Praise God for bringing us to the start of a new ministry year. Pray for our preschoolers, kids, and students to grow in their faith and knowledge of God’s Word. Ask God to bless and strengthen all the volunteers in our age-group ministries as they serve faithfully week in and week out. Ask God to grow our unity and community as a church through our small groups. Pray for all those in our faith family who are not yet in a small group to find the right one for them to help them grow in Christ.

This week we are praying for Sav-A-Life Shelby, a pregnancy resource ministry with a mission to develop a culture of life and to offer the hope of the gospel. This week we are joining in prayer with the staff, donors, and volunteers of Sav-A-Life Shelby as they celebrate their new Chelsea location opening this fall. By providing free, confidential services in a compassionate and loving environment to women, men, and families facing an unplanned pregnancy, Sav-A-Life Shelby hopes to see clients across Shelby County choose life for themselves and for their unborn children. We’re also praying this week for Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster and Pastor Kenneth Bruce.

Day 1: Pray for the clients seeking help at both the Pelham and Chelsea locations. Pray for every client to encounter Jesus, be transformed by the gospel, and choose life for themselves and their unborn child.

Day 2: Pray for the volunteer workforce of Sav-A-Life Shelby. With the addition of a new location, Sav-A-Life Shelby will need additional client advocates, appointment setters, and scribes. Pray for God to raise up new volunteers to serve at both centers.

Day 3: Pray for the Sav-A-Life Shelby staff and leadership to seek God’s will and yield to His plans for the ministry. Pray for wisdom for the Sav-A-Life Shelby Board of Directors as they seek God’s guidance in leading in this new endeavor.

Day 4: Pray for the medical care team. Pray for the Lord to give them the ability to speak the truth in love as they help clients see their babies for the first time. Pray for their hearts and for strength as they seek to strengthen others in hard places.

Day 5: Pray for financial provision. Pray for new one-time and recurring monthly donors to give generously for the sake of life. Pray for their generosity to encourage others in their circles to also give. Pray for the Sav-A-Life Shelby team to be good stewards of all that God has given them.

Day 6: Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the thirty-seven years Sav-A-Life Shelby has been in existence. Praise God for the many men and women that have served within their doors over the past four decades, and for the many women and their families that have chosen life throughout the years. Pray for the Lord to continue to provide the vision, resources, and staff to continue on.

This week we are praying for our Long-Termers, Josip & Kelly Debeljuh. Josip and Kelly serve with their five children (Mia, Ben, Lia, Ema, and Abi) in Croatia, Josip’s home country. They are currently on stateside assignment throughout the 2022-23 school year. 

Day 1: Please pray for spiritual and physical refreshment as the Debeljuhs are here in Birmingham for a stateside assignment. Pray for the reconnection with their ministry partners and supporters while they are here for this school year. Pray for good family time and good fellowship and connection with friends. 

Day 2: Please pray for their ministry this year in the United States. Josip will be involved in Hispanic ministry by discipling men, teaching, and preaching. He has already made several connections. Pray for the ways Kelly will be serving this year by helping with international student outreach and leading art and creative workshops.

Day 3: Please pray for the spiritual growth of their children while they are in the states and have opportunities to be part of youth groups and make Christian friends. Pray especially for Ben as he goes to a Christian school in Jackson, Mississippi. Pray for Mia, their oldest, as she returns to Croatia by herself on August 15 to continue her college education there. This is also the first year the kids have done school in the English language. It will be challenging at first because they will be learning the English words for school-related terms and all in new schools. Pray for them to be encouraged, to make friends, and do well. 

Day 4: Pray for Josip as he travels on a mission trip to El Salvador, September 3-15. He will preach a few sermons at local churches, teach lessons on discipleship, and be involved in basketball outreach, all in Spanish. Pray also for Josip as he travels to Croatia in the middle of October to visit Mia and to maintain relationships there.

Day 5: Please pray for future plans of ministry when they return to Croatia in June of 2023.

Day 6: Please pray for growth and encouragement for the several churches in Croatia in which they serve. Pray for the people in Croatia that they disciple and with whom they are building relationships. Pray for God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done in Croatia. Pray for more people to come to faith in Jesus Christ.