EMW Prayer Letter 29 June 2022
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2
#partofthejourney
I’m not one to use hashtags on social media (I’m a bit of a dinosaur I’m afraid!), but the #partofthejourney hashtag stood out as I was scrolling through my Facebook page last week. It was part of a post about a children’s sports club that had taken part in a competition. They had competed well but realised that this was only a small part of a journey to bigger and better things!
It struck me that this could be an excellent hashtag to describe every part of the life of a child of God. We are on a journey, and everything that happens to us – all our successes and failures, our highs and lows, the sweet and bitter – are all part of the journey. Our Heavenly Father is preparing us for that wonderful wedding day when we will be adorned with beauty for our husband, the Lord Jesus Christ. What a comfort to know that our future is secure, and our journey is planned carefully by the loving hands of our Father.
As we embark on the summer and share the latest needs of the EMW, it is with confidence that we do so. Our confidence is not in ourselves for we are weak and are far from who we should be, but our confidence is in the Lord. Please join us in praying for the summer as we all help each other on the journey home #partofthejourney!
Thanksgiving
Please join us in thanking the Lord for:
The work amongst young people – two camps have already taken place this year (Mini and Easter) and it’s been wonderful to see the young people coming back together. They are hungry for fellowship, and many show a hunger for the Word: Praise God that He continues to save. We are also thrilled to be able to share that nearly all our camp summer teams are in place (more info below) – our team days have taken place and through Zoom we’ve been able to run detailed safeguarding training sessions. These are all signs of God’s grace towards us.
The work with Ministers and Pastors – a few weeks ago we had the Bala ministers conference for the first time in person for three years. The atmosphere at the conference was encouraging with men earnestly seeking the Lord and honestly encouraging and challenging each other. Stuart Olyott shared about the work of God in the life of the Pastor, and Mark Thomas challenged us to consider the life of holiness that every Christian has been saved into. Jonathan Thomas looked at the Biblical basis for periods of reviving in the church, and Ian Parry helpfully took us to Haggai showing of the real dangers of belittling what God is doing in quieter times. Many of the younger men chaired the sessions and led prayer times, and a brother from the mission field shared the thrilling news of what God is currently doing in Iran. The talks are now online on our website.
The Pastors’ Wives work – we thank the Lord for the conference that took place in April where Dafydd and Gwenan Job spoke on the promises of God (sessions available online). Please join us in remembering the wives of pastors and leaders who do so much for the kingdom.
Gospel witness – It was great to be back at the Hay on Wye books festival to partner with Show Jesus and Bethesda Evangelical church to share the gospel. Andy Pitt led the team, and he reports that they had many good opportunities to share the gospel with many non-Christians.
Other EMW ministries – we’re continued to be encouraged by the fruit we’re seeing from the twice weekly devotions, the magazines, our books and resources, our shops, and our conference centre. Praise God that there are thousands of Christians throughout Wales who are quietly praying, worshiping, and living their lives to the glory of God.
Since the last prayer letter, we have also had some staffing changes, and we would value your prayers for those who have left. Trish Layton who had been serving with the EMW for a number of years as our finance officer has left her post. Please also join us in praying for Dave and Angela Gee who led the bookshop and café ministry at Wrexham. The shop is now run by volunteers, and we ask for prayer as we consider the future when the lease runs out.
Please pray:
The summer events and activities. Over the coming weeks we share updates and more news on specific events and ministries. These will include the Conferences, the Camps, the Missions and the Theological Training course. Please pray especially for those who are preparing to share God’s word over the summer period – the chaplains on the camps (twelve of them), the speakers at the conferences, the leaders of the mission teams, and the lecturers on the Theological Training course.
Specific prayer points:
- There are a few gaps in our summer camp teams. These include a cook for camp 10 (outdoor 20-27 August) and help for the kitchen on camp 8 (Pentrenant 13-20 August), and some mini-bus drivers to take campers to and from our venues. Please pray that we would also be able to source all the buses that we need.
- Outdoor camps. Most of our camps are full or close to capacity, but it seems that the break from camps has impacted the numbers booking for outdoor camps. Please pray that more campers would book over the next few weeks – it is such a good opportunity to share the gospel and nurture young Christians.
- The Royal Welsh Show (Builth Wells) Mission. The team is coming together, but we continue to need volunteers who would be willing to give a day to come to Builth to take part in the mission. Pray that the Lord would give people a burden to share the gospel – we’re not looking for specific gifts, only a heart for Christ and the lost.
- Eisteddfod Mission. The same is true for the Welsh language mission at the Eisteddfod in Tregaron. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Gorlan (Youth mission team), but there are significant gaps. Please pray for a burden to reach the lost.
- Pressure and Health of all our teams. We expected that we might struggle in certain areas of the EMW this summer having had such a long break from our ‘normal’ summer programme. We’ve been thrilled to see many people returning and many new volunteers stepping up, but we are aware of the real pressures on many of our teams. Please pray that the Lord would protect, and would add more volunteers who are burdened for the work if it is in His will. With covid on the rise, we also ask you to pray for the health of our teams. Humanly speaking we are dependant on some key volunteers, and if we lost them, it would cause serious disruption. We trust God in all things, but ask you to pray for health to all, especially EMW staff and trustees.
- New ministry opportunities within the EMW. You may have seen the recently that Gwydion and Catrin are leaving Bryn-y-groes, our conference centre after serving ten years. Though we’ll miss them, it does open up an opportunity for somebody else to join our team as managers. We will also be advertising a new post to develop youth resources in the coming weeks. Please pray for these opportunities and pray that the Lord would provide the right people who have a heart to serve Him.
Thank you again for your ongoing support and prayers. Our greatest need this summer is prayer for we depend fully on God in all that we do.
For His glory,
Steffan Job