Death has touched families and churches. Health care workers are worn out. The lack of personal contact and the loss of income due to the significant risk of contagion cause significant stress and misery in Anabaptist churches. Those who are not able to connect online – due to lack of knowledge or lack of tools – are extra isolated. “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit,” (Psalm 34:18).

Read more: https://mwc-cmm.org/stories/fearless-and-prudent

“O God, who will roll away the stone from the hearts of wounded Beirut and its affected citizens!” The Middle East Council of Churches raises a call to prayer for Lebanon.

The 4 August 2020 explosion damaged 85 percent of the country’s grain stores, left 300 000 people homeless, injured more than 5 000 people and killed almost 200 people. Three Christian hospitals and many churches and Christian schools were damaged. Many people have lost hope; this trauma adds to economic and health care challenges. Lebanon also hosts a large number of refugees. Mennonite Central Committee serves refugees in Lebanon with education, food and psychosocial care. In this crisis, MCC is working with Lebanese Popular Aid for Relief and Development (PARD) to provide food for the most vulnerable people. Pray for the churches who struggle to respond to the physical and spiritual well being of their neighbours when all have lost so much.

“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” To allow both MWC staff and attendees to properly plan for the event, MWC has chosen to postpone Assembly 17 until 2022. Pray for wisdom as the Assembly planning teams adjust to the new date. Please continue to pray for the healing of the world, and for the Assembly.

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ग्लोबल चर्च शेयरिंग फण्ड कोविड 19 रिस्पाँस में उदारता से दान देने वालों के लिए परमेश्वर की स्तुति हो। प्रभु इन भेंटों को आशीष दे ताकि उन 27 समुदायों पर इसका एक स्थायी असर हो जिनके प्रस्तावों का अनुमोदन किया गया है। भोजन और अन्य सामग्रियों की भेंटों के साथ साथ सुसमाचार भी लोगों तक पहुँच सके। कलीसिया द्वारा किए जा रहे राहत प्रयासों के माध्यम से आसपड़ोस के लोगों की दशा में सुधार आए और साथ ही उनके जीवन में आत्मिक परिवर्तन भी आए। कोविड 19 रिस्पाँस की जिम्मेदारी सम्भाल रहे एमडब्ल्यूसी टास्क फोर्स के वालेंटियर्स की समर्पित सेवाओं के लिए भी प्रभु का धन्यवाद करें।

कोलिम्बिया में शान्ति के लिए प्रार्थना करें। कोलम्बिया के कुछ भागों में इवेंजलिकल कलीसियाएं सशस्त्र संघर्ष, मानवाधिकार उल्लंघन, पैरामिलिट्री बल में नाबालिगों की भर्ती और आराधना के लिए एकत्रित होने पर पाबन्दियों जैसी समस्याओं का सामना कर रहे हैं। जुलाई में, एक पासवान को अपना शहर छोड़ना पड़ा क्योंकि उनकी किशोर पुत्रियों को पैरामिलिट्री बलों द्वारा धमकाया गया। इग्लेसिया क्रिस्टियाना मेनोनिटा डे कोलम्बिया (आईएमसीओएल) की शान्ति संस्था जस्तापाज़ इन कलीसियाओं के साथ एकजुट हो कर खड़ी है और इनके लिए प्रार्थना का निवदेन किया है।

Give us the power

God,

Give us the power to trust each other
and to choose the sustainable way
that frees your creation from distress.

Give us the power to share knowledge
and to seek for sustainable solutions
that allow future generations to live on

Give us the power to cooperate
to take decisions and actions
that bear fruit sustainably.

Give us the power
through your Holy Spirit

You who saw that it was good.

On the day after tomorrow as in the beginning.

For your kingdom come
and your glory shine
for ever.

Amen

—This prayer is taken from the book Dancing with the Golden Frog: Global Warming and the Lord’s Prayer, by Herman Heijn, pastor at Doopsgezinde Gemeente Haarlem, Netherlands. Submitted by Creation Care Task Force member Rebecca Froese, a member of Mennonite Church Hamburg-Altona, Germany.

वर्षा और पवन के प्रभु, तेरी सृष्टि में शान्ति और अशान्ति दोनों है। हम उन सब लोगों के लिए प्रार्थना करते हैं जो समुद्री तूफानों, भूकम्प, और अंधड़ में फँसे हुए हैं। शोकित भाई बहन शान्ति देने वाले तेरे आत्मा की निकटता का अनुभव कर सकें। तेरी कलीसिया पुनर्निर्माण करने वालों के लिए हाथ और पैर बने और हानि झेलने वालों को ढाढ़स बंधाए।

Praise God for the celebration of baptism as a practice of discipleship in Mennonite, Lutheran and Catholic churches. The final report on the Lutheran-Mennonite-Roman Catholic Trilateral Conversation (on baptism) has been published. Praise God for the trust, patience and receptivity of the leaders who participated in this dialogue between world communions. Pray that studying the report may promote better mutual understanding between communions and lead to greater faithfulness to Jesus Christ. May MWC churches be attentive to the “gifts received” and “challenges accepted.”

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We pray that God will protect our lives and give wisdom to the authorities. May they respond appropriately and show mercy toward people so that the possible consequences of the virus can be prevented and mitigated.

Some days we feel so impotent, frustrated and afraid. We pray that God will help us manage our emotions in a healthy way and also that we may find joy in the midst of the uncertainty.

We pray that God will help us to continue building deep relationships in spite of social distancing.

We pray that you may sense the constant love of the Lord in all aspects of your lives.

—Diana Cruz and Felipe Preciado, La Casa Grande FIFATA, Benin (Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia [IMCOL])