2021 Prayer Guide

This resource is designed for teams and small groups of larger teams to engage the

Scriptures together. A team could spend most of the morning reading, discussing, reflecting on and praying the Scriptures from this guide.

Worldwide Day of Prayer | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

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You are invited to open your heart to God as you prepare for a day of intercessory prayer.

Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches….” Imagine a tender vine breaking through the soil, growing up and out of the

ground and forming into a thick and sturdy trunk. The sturdy trunk or vine rises upward and splits off into branches that reach left and right, trained along the fence which a vinedresser built and maintains.

Pay special attention to the place where the vine and the branch connect, for this is where you remain in Christ and the empowering of the Holy Spirit flows. Take a few moments to interact with God in one or more of these ways:

Opening your heart to God through Music. Listen to one of the suggested songs and let your heart reflect and pray on your personal connection to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sit in silence or journal in response to how God is leading you to open your heart to Him.

In the Fields of the Lord by The Porters Gate (feat. Audrey Assad)Remain in Me (I am the Vine) by Worship NOWAbide with Me by Matt MaherDwell Songs - Abide (feat. Aaron Williams)

Opening your heart to God through Art.Draw or sketch a picture of the vine, giving special attention to where the vine and branch connect. Regardless of how well you can draw, pay attention to what God wants to reveal to you as you draw this metaphor for your relationship with Him.

Opening your heart to God through listeningto Scripture.Listen to John 15 being read. Listen 2 times, noticing what word or phrase stands out to you. What emotion is being stirred as you listen and notice? Talk with God about the word or phrase that stands out and your emotion. Ask Him to lead you in the invitation this time of listening presents to you.

NIV Reading of John 15Street Lights Audio Bible reading of John 15.

A benediction for intercession.O God, truly you are our strength, individually and corporately. Without you we are lifeless and unfruitful. Lord Jesus, you said that as we remain in you we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done. Wow, that’s a big responsibility and privilege. Fill our hearts with your passion, compassion and Kingdom imagination today as we pray for the mission. Lead us in corporate prayer today from the place where the vine and branch connect.

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Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come,your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

—Matthew 6:9-13 ESV

AMEN.

This prayer guide is an invitation for individuals and teams to explore and reflect on how God is our strength.

As you spend time in the Word together, please turn your discoveries into prayers

— written or spoken or silent longings.

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“MORE PRAYER, MORE STRENGTH; LITTLE PRAYER, LITTLE STRENGTH; NO PRAYER, NO STRENGTH.”

—Mottos widespread by Chinese Christians

“WHAT IS GAINED BY PRAYER MUST BE MAINTAINED BY PRAYER!”

—Unknown

INTRODUCTION A Case Study of Dr. Thomas Muhnee of The Kiambu Prayer Cave in Kenya

Kiambu was infamous for having the worst crime, violence, drunkenness, immorality….The list would go on and on. It was the murder capital of Kenya. Government officials paid bribes to their superiors so as not to be assigned to Kiambu. Unexplainably, automobile accidents occurred regularly. Kiambu would have been Thomas’ last choice as a mission field because the city had also gained the reputation as a preacher’s graveyard. Thomas and his wife started out with faithful prayer and fasting prayer for six months in God’s guidance. He saw it as proactive spiritual warfare. He said, “If we are going to win the battle for Kiambu, we must win it in the air. The ground troops must not invade the territory of the enemy without first achieving victory in the invisible world. I would not want to step foot into Kiambu until the spiritual forces of darkness over the city have lost their grip.” He wanted to know exactly what was keeping Kiambu so politically, socially, economically, and spiritually oppressed. God answered Thomas and his wife’s prayer and showed them the stronghold of the enemy over

Kiambu was “witchcraft.” The most notorious sorcerer named “Mama Jane.” She did her witchcraft and fortune-telling in a place she had perversely named “Emmanuel Clinic.” She was considered by many as the most powerful person in the city. She was frequently visited by politicians and businesspeople to have their fortune told and received her blessings.

From that point onward, their prayers were much more specifically targeted and they sensed in the Spirit that considerable damage was being done in the invisible world. He saw that the spiritual atmosphere over Kiambu had been sufficiently cleared through powerful prayer and that the forces of darkness over the city were losing their stronghold on the city and were now in disarray. It was time for the ground forces to move into enemy territory.

They began their first evangelistic meeting using the facility of the municipal hall in January 1989. He was convinced that if his new church was to continue to grow and exert eternal impact on the whole city of Kiambu, prayer had to be the most prominent and crucial component of his philosophy of ministry. Thomas’ vision was that his church facility should be used for prayer 24 hours a day, every day.

They were able to move out of the municipal hall and into the basement of another building. From the day they moved in, the 24-hour prayer has never stopped! People naturally began referring

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to it as “The Prayer Cave”. Thomas and church members experienced intensive spiritual attack to the point that they could hardly pray. One day it got so bad that they started a worship song and were never able to finish it! Thomas cried out to God and asked for guidance. God answered his prayer and he changed his strategies in prayer. Thomas called together his team of 9 intercessors. As one person was assigned to fast on a particular day, he or she would be covered by two [praying] armor bearers. As the intercessor team grows to have 400 highly-committed members, instead of only one intercessor fasting and praying each day, they are now divided into blocks of 15 or 20, which means that every single day either 15 or 20 are praying and have a prayer shield spread over each one by two other intercessors.

