CLC Prayer Focus June - August 2019
(World Report edition)
Week 23
Monday - Antigua: Please pray with us for more openings for book tables in churches and for the possibility of having a mobile bookstall. We will need someone with a heart for this kind of ministry to help us.
Tuesday - Barbados: Please pray for the provision of funds needed to do some vital repair work to the CLC building, particularly the roof, and to improve security.
Wednesday - Barbados: We would value prayer that our books would meet the needs of the customers and that we would fulfil our mandate by reaching our nation with the gospel.
Thursday - Trinidad & Tobago: Please pray for plans to launch a website, initially to introduce our stock and then for online sales at a later date. The website will be the International Office platform, but it will mean a lot of work for the local team to upload all the data. The manager of the bookshop in Point Fortin, Christon Nicholas, will be leading this project.
Friday - Dominica: Please pray for the various events this year - either organised by CLC or ones that CLC will participate in. In May, CLC held a prayer breakfast for customers and, at the time of writing, plans are underway for a walk-a-thon with a focus on evangelism, giving out tracts - and keeping fit! Towards the end of the year there will be another CLC Bible Day held at the bookshop!
The Weekend - Dominica: Please pray for the future of the bookshop as the uncertainty continues over how long we can go on renting the current premises.
Week 24
Monday - Canada: Our team is ageing, especially those in management positions. We invite you to pray with us that the Lord would lead us to the right person who could take on these responsibilities and lead the mission and ministry of CLC forward in the future.
Tuesday - United States: In 2019, we are publishing our first bi-lingual New Testament in French/English for CLC Multi-Language Media. Please pray for this project.
Wednesday - United States: Earlier this year, one of the two bookshops, CLC Moorestown, sadly had to close. Pray for stability for the team after a year of changes and restructuring within the staff and ministry.
Thursday - India: Praise the Lord for the new location for the Mathikere shop in Bangalore. It is smaller than the previous one but better situated, and not very far from the old shop. Please pray that both our existing customers and many new ones will find us.
Friday - India: At the time of writing, we still need to relocate the shop in Vizag and would appreciate prayer for the ministry there. Another shop need that has been a subject for prayer for a while is our desire to have a CLC-owned bookshop in Purasawalkam, Chennai.
The Weekend - Indonesia: Please pray that the newly renovated bookshop will be a blessing to customers and attractive to passers-by. Praise the Lord for CLC’s presence in this country for almost 70 years, and we trust Him for the future of the work.
Week 25
Monday - Indonesia: Praise God for the ongoing publishing work of CLC Indonesia. This year, the book, Sit, Walk Stand, by Watchman Nee and The Bible and the Meaning of Life by Christopher Flint will be published.
Tuesday - Japan: Although our staff and funds are limited, we continue the ministry and want to find ways to work more closely with other publishers and wholesalers, and to support the churches. Pray especially for our relationship with Word of Life Publishers with whom we work closely. Please pray for encouragement and new opportunities for CLC Japan.
Wednesday - Korea: In January, we held an Ancient Near East Theological Forum with Dr. John H. Walton, from Wheaton College, and other theological professors in Seoul. We had 450 guests join us for the event. Praise God for this opportunity and pray as we plan another forum later this year.
Thursday - Korea: Praise God for the recent ‘Proclaim 2018’. We will be hosting the four-yearly CLC International Leadership Council in Korea in May next year. We need to plan ahead and prepare for the event. Your prayers for this would be appreciated.
Friday - Papua New Guinea: We plan to do monthly ‘mobile sales’ this year, starting with a small town two hours away from Port Moresby. Please pray that these trips will be a blessing to the people there and for the CLC ministry.
The Weekend - Papua New Guinea: We need more compact Bibles because of the growing need in Christian and public schools because of the Religious Education classes included in most schools in Port Moresby. Please pray that CLC will have the means to supply these Bibles at an affordable price.
Week 26
Monday - Myanmar: CLC Myanmar desperately needs a larger facility for a warehouse and needs to open a second bookshop in a central and accessible location in Yangon. This has been a prayer request for some time, and we continue to pray in faith for the Lord’s direction and provision in this matter.
Tuesday - Myanmar: Please pray for the busy publishing department and the new titles planned for this year, including Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages. At the time of writing, there is a need for at least one more person to help with the translation work.
Wednesday - Pakistan: Please pray for this year’s projects including printing two titles (Lee Strobel’s The Case for Faith and David Yonggi Cho’s The Fourth Dimension Vol. 2), renovating the bookshop and attending the annual Sialkot Convention with a large book table in September.
