Prayer List of August, 2004

1. Pray for preparation for 9/11 workshop ¨C CCYF will hold a special workshop in memory of the 911 tragedy. Brother Danjie is the general coordinator; pastor Liu TongSu will be our speaker. Please pray for divine guidance as coworkers work out the details of this event. Also please pray the Lord lead more people to this event.
2. Pray for Brother JinCheng¡¯s trip ¨C Brother Jin Cheng is currently on a trip in China. Let¡¯s pray that he has a smooth and enjoyable trip, and returns to the States safely.
3. Pray for Brother Wei Dong and Brother Steve ¨C Brother Wei Dong is currently in LA; brother Steve has found a job in California. Let¡¯s pray for the Lord¡¯s guidance on their path and that they find a good church/fellowship to grow in.
4. Pray for CCYF¡¯s efforts in evangelism and growth ¨C As the second half of year come around CCYF will have retreats and holiday festivities. We pray for the work of the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts, lead people to these gatherings and help people come to know God.

   The following are excerpts from Pray for China email list:

5. Pray for the church leaders to follow Jesus¡¯ example in humility - China on the Olympic fever! National pride is at stake as China tie with USA with numbers of gold medals (Japan 3rd). All the winning athletes have become overnight national heroes. Jesus said, to be first we need to be like servants. Many will agree, humility is a lesson church leaders need to strive for. We pray for humility of leaders of, both local and from outside.
6. Pray for more church workers to meet with increasing family counseling needs - Professional women in Shenzhen have the highest ration of extramarital affair in Guangdong. Professional marital counseling, costing 200 RMB/hr (25USD) is a new and booming business. Family counseling is greatly lacking and few church workers have any training in such. Let us pray for those believers who faces family discord and the opportunity of more counseling training.
7. Pray for the spirituality and faithfulness of all pastors - Pastoral counseling is now a formal part of Nanjing Seminary. Several training centers are also focusing on this urgent need. Counseling was nearly unheard of both to believers and for the church workers alike. The huge demand of time and traditional expectation for pastors made them isolated. Temptations, marital breakup and lack of accountability cause untold number of ministry drop out. We need to pray for the health and faithfulness of all the younger pastors.
8. Pray for the financial needs of churches amid high inflation rate - Inflation rate in July rose 5.5% year-on-year, the fastest in 7 years. Food prices surged (eggs and meat prices jumped 30%), as well as price of real estate, worse in the cities. With new churches forming daily and many churches packed attendances in hundred-years old buildings. Let us remember all the congregations who need to raise the fund to rebuild or relocate.

        (Contributed by Lily Zhang)