POINTERS FOR PRAYER and THANKSGIVING
January 2021
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January 2021
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Happy New Year!
or for our Ethiopian friends
መልካም አዲስ አመት
(Melkam Addis Amet)
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or for our Ethiopian friends
መልካም አዲስ አመት
(Melkam Addis Amet)
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1 Happy New Year! Everybody's wish after such a traumatic 2020. Pray for Christian chaplains on duty today that they may be able to assure prisoners, who may be feeling hopeless, of the real and living hope made possible by Jesus.
2 Pray for those who struggle with the very idea of a “happy” new year. This can even include people being released from prison which should be a happy event - especially if they have no money, no job prospects and nowhere to live. 3 Sunday. Pray that chaplains may be able to spend time with prisoners unable to join with others for corporate worship and that covid related restrictions will soon be able to be eased. 4. Pray for the families of prisoners, so often suffering on account of their loved one's behaviour as well as months of being unable to visit and maintain family ties 5. Pray for the Ethiopian chaplain coordinators supported through this Trust. Some are in Regions affected by serious armed conflict. 6. Pray for prisons where vacancies or reduced staffing levels can put pressure on chaplains that they would still be able to provide an effective holistic Christian ministry amongst both staff and prisoners. 7. Pray for prisoners who hold extremist religious or racist views, that they would come to a more reasoned understanding and true faith born out of love. 8. For strengthening of links with others who care about prisoners and ex prisoners that together some of the complex needs may be able to be addressed and the cycle of re-offending broken. 9. For those who seek to help prisoners with housing issues and arrange for accommodation on release in these difficult days. 10. Sunday. Pray that Sunday worship is restored in prisons and that prisoners who are feeling down and low find life and light in the chapel of their prison this day. 11 Pray for Christians in prison on account of their faith and for all those in countries and situations where they do not have the freedom to gather for worship 12 Alpha in Prisons, Christianity Explored and other courses and initiatives to share the good news of Jesus with prisoners 13 Pray for an end to the pandemic with its rules preventing sharing with church groups etc. something of the opportunities and challenges of prisons ministry 14 Pray for prisoners who are seeking something to bring meaning into their lives that they would be able to find it in Jesus 15 Emmaus Bible School and others providing Bible Study opportunities for those in prisons in the UK and Ethiopia 16. Pray for the prisoners' children and families in Ethiopia who are supported in the community by the REFUGE project. Thank God for their sponsors and the willingness of those outside the prisons who support these children. |
17. Sunday. Pray for all the volunteers who in "normal" times help to support chapel services by providing music, teaching and pastoral skills.
18 Pray for Twinkle of Hope - a prison specific project supporting the care of children in prison with their mums. All the children in the Ethiopian prisons where this project is in place are covered by it. 19 Pray for prisoner "listeners" in UK who help to support their fellow prisoners in distress and for the Samaritans who train and support them. 20 Give thanks for all those former prisoners who having come to faith in the Lord Jesus are now serving the Lord in a variety of ways. 21 With many changes in the national chaplaincy leadership responsible for prisons in England and Wales, pray that the Christian chaplains working at the sharp end will be encouraged and fully supported in their work. 22 Pray for Governing Governors of prisons as they struggle with the effects of budget cuts while still trying to keep their establishments safe and in "normal" times also deliver programmes that could help to reduce offending behaviour. 23 Pray that the now widely recognised effects of low staffing levels and overcrowding in UK prisons may be adequately addressed. 24 Sunday. Pray for Community Chaplains/Resettlement co-ordinators and mentoring schemes now being developed to help ex-offenders live more ordered lives as they also struggle with the covid related issues. 25 Continue to pray for newly released prisoners who, although they are free, may have no money, nowhere to live and have difficulty finding work on account of their criminal record plus the increase in job seekers caused by covid related job losses 26 Pray for front line prison staff that they may be alert to risks and be able to prevent serious incidents. 27 Pray for those prisons where there are vacancies for Christian chaplains that these posts will be filled and that the ministry of those in post may not be adversely affected by the additional work load. 28 Pray for those prisoners in overcrowded UK prisons locked in cells all day and all night for covid related reasons especially when they have no purposeful activity. This can fuel unrest and is also not good preparation for release. 29 Pray for prison health care departments attending to many different needs including mental health problems caused by covid enforced isolation as well as addiction and poor lifestyle choices. 30 For those who are in prison on remand awaiting trial especially for any who may be falsely accused. 31 Sunday. Give thanks for churches ready to welcome ex-offenders on release from prison with all the different needs and associated risks. |
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THE LORD SETS PRISONERS FREE
Psalm 146:7
THE LORD SETS PRISONERS FREE
Psalm 146:7