Invitation to Prayer

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

" God is with the children of this world ..."

Acts 7:32-33, Stephen, speaking of God's presence with Israel
throughout history ...

"'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'
Frightened nearly out of his skin, Moses shut his eyes and turned away."

"God said, 'Kneel and pray. You are in a holy place, on holy ground.'"The Power of a Prayer: Words to Speak and Pray by Eugene H. Peterson

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

Reading this passage reminded me of last week's Vacation Bible School at my home church where I volunteered to lead storytelling (what was I thinking?). The first evening's story came from Exodus 3 where Moses encountered God on Mount Horeb.

It was fun to share the experience of Moses on the mountain top with these little ones. We pretended to be sheep, and then to tend them like Moses did. We also talked about what we'd do all alone up on the mountain. Then we discovered the burning bush (ours was a bit of fake greenery and a fan/lamp with pretend fabric flames) and heard the booming voice of God speaking to Moses (that would be me hollering "Moses! Moses!" and scaring the fire out of most of the kids). We all took our shoes off when God told Moses he was on holy ground and then we talked about the really hard thing God asked Moses to do - to go before Pharaoh and tell him to let God's people go.

We shared about the hard things in life each of us has to face and how we felt about it. Some children talked about injuries and the medical treatment they'd gotten. Others talked about the difficulties of school and strict teachers. Some talked about how hard it was to move to a different state or country (several of our VBS friends are from Burma). And others talked about how difficult it was to be the new kid in school.

I reminded them that Moses didn't want to do what God asked because it was so scary and hard. But God told Moses, "I will be with you." (Exodus 3:12). I reminded these precious VBS children that God makes them the same promise, no matter what they're facing. "I will be with you."

We can rejoice that God is with the children of this world-the VBS kids, the unchurched kids, the orphans, the overprotected, the poor, the affluent, the weak, the strong, the vulnerable, the confident, the sick, the healthy. God is with them. God is also with us when we face the difficult task of learning about suffering children and those at risk. God is with us when we pray, when we go before God on behalf of these hurting ones. Thanks be to God for being with us!

I hope you will be able to join us in praying for the hurting children of our world this coming Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride's room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland. We'll have lunch ($5) and a time of fellowship afterwards.

If you have prayer concerns or celebrations about children at risk, those who care for them, have authority over them, or, yes, even those who harm them, please send them to me at at claufer@facesofchildren.net, or give me a call. Thank you for praying for the children of our global and local communities!

With a rejoicing heart,
Chris