Praise God for His provision and protection. Ask Him to help us find our ultimate security in Him. Ask Him to help us remember all the many ways He has shown His faithfulness to us, and to grow our trust and confidence in Him.

Cross Cultural Connections is a Christian refugee resettlement and long-term development agency serving both refugees and immigrants in the Birmingham metro area. The resettlement process includes providing housing, furnishings, workforce development, cultural orientation, English classes, and more. CCC also currently has eleven long-term development families they serve through ongoing development and support. The families in both programs come from across the globe, many of which are from least-reached people groups. CCC uses a model of long-term relationships to plant and water gospel seeds with the hope new believers will share their faith with their families, friends, and people groups. CCC was started by Brook Hills member, Kathy Woods. We are also praying for Philadelphia Baptist Church and Pastor Ryan Adams.

DAY 1: In August, CCC resettled five refugee families and have already re-settled two more in September. Pray for these families as they transition to Birmingham and surrounding areas. Pray for gospel witness and conversations to occur.

DAY 2: Pray for God to continue to provide financial resources for their families. It takes an average of $10,000 per person to resettle and provide support services for three years.

DAY 3: Pray for new volunteers as CCC seeks to keep overhead and staffing costs down by using volunteers to serve their clients in as many ways as possible. Volunteers are also important to build friendships where the gospel is on display and shared.

DAY 4: Pray for more landlords and apartment complexes to show them favor, allowing CCC to find clients safe and affordable housing. Pray for openness to especially offer refugees discounted rent.

DAY 5: Pray for more Christian employers willing to hire refugees and pay a living wage.

DAY 6: Pray for relationships to be built with Christ-followers and churches so the gospel can go forth to all their clients and their families. Pray the love demonstrated by believers would make them curious about who Jesus is and what He teaches.

This week we are praying for church-planting efforts from our teams working among Muslims of North Africa and the Middle East. These teams face many challenges - spiritual warfare, team unity and development, language and cultural barriers, and many more. Join us in prayer for these teams as they press into and come up against these challenges for the sake of the Kingdom.

DAY 1: Sharing the gospel always brings resistance. Pray church planters will remember the warfare is with the enemy and not the people. Pray for wisdom for local believers and cross-cultural workers as they form relationships and work out how best to share the gospel and make disciples in new places. Ask the Holy Spirit to sustain and empower them and the Father to draw people to Himself.

DAY 2: Pray for team leaders and local believers who will grow in knowledge and wisdom, who can help new disciples learn to obey everything Jesus has commanded (Matthew 28:20). Ask the Lord to give discernment to leaders as they guide new churches into mature, fruitful disciple-makers.

DAY 3: Ask God to enable leaders to model godly living and to pursue holiness. Pray for leaders to remain steadfast in the Word and prayer, 'holding firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught’ (Titus 1:9).

DAY 4: Pray for churches, leaders, and workers as they serve together to plant churches. Ask the Lord to grow and protect these relationships for the sake of His kingdom. Pray for abundant grace to work through difficulties, to bear with one another in love and humility, and find the best ways to serve together.

DAY 5: Pray for leaders to have eyes to seek out people and places the church isn’t reaching and find ways to serve them. Ask the Lord to break down the barriers that keep believers from sharing the love of Christ with people.

DAY 6: Ask the Lord to sustain and guard the hearts of those in the midst of planting churches and to help them recognize the results of church planting are in His hands (1 Corinthians 3:6). Pray for the Lord of the harvest to grow the gospel seeds they have planted and watered. Pray against the discouragement many feel as they wait on this truth and may not see any fruit in their work immediately.