Prayer Focus: October 2024

Tuesday (October 1st) - Regional Directors Meetings

Please pray for the newly elected International Director and the Regional Directors as they meet together for two days to evaluate the Council meetings and prayerfully look forward to what is ahead. Pray for the other Council delegates who will now be traveling back home to various parts of the world.

 

Wednesday (2nd) - Regional Director for Asia

Pray for Sohee Park, the new Regional Director for Asia. Sohee is based in South Korea where she is part of the CLC team and is married to Sung. They have two beautiful children. Pray for Sohee as she adjusts to her new level of responsibility, that she will build good relationships with the CLC Asian teams and have wisdom to know how to best help and encourage them.

 

Thursday (3rd) - Regional Director for Europe

Pray for Hervé Lessous, the Regional Director for Europe. Hervé is based in France where he is part of the team, and he also has an increasing level of involvement with three French-speaking countries in CLC Africa. Pray that he will be able to manage his time well to give his best in all areas and also have time for rest and relaxation with his family.

 

Friday (4th) - Regional Director for North America & The Caribbean

Pray for Jim Pitman, the new Regional Director for Canada, United States and the Caribbean Islands. Jim is based in Philadelphia at the CLC headquarters there. He also leads the team for CLC USA. Pray for Jim as he looks for ways to support all these teams, especially those in the Caribbean Islands where we are facing many challenges.

 

The Weekend (5th - 6th) - Africa

CLC is changing in our approach to the work in Africa. We will no longer have a regional director for Africa, a role that has been occupied by Liz Patten for 16 years. Liz will now take on a consultancy role for the continent in general, while retaining more hands-on involvement with Mozambique and Sierra Leone. Hervé Lessous will be more involved with French-speaking Africa (see 3rd October). Please pray for these changes.

 

Monday (7th) - Italy

Please pray for us as we start up again with meetings in the bookshops. Pray that God guides us in choosing topics to address which will bless Italian believers. The meetings will be held both in-person at the bookshops and broadcasted via our streaming channels.

 

Tuesday (8th) - Italy

Please pray for new promotional initiatives and book presentations, as we try to be creative and attract the attention of the digital crowd. Pray too for the publisher, La Buona Novella (The Good News), that they may quickly complete the text revision of the Nuova Diodati and rapidly print new models of youth-attractive Bibles.

 

Wednesday (9th) - France

October marks the beginning of the “high season” for us here in France. It is time for the f inal CLC publishing campaign for 2024, with more than 20 new titles and already a heavy workload for the next editions in January 2025! Please pray for a good cohesion between all our different bookshops and departments, that we may work well together during this busy period. 

 

Thursday (10th) - United Kingdom

In the UK, we have drastically reduced our bookshops – down to just one in Aberdeen. This does not mean that we do not have the ambition to have more shops. Rather, it means simply that the model has to be different. The Aberdeen shop, based in a church, is working well. We can see further possibilities, and some churches would appreciate our knowledge. Please pray with us for the right relationships to be formed.

 

Friday (11th) - United Kingdom

In the UK, CLC merged with Kingsway Trust in recent years, to form the Kingsway CLC Trust. This has been a very positive move, but it does mean that we have a variety of brands that are presented to the public and the bookshop trade as a result of the two organisations coming together. Please pray with us as we consider what is appropriate for the future.

 

The Weekend (12th - 13th) - Germany

On Saturday October 12th, we will host a special study day with a Pastor who is a well known podcaster here. We anticipate participants from all over northern Germany for this event, which will be aimed at believers whose faith has undergone de-construction. We pray that this occasion will help our delegates to survive as Christians. We will also sell the pastor’s latest book on this theme. 

 

Monday (14th) - Sierra Leone 

Please pray for David Scouler as he travels from Brisbane to arrive in Freetown on Wednesday to spend 10 days with the team. Pray for effective training, a good time of mutual encouragement among all team members, and useful connections with the local Advisory Board members. Pray for good health and stamina for David after his long journey.

 

Tuesday (15th) - Sierra Leone

Pray for Alfred Kaikai who is our general manager in Freetown and who has faithfully served with CLC for many years despite suffering from a very challenging back condition. Pray for Alfred’s health and stamina and that he will continue to have much joy in the ministry.

 

Wednesday (16th) - Sierra Leone

Last year, we suffered several overnight acts of vandalism at our HQ in Freetown. As a result, we began to employ night security via an agency. One morning, our general manager arrived early to find that the security guard was still around. This led to a significant conversation, and Alfred was able to lead the security guard to Christ. Shortly after, the agency moved him to a different place of work. Pray for him to grow in Christ.

