truth giving the potential for inner eyes to be opened and real meaning found.
Pray: Listening God, help
us to ask questions that open up conversation with fellow travellers on the road of life. Show us how to
understand your story and find meaning for our lives, day by day, step by step.
Saturday 22nd Today, children and young people are prominent in the Beltane festivities. They will feel
special in fancy dress or as Queen or part of the Beltane Court, or just coming along to enjoy the
spectacle. Pray that each child will have the opportunity, sooner rather than later, to know how special
they are in God’s eyes too.
Sunday 23rd Pray for Alan Donaldson, in his role as General Director of BUS (see
www.scottishbaptist.com/rev-alan-donaldson), as well as for Erskine, Falkirk, Fort William Baptist
Churches and The Lighthouse Church in Forres. Many of the churches we pray for have websites and
Facebook pages for more specific “prayer food”.
Monday 24th Novena Day 7, Acts 1:4 “Wait for the gift” The disciples are told to be patient and wait.
Pray: Listening God, it is hard not to know what will happen next, whether we are going to grieve or
rejoice, what good news might look like, what bad news might imply. Help us not to rush ahead but to
live with unknowing, to dwell in your comfortable mystery.
Tuesday 25th Keep praying for your chosen five people. Another idea to help remember to pray for them
is to find a piece of string, yarn or leather and tie five knots in it. Have it somewhere close by (maybe
even tied around your wrist?) and pray an “arrow prayer” for each person whenever you see or touch it.
Wednesday 26th The Church in Kosovo is growing, especially among young people through the witness
of organisations such as Campus Crusade for Christ. Pray for more Christian leaders to emerge, to be
bold in witness and strong in unity, resulting in burgeoning, spiritually healthy churches throughout the
country. Pray for Nazi and Albana who lead the Alpha and Omega church in Ferizaj. Helena and Andy
Moxon (with Jacob and Samuel) work in nearby Shtime, focussing on health and education projects. The
BMS team are in Gracanica, also working with young people.
Thursday 27th Novena Day 8, Acts 2:6 “Each one heard them speaking in their own language” At
Pentecost, not only were there miracles of wind and flame and mysterious utterances, but also the gift
of people hearing in their own language. Not only are there words but understanding between people of
different races and faiths. Pray: Listening God, we speak in many tongues, but your Spirit gives
discernment in the babble. Help us to value diversity and complexity seeing in people who don’t go
together the wonderful possibility of your reconciling grace.
Friday 28th Remember Barbara and the work of Vision Ministries in Kibera. This Sunday we will be
collecting for the Water Guard project. See in your mind’s eye, the joy of people knowing that they are
able to drink clean water and stay healthier. Pray that they will also know Jesus, the source of eternal life
giving water.
Saturday 29th Hopefully, there will be an outdoor service and barbeque at the King’s Meadow tomorrow
morning. Pray for good weather and for the gathering to be joyous, full of celebration and praise to
Father God such that passers-by are drawn in to understand what is happening. Pray for all involved in
preparing services at Fraserburgh, Galashiels, Garrioch and Gerrard Street Baptist Churches, that they
would be blessed as well as a blessing. Pray for Martin Hodson to have inspiration and guidance in his
role as Ministry Development Coordinator for BUS.
Sunday 30th Outdoor service and BBQ today (weather permitting…) Novena Day 9, Acts 2:43 “Everyone
was filled with awe” Peter is transformed from hesitant and insecure into someone who testifies
confidently to a huge crowd! Pray: Listening God, blow away the cobwebs of our insecurities make us so
sure of your love that we dare to live differently so confident of a fresh start that we are unafraid of
making mistakes and so immersed in your Spirit that our doubts can surface and be aired. Inspire us to
listen and question until such time as you gather us in, like chicks under your wing.
Prayer Diary
June 2019
Pray every day for our church, for God to bless, minister to and through the:
1. Leadership – pray for Ian and Lindsey and the Deacons: Linda, John, Bill and Lyn
2. Family – pray using the address list as a guide to cover everyone during the month
3. Worship – pray for those involved in the music ministry, and all other aspects of
worship as per the rota
4. Witness – of individuals living and working in this community; as a body
representing Jesus; of our mission partners in Guinea and Kenya
5. Growth – pray:
- for the children in the church family and those who teach them in JAM
- for the Building Project: the practicalities of fund-raising and building, the
activities and outreach now and the opportunities to come in the King’s
Meadow building.
N.B. Saturday prayer time in the caravan at 8.30am. All welcome!
