Friday 21st Victor, in Guinea, is starting new English classes and mechanical training with mechanics at
the local technical college. This is happening in an atmosphere of national unrest as teachers are on
strike, as are many other workers. Pray for protection for Victor as he continues to work, and for there
to be a peaceful resolution to the strikes.
Saturday 22nd We have the opportunity to join with people from other Peebles churches in a time of
carol-singing outside the Tontine. Pray for this Peebles Churches Together initiative, for Linda and
Christine who are leading it, and for all who come to be in good voice and a “draw” for passers-by to
think about the true Message of Christmas.
Sunday 23rd This fourth Sunday of Advent is associated with lighting a candle representing Peace. As we
prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth at our Christmas service, remember those at Uddingston, Viewfield,
Westray and Westwood Baptist Churches who will be doing the same. “For unto us a child is born, to us
a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Monday 24th Our country certainly needs to know that the government IS on Jesus’ shoulders! Pray for
God’s will to be done in all aspects of the running of our country, for Scotland and the UK. Pray for
wisdom in the final adjustments to all that is entailed in the UK leaving the EU. For those who feel so
unsettled by this process and are without an Anchor to hold firm to, pray that the churches throughout
the UK will be active in reaching-out to them.
Tuesday 25th HAPPY CHRISTMAS! Praise God for His wonderful gift! Meditate for a moment on the
words of Christina Rossetti: “Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine. Love came down
at Christmas. Star and angels gave the sign.” Pray that they keep coming back to mind; wonder at what
this Love means for us.
Wednesday 26th Justice is the theme of this week’s prayer requests in the BMS Prayer Guide, with one
request to pray for those trapped in the injustice of forced migration, living under oppressive regimes
and forced to give birth in unsanitary conditions. Pray for them that “The Lord will rise up to show you
compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice.” Isaiah 30:18
Thursday 27th Our Community Christmas meal takes place this afternoon. Pray for all involved in
organising it, providing catering, activities and attending, that our time of fellowship would be special
and that God would delight in it too!
Friday 28th Many people will be back at work today, especially those in health and caring roles. Pray for
those we know in this area of work, to be upheld in their faith and to see God at work in their work
situations.
Saturday 29th At this time of year many individuals and families get deeper and deeper into debt,
especially now the temptation of the sales is even stronger than before with the ease of Internet
shopping. Pray that we would be wise stewards of our financial resources, ready to be generous when
we feel Gods prompting but not over-reaching our limits. Pray for Christians Against Poverty whose
mission is to work with local churches to help to release people from poverty. See www.capuk.org
Sunday 30th Our last Sunday gathering for 2018. As we pray and meet together, let’s look back at the
year and acknowledge God has been at work in all the situations we have faced alone and together,
happy and sad, frustrating and enjoyable, costly and liberating. This will have been the same for the
churches we are asked to pray for this week: Whytes Causeway, Wick and Keiss, Wigtown and Wishaw
Baptist Churches.
Monday 31st Wonder at God’s faithfulness and talk to Him about all your hopes and aspirations for
2019.
Prayer Diary
December 2018
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
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
Saturday 1st We are in a season of sadness as a church family with the recent loss of people special to
us. Pray for the families of Fergus and Carlyn, and for Ian, Lindsey and family too in this early time of
grieving to know comfort at every level: in the innermost places as the Holy Spirit assures of hope and
Heaven, through to practical acts of kindness in whatever way we are prompted. Advent begins
tomorrow and a candle symbolising “Hope” will be lit in many churches throughout the world. Praise
God for Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection so we can have “Strength for today and bright hope
for tomorrow.”
Sunday 2nd As we meet together this Sunday, let’s pray for those gathering at Stirling, Stranraer and
Stonehaven Baptist Churches. Stirling BC are holding a Christmas Family Celebration on the 8th
December, to which they hope that friends, neighbours and family of church members will come. Pray
for a good turn out and a great time for all, and that this event would be a turning point towards Jesus
for those coming who are not yet Christians. Stranraer Baptist Church are without a pastor at present.