Thursday - The Philippines: Please pray for opportunities to open a new bookshop and for finances to do this. Please pray also for our plans to improve, or perhaps even change, our website this year.
Friday - Thailand: Amanda and Ken Intajuk will go to the CLC Asia Leaders’ Conference to be held in the Philippines (August 12–16) to represent CLC Thailand. This will be a new and, hopefully, very encouraging and informative experience. Please pray for them.
The Weekend - Thailand: Don and Betsy Veldboom return to the USA at the end of this year. Currently, Amanda Intajuk is being trained to manage the shop, but please pray for suitable help and support for the shop team in order to see the ministry grow and thrive.
Week 27
Monday - Bolivia: As we are included in the CLC project to produce affordable, evangelistic Bibles for three CLC countries, we are looking forward to receiving 5,000 copies for distribution this year. Please pray for blessing through this initiative.
Tuesday - Bolivia: Please pray for the CLC team that the Lord will continue to bless and guide us, give us wisdom and open up more possibilities for the distribution of Bibles and books. Pray, too, for health, strength and provision for the Padilla family who are missionaries from Venezuela.
Wednesday - Chile: CLC Chile is promoting and distributing the CLC Colombia publication, Trusting in God Although Life Hurts, by Jerry Bridges. We are also working hard to encourage bulk purchases of the Promise Bible with an emphasis on evangelism. Pray that these efforts will bless and encourage many people.
Thursday - Chile: At the time of writing, the bookshop in Santiago was in need of a new manager. Perhaps a new manager is already in place by the time you read this, but please pray for the bookshop and the interim, or newly appointed, manager.
Friday - Colombia: Please pray for the plans to open a second bookshop in the city of Medellin. Pray too for plans to replace a number of our computers that have become obsolete.
The Weekend - Colombia: During 2019, CLC Colombia has plans to facilitate around 30 more Thompson Bible Seminars. Praise the Lord that between 2010 and 2018, over 19,000 people went through this training programme in Colombia.
Week 28
Monday - Ecuador: At the time of writing, we should soon have the necessary permission to start building our new CLC property in Guayaquil. Pray in particular for good sales to help with the payments for the first phase of the construction.
Tuesday - Ecuador: We plan visit to the Amazonian area where the Huaorani people live. This is where the missionary Jim Elliot started an evangelistic work. Please pray as we take the mobile ministry, and the Thompson Bible Seminars, to needy areas of the country.
Wednesday - Mexico: Please pray as the team continues to reach out into new areas of the country to introduce CLC and look for more ways to cooperate with others. Please pray for opportunities to meet with pastors in places like Morelos, Toluca, Veracruz and Zacatecas.
Thursday - Mexico: Maria del Carmen and the team thank God for opportunities to share about CLC both in Mexico and internationally. Much of this is done through contacts with people who have influence through social media.
Friday - Panama: A long-standing subject for prayer is the project to buy a property where we can establish a warehouse and offices. Please join the team in seeking God’s will and provision in this matter.
The Weekend - Panama: Please pray as CLC Panama looks again at getting their legal status changed from a commercial company to a charity since, in practice, CLC Panama does not have shareholders or distribute dividends like normal commercial companies, but it does pay income tax.
Week 29
Monday - Uruguay: We are working together with all the other CLC Latin America teams in the promotion of the book, Trusting in God although Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges. We hope to impact thousands of lives with this excellent book.
Tuesday - Uruguay: Following on from the first Thompson Bible Seminars in Uruguay in 2018, more are planned for this year, and it is hoped that around 250 people will participate. Pray for the ongoing work, and that many church leaders and pastors will benefit from this training.
Wednesday - Venezuela: Please pray for God’s care and provision for the needs of the staff. Important provisions like medicines are in short supply and are very expensive. Praise God for financial support received through gifts to help supplement the monthly salaries.
Thursday - Venezuela: We pray for the ability to function well in the six remaining bookshops. Please pray that we would return to financial stability and sustainability.
Friday - Belarus: We need a new leader for the CLC Belarus Ministry. The current Director, Lina Pinkevich, is due to retire soon, and this is the time to train someone to take over in the future. Please pray for the person of God’s choice for this important role.
The Weekend - Belarus: There are plenty of plans for publishing this year, and a focus on children’s books is an important part of the work. Please pray for the publishing projects and for negotiations to print our books via Print on Demand in the Ukraine.
