With an office move imminent, fresh manuscript work underway, and new initiatives to embrace, this spring feels very much like a time of “fresh shoots” for SGM Lifewords in the UK. This week, join us in praying for new projects.

• This month, SGM Lifewords will be moving our UK offices from Radstock House (in Victoria) to the Oasis Centre near Westminster. Please pray with us for the logistics of the move, and for a smooth transition for all involved. Give thanks with us for the significant part that Radstock House has played in the story of the mission; pray also for start of a new chapter in a new home, and pray that we’ll be able to make the most of the opportunities a different working environment will provide.

• The UK programme development team is currently working on two new manuscripts, both telling the story of Jesus’ life and ministry. One is an “introduction” to Jesus; the other a longer telling of the gospel story. Inspiration for these booklets came from research for the Historic Churches initiatives, as people working in visitor contexts asked for resources that would help introduce Jesus to an “unchurched” audience. Please pray for wisdom and creativity for all those involved in working on these projects.

• SGM Lifewords is one of more than forty agencies in the UK supporting the Biblefresh campaign for 2011, aimed at encouraging Christians across the UK into a deeper engagement with the Bible’s life words. The hope is that 2011 will be a year in which the whole church will get involved in rediscovering, celebrating and experiencing its Story in fresh, creative ways. Please pray for the initiative as it’s launched to churches this month. You’ll be able to read more in the next issue of Interact, and we’ll keep you up to date with how to pray for the campaign, and access resources for your own church.

2010 is the year that the beautiful game comes to Africa, with the FIFA World Cup due to begin July and the African Cup of Nations already underway – sadly marred by last month’s attack on the Togolese team. This week, join us in praying for ministry across Africa.

• The eyes of the world’s media will be on South Africa this summer as the country hosts the football World Cup. As final preparations are made, there are ongoing reports of shanty town clearances and vulnerable groups – including many children – being sent to prisons or temporary homes. Please pray for Pavement Project partner organisations involved in responding to the needs of children-at-risk in South Africa. One innovative response, Street Child World Cup, gets under way in a fortnight’s time. Organised by children-at-risk agencies and headed up by former street children, the football tournament will also provide an opportunity for a forum on children’s rights – and provide ways for street children to tell their stories. See streetchildworldcup.org to find out more.

• Recent feedback on the use of Inspire resources in Africa has indicated that many churches find Bible booklets a great way to get to people to engage with the Bible. One group of Lifewords supporters in Kenya, doing a Bible study on forgiveness, were given copies of Forgiveness Matters to aid their learning. After using the booklets for the study, many people commented on how well the material was presented. Pray that there would be a greater awareness of these materials within local churches and that they would be put to use in helping people connect with the Bible’s life-giving words

• Rites of passage are a common practice across African tribal communities. This usually consists of training in traditional survival skills, but it can also include less-welcome cultural practices. In order to provide Kenyan children with an alternative, Lifewords has been talking to churches about developing a rite of passage based on the Bible-based curriculum Choose Life. Pray that these discussions would be fruitful in providing a viable alternative for Kenya’s young people.

SGM Lifewords Europe Director, Jarek Jankowski comments: “Europe is a challenging continent where different cultures, languages and nationalities mix but do not always match. What we need is not so much new gospel “methods” or new church marketing programmes, but authentic Christianity. Everywhere where people act in faith and obedience to God’s Word, people are attracted to Christ. Please join with us in praying for an authentic Christian voice on our continent.”

• The Alabaster Project is a volunteer organisation seeking to reach out to women forced to work on the streets of Berlin, offering fellowship and support and introducing them to the Bible’s life words. SGM Lifewords has been partnering with this organisation since 2007, providing foreign language resources to aid them in their ministry. Pray that these resources would be well used and that many would come to faith through this authentic Christian witness.

• Sadly, human trafficking, particularly into forced prostitution has become one of the largest criminal industries of our times, and over eighty percent of the victims are women and children. Indeed a recent study found that over 18,000 Bulgarian women are currently involved in prostitution throughout Western Europe. Please pray for initiatives such as STOP THE TRAFFICK, which are attempting to offer an authentically Christian response to this issue.

• SGM Lifewords Faith Journeys project aims to connect Christians across Europe through the use of blogs, reflections and other interactive content. December saw the publication of a series of Advent Reflections and subscribers to Life Changing Words were encouraged to send e-cards, which resulted in over three thousand being sent. Please pray that many would have been touched by the authentic Christian message proclaimed in the e-cards they have received.

“The LORD himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid.” Deuteronomy 31:8

• Every stage of life brings its own changes, challenges, and opportunities. As we walk forward on life’s journey, we need to know God’s daily provision for us. SGM Lifewords booklet Day by Day has been a source of daily strength and encouragement for hundreds of people over the years. Give thanks for the words of  life, hope and promise the Bible contains. Pray that despite the challenges each of us face in our day to day lives, we will find the time and the space to reflect on those promises and allow them to change and renew us.

