Prayer Team Update

Matthew 6:10-14 "This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Today I am struck by the theme of “forgiveness” within this prayer, as it is used 6 times throughout the passage. Forgiveness seems to be reiterated over and over as if to emphasize its central importance in shaping our behavior and character as followers of Christ. As sinful people, we have the tendency to offend, act selfishly, and become irritated by the actions of others. Honestly, this is likely to happen in the months ahead as Satan attempts to bring temptation upon us as a congregation. Let us hold strongly to this scripture, forgiving one another in all circumstances, with the mind of Christ.

May God be glorified and honored as we communicate with Him about the desires of our heart and may our vision become so influenced by Him that we move forward in His wisdom and with His eternal perspective.

The following are some relevant ways in which you can begin to pray:

• That God would touch each person who is working on this project (town officials, architect, construction company, workers, etc)

• Pray that God gives us wisdom as to how to prioritize our limited building budget and that He multiplies the funds

• Pray for work to be accomplished in our tight time frame so that we can open Easter ‘11

• Pray for the Building Team as they research give input to the design and outfitting of the building

• Pray for the coordination and gift of workers donated time/expertise and “sweat equity”

• Pray for the ongoing interview process and identification of ministry leaders for the new campus

• Pray for the youth that will be joining the new campus, leaving a solid core group in Lexington to step out in leadership at a very vulnerable time in their lives. May they be empowered by the Holy Spirit to unite as a group and share a passion to actively participate and shape the new youth ministry.

• Pray that the Lord will shape a mission-minded congregation with an outward focus to serve others in our local communities.

• Pray for our neighbors in Wilmington and the surrounding towns – that God would be actively at work in their lives and that their hearts would be receptive and open to Him.

• Pray for humility, open hands, and surrendering of ideas to the will of God. May our visions and plans not distract us from what God finds most important-reaching others for His Kingdom.

Thank you for your prayers!

Kirsten

p.s. If you are interested in being a member of the prayer team for the New Campus, please contact Kirsten McLaughlin, jdashkmclaughlin@gmail.com to learn about upcoming prayer meetings and ways that you can serve.