Week 30
Monday - Central Asia 1 (CA1): At the time of writing, the plan is to open the bookshop again in April 2019 after some months of concentrating solely on the mobile ministry. Due to the specific difficulties in selling Christian literature in the country, it is hard to plan for the future, but we hope to use social networks to promote the bookshop. We don’t have a website yet. Please pray for inspiration and encouragement in this situation.
Tuesday - Bulgaria: Please pray for the project started last year to publish the book Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. We hope to complete it this year and are also considering working on projects with other publishers.
Wednesday - Bulgaria: Last year we had book tables at two annual events that we regularly attend, but we will not be able to take part this year. We are looking forward to new opportunities for book tables this year and trust the Lord for His guidance.
Thursday - Central Asia 2 (CA2): Although the required permission to sell Christian books is all in order, permission to use the property for commerce has been given only verbally. This is enough to allow us to open, but please pray that we will soon have the paperwork to confirm this.
Friday - Central Asia 2 (CA2): Please pray for possibilities to translate more books and that the book already translated will be a blessing. Pray, too, for the importation process for material, particularly new products for the bookshop.
The Weekend - Cyprus: We continue to pray for a younger person to join us. We received an email from a Greek Cypriot, currently studying in the UK, expressing her desire to work with us after her return to Cyprus. We pray and trust that this will materialise.
Week 31
Monday - Cyprus: We serve people from many different countries and often have conversations about the Lord with them, or they leave the shop with a tract. Recently, this resulted in an opportunity to lead a Bible study with some students from Nepal. Praise the Lord!
Tuesday - France: Please pray for the development of a new website in collaboration with the CLC International office. This is a project we have wanted to launch for some time to further advance our web presence.
Wednesday - France: Please pray for the finalisation of the extension project for the warehouse in Montelimar as it should be nearing completion now.
Thursday - Germany: Our bookkeeper for the past 25 years retired recently. Please pray as we continue to do this work without taking on someone specifically for the job. We have the skills within the team, but it means extra work!
Friday - Hungary: Praise the Lord for volunteers! Last October Lea started helping us with marketing, especially on social media, and we have seen some good results already. We are looking for others to help - bloggers and influencers who can help us spread the word about our books and translators for the publishing work. Please pray.
The Weekend - Hungary: Praise the Lord for a new member of the team specifically for the Miskolc bookshop. This is an answer to prayer and means we can resume full opening times again there. Pray for Gabriella as she settles into the work.
Week 32
Monday - Portugal: Please pray for CLC Portugal’s Publishing ministry. This year they hope to publish two more titles by Portuguese authors and also, together with the Portuguese Bible Society, publish two children’s books.
Tuesday - Portugal: Planning and preparation is underway for the Global Leadership Summit meetings in Lisbon and Porto later this year. Please pray for CLC’s involvement in these events and for the work of the Global Leadership Network.
Wednesday - Romania: After the recent loss of staff and the changing situation, we need to reorganise the team and recruit more staff. However, with the high level of emigration from the country and the increased salaries, it is difficult. Please pray for God’s provision.
Thursday - Romania: Please pray for progress in our publishing— books that were not completed last year, new titles planned for this year and titles almost out of stock that should be reprinted. We also want to work to improve the activity on the new website.
Friday - Russia: We are now making arrangements for the first seminar on the Redemption History to be held in Moscow which, Lord willing, should take place in July. The Senior Pastor of Pyeongkang Cheil Church, Rev. Lee, will be leading it. Please pray that this will be a blessing for all who attend.
The Weekend - Spain: At the end of 2018, the CLC team put together a selection of books and Bibles ready to send as a donation to Equatorial Guinea, a Spanish speaking country in West Africa. At the time of writing, the books are waiting for a suitable and affordable means of transport from Spain. Please pray that these books will soon be sent on their way.
Week 33
Monday - Spain: Praise the Lord for the 20,000 affordable Bibles that will be available in Spain this year thanks to the CLC International project to raise funds to have them printed. Spain is one of three specific countries receiving these Bibles where they will be widely used.
Tuesday - Switzerland: Please pray for the monthly Hebrew course that we started in 2018. The plan is to continue this throughout 2019. May it continue to bless and benefit the small group that meet.
Wednesday - Switzerland: Since the end of 2018, we have been talking with pastors in order to raise awareness in the local churches of our need for support to remain financially viable. We want people to recognise that we need to work together in order to continue. We also want to connect with other ministries to look for ways to collaborate in order to help keep our bookshop open.