With countless prayers and fasting, the word was spreading around to the city officials that Mama Jane did not have the power she used to have. Her clients were embarrassing her by openly burning fetishes and renouncing curses. Some began pointing out that it could be no coincidence that her Emmanuel Clinic was right next to the area where the serious accidents were occurring. When three young children were killed in one of the mysterious accidents. The people of the city were furious. They suspected that it was Mama Jane’s black magic that was causing the accidents. They wanted to stone her! The police intervened. Mama Jane quickly and wisely opted to leave town for good. Instead of a preacher’s graveyard, Kiambu had miraculously been transformed to a witch’s graveyard! Finally

the Kingdom of God is coming to Kiambu. No more hostility is present among Christian pastors. Repentance and reconciliation is the order of the day. Churches of all denominations across the city are now growing rapidly, the same as they have in other parts of Kenya.

Wagner, C. Peter. Praying with Power (pp. 18-34).

Destiny Image. Kindle Edition

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Psalm 18 To prepare, you might watch this brief overview of the Book of Psalms, paying attention to how Psalm 18 fits into the structure of the book of Psalms.

Psalm 18 is a Psalm of David and a version of it is also found in 2 Samuel 22. When you think about David, what comes to mind?

A shepherd boy. The youngest brother. Anointed to be the future king. Defeating Goliath. A man after God’s heart. A warrior focused on God’s power to prevail. A fugitive escaping King Saul. Worshiping God to the point of public embarrassment. Leadership successes and failures. A broken and repentant heart when confronted by Nathan for his sins. A poet-king who writes about his dependence upon the Lord.

Read Psalm 18:1-19 out loud two times slowly and dramatically. (For each reading, switch translations and readers. Let the listeners absorb the text before discussing it.)

• Can someone verbally summarize what this passage is saying? (Allow one person to summarize.) • What would anyone like to add to the summary?

• How did David express his intimate feelings toward God? • How did David express his humility and dependence upon God? • How did David experience God as his strength?

• What do we learn about God from this passage? • What do we learn about people from this passage? • What do we learn about God’s strength from this passage?

Pause to Pray. Notice if you feel led toward a time of prayer as a result of your discussion and take a few minutes to pray.

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Background Notes for Further ThoughtPs 18:2 God manifested his strength to the psalmist by protecting him, and thus verse 2 contains a number of metaphors of protection, beginning with the image of God as rock. As is often pointed out, this is not a rock that can be held in the hand because, as the second colon expands on the idea (v. 2b), this is a rock in which the psalmist can find refuge. In other words, it is big enough (perhaps a cliff) that the psalmist can slip into a crevice and hide from the onslaught of his enemies. A second metaphor of protection is found in the word fortress, sometimes understood to mean ‘mountain stronghold’. Perhaps the fact that David sought refuge from Saul in such natural fortresses (1 Sam. 23:14, 19, 29) helps to explain the historical title (see Context). A third metaphor of protection describes God as a shield, yet another common image found in the Psalms (3:3; 5:12; 7:10; 28:7, etc.). Next, the psalmist proclaims God as the horn of his salvation. Horn in the Old Testament signifies power. It is connected to the horn of an animal such as a bull. God indeed is the power behind the psalmist’s rescue, as he will describe and celebrate it in verses 6–15.

Finally, the psalmist announces that God is his stronghold, a word similar to fortress and often used in conjunction with it. The verb from the noun (miśgāb) means ‘to be (inaccessibly) high’ (NIDOTTE 3: 1216), so one again pictures a defensive location in the mountains.

(Longman, Tremper. Psalms : An Introduction and Commentary. IVP Academic, 2014.)

Ps 18:12-15 God controls the weather and used it as his weapon in his deliverance of the psalmist. In particular, he used hailstones and bolts of lightning (v. 12b), reminiscent of his battle against the southern Canaanite forces in Joshua 10 (see v. 11). They were like his arrows as he shot them at his enemies. God’s anger and power are so great that they exposed the valleys of the sea. Again, the waters, in this case the sea, often personify the forces of chaos and evil raged against God. But here they are no match for the Divine Warrior.

(Longman, Tremper. Psalms : An Introduction and Commentary. IVP Academic, 2014.)

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Read Psalm 18:20-29 out loud two times slowly and dramatically. (For each reading, switch translations and readers. Let the listeners absorb the text before discussing it.) • Can someone verbally summarize what this passage is saying? (Allow one person to summarize.)

• What would anyone like to add to the summary?

• What do we learn about God from this passage? • What do we learn about people from this passage? • What do we learn about God’s strength from this passage? • Pause to Pray. Notice if you feel led toward a time of prayer as a result of your discussion and take a few minutes to pray.

Read Psalm 18:30-50 out loud two times slowly and dramatically. (For each reading, switch translations and readers. Let the listeners absorb the text before discussing it.)

• Can someone verbally summarize what this passage is saying? (Allow one person to summarize.)

• What would anyone like to add to the summary?

• What do we learn about God from this passage? • What do we learn about people from this passage? • What do we learn about God’s strength from this passage?

• Pause to Pray. Notice if you feel led toward a time of prayer as a result of your discussion and take a few minutes to pray.

