Praise God for His design for motherhood. Pray all of our mothers will embrace their role and responsibility in preparing their children for the lives to which God has called them. Pray for women who desire to have children but have found that to be a struggle to find comfort in God and His plan for them. Pray for mothers whose children have passed away to find peace in God. Pray for women throughout our faith family who are spiritual mothers to so many to continue in making disciples both here and around the world.

This week we are praying for The Lovelady Center (loveladycenter.org), a residential Christian ministry dedicated to empowering women to overcome barriers such as addiction, homelessness, and re-entry from prison. The Lovelady Center serves over 500 women and children daily and is the largest transitional program of its kind in the country. The organization partners with others, like WorkFaith Birmingham, to prepare women staying there to work and walk forward with faith-driven hope for the future. We are also praying for Dawson Memorial Baptist Church and Pastor David Eldridge.

Day 1: Pray for the women at The Lovelady Center. Pray each woman would be open and receptive to the Good News of Jesus Christ and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Pray for the women to feel loved and seen through the center’s programming. Pray for the women who are moms to lead their children in love and wisdom.

Day 2: Pray for the children at The Lovelady Center. Pray for the educators and providers to meet the needs of the children academically and emotionally. Ask God to reveal Himself to the children and for them to experience Jesus’ love at the center. Pray the children would heal from previous trauma and the families would experience transformation at the center.

Day 3: Pray for the graduates in the Next Steps Graduate Program. Ask God to protect the women and provide each of them with stable work. Ask God to open doors for the women to get housing and to connect with a local church. Ask God to cultivate deep rooted perseverance in them when they face challenging circumstances.

Day 4: Pray for the new Lovelady School of Cosmetology. Ask God to use this program to equip women with hard and soft job skills. Ask God to give the women many opportunities to flourish through this program. Ask God to provide for the program in abundance.

Day 5: Pray for more volunteers to come to The Lovelady Center. Ask God to raise up more men and women from churches in Birmingham to care for the women at Lovelady. Pray volunteers would continue to show Jesus’ steadfast care and compassion to the women they interact with. Pray for the women and volunteers to establish deep relationships that encourage and build one another up for years to come.

Day 6: Pray for Melinda MeGahee, executive director of The Lovelady Center, along with the leadership and staff. Ask God to deepen their faith and encourage their spirits. Ask God to equip them with endurance and joy to faithfully engage with the women and children. Ask God to give them wisdom and discernment in navigating each decision for the organization.

This week we are praying for our long-termers, Chris and Leah, serving in the Desert City.

Day 1: Pray for churches to be planted across the Desert City in many languages in the years ahead. Ask God to raise up future pastors who speak the languages of the people living in the Desert City, men called and equipped to shepherd congregations among their own people.

Day 2: Pray for English-speaking churches in the Desert City to cast vision for and to intentionally pursue planting churches in other languages in the years to come. Pray churches will partner together to see these churches planted and for Bible studies to begin within existing churches in needed languages, and in time these would be launched out as healthy church plants.

Day 3: Since the regional conflict began, people have been losing jobs or taking significant pay cuts every week. Shipping disruptions and the loss of tourism are driving the cost of living higher by the day. Many are suffering in real ways. Pray churches across the Desert City would respond well, caring for one another and shining as a bright light for the gospel during this challenging season.

Day 4: Pray for God's provision for these churches and their members. Giving is down across the city, and some churches have had to lay off staff or reduce salaries. This season of hardship may last for many months. Pray for Christians to be bold to share the gospel right now, when the suffering and searching around us is greater than usual.

Day 5: Pray for Chris and Leah to experience genuine rest and refreshment during their ten weeks in the States and the Lord would restore them before they return to the Desert City.

Day 6: Pray they would love their church community well in this season of suffering for many. Pray for discernment as they consider how this crisis should, and should not, shape their strategic engagement in the Desert City, both short-term and long-term.