Thursday - United Kingdom: Areas of growth that we would appreciate prayer for include increasing the range of publishers represented in the warehouse and the number of events we serve with book tables. It is important that we continue supporting CLC International as well, particularly with Bible projects.
Friday - United Kingdom: Collaboration and partnerships are important for the future of CLC in the UK. Please pray for more opportunities to develop partnerships with like-minded ministries and churches, and for ‘author events’ in collaboration with churches.
The Weekend - Benin: We have enlarged the bookshop recently by filling an unused adjacent room with stock to make the most of our space. Please pray that this area will be welcoming and attractive for customers, and that our staff can be organised to ensure there is someone to attend customers in each section of the ‘extended’ bookshop.
Week 34
Monday - Burkina Faso: We plan to get out to more churches to speak about CLC and make contact with the younger generation. We are also looking for more opportunities to hold book tables. Please pray for growth in the ministry and an increase in sales.
Tuesday - Côte d’Ivoire: Please pray for our plans to become more effective in the ministry. We want to make our Facebook page more dynamic and would like to create a website with a view to selling online at some point. We are looking for opportunities to partner with churches in order to supply them with consignment stock.
Wednesday - Kenya: We want to strengthen and expand our publishing work, and we applied for a grant to help with the finances to do this. Praise God the grant has been awarded, which is an encouragement and blessing for the ministry.
Thursday - Kenya: At the time of writing, some major changes to the locations where we operate are anticipated this year. Relocation is key to restructuring the way we work, looking for increased retail sales and more affordable rented premises. Please pray with us for God’s guidance for the way ahead.
Friday - Liberia: Please pray for wisdom, guidance and encouragement for the team as they face significant financial difficulties. Please pray that they will find new ways of reaching out with Christian literature in the bookshop and through the mobile ministry.
The Weekend - Liberia: Praise God for CLC’s continued involvement with church leaders’ training. A trip to Ganta Nimba County to host a training event in partnership with the Evangelical Baptist Convention took place in May this year.
Week 36
Monday - Sierra Leone: We give thanks to the Lord for the many souls who have been born into the Kingdom of God, the people whose faith has been strengthened, the broken hearts that have been mended, the light found by those in darkness and the hope found by those in despair—all through the literature sold through our bookshops in Sierra Leone.
Tuesday - Sierra Leone: Pray for the development of the Print on Demand operation in Freetown. More than 5,000 books were printed in the last year, but there is scope for growth and the development of new, local authors.
Wednesday - Mozambique: Praise the Lord for a successful grant application that will enable us to open a small outlet in Nampula, in the north of Mozambique. Please pray for God’s guidance as we now move forward with this project.
Thursday - Mozambique: Please pray for the ongoing staff needs in the Maputo bookshop. There have been changes as some have moved into pastoral work. We have been blessed with the workers we have had.
Friday - CLC Africa: We are expecting to host the CLC Africa Regional Conference in Maputo in October 2019 with the participation of Gerardo Scalante, the CLC International Director. Please pray for the preparations and planning for this.
The Weekend - CLC Africa: The supply chain and the affordability of books continue to be an issue right across the continent. Please pray for solutions to these issues. Both Print on Demand and local authors offer hope for the future.
Extra Prayer Points
Monday - Italy: Please pray for Samuele Di Ruocco who suffered a serious stroke earlier this year. He is making steady progress and maintains a joyful attitude although he knows he has a long road to recovery in front of him. Please pray too for the interim Director, Ivano Cramerotti, with his additional responsibilities.
Tuesday - Italy: Please pray for the bookshop managers. Last year two managers left CLC, and new managers are currently being trained. Another manager is on maternity leave, and a helper is managing the shop during this time.
Wednesday - Netherlands: Please pray for Bertus Keuter, the Director for CLC Netherlands. He had surgery for lung cancer earlier this year. Praise the Lord he is recovering well, and the surgery was successful.
Thursday - Netherlands: Pray for the publishing work as the team have four book titles planned for translation and publishing this year. Please pray, too, for the new website that it would quickly become established and effective.
Friday - Poland: Our main focus is to publish an additional seven new titles and to finally see our website renewed. Please pray for good progress in these areas.
The Weekend - Poland: Please pray for good relations among our staff and unity as we focus on our goals for the future ministry to reach the Polish people with the Gospel of Jesus through literature.