Worldwide prayer

Following Monday's Day of Prayer, we've heard from several workers and partners overseas about how they got involved.

Retna Rai of the Nepal Baptist Church Council told us: "From 10am to 12 noon, NBCC staff and supported pastors and evangelists and missionary Tlana and Mrs Tlana had an exciting time of prayer for the home ministry, as well as the global ministry of BMS. We believe that our Almighty Father would answer our prayer."

BMS worker Martin Butterworth, also in Nepal with United Mission to Nepal, e-mailed on Monday to tell us: "We're all feeling a bit chained to our computers but UMN recognises that prayer has priority. So this lunchtime all of the BMSers here in Thapathali office (six of us) met for a little over half an hour. Given the limited time we concentrated on prayer for BMS in Asia and the UK. It was good to meet and be connected to the wider world and our Lord."

Our workers in Tunisia confirmed that they prayed with us on Monday and the people in Kabul had a breakfast where they too joined in prayer.

Selection of comments from the day

Barbara said...

Was good to be with those of you in Baptist House via the web - feel very much part of the wave. We are praying here in Somerset throughout the day and on into the evening.
1 March 2010 13:57

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Andrew said...

I've been getting a fresh sense of what it means to follow Jesus whilst praying for Asia this hour - what it means for those on this continent who have converted from other religions, those who are extremely poor, those who have been enslaved.

They follow Jesus with a simple heart, but with great passion. They do it obediently and whole-heartedly - like the discpiles did with Jesus the man.

As British Christians we can learn much from this, I feel. What does it mean to me to really follow Jesus?
1 March 2010 11:14

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Anonymous said...

1 Chronicles 16: 23 – 24

Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
His marvellous deeds among all peoples.

1 March 2010 13:58

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Gareth said...

Re disaster relief

Please pray for one of the BMS ministers team who went to Kolkata last November. She is currently in Chile and writes:

Some roads are not passable in the city and there are shortages of petrol. we are about 6hrs from the epicentre but it was still a very scary 2 minutes the other night!

The death toll rises hourly and Sarah´s husband has family in the south still to be accounted for.

No damage to house here apart from some smashed glasses and china.
1 March 2010 12:42

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Anonymous said...

While praying for the European MP's felt led to Luke 5:1-11.
Note v5 "Master we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, i will let down the nets."
We pray that you will all have listening ears to hear God's voice. And no matter how much you want to complain, we pray God will give you all strenght, wisdom and boldness to obey His call. May God bless you greatly as you go about His work as His fishermen of men and women.
1 March 2010 14:40
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Lynne and Fiona said...

Lynne Brown and Fiona Welsh (long term workers based in Angola)joined in prayer for Africa from their base in Luanda.
1 March 2010 15:37

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Via Twitter
#waveofprayer Urgent need for a S/T primary teacher in North Africa

#waveofprayer Creative Room - Cast all your cares onto the Lord because he cares for you.

In Chiang Mai, Thailand: BMS mission workers are joining in the #waveofprayer along with our Karen brothers and sisters...

4-5pm - Reflecting on the day

4-5pm - Reflecting on the day
Share your prayer needs or feed back on how you are praying.
Please use the comment box/link below to respond

3-4pm - Americas/media and advocacy/"resourcing through sacrificial giving"

3-4pm - Americas/media and advocacy/"resourcing through sacrificial giving"
Share your prayer needs or feed back on how you are praying.
Please use the comment box/link below to respond

2-3pm - UK/health/"engaging with local realities"

2-3pm - UK/health/"engaging with local realities"
Share your prayer needs or feed back on how you are praying.
Please use the comment box/link below to respond

1-2pm - Europe/education/"listening to global voices"

1-2pm - Europe/education/"listening to global voices"
Share your prayer needs or feed back on how you are praying.
Please use the comment box/link below to respond

12-1pm - Africa/disaster relief/"responding with creative insight"

12-1pm - Africa/disaster relief/"responding with creative insight"
Share your prayer needs or feed back on how you are praying.
Please use the comment box/link below to respond

11-12am - Middle East and North Africa/development/"witnessing to world faiths"

11-12am - Middle East and North Africa/development/"witnessing to world faiths"
Share your prayer needs or feed back on how you are praying.
Please use the comment box/link below to respond

10-11am - Asia/church planting/"drawing from deep wells"

10-11am - Asia/church planting/"drawing from deep wells"
Share your prayer needs or feed back on how you are praying.
Please use the comment box/link below to respond

9-10am Opening Worship and Reflection

9-10am – opening worship and reflection
Share your prayer needs or feed back on how you are praying.
Please use the comment box/link below to respond

And follow the session live by clicking here

Day of Prayer starts

Today is BMS’ Day of Prayer. Staff and supporters across the UK and BMS workers and partners around the world will be united in focusing on the work of BMS, bringing before God a range of needs, thanking him for answered prayer and seeking his will.

Over the course of the day, this blog will be the place to provide feedback from your prayer times. The thoughts from BMS staff praying in Didcot and Birmingham will appear here.

We’ll post separate entries for each hour throughout the day to correspond with the main schedule – please use the comment box/link below to respond or use Twitter (see the left-hand column for details).