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Background Notes for Further Thought

Ps 18:30-36 The Lord Is the only God. God’s help, as described in the previous stanza, inspires the psalmist to extol him. God’s word is flawless in that he fulfils his promises of protection of his people (v. 30c connects back to v. 2). There were many false gods in Israel’s cultural environment, but the psalmist realizes that there really is only one true God, the Lord (Yahweh). And Yahweh is a protective Rock (see comment on v. 2). The psalmist realizes that God has helped him not only by direct intervention (described in vv. 6–19), but also in giving him his skill as a warrior (vv. 32–36). His success as a warrior is due to God, not his own native abilities. He can protect himself because of God’s saving help (v. 35a). He can attack with a bow because of God’s training. He is nimble and sure-footed in battle because of God’s provision.

(Longman, Tremper. Psalms : An Introduction and Commentary. IVP Academic, 2014.)

Ps 18:46-50 He moves quickly from his own role and acknowledges God’s help. He won only because of God (v. 43a), and his victory granted him status, the head of nations. His defeat of his enemies causes other nations to submit to him (vv. 43c–45). God is the One who gave him victory and status against his enemies; thus, he praises God (vv. 46–49).

(Longman, Tremper. Psalms : An Introduction and Commentary. IVP Academic, 2014.)

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2 Corinthians 12:1-10

GOD’S WORD To prepare, you might watch this brief overview of 2 Corinthians.

Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 out loud two times slowly and dramatically. (For each reading, switch translations and readers. Let the listeners absorb the text before discussing it.)

• Can someone verbally summarize what this passage is saying? (Allow one person to summarize.) • What would anyone like to add to the summary?

What is the possible “thorn in my flesh” in Paul’s life? What is a “thorn in my flesh” in your life?Why does Paul prefer to boast his weaknesses rather than his strengths or accomplishments?

• What do we learn about God from this passage? • What do we learn about people from this passage? • What do we learn about God’s strength from this passage?

Pause to Pray. How is the Holy Spirit prompting you through this passage? Take some time to respond in prayer.

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Background Notes for Further Thought

2 Cor 12:7-8 There has been wide speculation on the nature of Paul’s thorn in the flesh. Roughly speaking, the options break down into three major areas: a physical ailment, spiritual torment and opposition or persecution. The detailed discussions about the nature of the thorn in the flesh remain inconclusive. Paul does not provide sufficient information to enable the interpreter to decide what, if any, particular affliction is meant by the phrase the thorn in the flesh. (Paula Gooder. Only the Third Heaven? : 2 Corinthians 12.1-10 and Heavenly Ascent. London: T&T Clark, 2006. )

The argument of 10-13 while ebbing and flowing seems to reach its climax in 12.9-10: ‘Therefore, I will boast much more of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ might rest on me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak then I am strong’. Paul is proud of the weakness listed in what precedes as it demonstrates the power of Christ. (Paula Gooder. Only the Third Heaven? : 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 and Heavenly Ascent. London: T&T Clark, 2006. )

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The Missional Gap in our Hearts. As missionaries called to build movements of spiritual multiplication, the posture of our own hearts is mission critical to our work. As Jesus accompanies us toward Christ-likeness, we are invited to let Him fill the “missional gap” in our hearts, to restore our wonder and “thaw the holy in us” when our hearts grow cold. (Teresa of Avila, “When the Holy Thaws”) As missionaries, one of our occupational hazards is to see people as projects rather than the image bearers of God that they are. Working with the hearts and lives of others--near and far--is a sacred work, a holy ground even in the messiness of ministry. With that in mind, let us listen and pray into our heart posture as missionaries:

Worship the Lord. Listen to a worship song together allowing God to reveal how to pray (lament, confess, renounce lies, receive truth).Make Room performed by COMMUNITY MUSIC

Pause to Pray. Pray with and for one another. Pray what God reveals to you personally for your own life. Pray and minister to one another as a group. Make this a safe time of prayer where Jesus can do His transforming work in us.

The Missional Gap on the Map.

As one of our visions for 2021 and beyond, we would like to fill the missional gap in the following countries: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, Thailand and Iran.

We know that roughly 75% of the world population that does not yet know Jesus lives in around 12 countries, through research done by The Jesus Film Project®.

Take time as a team to pray for one or more of these countries.

PrayerCast link for the 12 countries—

China

India

Indonesia

Japan

Praying into the Missional Gaps

Pakistan

Russia

Turkey Bangladesh

Egypt

Vietnam Thailand

Iran

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U.S. Ministry Prayer RequestsU.S. Ministry Cru• Praise God for the way He continues to move

throughout all of the U.S. ministries.• Pray that we would walk by faith as we step into

areas of our world to share boldly, relevantly and courageously the good news of Jesus Christ and disciple others.

• Pray that we will walk in the light of His love and forgiveness as we love others and extend forgiveness to those around us as we move forward together.

• Pray for renewal — that we would experience Him in new and deeper ways both personally and in our ministry.

Church Movements • Pray for the CM2 Bridge Initiative. We have

plans to mobilize campus movements to send their graduates and campus ministry alumni to cities where they can effectively help church multiplication movements and mobilize churches to welcome incoming sent graduates to their new cities. Pray for us — the leaders in 35 organizations and denominations — as we prepare for a national plan and pilots in four cities. Praise God for these important national partnerships.