Saturday 1st Prayer Breakfast Day! Come along if you are able. Thursday was Ascension Day,
remembering Jesus’ return to Heaven to sit at His Father’s right hand interceding for us (Romans 8:34).
This special day is the first of an eleven day-long global prayer movement started in 2016 by the
Archbishops of Canterbury and York. The primary aim is to pray for more people to come to know Jesus.
Called “Thy Kingdom Come”, people and churches and encouraged to participate with the hope that
those involved will: “deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ; pray for God’s Spirit to work in the lives
of those they know; and, come to realise that every aspect of their life is the stuff of prayer” See
www.thykingdomcome.global for more information. Using some of the resources from the website, this
month’s prayer guide will focus on praying for people we know to find faith in Jesus; and incorporate a
novena – a nine day period of prayers on the subject “I hear you differently”, developed by the
Methodist Church for Thy Kingdom Come. For today: Ask God to bring to mind five people for you to
regularly pray for and write them down somewhere you will frequently see and be reminded to pray.
Pray: Loving Father, in the face of Jesus Christ your light and glory have blazed forth. Send your Holy Spirit
that I may share with my friends [here, name your friends] the life of your Son and your love for all.
Strengthen me as a witness to that love as I pledge to pray for them, for your name’s sake. Amen.
Sunday 2nd We continue to pray for individuals and churches belonging to the Baptist Union of Scotland.
Pray for Frances Bloomfield, the Convenor of the BUS. You can read about her and her role here:
glasgowchurches.org.uk/new-convenor-for-baptist-union-of-scotland. Bring before God the
congregations and ministries of Dunoon, Dunrossness and East Mains Baptist Churches. Check out the
screen for more information.
Monday 3rd Novena Day 1, Luke 8:18 “Consider carefully how you listen” Jesus says those who hear God’s
word and put it into practice are His family. Pray: Listening God, open my ears today to the world, to the
stranger, to myself. Listen for a while to what God may be saying to you today, consciously invite Him into
every part of you: mind, body and soul. How does he want you to act? Pray for your five friends during
this time. Pray: Light up the world through me today. Help me to hear your word and put it into practice.
Tuesday 4th The BMS Prayer Guide focuses on volunteers this week. Pray for all who serve in this way,
whether students, doctors, teachers, engineers, ministers etc as well as for those who facilitate their
going. Pray that their ministering would bless and encourage those they serve, leading to strengthening
of faith in and witness for Jesus throughout the world.
Wednesday 5th Singing Together takes place this afternoon. Pray for all who lead and support this
regular event, that they would be blessed and encouraged in spending time together as well as with
those who attend. Pray for inspiration for the hymn chosen for today, that the words would be used by
the Holy Spirit to minister to each person present.
Thursday 6th Novena Day 2, Luke 18:7 “And will not God bring about justice?” Pray: Listening God, open
my ears today to the world, to the stranger, to myself. How can we be more attentive to the needs of
others and more fired up for justice? How can we persist in demanding justice when powerful people
seem deaf to our needs? Listen out today for the voices of the silenced. Ask God to bring to mind people
or people groups in the world that He would have you pray for. Check out the International Justice
Mission website to read how they fight slavery throughout the world and pray for them. Pray: Listening
God, set fire to our complacency, turn anger into action, indignation into protest. Fill us with your radical
passion for justice. Prompt us to persist in the face of deaf ears.
th
Friday 7 Pray for our BMS partners Caroline and Victor who are currently on Home Assignment. This is
a precious time for being with family and friends, as well as sharing with churches up and down the
country what God has being doing in Guinea. However, it can also be very busy and unsettling, so pray
for provision of adequate rest even in a multitude of places and at unexpected times. May they know
God’s blessing as they travel and talk about Him.
Saturday 8th Tomorrow is Pentecost and the final day of the 2019 Thy Kingdom Come initiative. Large
and small, public and hidden gatherings will be held around the world to remember the coming of the
Holy Spirit upon the believers in Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension and to pray together for the healing
and blessing of the nations. Read Acts 2 and pray ahead of these gatherings that there would be great
impact on many lives, and safety for those taking part in places where freedom to worship is not a
“given”.
Sunday 9th Pray today for every person in our church to know the Holy Spirit within in a fresh and vital
way. Include yourself in this prayer. Pray for this to be so for all who are part of Easterhouse, Elgin and
Ellon Baptist Churches, as well as for Peter Dick who is the Finance Secretary of the Baptist Union of
Scotland. Vicky’s Tearoom is held today, so let’s include all who organise this event, as well as those
attending, in our prayers for a Pentecost experience. Finally, remember the five people God prompted
you to pray for regularly, to be so influenced by the Holy Spirit that they would respond positively to the
call of Jesus’ on each of their lives.