Pray for the elder and deacons leading the ministry of the church and for the vacant position to be filled
soon. Stonehaven BC are also without a pastor, but as with Stranraer continue to be active in ministry
and outreach. The congregation are about to move to a new home in what was Stonehaven’s
Courthouse, now community owned. Pray for many opportunities to demonstrate Jesus’ love as the
church family meet in this shared space.
Monday 3rd A busy time of year is underway, with the run up to Christmas and a calendar full of events,
shopping and preparations. Pray for the teachers we know who, just now, have extra commitments and
increasingly excitable children in their charge. They need increased patience and energy. Pray too that
they will have the chance to speak the truths of Christmas and the best Gift of all to the children as well
as colleagues.
Tuesday 4th The Building Committee need our prayers as the next multi-faceted phase of the building
project is underway. Praise God for planning permission already granted, pray for important deadlines
to be met and for no expensive obstacles along the way to be encountered. A site manager is about to
be (or has just been!) appointed - keep him in your prayers as he hits the ground running (hopefully!).
Be praying too for all that will happen in, and because of, the building; that it might be to God’s glory.
Wednesday 5th There is a Diaconate Meeting this morning. Cover this in prayer, thanking God for each
person in leadership who will be meeting to pray, discuss and make decisions about the life and direction
of our church body. Pray for those involved in taking or attending Singing Together at Dovecote this
afternoon, that through the singing and conversing people would be drawn closer to our loving Father.
Thursday 6th We are asked, this week, to pray for the UK staff of BMS World Mission. More information
can be found at www.bmsworldmission.org/get-involved/pray/prayer-guide/. In brief, bring before God
all the staff of the organisation and the various departments they work in, including the
Communications Department, the Finance and Services team, the Training and Mission departments,
and the trustees who work towards bringing the Good News of Jesus to all corners of the earth. Also
pray for the PCT “Get in the Picture” event at the Peebles Lights Switch On tonight!
Friday 7th Barbara who coordinates our giving to the Water Guard project of Vision Ministries in Kibera
visited us recently. Pray for her as she comes and goes to Kenya, that her journeys would be smooth
and safe and that she would see the blessing of lives changed not merely through fresh water but
through Living Water too. Did you know that Kibera is the largest slum in Africa with up to one million
people calling it home? See www.visionministries.co.uk/water-guard/ for images of the problem of
water supply. Did you spot Barbara?
Saturday 8th It’s the PBC outing to the pantomime today! Be thankful for the sense of family we enjoy
in the church, and for opportunities to have fun together. Pray for our church family as the Holy Spirit
leads and ask God to make us even more accessible, outward and upward looking in our combined life
together. Pray for the children who come regularly to JAM and for those caring for and teaching them
in that context.
Sunday 9th Strathendrick, Stromness and Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Churches are the focus for
prayer today. Strathendrick are in the middle of hosting a community event at Balfron High School called
“Advent Reflections”, inviting students and staff to pop in after school from the 3rd to 14th December
for some quiet time in the busy lead up to Christmas. Pray for a good response to this initiative.
Stromness Church in Orkney was formed 14 years ago and is led by a group of elders. The Thomas Coats
Memorial Church in Paisley is being converted into a concert venue. Pray for the congregation that they
would not feel homeless but be guided by God to a new place of worship. At home, Vicky’s Tearoom is
happening this afternoon. Pray that all involved will be blessed in this time of fellowship.
Monday 10th On this Human Rights Day, 70 days after the declaration of human rights was made at the
United Nations General Assembly, pray for all those who are still subjected to slavery, torture,
discrimination, invasion of privacy and absence of freedom to follow their chosen faith. Pray specifically
for Christians in Pakistan who are a particular target after the recent overturning of a judgement on a
woman accused of blasphemy. If you would like to read an outline of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, it can be downloaded here:
www.un.org/en/udhrbook/pdf/udhr_booklet_en_web.pdf
Tuesday 11th There is a new newsletter on the noticeboard from BMS missionaries, Caroline and Victor.