 

Thursday (17th) - Sierra Leone

Pray for more opportunities to share the Gospel directly through our three bookshops in Sierra Leone. Alfred, mentioned yesterday and the day before, is an evangelist and so is Matthew, who is the manager of our shop in Bo. Pray for many more to be led to Christ through their witness.

 

Friday (18th) - Sierra Leone 

For some time, we were praying for someone to have oversight of the Finance & Admin departments, based at the CLC HQ in Freetown, but encompassing all three branches. We praise God that in May, Pastor Daniel Konnah joined the team for three days each week, in this capacity. Please pray for Pastor Daniel to be a blessing for the ministry.

 

The Weekend (19th - 20th) - Sierra Leone

We are thankful to God for the increase in our sales over the past two years, largely due to having a good availability of the right stock items at affordable prices. This includes many second hand books coming from the USA and the UK. Please pray that we will find ways to keep our prices accessible for our customers so that they may have the opportunity to grow in their faith by reading the Bible and excellent Christian books.

 

Monday (21st) - Mozambique 

We praise God for our three bookshops in Mozambique, which are strategically located in seminaries in the south (Maputo), the centre (Beira) and the north (Nampula) of the country. We believe that these bookshops truly impact their communities and beyond, and we are thankful for our four dedicated Mozambican workers who love the ministry and the work they are doing.

 

Tuesday (22nd) - Mozambique

We are grateful for the missionaries and the Board members who voluntarily support our ministry in Mozambique, with hands-on involvement. Together we are stronger! Please pray that God will bless them as they freely give of their time and abilities and that they will be able to advise us well so that we may further develop the ministry towards a long-term sustainable future.

 

Wednesday (23rd) - Mozambique

We praise God for the growing partnership between CLC Portugal and CLC Mozambique, for mutual benefit. Please pray for Carlos Cunha, National Director for CLC Portugal, as he gives a portion of his time to support the ministry in Mozambique in various ways, including raising funds for various outreach projects in collaboration with our bookshops there.

 

Thursday (24th) - Mozambique

We praise God for the delivery of 10,000 low-cost Bibles earlier this year. This is the third such delivery in recent years, and we are so thankful for this project which by now has become self-sustaining. In addition to the full Bible text, these Bibles contain a summary of the Gospel message and a prayer for salvation, together with the contact addresses and telephone numbers of our bookshops.

 

Friday (25th) - Mozambique

With the exception of our economy Bibles, around 90% of our regular stock comes from Brazil, the home of the vast majority of the Portuguese-language Christian publishers. This means that invoices must be paid in foreign currency, which sometimes causes delays. This in turn can lead to additional charges, making the books and Bibles more expensive for our customers. Please pray for a solution to this.

 

The Weekend (26th - 27th) - Mozambique

Please pray for the LORD’s leading for our next outreach projects. We are thankful for the opportunities we have had, to place Bibles into the hands of those who have lost theirs due to flooding and other inclement circumstances. We are also thankful for outreaches into a children’s home on the outskirts of Maputo, where we have been able to supply Bibles and evangelistic materials, thanks to support from CLC Portugal.

 

Monday (28th) - Dominica

At the time of writing, sales have been quiet and not always up to hopes and expectations. Please pray for dedicated CLC worker Tajya Wilson, that she may have strength and courage to hold fast in such times, and for new opportunities to work with local churches by supplying book tables at services and special events. Pray for divine connections and f inancial breakthroughs for this ministry in the marketplace. 

 

Tuesday (29th) - Antigua

Please pray for Arah Martin and her team in Antigua. They have been going through tough times and consequently, resources were becoming depleted. Pray for the team as they implement some difficult but necessary measures in order to try to “win back” the situation. Pray that the LORD rewards them with new progress in the right direction.

 

Wednesday (30th) - Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados

Please pray for our bookshops on these other islands. Pray for Sandra Robinson as she works with CLC but also carries a number of pastoral responsibilities in two congregations, together with her husband. Pray again for Regional Director Jim Pitman as he works with these CLC islands to help them overcome their challenges.

 

Thursday (31st) - International Office

Please pray for the trustees of the International Office as they meet together in person today in Sheffield, UK. We are thankful for this committed group of people who ensure that CLC stays true to its vision and purpose, while complying with the charity laws in the UK. Pray especially for the Chair, John Raby, who is a retired accountant and does a lot of unseen work for CLC, as do all the trustees. Thank you.