“When you suffer, we suffer with you in our hearts and our prayers. So, keep reporting; we won’t tire of raising your cause before the Saviour of the world to act on your behalf.” Steve Nelson, pastor at Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church wrote this exhortation in response to the call to prayer for West Africa.

Thank you for joining us in the MWC Prayer Network, sent every two months and operated by the Deacons Commission and MWC Communications.

God’s Spirit knits us together as a family around the world. In our prayers, we support each other in joy and pain, whether gathered or scattered.

We give thanks for sisters and brothers who come together to pray for our global Anabaptist family through these emails of the Prayer Network.

Join us on Zoom for online prayer hour 15 September. See below for information on this bimonthly online prayer meeting.

Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvellous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
(Psalm 98:1-3)

Ethnic or religious nationalism influences people to marginalize or even act violently against those who are outside their group. This is especially happening now in the USA, India and Indonesia. We pray for Christians to open their eyes to the harm of such philosophies. We pray for wisdom to counter such philosophies with truth and grace.

Praise the Lord for Christian schools from primary to graduate, where students can receive not only education but also formation in Christian ethics and spiritual transformation. We pray that our Anabaptist schools will be places of light, hope and peace in our community. We pray for teachers who sense God’s calling to mentor and inspire our students. We pray for boards and leadership teams who keep our schools moving toward our mission.
—submitted by the Global Anabaptist Education Network (GAEN)

Pray for financial resources to buy a land for the church private secondary school.
—submitted by Francis Kamoto, bishop, Brethren in Christ Church / Mpingo Wa Abale Mwa Kristu, Malawi

We praise our good God for his wonderful works, for his protection and for the strength that he continues to give his children in order to serve him one way or another.
—submitted by Shashika Bienvenu, Shalom Missionary Church, Bukavu, DRC

The Mennonite church in Guinea (Mennonite Church West Africa) longs for evangelistic materials in French. We pray that God would supply their needs and provide opportunities to share the good news.

Pray for young people’s voices to be heard.
—submitted by Siaka Traoré, MWC regional representative, Central/West Africa

Pray for Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea which have all undergone a coup in recent years.
—submitted by Kari Traoré, Église Évangélique Mennonite de Burkina Faso

Pray for Malawi where food insecurity exacerbated by economic woes and natural disasters like Cyclone Freddy cause hunger.
—submitted by Shadreck Kwendanyama, Mennonite Brethren Church of Malawi

Pray for leaders in Kenya to embrace tolerance and peace come what may for the growth and development of the nation.
—submitted by Samson Omondi, Kenya Mennonite Church

Pray that God would raise people to financially support training at Sikalongo Bible Institute and the building project for Chilenje BICC in Zambia. Pray for church planters and for bishop Thuma Hamukang'andu and staff members at the Bible institute. Praise God for the successful Zambian General conference. Praise God for the sacrificial service of pastors, some who are faithful despite failing to put food on the table. Praise God for the peace we are enjoying in Zambia.
—submitted by Donald Munachoonga, BICC, Zambia

Pray for those who are persecuted and those who lack justice; for those who are going through difficult times of crisis, like those in Eastern DR Congo. M23 rebels have committed unlawful killings, rape and other wire crimes in the region. Churches and homes have been destroyed. Pray for a de-escalation of violence. Pray for emotional healing for those who have been affected, both as victims and as perpetrators.

Please pray for as we are planning to apply for its FCRA certificate from MHA, India. May God have mercy so that the proceedings may go smoothly as Mennonite Christian Service Fellowship of India applies for FCRA Certificate (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act)
—Benjamin Nand, executive director, Mennonite Christian Service Fellowship

Lord, we come before you to pray for Myanmar, which suffers from tyranny and is destroyed by the apparatuses of war. We do not want to be indifferent to the pain of our brothers and sisters. May our actions join our prayers to really be supportive. May our brothers feel our love, which manifests your infinite love. We ask you for strength, comfort and restoration. Hear our prayer, Lord.
—submitted by Adaía Bernal Collazo, Colombia, Sur América

Please pray for the Christian youth of India, that they may not get distracted and put their trust in the worldly affairs but instead put their faith on God.
—submitted by Anant Masih, India

Many of areas of India have had heavy rainfall, severe flooding and landslides over the past months.

Political and ethnic unrest in the state of Manipur has resulted in thousands displaced, living in refugee camps or having fled to other states. Pray for a halt to hate speech and violence. Pray that different groups would be willing to learn about the other. Pray for peace in the state.

As war continues in Ukraine, may the Anabaptist-Mennonite churches in Europe have wisdom and creativity in showing alternatives to violence and living out peace.

Pray for those affected by wildfires, especially in Spain and Italy where there are Anabaptist-Mennonite churches.

Pray for the country of Venezuela, especially for the girls of the country.
—submitted by Marimar Vargas Rodriguez

I ask prayer for the work with children and youth in our church in El Salvador. May God help us to prepare pastors and leaders for the expansion of his kingdom in this world. May God provide us with a missionary so that we can respond to Angola's request. And, since we intend to send someone to Morocco, may we have the wisdom to discern whom to send among our missionaries present in the United States, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras.
—Samuel Martinez, Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de El Salvador 

Colombia is experiencing a revival of dedication to God's work, and we ask prayer that new servants will join this work every day. May the churches unite in a common vision. May our churches in Colombia find unity as we are divided into three regions that prevent us from thinking together and planning how best to work in Christ's name. Please pray for the security and protection of our country in the face of ever-increasing violence. Many armed groups are taking the law into their own hands. May our leaders be in good health, for some of them are elderly and suffer from health problems, while others have no health insurance to cover their medical expenses. Finally, please pray that God will accompany us in our evangelistic activities and in the planting of new churches across the country, especially in Tolima, a department where we do not yet have a presence.
—Juan Francisco Novoa Duque, Iglesias Cristianas Hermanos Menonitas Region Central

Dear brothers, we ask you to pray to the Lord about our situation in Cuba. It is almost impossible to live here. There is an extreme lack of food, medicine and everything else necessary for survival. The population is really suffering: there are barely enough medical staff to treat people in the hospitals; there are no first-aid supplies either; children don't have enough to eat; people are starving to death in the streets. A mass exodus is underway, even to Haiti. Many people die on the journey, while others want to try to leave, but lack the resources to do so. There are no smiles or joys left in my city, only drawn faces. Only God knows how to solve this problem. Please pray for us.
—Beatriz Mendez Vidal, Concilio Menonita en Cuba, president

Praise God for the end of the water emergency in Montevideo, Uruguay, caused by unprecedented drought.

Pray for the Southern Cone Anabpatist Encounter in Peru in January 2025.

Pray for unity and harmony in North America and peace throughout the world, especially in places of conflict and war... may negotiations be Spirit gifted.
—submitted by Ruth Anne Friesen

We pray for righting the wrongs of the past and that justice will come! Pray that justice will reign in Manitoba regarding permission and funding to search the local garbage landfill for the bodies of four Indigenous women. Pray for Indigenous communities who are impacted by the electricity utility Manitoba Hydro. Water levels change regularly because of the local dam and fish breeding grounds have been destroyed, causing lost livelihoods in fishing communities.
—Melanie Neufeld, Mennonite Church Manitoba

You are invited to join the Deacons Commission and regional representatives on a Zoom prayer call. There will be breakout rooms with a prayer leader in several languages (English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian). 

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18)

If you would like to share a prayer with us, please write to prayers@mwc-cmm.org.

Thank you for walking with us in prayer,