Check it out, especially as it gives us a chance to know what they look like! Pray for Caroline as she is
getting to the end of her Masters studies, that she would find the right balance between study time and
activities in the community in Guinea where she and Victor live. Pray for both as they have recently
returned to Guinea knowing that their close partners were about to leave but a new family arriving.
Sadly, this family has also left Guinea almost immediately due to illness and it is not clear if/when they
will return. Pray for healing and guidance for them.
Wednesday 12th As the preparation work for the new building continues, meditate on Psalm 127. Let
us always have in mind that “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain”. We
pray a blessing on all the builders and other workers using their talents and time to build the church.
Most of all, though, pray that the Lord will be building us to be His Church in that place so that no work
will be done in vain. The building works could be quite noisy and disruptive for our King’s Meadow
neighbours. Pray that good relationships will be fostered and disturbance to their daily lives minimal,
while at the same time a major life change for eternity made possible!
Thursday 13th Take the address list for our congregation and ask God to direct you to people on it, or
associated with it, to focus prayer on for today. “… prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard
and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that
no one falls behind or drops out.” Ephesians 6:18 MSG. Part of keeping our spirits up involves meeting
together. This evening at Diversity there will be carol singing as well as the usual time of fellowship. Pray
for a good and spirit-uplifting time for all.
Friday 14th The BMS Prayer Guide lists people and events in India for prayer this week. If you have 5
minutes watch and be encouraged by this update on the church in India:
www.bmsworldmission.org/video/an-update-on-bms-world-mission-work-in-india/ Bring to the Lord in
prayer Ann, in Vellore; the Diamond family in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta); new workers James and Ruth
in Delhi and Aruna and the team in the BMS resource centre in Kolkata. Street Servants is an initiative
reaching out to people living on the streets, pray for all involved and reached through this ministry. The
Baptist church in Mizoram (in the far north east of India, east of Bangladesh) is involved with BMS in
outreach to young people in Cambodia; cover this in prayer too.
Saturday 15th Pray for the other churches in Peebles as they prepare and hold various community events
and services during Advent. These times can be stressful and busy, yet may be the way that people first
come into contact with Christians. Pray for all involved to be blessed and open to opportunities to talk
and share why Jesus is important to them.
Sunday 16th The churches listed for prayer today in the BUS prayer calendar are Thurso, Tillicoultry and
Tiree Baptist Churches. A snippet on each: Thurso BC moved into a lovely new building converted from
office premises in June this year. Tillicoultry BC have a packed Christmas agenda around the theme
“Coming Home”. Tiree BC, in a new building that looks quite like ours (just not on stilts!), have as their
guiding principle to aim to “love God and to live for others”.
Monday 17th Lunch ‘n’ Chat at the Leckie today, with members from PBC hosting and providing the
food. Pray for Linda and others (with space for more to join the team) involved in this worthwhile service
to people in our community. Pray that those coming would find their needs ministered to at every level.
Tuesday 18th Continue to pray for the families from our church who have been bereaved recently and
who will be feeling very far from festive. Pray that they will be able to focus on the coming of Emmanuel,
which will give them hope, comfort and even joy in the midst of grieving: Isaiah 61:3
Wednesday 19th The worship this Sunday will be lead by a group of musicians and singers from the
church. Pray for them as they meet to practice, and for all involved in the special Christmas service. Ask
God to prompt you as to who you could invite to come along.
Thursday 20th Bangladesh has a population of 161 million, 90 % being Muslims. Pray for BMS-supported
church planters bringing the transforming power of the gospel, even when it is a risk to themselves and
their families to do so. BMS workers and supported organisations are also involved in health and
education. Pray for continued witness and inquiring minds in both.