The Wave approaches

As the Wave of Prayer approaches, please let us know of any events your church or church group are planning over the course of this weekend or on the Day of Prayer itself (Monday 1 March).

Please also let us know of any ways in which God has spoken to you during your prayer times – any words, pictures, verses – and about the way in which you’ve used BMS prayer materials. You can also use Twitter – see the left-hand column for details.

Please use the comment box/link below to respond.

Prayer request from India

Our partners in India, Big Life Ministries, have sent us the following urgent prayer request ahead of the Wave of Prayer this weekend and next Monday’s Day of Prayer.

“The churches and our workers in the Muslim areas of West Bengal, India need your prayers. Pray for our brothers in Christ listed below who lead the work in these areas: Abdul, Abdullah, Abul, Jahangir, Amjad, Salim, Hasanoor, Kalaam, Saibul, Nasir, Mehera and Rimi.

“The churches (Jamats) here are being severely persecuted. Our brothers and sisters who are hosting churches in their homes are being hunted down and told to stop the churches or else their homes will be burned down and they will be killed.

“Please pray for the safety of our brothers and sisters and for the protection of these Jamats. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give wisdom and guidance to our leaders. Pray for this persecution to be a catalyst to the further spread of the gospel.”

If you are an overseas worker or partner with a specific request that people can pray for during the Wave of Prayer, please add it to the comments box/link below.

Programme of Prayer for the day

BMS have made available a Programme for Monday 1 March. It includes prayer topics to use at any time over the weekend wave of prayer. To download the Adobe PDF file visit the website - by clicking here.

Are you joining us for the Day of Prayer?

In less than a month’s time we’ll be putting aside a whole day to pray for the work of BMS World Mission and to hear what God is saying to us about the future.

It would be great to hear from individuals and churches in the UK who are planning to join with us in this time of prayer, either on Monday 1 March, or at some point in the preceding weekend.

Please use the comment box/link below to tell us your plans.

And for those taking part, look out for downloadable resources on the BMS website from 15 February, including regional prayers and a PowerPoint ideal for use in a church service. We’ll post more details here too.

Worldwide support for prayer wave

The BMS Wave of Prayer will be a truly worldwide event! We’ve already heard from a number of BMS workers and partner organisations around the world who tell us of their support for the initiative and their plans to join us. Responses so far include:

“The weekend coincides with our retreat where we will be having a specific prayer session on the Sunday in which we will be joining you in this wave of prayer.” (Mark Galpin, Executive Director of United Mission to Nepal)

“We hope and believe that it will be a great programme to get the strength and wisdom from our Lord.” (Philip Halder, Director of the Social Health and Education Development Board in Bangladesh)

“We are very much encouraged and blessed through the ministry of BMS and we give thanks to our Almighty God. We would like to join in the prayer day.” (Pastor Rajendra Malla, Lalitpur Baptist Church, Nepal)

“It is so exciting for us to hear of this special programme. We have been praying continuously in our daily staff prayers and will do it on these special days. Let’s join our hearts together!” (Pastor Ratna Bahadur Rai, General Secretary of the Nepal Baptist Church Council)

“After a consultation with Pastor Pepe Flores, the president of Peruvian Baptist Convention, we are joining in the prayer wave. This is going to be included in the 2010 prayer calendar for the country.” (Harland and Gill Rivas-Thurgood, BMS workers in Peru)

If you are an overseas BMS worker or partner, please use the comment box/link below to tell us how you are joining the Wave of Prayer.

A wave of prayer: 1 March 2010

The 2010 BMS Day of Prayer will be on Monday 1 March when BMS staff in the UK and mission personnel and partners around the world will be joining together to pray for the work of world mission.

It’s the third year that we’ve held a Day of Prayer and will be the biggest yet as we link in with several prayer initiatives across the preceding weekend – like a global wave of prayer.

The wave will start quietly on Friday 26 February with small groups of twos and threes praying in countries such as Bangladesh and Afghanistan where Friday is the traditional day of worship. It will be picked up that day by BMS staff in Didcot at their early morning prayer time and in morning worship at IMC, Birmingham.

On Saturday 27 February, the wave will swell with churches in the Baptist Union of Great Britain responding to President Kingsley Appiagyei’s call to prayer which will include a focus on world mission and the work of BMS.

Sunday 28 February will see it gathering momentum with prayers being offered in church services throughout Scotland and England and in Wales where a national day of prayer for Baptist life, work and witness will also include prayer for BMS.

On Monday 1 March, the specific day set aside for prayer by BMS, imagine the wave rolling right around the globe, starting some seven or eight hours ahead of GMT in places such as China and Thailand. From there it moves on through India, Nepal and on to the Middle East; rolling on through Africa and Europe, across the Atlantic to Brazil and on to Peru and Ecuador, some five hours behind GMT.

Imagine the power of a mighty rolling wave. Imagine the power of our mighty God responding to the prayers of his people.

Be a part of the wave. In your church or at home, join us in prayer on the day or during the weekend.

Coming soon: There will be prayer suggestions to download from the website.