• Pray for continued effective multiplication from our trainings (Sent 6:7 and The Changing Face

of Evangelism) and resulting coaching circles. Praise God that these trainings can be online and allow for full nationwide participation.

• Pray for development of our Church Movements ministry budget.

FamilyLife• Praise God for financial provision through the

sale of our building and for generous donors during the pandemic.

• Praise God for a successful launch of the new FamilyLife brand.

• Pray for lasting local impact of our live events, including our updated Weekend to Remember and Blended family events and for the Love Like You Mean It cruise. Ask for God’s favor as we adjust these events to address all COVID conditions.

• Pray for FamilyLife as we continue to establish the foundation to fuel local movements that will impact every home with the truth and grace of the gospel through marriages and families.

Josh McDowell Ministry (JMM)• Praise God that since Josh opened our doors to

the next generation of JMM speakers, God has called four new speakers to our ministry. Pray that God continues to multiply our ministry opportunities through these speakers. We are trusting God to call more speakers to our team, especially as we seek to serve others until the whole world hears about Jesus.

• Praise God that our new book Free To Thrive,

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written by Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett, just released in August 2021! The book introduces something we call “wholeness apologetics” as we explore what the Bible, research, and brain science reveal about how God has designed us to heal from trauma and struggles like anxiety and addictions, and ultimately flourish in life.

• Please pray that God provides staff for our Global Strategy & Partnership Team. We are trusting the Lord to provide senior leadership for this team as well as representatives for Latin America & the Caribbean, East Asia and Africa. These positions are vital in building relationships with Cru National Leaders and non-Cru partners in those areas, so that we may come alongside them as strategic partners to help serve them and meet the needs of their people.

• The Hispanic community is strong in their faith and is a strong, positive influence in America today. With a recent Español launch, we are praying for a deeper, more significant impact in their lives through our digital initiatives. Please pray for our guidance and resources so that todo el mundo escuche acerca de Jesús (the whole world hears about Jesus)!

Naya Jeevan (South Asian Diaspora)• Naya Jeevan offers strategies, resources, and

training to mobilize believers to share Jesus as good news among their South Asian neighbors. Praise God that after almost two years, we have a solid invitation to teach our Love Your Neighbor evangelism seminar (in person) at a U.S. church, with the opportunity to video

record the training, Oct 7-9. The recording will be used to create a digital video product that can multiply our equipping course far beyond what we can do with live seminars and webinars.

• Pray that nothing will prevent this great opportunity from taking place, that thousands of Christians will be better equipped to share Christ more sensitively and effectively among South Asian peoples of the world, and that many will become disciples.

• Praise God for financial provision such that we have been able to initiate an evangelistic partnership with Nepali-speaking churches.

• Pray for this partnership and evangelistic initiative to be fruitful and result in many non-Christians receiving the Word of God with faith.

StoryRunners• We give thanks for the ability to work among

numerous unreached people groups through virtual trainings during a COVID year where we were unable to travel.

• Praise God for the launching of a monthly virtual Bible storytelling workshop as well as a seasonal story experience this past year. 170 people were exposed to our training!

• StoryRunners presently has 2 teams conducting a 4-week School of Storying (SOS) workshop in East Africa. In 2 weeks, another team will travel to Eastern Europe. Pray for completion of the 42-story set in the language of the respective people groups and for protection from COVID exposure, which could disrupt the workshop.

• Pray for a successful launch of a new initiative to

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work among refugees in the Metro Atlanta area.

Campus• Praise God that Digital Strategies surfaced

almost 20,000 freshmen leads for the local level and coaching center to follow up.

• Praise Him that 1069 students went on summer missions this past summer.

• Pray for the new interns [including international] and staff who are serving around the world and adjusting to their new homes and ministry. Pray that God would raise up a generation of students and faculty mobilized to help fulfill the Great Commission.

• Pray that we will soon be able to rejoin what God is doing on campus in East Asia. For strength and perseverance of missionaries and national believers. Pray for the teams who are serving in Thailand and other locations that they would see God’s work in encouraging ways this year.

Oneness and Diversity• Praise God for His gracious provision for BIPOC

(Black, Indigenous, People of Color) staff throughout the pandemic by way of the Ethnic Ministry Fund.

• Praise God that every BIPOC intern reported fully funded this year.

• Pray for Cru/the Body of Christ to live out Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for biblical unity as we continue to tear down the enemy’s walls of division.

• Pray that God would raise up individuals of His choosing to form a team within Oneness

and Diversity that would focus on cultural competence development for all of Cru.

Cru Arts & Culture• We praise God for the project Hermana by Cru

Arts and Culture in the San Francisco Bay area. Hundreds of people came to the art show to support the work in the name of Jesus against sex trafficking in Mexico.

• We praise God for the ongoing work of talented Cru Arts and Culture artists in Rock Hill, SC, as they reach out in and through the arts to the campus of Winthrop University as well as the arts community of that city.

• Please pray for the incredible artists with Cru Arts and Culture in New York as they intentionally build a community of people who want to proclaim Jesus in and through the arts in that city.

• Please pray for Dennissa Young with Cru Arts and Culture in Chicago as she seeks to build a dynamic community of faith in the city: people who live out and announce the good news in and through the arts.