• “’Because he trusts me’, says the LORD, ’I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name’.” Pray for all those who are working to make God’s name known in challenging environments: for prison chaplains, those working cross-culturally, those seeking to remain faithful to God in the cut and thrust of the business world. Pray that, day after day, they will know God strengthening them as they seek to live true to the story the Bible tells, that as they come before him each day, he would strengthen them to reach out to others with the Bible’s life-changing words.

• We recently received the following feedback from a supporter who had used our pastoral resources as part of her personal witness. She writes, “You may like to know about my experience with your leaflet Day by Day. A church member was ill and so we sent them a card and a copy of Day By Day.  The leaflet was much appreciated and the member then passed the leaflet to a non-Christian friend who is terminally ill, actually resulting in the conversion of the person concerned.” Give thanks with us for this story of the Bible’s life words at work. Please pray with us for all those using our Inspire resources to help people make connections with the Bible for the first time.

“You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts.” Psalm 139:1-2

• Pray for those facing a difficult medical diagnosis – a serious illness or major operation. Pray that as they grapple with hospital schedules, treatments and routines, they will know the peace of God. Pray too for their friends and relatives seeking to support them. Pray that as they grapple with difficult questions, they will be blessed with patience, understanding and hope.

• Pray for all those who work in hospitals and doctor’s surgeries. Pray that they will be effective in living out the Bible’s life words as they encounter patients of all backgrounds, nationalities and ages.  Pray for the chaplaincy teams at St John’s Hospital in Bath, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Edgbaston and University Hospital Aintree, who regularly order pastoral resources like Why Me? for use in their work with patients. Pray that as people encounter the Bible’s life words through these resources, they will experience God’s love and compassion for them.

• Pray too for the chaplaincy team at St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice in Taunton, who make use of SGM Lifewords pastoral resources in their inpatient unit. Give thanks that the resources have proved a blessing to the team there. Pray that as they draw alongside those coming to terms with terminal illness and their families, they will be bearers of God’s hope and grace.

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7

• Give thanks for God’s care and concern for those who are going through troubled times. Pray for those whose lives have been shattered by abuse, redundancy, homelessness, illness, debt, imprisonment and other traumas.

• Pray for Christian counsellors and chaplains who seek to walk a journey with those who are going through crisis points in their lives, allowing them to share their stories and offering them hope. Pray that in all they do, they will communicate God’s grace and compassion to the hurting and vulnerable. Give thanks that Picking up the Pieces has proved a useful tool for helping people to come to terms with their situation and find hope and healing. Pray that it continues to be blessing both to the counsellors who use it and to those in need.

• Whether it’s because of war, natural disaster or just the search for a better life, few things can be harder than leaving your home. It’s an experience that will be familiar to the many of the refugees who sought sanctuary in Kenya from the recent conflicts in Rwanda and the DRC. Please join us in praying for the work of local churches in Kitengela, which has a large Congolese population. Pray that through the use of Inspire resources such as Picking Up The Pieces many would find rest and comfort in the Bible’s life-giving words.

People from all around the world and from all walks of life regularly make use of SGM Lifewords’ pastoral resources to provide hope, encouragement and support to friends and families, neighbours and strangers. As a new year begins, join us in prayer for and with all those who are seeking to live, speak and be life words in their homes, communities and workplaces.

“The LORD is close to the broken-hearted.” Psalm 34:18

• Give thanks that God who walked the earth understands what it is to experience the pain of loss. Give thanks for the Bible’s promise that he draws near to those who are going through the pain of bereavement. Pray for all those who are mourning the death of a loved one. Pray that in their grief, they will know God’s presence, comfort and strength.

• Give thanks for the many testimonies we are privileged to hear from people who have experienced comfort and strength in times of bereavement through reading a copy of Living with Loss. Pray that this resource will continue to be a blessing to those who are dealing with grief: and to those seeking to draw alongside and comfort them.

• ASR Lee Philipson works for the Soldiers and Airmen’s Scripture Readers Association (SASRA). He writes: “Following a recent Sunday chapel service, my wife Debbie told me someone had remained alone in the chapel. I looked in and found one of the troop sergeants standing by one of the candle stands. I spoke with him and found that he was mourning the loss of his mother. I offered to take a thanksgiving service for his mother, and led him in a short service the following evening. We chatted about his mother, and talked together about helping him preserve his memories and deal with the grief he was feeling. I showed him the leaflet Living With Loss, guiding him through its sections and encouraging him to take it and read it through later. This he did, thanking me for what I had done, and promising to come and see me again.” Pray for the work of Army Scripture Readers like Lee who are seeking to draw alongside members of the armed forces. Give thanks for their faithful witness, and pray that they will know God’s guidance and wisdom in all that they do.