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).
Hi Friends,
Tomorrow (Wednesday), Margaret has arranged for a special guest to join us in our time of prayer. She will be leading us through a creative and experiential prayer time as we lift up together the needs of vulnerable children around the world. I hope you can join us
TOMORROW (Wednesday, December 9)in the gym conference room at 11:30!
A small business matter: The church no longer has an employee cooking lunches, but has instead began using a small caterer. I think you'll find the lunch is delicious, but the cost has gone up. Instead of $5, it is now $8. You can also elect to bring a bag lunch, if you'd like. I just wanted to give you a heads up! If you know that you want to order a lunch, please let me know today!
Finally - Please keep intercessor and friend Sally Green in your prayers. She just had back surgery yesterday!
Dear Intercessors,
December 10 is International Human Rights Day. On January 6, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his "Four Freedoms" speech to Congress. He began by saying, "In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -- everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want -- which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants -- everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear -- which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor-- anywhere in the world."
In 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, incorporating Roosevelt's core four freedoms into the declaration, and later designated December 10 as the day to recognize the fundamental birth rights of all human beings. In the 74 years that have passed since Roosevelt gave his speech, the world has not seen this vision become reality. And as followers of Jesus walking through the season of Advent, it seems particularly poignant to me that this day of recognition falls at this time of year. All of creation groans and yearns for redemption, and we wait - though the night seems long and the promise of a savior seems very far off - we wait; fully trusting that when He comes, all that is broken will be made whole.
So this week, as we approach International Human Rights Day, I'd invite you to center your prayers around Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, for each impacts the world's children in profound ways:
Freedom of Speech
Please pray for the people of countries like North Korea, China, and Iran, for whom speaking out against the government often means prison sentences, beatings, and other brutal punishments. Pray for the children of dissidents, who are often scorned and shunned and who face both social and legal repercussions for their parents' choices. Pray for ministries, attorneys, journalists, and organizations like China Aid and North Korea Freedom Coalition that are working in these countries to support the right to free speech.
Freedom of Religion
In this world that seems to be brimming with hate, please pray for religious minorities all over the world. In all of these circumstances, children are both the witnesses and the victims, caught in cycles of violence and hate and fear. In Myanmar, please lift up the Rohingya, a Muslim minority who is unwanted and mistreated by nearly all of Myanmar's other ethnic groups. Widely considered one of the most persecuted people groups in the world today, the Rohingya captured the world's attention last year as they languished on boats in the Andaman sea. According to Partners Relief and Development, the Rohingya will soon begin the same migration this year. Pray for their protection and for circumstances in Myanmar to change so that they are afforded all the rights of citizens. In our own country, please lift up the moderate Muslim community that is increasingly facing anti-Islamic sentiments in communities across our nation. A Muslim cab driver was shot on Thanksgiving day by a passenger raving about ISIS, a severed pig's head was thrown at a Philadelphia mosque's door, and even one of our front-running presidential candidates has called for our country to deny entry to all Muslims. Please pray for Muslims' protection and for hate and fear not to reign supreme. And finally, please lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world... In so many places, they face persecution for their faith. Watch and Pray International Ministries reports that Coptic Christians are being targeted and killed in Libya for their faith by ISIS and that a Christian-dominated village in Nigeria is facing a heavy battle as Boko Harem tries to take control of the city, trapping many elderly Christians who are too weak to flee the violence. In these places, please pray that their faith is strengthened and deepened in the face of persecution, and that the Holy Spirit empowers them to stand firm.
Freedom from Want
Please pray for the children of the world who know the burning feel of hunger, thirst for clean water, and lack access to basic medical care. Please lift up their mothers and fathers whose reality is every parent's worst nightmare - watching their children suffer and being incapable of stopping it. For families whose poverty leads them to be prime targets for traffickers, please pray protection over the children. Pray that there would be no market for innocent children and that families would remain strong and cohesive even in the face of great need.
Freedom from Fear
Terrorist attacks. Mass shootings. Story after story of the suffering of Syrian civilians who have lived through 4.5 years of civil war and face an increasingly brutal and barbaric fate under ISIS. The world is awash in fear and uncertainty, and the headlines drive it home. Lift up children living in the midst of violence; children who have never known a time when gunshots didn't echo in the streets. Please pray for children who feel vulnerable and scared after seeing the nightly news. And please lift up those children whose parents and loved ones were taken from them by random acts of violence. Please pray for the church to rise up and be a beacon of hope in communities and nations that seem to be smothered in darkness. Please pray for believers to be strong and courageous, even in the face of terror and death, and to rise up to be a force of light, love, mercy, and forgiveness. Pray for peace and justice to come.
This advent, we are living in the tension of the promised-but-not-yet-here. May we be a people who wait with hope, expectation, and deep trust. And may we be intercessors who faithfully lift up these needs to the Father, trusting that He sees each person for whom the most basic human rights seem an elusive dream. He sees each of them, knows the number of hairs on their head, and loves them beyond belief. He tells us they are our neighbors; let us respond with mercy, prayer, and kindness.
Blessings,
Carrie
Carrie J. McKean
Faces of Children Director
First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas
(432) 684-7821 x153
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
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.