Cru City Neighbors• Praise God that Nbs2go (Neighbor Bible Studies

to Go) passed 210,000 downloads in their partnership with the Bible App. They’ve seen 4x growth above the normal traffic on their website in the last few weeks, with a cluster of interest from Brazil. They are currently in 39 languages and working on adding a few more.

• We praise God for celebrating our second annual

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audience-wide virtual conference. • Praise God that the IIR (Immigrants,

Internationals and Refugees) team is expanding, making connections and rising to the moment with the influx of refugees from Afghanistan. Please pray for the team as they seek to mobilize the church to help meet the opportunity before us.

• Please pray for “call_toshine,” an Instagram campaign launched by the NBS2go team with the desire to expand their influence to the younger generation.

Athletes in Action (AIA) — Christ followers on every team, every sport, every nation• Praise God for the Lord’s generous provision

in reaching our goal to start building the John Wooden Family Fieldhouse on the AIA campus in Ohio!

• Praise God for AIA leaders in 62 countries worldwide, leading spiritual movements in their nations!

• Pray that all AIA staff would “catch the wind of the Spirit” in seeing the Lord raise up multiplying disciples all over the world.

• Pray for new, innovative and creative ways to keep pressing into our commitment to Biblical Oneness and Cultural Diversity.

her.BIBLE brings the Word of God to life through an engaging, multi-ethnic women’s narration of the New Living Translation. This free audio Bible connects people around the world with the heart of God at www.her.BIBLE/app/

• We praise God that the entire New Testament and 50 percent of the Old Testament are available. Already, her.BIBLE listeners have surpassed 20,000 on our website, and there have been over 1500 downloads of our app from 172 countries! We praise God for Katy in Oxford, England, who is creating a women’s audio Bible in UK voices through our coaching program.

• We praise God for the testimonies of women who have suffered from trauma and are now able to hear God’s Word in a non-triggering voice. One listener shared, “I am a survivor of abuse, and the voices here are daily bringing God’s gentleness to the forefront.”

• We are trusting God to complete the remaining 50 percent of the Old Testament by Cru22 and provide the needed funding. We also pray God will provide other key people who will want to produce a women’s audio version in their mother tongue.

• Please pray for God to provide a like-minded project manager for the her.BIBLE team.

Transformational Leadership Movement (TLM) TLM trains and mentors pastors in character and leadership to multiply disciples, pastor/leaders and churches internationally.• Praise God that the Zimbabwe TLM team

continues to see multiplication to 8+ generations from their first training group. They are also training 25 pastors in the eastern part of the country who are now training and mentoring their 2nd generation of pastors. Many people are coming to Christ, and new churches are

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being started even with the difficulties of the pandemic.

• We thank God for the successful completion of a July 30-31 training of 123 pastors and church leaders in Yaounde, Cameroon, in a simple evangelism strategy known as Prayer Care Share.

• Pray for the continued growth and multiplication of disciples, pastor/leaders and churches in Zimbabwe as they expand to new areas of the country; for the Cameroon pastors trained in Prayer Care Share to use it faithfully and train their people to use it to reach the lost in their neighborhoods and places of work as we begin work in the French-speaking areas; for TLM’s expansion into Ukraine and that pastors and church planters trained in Prayer Care Share in September would see much fruit and would train others to reach the lost around them.

• Pray for other staff who share our vision to come join our U.S. TLM team.

UNTO• Praise the Lord for all that He has allowed us to

do to relieve suffering, restore dignity and reveal the hope of Christ in the toughest places around the world. The kindness and love of Jesus continue to be expressed as we’ve been able to send supplies and drill or repair water wells in over 40 countries.

• Pray with us as we trust God to continue paving the way for efficient, effective, and timely sending of critical aid despite the current challenges in global logistics with port congestion and delays. Pray with us that our

humanitarian aid and efforts through Cru staff in the countries we serve would result in increased spiritual movements, church growth and everyone knowing someone who truly follows Jesus, particularly in the toughest places on earth. Pray that the Lord would protect our staff and keep us healthy as travel picks up again and for strong and healthy partnerships.

• Pray that the Lord would continue building our team and fulfill needed positions within Unto so that we are best equipped to serve our global partners and those they minister to who are facing unprecedented levels of suffering caused by COVID-19, armed conflicts, food insecurity, lack of clean water and disasters.

• Pray for the ongoing work of Unto amidst the refugee crisis, compounded by a new wave of refugees fleeing for their lives due to the recent events in Central Asia. As individuals and families are flooding into neighboring countries, pray for Unto staff teams in Central Asia and the Middle East to help by providing critical aid to refugees and others like them who are in need of help and hope.

Jesus Film Project® (JFP)• Rejoice at how God is providing for the ministry

financially, even in the midst of the ongoing global pandemic! To God be the praise and glory, as He is the source of all things!

• We saw increased viewership and engagement primarily due to big increases in TV and radio broadcasts and internet viewing. It shows, once again, how nothing can thwart God’s plans.

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• Seven new Jesus Film regional strategy leaders have been chosen and are beginning to serve in their new roles this month (October). Please pray that the Lord will empower and guide them in their new responsibilities and that their leadership will be received well, that He will increase the capacity of JFP to fulfill its mission in their regions, and that new partnerships will be forged and existing ones enhanced.

• Ask God to call laborers to Jesus Film Project who can effectively fill the gaps that exist, enabling all JFP departments to be fully staffed.

