Praise God for the elders He has called to care for us as a faith family. Pray for them to stay focused on Christ and to faithfully follow Him as they shepherd, serve, and lead our church. Ask God to help guard them against temptation and to grow and produce the fruits of the Spirit in their lives. Pray for wisdom for each of us as we consider new elders each year and for God to grow us in unity together.

This week we are praying for Awaken, a gospel-based recovery ministry dedicated to helping individuals and ministries navigate through the painful waters caused by sexual brokenness and addiction. A desire of Awaken is to establish relationships with local churches to help them better understand and respond to these issues within their local church. We’re also praying for Iron City Church and Pastor Issac Adams.

Day 1: Praise God for increasing the reach of Awaken recovery support groups. In addition to the groups meeting at Brook Hills, Awaken now offers groups for men and women throughout Alabama and Tennessee.

Day 2: Pray for upcoming men's and women's intensive therapeutic retreats in October. Pray for God to move in the hearts and minds of those who will attend and bring healing and recovery.

Day 3: Pray for God to provide more opportunities to share the message of addiction with pastors, ministry leaders, and educational institutions. Pray that those who hear the message of gospel-driven recovery would allow this framework to change how they minister to sexually broken people.

Day 4: Pray for rest and recharge as Awaken’s founders, Greg and Stacey Oliver, are on sabbatical. 

Day 5: Pray for God's continued financial and material provision for Awaken, and that they will steward what He provides wisely and generously.

Day 6: Pray for Stacey and Greg as they work very closely in coaching relationships with women, men, and couples. Pray that Stacey and Greg will be able to find a healthy balance between ministry and family as the ministry continues to grow.

This week, we are praying for the ongoing crisis in the wake of the earthquakes that rocked Central Asia earlier this year. We will be sending a short-term trip there from June 10-17 to help with relief efforts. 

Day 1: Pray for the five members of our faith family who will be traveling to Central Asia to help with relief efforts following the devastating earthquakes that started in February. Pray for the logistics of their travel to be smooth. 

Day 2: Pray for unity as a team. Pray that they will connect well with the local teams and that they would be able to rest each evening after long days of working with those on the ground. 

Day 3: Pray for the team to be a gospel witness to those suffering and looking for encouragement. Pray that they will be bold and show Christ’s love to everyone. 

Day 4: Pray for the thousands of people still suffering the consequences of the earthquakes. There are still vast physical needs and tearful eyes as people mourn the losses. Pray for comfort and provision, and for people to trust in the true God of all comfort. Pray for relief. Pray for God to open their hearts to hear the Good News. 

Day 5: The teams in the earthquake areas are exhausted and burnt out. Pray for strength and wisdom, and faithfulness in rest. One team in the city has been running a food kitchen. Pray for wisdom as they seek more opportunities once their kitchen is shut down.

Day 6: Praise God that since the earthquakes, five people in the city where the team will be working have professed faith in Jesus Christ! A baptism service will be held in a few weeks to celebrate these new believers, as well as others who are longing to make their decisions public.