Praise God for granting and growing our faith. Pray for us all to trust Him as we obediently follow after Him wherever He may lead. Pray for us all to experience the peace that comes from knowing God holds the future and walking with Him in faith.

This week we are praying for our English as Second Language (ESL) Ministry Kick-Off. Join us in praying for our ESL ministry as they begin the next semester of classes on September 11. The nations are in Birmingham and ESL provides such a unique opportunity to know, befriend, and share the gospel through friendships with internationals living here. ESL’s foundation and fuel is to live out the Great Commandment as we fulfill the Great Commission. We are also praying for Green Valley Baptist Church and Pastor Jeff James.

DAY 1: Pray for the 39 nations and over 200 participants that came to ESL last year. Pray they would return eager to learn more English. Pray for participants to learn English and through it learn the good news of the gospel. Ask God to bring many more this year to understand and know Him.

DAY 2: Pray for the teachers and other volunteers of ESL who walk with the students each week. Pray they would be a light to the students, have favor with them, and would be bold to share the gospel with those who do not know Jesus.

DAY 3: Pray for our ESL ministry as we begin teacher and volunteer training, registration, and classes. Pray for God to use the faithful presence of Christ-followers from Brook Hills and partner churches to display the gospel well. Pray for the Holy Spirit to begin to draw many people to Jesus through these ESL friendships.

DAY 4: Pray for the ladies who attend ESL at Brook Hills on Thursday mornings. Pray God would continue to be blessed by this community of women. Pray for more ladies to come to know Him through the classes and friendships.

DAY 5: Pray for all of the individuals and families attending ESL at FBC Hoover on Thursday evenings. Praise God for the ability to meet in a place central to so many international friends. Pray the people coming would understand and know God's love through the volunteers and teachers.

DAY 6: Pray for the many preschoolers, children, and teens as they return to ESL ministry as well. Pray for God to use the volunteers to show them the love of Christ and for their hearts to be open to hear the truths of God’s Word. Pray they would make good friends and enjoy spending time together and put their faith in Jesus.

This week we are praying for the spread of the gospel through our members and missionaries.

DAY 1: Ask the Lord to give our faith family a vision for God’s global mission. Pray we would be heavily burdened to take the gospel to those around us and to the nations. Ask God to align our hearts with His heart for all peoples and to raise up short-term, mid-term, long-term, and marketplace laborers to go to the nations.

DAY 2: Pray for God to give us a deep seeded desire for the lost. Ask the Lord to ignite a passion in us to go next door or to move from our homes to far away places, where there are those who have never heard the gospel.

DAY 3: Ask God to empower our faith family with the Holy Spirit and enable us to speak the gospel with boldness and clarity. Pray we would saturate our hearts in the Word, and ask the Lord to give us wisdom and help us communicate the gospel clearly in any culture.

DAY 4: Pray for the Lord to go before us and for us to bear much gospel fruit in Birmingham and around the world. Ask God for protection and provision for those who are preparing to go and who have already been sent out.

DAY 5: Ask God to give us unity as we engage in His mission. Pray we would be of one mind in our pursuit of God’s glory here in Birmingham and in all nations. Pray for our church to not be consumed by activity but to be grounded in a deep love and adoration for God, which fuels our mission.

DAY 6: Pray for the Lord to strengthen our resolve and perseverance in the Great Commission, especially when we face difficulties and opposition. Ask the Lord to give us endurance in prayer, both for ourselves and for those we are trying to reach with the gospel.