CRU Military• Praise God as hundreds in the Global Military

community are coming to the Lord and being discipled! We are grateful to the Holy Spirit for touching the hearts of over 500 Academy Cadets from Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, and the Dominican Republic who are engaging in weekly discipleship; for the increasing numbers of transformed lives in Chad and Nigeria; the positive outreaches throughout Ukraine; and the creative events and ministry in Mongolia.

• In spite of many large-scale ministry opportunities currently limited by COVID, we are still averaging over 5,000 military weekly connections across the US, and we continue to see many members of the military community express newfound faith in Jesus Christ!

• Pray for the Lord to completely destroy the COVID virus and bring total healing around the world. We ask for protection over the entire Military Ministry Team (staff and volunteers), as

some are able to continue to minister and share God’s love to servicemen and women in the US, and in 35 other nations. Pray Luke 10:2 ... that the Lord would continue to bring laborers for the harvest, especially to fill several key leader roles in our National Team. Pray for our U.S. field teams to continue discerning effective ways to minister to the military community in light of COVID impacts. We pray for all previous in-person ministry opportunities to resume as soon as the Lord allows.

• Pray for our 35 Military Ministry Directors outside of the US to be encouraged and strengthened as they overcome COVID challenges and are still able to serve the uniformed military, para-military members, and their families throughout their nations. Pray because the Directors have limited PPE gear and the hope of additional vaccines seem to be delayed. Pray for our 4 Area Operation Directors outside of the US to be able to connect relationally with each National Team Leader (NTL) to learn more about each NTL’s vision for ministering to the uniformed men and women in their nations.

Digital Products & Services • Praise God for a successful test of our disaster

recovery plan at Lake Hart. We are incredibly thankful to the Lord for the work that was done, the people that engaged and that we are remaining faithful to our calling for our staff and donors.

• God is truly moving through digital this season. Through our Finding Freshman Initiative as of

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September 6, 2021, approximately 40k people were given an opportunity to connect with Cru and 18,659 leads were captured. These are people we can help take their next step in their spiritual journey.

• Pray for the US process of selecting a Digital Strategy Leader.

U.S. Office of Development• Praise God for His continued blessing of Cru

through our financial partners in the midst of all the financial uncertainty surrounding COVID, the economy, etc. God has been faithful and generous.

• Praise God for all the new ministry partners that joined with us over this last year!

• Pray for all of the staff in need of financial support — that God will provide in ways that He gets the glory and we have stories to tell of His faithfulness.

• Pray for the local fundraising efforts to be successful so that the local ministries can expand and see more people meet Jesus and grow in Him.

U.S. LDHR• Praise God for amazing leaders who have been

developed through Senior Leadership Initiative and we are now seeing them lead nationally.

• Praise God for leaders who are ready to collaborate, link arms and lead together through these incredibly hard times internally and externally.

• Ask the Lord to raise up new missionaries to

reach people around the world and help fill important capacity roles that multiply our impact together.

• Pray that we would walk in humility, love, and unity.

The Significance Project• The Significance Project Equipping Webinar

October 13, 2021 8:00am-11:00am. The webinar is designed to equip participants to effectively reach and discipline students, leaders, their family, co-workers, church members, and communities using Significance Project life-coaching resources in their discipleship pathway. Participants from our ‘company’ and partners are registering from all around the world.

• Please pray:

• Please pray for the development of a Website that represents all of The Significance Project resources.

• Please pray for reprinting of The Significant Woman resource

• To fulfill requests from the Top Twelve Missional Gap Countries to develop translations of Significance Project resources to be printed and distributed for use.

◊ the webinar will meet the needs of those staff

and partners who attend

◊ that all technology will work, including each

person’s internet connection

◊ for interpreters for each needed language

◊ for clear simultaneous translation

◊ for presenters, facilitators and technical help

and support

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P2C Prayer RequestsPower to Change, Canada:

Praise & Thanksgiving:• We thank God for the calling and appointment

of our new president, Darren Young• We praise God for the way He is developing

and growing a culture of prayer in our ministry - evidence of fruit and renewal

Prayer Requests:• Staff revitalization and healthy organizational

culture, spiritual renewal• Spiritual health for staff that leads to vitality and

impact in ministry to others• Ever-deepening love for Christ and for those we

serve through sharing the gospel in ministry

Specific Ministries:

GAiN:Praise & Thanksgiving:• We are very thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness

and provision in this past season, both for our team in Canada but also for our international staff and partners. Our field teams persevered in incredible ways to share the gospel through the pandemic and minister to those in need and we are so thankful for them!

Prayer Requests:• Please pray for the Lord’s protection over our

staff and international partners and for creative ways to engage in ministry in this season.

• Please also pray that we can strengthen relationships with our international partners as well as our donors and stakeholders in a season where we can not always be physically present with one another.

Digital Strategies:Praise & Thanksgiving:• God has continued to grow partnerships,

networks and overall global scope of our ministry

Prayer Requests: • That the Lord would grow our capacity

(especially in technical areas) in order to continue to expand global partnerships and support, and that He would give us innovative ways to use new technologies

• For God’s provision in recruiting technical staff: specifically a French Content Strategist and French Mentor Coordinator

Christian Embassy:Praise & Thanksgiving:• For the way that God strengthened us to reach

new leaders in Canada and around the world through our hope-filled virtual events and recordings.

