Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Their mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, they 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).Invitation to Prayer ... Wednesday
Hi Friends,
Thank you for joining me in prayer for the children of the world. If you can, we'd love to have you pray together with us this Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., in the gym conference room at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. The church is not currently offering lunch service. If you'd like to have lunch together, please bring a sack lunch and we can eat together.
Also, Faces of Children is now on Facebook! I invite you to like our page so that you can see regular stories, prayer needs, and updates from partner ministries.
All the best,
Carrie
Dear Intercessors,
As I'm sure you've seen, the dominant story this week is the Manchester suicide bombing. At least 22 were killed, and 8 are still missing. Furthermore, over 50 people were seriously injured in the attack. I didn't realize at first that Ariana Grande, the global megastar whose concert was bombed, is particularly popular among pre-teen girls and young women. To think that those behind the bombing went out of their way to choose a place to attack that would be filled with young girls and women seems particularly evil and brutal. But in the midst of such chaos and darkness, there's always light. And God worked through bystanders to comfort injured children and help reunite kids with their families.
As the city of Manchester reels from this attack and remains on edge about the possibility of another bombing, please pray God's peace settles over the city like a cloud. As parents wrestle with their own fears while also seeking to help their children process the events of the last few days, please pray for God's comfort to strengthen their bones. For families grieving the loss of mothers, aunts, fathers, friends, daughters and sons, please pray for God's tenderness to be a balm to their souls.
In this attack claimed by ISIS, the 22-year-old bomber was a native-born Britain who recently returned from Libya. When I think about what might have happened in his life to make him feel like such an outsider in Britain, resulting ultimately in his willingness to be a force of destruction in his birthplace, I'm left with a burden to pray for all young Muslims in the West. Will you join me in praying for Muslim youth as they navigate coming of age in a culture that often fears their faith and treats them as outsiders? Will you join me in praying for the Christian church to rise up and reach out to our Muslim brothers and sisters in love, living into the ways of Jesus who loved the outcasts and the outsiders and those on the margins?
In addition to praying for Manchester, I'd like to invite you to join me in praying for:
USA // Students wrapping up academic year
Today is Memorial Day and we remember those who sacrificed everything serving our nation. Please pray for the family members of service men and women who lost their lives, and also for those who came home deeply wounded -- whether in body, mind, or spirit. For some families, the impacts of war last far longer than the battles themselves, and for children growing up with parents suffering from PTSD or other effects of war, they experience the residual effects of war in ways that few of us might comprehend
Please pray for these children and families.
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| Reuters Photo by Jorge Silva |
"About 2.2 million children living in remote, conflict-hit parts of Myanmar could be left behind as the country rapidly develops following decades of military rule, the United Nations warned on Tuesday.
The U.N. children's agency UNICEF called for greater humanitarian access to ensure that youngsters in the country have a bright future." "Citing the country's 2014 census statistics, [UNICEF] said up to 150 children under the age of five die every day in Myanmar, mainly due to newborn complications and infectious diseases. Nearly 30 percent suffer moderate or severe malnutrition, and over half live below the poverty line. The agency said a second major peace conference with ethnic armed groups taking place in Myanmar this week was an opportunity for the government to commit to stronger protections for children, who account for about a third of the country's 53 million people." Learn more here ...
Please join me in praying for the peace conference to result in new gains for the future of children in Myanmar. We can also continue to pray for organizations like Partners and Free Burma Rangers who continue to work on behalf of the Myanmar people groups.
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| Thomson Reuters Foundation Photo by Kieran Guilbert |
"The growing Islamist threat in central Mali has hit farming and shut down hundreds of schools, while a nationwide state of emergency restricts movement - hindering aid delivery and making it harder for people to access services like healthcare. With aid agencies already stretched thin across the lawless north, many say they are struggling to respond in the centre of the country - a region increasingly outside state control. At least 3.8 million people across Mali will need food aid this year, up from 2.5 million in 2016, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). More than half of those in need are children. In central Mali, a lack of food, the closure of schools by militants and inadequate social services mean the youngest are hit hardest by the violence, and may even be drawn into it, humanitarians say. "Children are at risk of being recruited if they are not at school," said Ute Kollies, head of OCHA in Mali. "Youth groups say there are only a few options if you want to make money - become a criminal, a trafficker, a rebel or a jihadist fighter. Otherwise, you may become a victim, they say." Learn more here ...
As schools close and lawlessness grows, families are in desperate search of peace for their children. It isn't lost on me that the sort of chaos we saw in Manchester this week has become a normal way of life for people in many countries, including Mali. Please pray for the children who are raised up in this... May God rescue, redeem, restore, and rebuild lives out of the rubble of violence.
Praying with you,
Carrie
Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153
* Name changed to protect her privacy.
If you have prayer requests about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to info@facesofchildren.net
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