Praise God for His abounding grace and mercy. Ask God to help us all guard ourselves against the temptation to add to the gospel or elevate the importance of the law. Pray for us to live in obedience to God not from legalistic duty but out of a love for Him and in response to all He has done for us.

This week we are praying for the Brook Hills Foster Care Ministry (brookhills.org/careforchildren) and the families whose lives it touches. There are currently 6,000 children in foster care in the state of Alabama. In Jefferson and Shelby counties alone, there are over 1,000 children in foster care, with more kids coming into care each month. Our Foster Care Ministry seeks to support foster parents and families through a support group, care communities, parent outings, and equipping events. We are also praying for Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church and Pastor Caleb Click.

Day 1: Pray for the children in Brook Hills foster care homes. Ask God to comfort them in their loss and confusion, to protect their hearts, and to help them build trusting relationships. Pray for many grace-filled Gospel conversations with our children in care.

Day 2: Pray for Brook Hills foster parents. Ask God to guard and protect their time with the Lord. Pray they would parent from an overflow of love and compassion. Pray they would daily lean into God’s provision and grace and not rely on their own strength.

Day 3: Ask God to continue to raise up foster parents from our Faith Family to welcome in more foster kids. Ask God to call up parents across Birmingham to provide safe and loving environments for the 1,000 children in Jefferson and Shelby counties.

Day 4: Pray for Belinda Bunt, our new foster care ministry coordinator, the Foster Care Leadership Team, and our volunteers. Praise God for this team who works together and gives of their time and talents to love and support kids in care and their foster families. Ask God to continue to give wisdom and guidance to Belinda and our Leadership Team as they welcome and equip new volunteers and seek to care for our families with grace.

Day 5: Pray for wisdom for our court system. Ask God to draw near to judges, attorneys, guardians ad litem (GALs), court appointed special advocates (CASA), and forensic interviewers. Ask God to equip them with spirits of kindness, gentleness, and justice for the vulnerable as they represent and advocate for children in care.

Day 6: Pray for the many Birmingham agencies and ministry partners supporting foster families. Ask God to bless them and provide for them abundantly. Ask God to strengthen them and give them endurance to care for the children and families.

This week we are praying for the Baloche people. This people group, primarily located in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, is a vibrant ethnic group with a rich cultural heritage. However, they remain largely unreached with the message of the gospel. Join us in praying for this people group and for our long-termers who are striving to reach them.

Day 1: Ask God to work and move in the lives and hearts of the Baloche people, most of whom are Muslim. Pray the Holy Spirit would help them see Christ clearly and understand their need to repent and follow Him.

Day 2: Pray for our long-termers who have been working for many years to see Baloche people come to faith and for churches to be established. Ask God to give them endurance and to persevere in the faith, especially in their disciple-making efforts.

Day 3: Ask God to open avenues for our long-termers to meet and develop deep, abiding relationships with the Baloche people. Pray for trust to be established and through those relationships fruitful gospel conversations would take place.

Day 4: Pray for the Baloche people living in Pakistan and for the conflict that continues there. Ask God to bring about peace in the midst of new hostilities recently. Pray for people to see their ultimate hope and peace in Christ.

Day 5: Ask God to give our long-termers great wisdom and discernment in their efforts to reach the Baloche. Ask God to give their team unity, they would love one another sacrificially, and the love of Christ would be evident in their lives and relationships with one another.

Day 6: Ask God to draw Baloche people to himself and for a church to be established among the Baloche. Pray for barriers to the gospel to be removed and the Word not to be held back from the Baloche but it would go forth to every member of this people group.