Prayer Requests:• That God would raise up 3 new full-time

labourers in the next 6 months to join our team in making Jesus known to leaders.

• Favour in October in connecting with newly

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elected government leaders and launching 2 to 3 new English as a Second Language classes for diplomats and spouses

• November 23rd Christmas celebration with a top Canadian federal judge giving the keynote address, for God to lead in all aspects of this outreach event

• Wisdom and focus for the Christian Embassy team reaching out with hope to leaders individually and in small groups, inspiring ministry in Canada and in Europe

Women’s Heart Engaging Network (WHEN):Praise & Thanksgiving:• In the midst of covid and uncertainty, our

volunteers and teams recognized the opportunity to use WHEN online events to reach into their home countries. As a result we have seen women come to faith and Discovery Groups started with women coming from the Philippines, China, Mexico, Columbia and Hong Kong. We are also celebrating the launch of our first International WHEN team in Mexico!

Prayer Requests:• As WHEN continues to grow with more

volunteers and opportunities in different countries, we are praying that the Lord of the harvest will bring more labourers. We are praying fervently for a Ministry Developer who can walk alongside our growing Cantonese and Mandarin teams, supporting them as they host events that touch the lives of hundreds of women.

• Pray for the 8 events we’re hosting this fall in 5

languages from September to December. Pray that women’s eyes will be opened and that they turn their lives to Jesus.

P2C-Students:Praise & Thanksgiving:• God’s sustaining power as we’ve continued

to adapt to serve students, in the midst of uncertainty and change.

• Through our recently launched scholarship program and the ways that we’re learning to better integrate students as they transition to university

• Through our national online Alpha initiative over the last year, where hundreds of students explored faith in Jesus, and hundreds more took steps of faith to invite their friends.

Prayer Requests: • For our fall student retreats, whether they be

online or in person. Our heart is to help students take their next steps towards Jesus and his mission through these events.

• Pray for staff, that they would be strengthened in the midst of another season of ministry adaptation.

Connecting Streams: (ministry focused on reaching vulnerable populations)

Praise & Thanksgiving• We are so very grateful for how God has

continued to bless CS with new staff and exciting, innovative ways of doing ministry in spite of

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Covid. Some of our ministries have grown over the past year and in fact, tripled in size.

• God has given us a beautiful picture of what Connecting Streams will look like in the future.

Prayer Requests:• In-person ministries are reopening, we are

praying for wisdom and discernment as we navigate these open doors.

• Direction from the Lord as to what the next steps look like as we strategically look at growing across Canada.

LeaderImpact:Praise & Thanksgiving• We praise God for the way He has touched

the hearts of so many marketplace leaders to become part of the national prayer igniter network, praying for the movement, the marketplace leaders, and the opportunity to share about Jesus.

• We thank you for the leaders who have helped to expand the ministry to include other languages (French, Chinese). We thank you for guiding us to a new cross ministry initiative (Convergence Quebec) that will unite the efforts of our ministries to reach the French in Quebec.

Prayer Requests• We pray that You would bless our new “Venture”

program which helps to develop disciples by teaching them to share their faith. May it be used across the country and around the world including using it as a tool beyond LeaderImpact.

• We pray that You would give our marketplace

leaders the boldness to invite their spiritually curious friends and colleagues who have a desire and hunger to seek God.

FamilyLife:Praise & Thanksgiving• We are profoundly grateful for the online reach

over the last year when Covid compelled us to work almost exclusively online. Over 35,000 people participated in FamilyLife teaching and training events. Dozens of couples wrote to describe how God changed their lives and marriages through these connections.

• We are also thanking God for a positive financial outcome from last year. God is truly great and greatly to be praised!

Prayer Requests: • In late October, we are launching our new

curriculum on parenting written with and for Indigenous people and taught by Indigeous couples. Pray that the events

• can take place and that the trajectory of homes and communities will be changed.

• We are launching the Marriage Ministry Workshop this fall, a new tool our staff will use to coach churches into starting and growing an effective marriage ministry in their church and community. Pray for many churches to get in the game and thousands of homes to be blessed.

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DRIME:Praise & Thanksgiving:• Navigating covid has been tough, considering

many of the countries we are in have been majorly locked down. We are so thankful to God for the strength and wisdom he has given us to navigate this past season

• We work with mostly volunteers, and when ministry changes or pauses for long periods of time, volunteers tire. We are so thankful for many of our volunteers that have persevered with us through the long seasons of pausing normal ministry. Thank you God for the strength He gave to our volunteers and staff teams

Prayer Requests: • We are still unsure how covid is changing the face

of ministry for good. We need God’s wisdom in the ways we should stick to where we are strong, and the ways we need to change in order to adapt

• We also recently have had 4 staff members transition out of our ministry. We need God to stir it in the hearts of a few to join us on staff, and to give us all patience in the in between.

• Lillian comes back this week from mat leave. Prayer for her transition back, and for the adjustment for her family as well.

Athletes in Action: Praise & Thanksgiving• We are thankful for a continued platform and

the opportunities God has been giving us to help people know Jesus and experience his power to change the world through sport.

