PRAYER FOCUS
 
Issued on Wednesday 23rd September 2015
 
Prayer requests from Presbyterian Mission in Ireland personnel and Home and Urban Mission congregations.

Moderator – Rt Rev Dr Ian McNie
Over the next week, the Moderator’s engagements include: the opening of a refurbished hall at Bushmills Presbyterian Church on Friday (25th); the opening of a new building at Regent Street Presbyterian Church, Newtownards on Saturday (26th), and speaking at the evening service a Lisbellaw Presbyterian Church on Sunday (27th).
·       Pray for the Moderator as he undertakes these engagements, and that he will encourage all those he speaks to. 
 
Jenny Clegg – Deaconess serving in Ballycrochan Presbyterian Church
·       Pray for Ballycrochan’s new minister Rev Lesley-Ann Wilson who was installed on 11th September.  Pray that she will settle in well into the congregation. 
·       Pray for Jenny who is off work at present with a fractured wrist.  Pray for full healing and that she will be able to get back to work as soon as possible.
·       Pray for all the organisations in the congregation as they start back after the summer break, especially for leaders of the youth work.  Pray that God will bring more people to help with this work who have a love for young people, both from within and outside the church. 
 
Hazel Reid – Deaconess serving in First Broughshane Presbyterian Church
·       Pray for the life, work and witness of the church as all the organisations recommence.
·       Pray for the ‘Harvest Mission’ from 27th September to 7th October and for the speaker Mr Bobi Brown (Belfast City Mission).  Pray that the church and community would know something of the refreshing, reviving and restoring presence of the Holy Spirit.
·       Pray that First Broughshane would be a fruitful congregation, bearing good fruit that will last eternally.
 
William Workman – Irish Mission Worker serving in Athy and Carlow
·       The children's meetings started back after their summer break at the beginning of September in Athy and Carlow.  Praise God for the new children attending and for those who have come back again.  Pray that the children will continue to come along each week and learn to trust in Jesus.  Pray also for the leaders – more leaders are needed in Athy.  Pray too for the young teenagers who are coming as helpers, that they will be of great assistance.
·       Pray for the youth club, that the leaders will have wisdom as they plan and implement a programme of activities for the young people. 
·       Pray for the praise evening taking place this Sunday, 27th September.  A group from Kilkenny will be leading the praise, and there will also be a short Bible message, followed by tea.  Pray that a good number of people will attend, and for all who will be involved.
 
Rev Ivan Neish – Chaplain serving in Whiteabbey Hospital
Whiteabbey Hospital has reduced considerably over the past number of years.  Apart from day procedure wards, there are only two wards now admitting patients.  The focus of the care is physiotherapy and rehabilitation, endeavouring to help those who have suffered strokes or personal injury to regain as much mobility and independence as possible.
·       Pray for Ivan as he makes contact with Presbyterian patients and their families in Whiteabbey Hospital, seeking to support them during what can often be a prolonged and difficult period of rehabilitation, with at times an uncertain future for the patient.
·       Pray for opportunities with patients and staff to show the love of Christ and demonstrate the interest of the church. 
·       Pray for wisdom to use particular situations to share the good news of the gospel.
 
Inch Presbyterian Church – Rev Jim Lamont (Stated Supply)
Inch is a small island on Lough Swilly, Donegal with a faithful worshipping community of 14 Presbyterian families.
·       Pray for the families of Inch as they seek to witness for Christ on this island community.
·       Pray for the relational and spiritual needs of each individual members of the congregation.
·       Pray for the farming community as they continue to bring in the harvest and make preparations for the future.
·       Pray for the senior members of the congregation, that they may have health and strength and know themselves to be surrounded by the grace of a loving God.
·       Pray for God’s guidance for the future ministry in the congregation.
 
