prayer Cycle from the World Council of Churches, take us on a prayer journey through various parts of the world. In addition to their use for daily prayer, Prayer Ventures can be incorporated into the prayers at Sunday worship. 

This resource may be copied and shared among members and friends of the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Prayer Ventures is produced by ELCA Evangelical Outreach, Church in Society,  and Global Mission program units, in cooperation with ELCA Communication Services. Contact the units for additional information: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. Tel. 1-800-638-3522.  

Prayer Ventures is available electronically. Visit us at www.elca.org/prayerventures