Prayer Requests:• Prayer for wisdom and discernment as we

navigate the reality of COVID, vaccines and how this affects our ministry in all areas - with professional athletes, on university campuses and in the community

• That our staff would be led by and empowered even more by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our ministry

•

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Prayer Requests for Australia

National Director.• Praise God that our strategic planning process

has gone very well thus far. Leaders from multiple teams have met over zoom in many forums and we are confident that God has been directing us in setting priorities. Pray for further clarity with our strategic plan, and that we will have clear goals.

• Praise God that thanks to many prayers, after 18 months the business system – NetSuite, is now settled down, and we are starting to hear positive endorsement of it from the involved teams.

• Pray for our National Director, engaging with the International leadership as they adjust and implement the new structure, to be in place about now. Pray for appropriate representation for our region in the world.

• Pray for encouragement for many of our missionaries who despite good initiatives online, have been significantly influenced over the past 18 months. Some of the team are very tired of Zoom, although Zoom is keeping us connected, allowing meetings to happen and allowing us to have positive ministry experiences. We praise God for the technology.

Church Movements. • Praise God that four people have started a

relationship with Jesus through the MyFriends Training, being done online, at Ryde Baptist Church in Sydney.

• Praise God that the Knowing Him App is now available in Australia.

• Pray for a new MyFriends group involving people from seven churches that has started in Adelaide, South Australia. Pray that each participant will have opportunities to help people in their social circles experience Jesus.

• Pray for Generations, a new initiative that seeks to help people launch and lead multiplying faith communities.

Campus.• Praise God for the 25 university students who

decided to follow Jesus last semester. Pray for new believers to grow in their faith and share that faith with friends & family.

• Pray that all students who attended our Mid-Year Conferences will put their training into action and seek to witness to their fellow students. Pray that lots more students will decide to follow God this semester.

• Pray for many students who will sign up for our summer missions in November through January so that they can be equipped to effectively share their faith.

• Pray for God’s sustaining power & patience for our missionaries who are in and out of COVID lockdowns.

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Families.• Praise God for many open doors to share the

gospel, and great conversations with people amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Praise God for some of the relational work we’ve been able to do and helping launch couples into mission.

• Praise God for some opportunities to run MyFriends in a few locations and help some churches along the Shift m2M pathway.

• Pray for our Strategy Director’s family--his wife has been struggling with health issues lately. And the kids are having a really hard time with the lockdowns.

• Pray for couples and families throughout Australia who are having a rough time through this pandemic!

Youth.• Praise God for the ongoing Spiritual

discussions and growth in the online strategies of our Performance Team. Pray for powerful effectiveness in the relationships being built during the live streaming and discussions of our team online.

• Praise God for the consistent 20-40 people each week sharing with us online. Praise God for our new volunteer from Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory.

• Pray for our Youth team families, immediate and extended. Pray for those who are home schooling children, for our older family members whom they support, and the challenges for those of us working from home. Pray for the family

who is facing an illness that needs accurate diagnosis, that the Doctors can provide correct answers.

• Pray that, as we set goals around seeing youth coming to know Jesus and more people joining our team, that we will know God’s guidance and leading.

Digital.• Praise God that the Knowing Him app has been

finished and has been launched. Pray that through it, churches will be built in partnership with Global Church Movements.

• Pray for our Digital Strategy Director as he leads the Strategy in articulating its two major goals for 2022-23. They need to be finalised by October for the board meeting.

• Pray that Power to Change will soon be able to employ a senior IT person to take over responsibilities of the helpdesk tasks. Pray that the Google migration of email and other accounts will be complete.

• Pray for the development of new content for Power to Change’s Youtube channel. The channel is being re-purposed to be used for connect / build / send.

GAiN.• Praise God for our donors, ministry partners

and international partners. Pray that we will effectively communicate and maintain our relationships with them.

• Praise God that we have been able to connect

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with CRU in Fiji and have begun discussing possible partnership opportunities. Pray that God would lead us in this opportunity.

• Pray for our strategic planning process for 2022-23. Pray that we will be able to plan well and think strategically in light of COVID-19 travel restrictions, with new ways for ministry.

• Pray for our support program in Haiti following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake last month. Pray for GAiN WorldWide as together we establish a response to help 1,200 families in need.

• Pray for the situation in Afghanistan and for the GAiN staff planning a response to the situation by connecting with other organisations on the ground.

HQ Team.• Praise God that we can still work from home

during the lockdowns.• Pray that all the issues associated with the

recent Google migration will be resolved soon.• Pray for the new members of the Finance Team

to settle in well as they learn both procedures and the organisation.

• Pray for suitable people to join the Human Resources team.

• Pray for the Development and Well-being Team, facing the challenges of working from home.

• Pray for wisdom and good insights for the Operations/Prayer Team as they prepare for the next all-staff Connexion Conference.

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Oceania:Australia — 143 Power to Change (Cru)staff.New Zealand — 85 Cru staff.Other Islands — 22 Cru staff.

North America Oceania Please pick an island to learn about and pray for using these websites or your own favorite learning tool. Thank you for praying.

American SamoaAustraliaCanadaCook IslandsEaster IslandFijiFrench PolynesiaGuamKiribatiMarshall IslandsMicronesiaNauruNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNiueNorthern Mariana IsPalauPapua New GuineaPitcairnSamoaSolomon IslandsTokelauTongaTuvaluUSAVanuatuWallis & Futuna