Westbourne Presbyterian Church – Rev Mervyn Gibson
Westbourne are hoping to commence work in the near future to address dry rot that has been found in the church building.
·       Pray that the work in the church would go according to plan and that no new issues will be found.
·       Pray that there will be a good response to planned outreach in the local community over the coming months.
·       Pray also for peace and protection for all those who live on the interface.  May those who wish to cause division and damage be thwarted in their efforts.
·       Pray too for local families who are struggling with debt, or finding it difficult to make ends meet, and for those involved in assisting them, including food banks, advice centres, debt counselling.
 
Cootehill, Drum and Kilmount Presbyterian Church – Rev Darryl Edwards
·       Pray for the new Bible Study series which has started in Drum and will soon start in Cootehill and Kilmount.
·       Give thanks for the harvest weekend in Cootehill and for all who attended, including neighbours and friends.  Pray too for the forthcoming harvest services in Kilmount and Drum.
·       Pray for the new youth club starting for teenagers in Drum, that this will be an opportunity for them to connect with one another and with the leaders.
 
University Chaplaincy
PCI has four University Chaplains (two full-time and two part-time) in N. Ireland.  Rev Karen Mbayo at Queen’s University Belfast; Rev Cheryl Meban at Ulster University (Jordanstown and Belfast); Rev John Coulter at Ulster University (Coleraine); and Rev Nigel Craig at Ulster University (Magee, Londonderry). 
·       Pray for the chaplains as they provide pastoral support to students and seek opportunities to share the Gospel throughout the incoming academic year. 
 
PCI also has growing connections with universities in the major cities in the Republic, especially with Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork, University of Limerick and the National University of Ireland in both Galway and Maynooth.
·       Pray that ministers who serve as part-time chaplains in these colleges would be able to make meaningful connections with students as the new term opens. 

http://www.presbyterianireland.org/News/Article/September-2015/Syria-Moderator-calls-for-prayer-and-encourages-pr


The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Rt. Rev. Dr. Ian McNie, has called the Church to prayer over the Syrian refugee crisis and also issued some practical guidance to congregations on how they can respond, both now and in the days ahead.


Further to his public statement last week, when he called on Church members to ‘welcome the stranger, love our neighbour and open our arms to those who come to our shores’; in his letter to all ministers, Dr. McNie said that he recognises the complexity of the on going situation, but asks that the Church be seen to bring ‘its own unique, meaningful and powerful dimension of prayer to the fore’.

Dr McNie writes that ‘as a Church this is a responsibility stated in God’s Word that we cannot ignore if we are to remain true to our calling. God’s Word reminds us we are to:

1.    Love our neighbour - our neighbours next door as well as our neighbours in our community, in our land and in our world.

2.    Pray for the refugees who have lost family members, homes and possessions that they may know that their plight is not being ignored and that positive action is being taken to help.

3.    Pray for those in authority, 1 Timothy 2:2, that they will seek the welfare and peace, not only of their own jurisdiction, but neighbouring communities and war-torn countries.

4.    Pray also for specifically for the governments in London, Dublin and Belfast as they prepare to receive refugees into the UK and Ireland.

5.    Pray that if our Churches have an opportunity to ‘welcome the stranger’, that they will not be behind the door in acting accordingly.’

In his letter the Moderator also recognises and appreciates the many timely and practical local responses that congregations have already been involved with. He also encourages Ministers to continue to respond to the immediate need of Syrian refugees arriving in Europe by supporting the Church’s development partners, Tear Fund and Christian Aid in particular:

•  Tearfund: www.tearfund.org - donations that will support their focus on Syria itself, Lebanon and Jordan.

•  Christian Aid: www.christianaid.ie - donations that will support Christian Aid Ireland and its work in Syria, surrounding countries, and in the European countries most affected. 

Should increasing numbers of refugees from Syria begin to arrive in Northern Ireland, the Moderator said that the Church’s International Meeting Point in South Belfast will continue to offer a place of welcome for them, as it does for people of all nationalities who come to the City.