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 groups. Pray for those in our faith family who are not yet in a group to find the right one for them to help them grow in Jesus.

This week we are praying for Banks Academy (banksacademy.org), a private Christian middle and high school located in northeast Birmingham serving primarily low-income families. Since 2015, Banks Academy has sought to educate and nurture students toward purpose, integrity, and lifelong learning. They hope to continue to raise up a generation of resilient, spiritually-grounded students who thrive and impact the world through their faith and gifts. We are also praying for Huffman Road Baptist Church and Pastor Rob Paul.

Day 1: Pray for Banks Academy’s students. Pray they would receive and live out the Good News of Jesus Christ. Ask God to put a hedge of protection around them. Ask God to continue to raise up young leaders to impact their student body.

Day 2: Pray for Banks Academy’s alumni. Pray they would continue to live lives transformed by the gospel. Pray they would continue to pursue a life marked by respect, relationships, and responsibility. Pray they would continue to look for opportunities to give back to their community.

Day 3: Pray for Banks Academy’s teachers. Pray they would encourage and support students through their work. Ask God to give their team a spirit of unity. Pray they would be marked by love, wisdom, and grace as they educate and lead students.

Day 4: Pray for Banks Academy’s leadership. Pray the principal, board, and other leaders together would lead with excellence and discernment. Pray they would continue to demonstrate love and steadfastness to students. Pray they would continue to steward resources and opportunities to glorify God.

Day 5: Pray for Banks Academy’s financial needs. Ask God to be gracious to the school and provide for the upcoming school year through various means of funding. Ask God to meet all their needs with abundance.

Day 6: Pray that Satan would not be effective in his desire to kill, steal, and destroy the ministry and families of Banks Academy. Pray for the love of Christ to be evident in the daily activities at the school. Pray for the hallways and classes to be a positive and safe place for all students to grow and flourish.

This week we are praying for Josh and Monika serving in North Africa.

Day 1: Praise God for a season of ministry growth in the church and city where Josh and Monika live. Ask God to help them steward this growth well. Ask God to raise up more workers to go to their city and bring seasoned believers to help with growing disciple-making needs.

Day 2: Ask God to bless their marriage and life in North Africa. Pray they would pursue Christ above all and they would guard their marriage and family in a busy and demanding ministry season. Ask God to help them love and lead their children by the Spirit. Pray for their children to know and love Jesus.

Day 3: Ask God to continue to move and work in their church and the evangelism efforts happening through members of their church. Ask God for unity in their fellowship and for their elders and members will love one another well.

Day 4: Ask the Lord to give local believers in their city courage to preach the Good News in spite of the great cost to their lives. Pray for the spread of the Good News among millions of Yemeni and Sudanese who have fled to their city.

Day 5: Ask God to establish and provide for an Arabic-speaking church plant and to provide and prepare the future pastor of that fellowship. Ask God to bless the Bible study that is growing. Ask God to give them wisdom as they are doing translation work in their weekly gatherings.

Day 6: Ask God to continue to work among churches in their city. Pray they would partner well together in prayer, evangelism, and pastoral training.