Monday 10th Novena Day 3, Luke 22:12 “He will show you a large upper room, all furnished”. How did
the man know to get the room ready for Jesus and the disciples to have a Passover meal together? This
nameless man’s generosity gave time and space for an event that transformed the world. Listen out in
your own life today for the impulse of a generous spirit. Pray: Listening God, dare us to reckless
generosity so that we may say ‘Yes’ before we ask ‘How?’. Open the door on surprising conversations and
life changing encounters.
Tuesday 11th The Scottish Baptist Ministers’ Conference is taking place in St Andrews from today until
Thursday. Pray for Ian as he goes, and for all who will be there that they would benefit from the Bible
teaching, the opportunity to learn from one another and the fellowship of being with others who
understand the burdens and the blessings of being a minister.
Wednesday 12th Today is the UN World Day against Child Labour. 152 million children worldwide are
working, mostly in agriculture. The theme for this year is “Children shouldn’t work in fields, but on
dreams!” We can be very thankful that the children in our natural and church families are spared being
subject to enforced labour. Pray for them that as they grow they will have an awareness of their
protection from this abuse, be thankful to God for it and aim to be part of a world where Child Labour
has been eliminated (a UN Sustainable Goal target for 2025)
Thursday 13th Novena Day 4, Luke 23:23 “Their shouts prevailed” The angry mob is as much a modern-
day phenomenon as those that called for the crucifixion of Jesus. What is our response to this and how
do we resist trying to shout louder than the people around us, yet still find ways of being heard? Pray:
Listening God, don’t let us shout today, either in frustration or anger. Help me not to mistake volume for
righteousness. Break open spaces in arguments so that we can wait for wisdom. In the face of destructive
noise, let quiet love be strongest.
Friday 14th BMS World Mission has partners working in Tunisia, helping women to establish small
businesses so they can become self-supporting. This work is linked to trauma healing courses as many of
these women have been excluded from their families and are isolated and vulnerable. Pray for all
involved in this work and for the role of the Church, small and suffering as it is, in Tunisia. Pray that
Christians would be bold, but not foolhardy, in being ambassadors for Christ.
Saturday 15th Have you visited the King’s Meadow building site recently? If you can, do so today,
perhaps joining the prayer time at 8.30am in the caravan. Pray over and into all aspects of the erection
of the building eg adequate funds to be gathered in to finish it well, safety for the workers on site,
wisdom for Gordon, Ian and the building group, inspiration for the interior appearance and accessibility,
success for the work of God’s Kingdom within its walls…
Sunday 16th It’s the start of Beltane week. Pray for the Beltane Cross Kirk service and for Fr Tony Lappin
as he leads it. Many people will attend out of tradition. Pray that they will be surprised and challenged
by the Gospel, leading to the start of a living faith in Jesus. At PBC, we will be having lunch together then
having a time of discussion, prayer and reflection after our service.
Monday 17th Novena Day 5, Luke 24:11 “Their words seemed to them like nonsense” Stories don’t
always come out in a coherent way, especially when they are of extraordinary or traumatic events.
Listening to the truth behind the words, finding the sense in the nonsense, being prepared to imagine
the improbable is a vocational activity. Pray: Listening God, when people tell us weird things help us to
listen without judgement, carrying the message of grace in the way we receive another’s truth, willing to
hear of your risen presence from unlikely witnesses.
Tuesday 18th Churches are being planted in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. BMS World Mission
supports these initiatives and other work that fosters peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Pray for
effective impact and outreach in the work and ministries of the Association of Baptist Churches, the
Bethlehem Bible College, the Musalala Ministry of Reconciliation and individuals: Hanna (pastor of Gaza
Baptist Church) and church planter Ossama in the West Bank.
Wednesday 19th Peebles Churches Together will run a refreshment stall at the Beltane Rideout today.
Pray for many positive encounters using John 4:13 to direct your praying. Our deacons meet with Ian this
evening. Pray for each of them individually that as they journey through the day they would know a
special sense of God being alongside and within them, preparing their hearts and minds for discussing
and praying over the life and business of the family of PBC.
Thursday 20th Celebrating Recovery continues to meet on a Thursday evening. Pray for those leading as
well as all who attend, for God’s purposes to be worked out in each life: bringing hope where there were
“hurts, hang-ups and habits”.
Friday 21st Novena Day 6, Luke 24:19 “What things?” Read and meditate on Luke 24:13-27. Jesus knew
what every counsellor learns, that the open-ended question encourages a deeper exploration of the