Praise God for bringing us together as a church here in Birmingham. Pray for Him to use us as lights pointing the way to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. Ask Him to help us live fruitful lives where He has placed us for this time, and to help us be a blessing to everyone around us. Pray for God’s work in our lives to not only be for our own good but also for the good of one another and all those we encounter in this world, ultimately for His glory.

This week we are praying for the Brook Hills ESL Ministry (English As a Second Language). Over the past seven years, the Brook Hills ESL Ministry has served over 300 international adults and their families from 36 different countries. Online ESL classes, conversation partners, and a Bible club for kids began virtually February 4th and will continue through April. Click here for more information about our ESL Ministry. We’re also praying this week for Shades Valley Community Church and Pastor Jonathan Haefs.

Day 1: Pray for the international adults who will participate in the online ESL program this semester. Pray God will continue to bring students from nations with little to no access to the gospel, and will give all of our students the patience, skills, and mental strength necessary to learn the English language, even during the pandemic.

Day 2: Pray for the internationals who are hearing about Jesus for the first time through the ESL Ministry. Pray for those who come to faith as they grow in their faith, find community within a local church, and make disciples. 

Day 3: Pray for the perseverance and faithfulness of our 29 ESL conversation partners and the ESL volunteers in every area of the ministry to cultivate a safe, welcoming, and loving environment for the students and their families. Pray for opportunities for them to have gospel-centered conversations with students and their families. 

Day 4: Pray for the children who will participate online in the ESL Children’s Bible Club on Thursday evenings. Pray for their hearts and minds to learn new truths about God each week from their Bible-centered lessons and to retell these stories to their families.

Day 5: Pray for the Mommy and Me Bible Study and Women’s ESL Bible Study groups who will meet together this semester. Pray these women, from a variety of spiritual backgrounds, will understand the Word of God and be transformed by it.

Day 6: Pray for Courtney Simpson, our ESL Director, Melissa Parker, our ESL Children’s Coordinator, and for the other volunteer leaders within the ministry this spring as they make decisions regarding the direction of our ESL Ministry in order to show and share the love of Christ with more internationals in our city.

One of the largest Unreached and Unengaged People Groups in Turkey are the Zaza people. This week we are praying for the Zaza people and field partners who are working among them. There are close to 3 million Zaza living in Turkey. The Zaza are considered unreached as only a small percentage of their population are Evangelical Christian and most do not have access to the gospel. Join us this week as we pray for the Zaza peoples.

Day 1: The Zaza are split into two categories, the Northern Zaza and the Southern Zaza each with it’s own distinct language. Pray for God to awaken the hearts of Zaza men and women to the truth of the gospel.

Day 2: The primary religion of the Zaza is Sunni Islam. There are only a handful of known believers among them. Pray for the workers who are actively engaging Southern Zaza people with the gospel and training the believers to do the same. Pray for God to save those that are hearing.

Day 3: There are a few Southern Zaza men who have believed and who face regular persecution. Pray for our brothers who are faithfully living out and sharing the gospel. Pray for God to sustain them and provide for their every need. Pray for God to use our brothers to establish His church among the Zaza.

Day 4: There are 1.5 million Northern Zaza people who are primarily Shia Muslims, but there is a small group of believers among them who need discipleship and maturing. Pray for God to grow the faith of these believers and raise up leaders and elders from among them to disciple others.

Day 5: The Zaza people live in isolated areas of Eastern Turkey making them not only spiritually, but physically one of the most unreached people groups in the world. Recently an earthquake hit in this area of Turkey and believers have been able to provide for Zaza families in need. Pray for an awakening to God to happen among the Zaza as believers engage them with the gospel.

Day 6: Pray for the Lord to soften Zaza hearts and open their eyes to their need for salvation.