Prayer page

prayerrequests

FOCUS prayer times:

Regular staff prayer times are held on Monday Mornings. 8.30 am – 10.00am at the FOCUS office. you can also join us through skype ‘focusevents’ and pray for the ministry with us.

A 24/7 prayer chain to pray for the country is also in effect, where people can pledge to pray for 10 minutes everyday to cover the entire 24hours of the day. Please use the contact form to find out more about this.

Prayer points

___________________________________4th April 2011


FOCUS National Conference 2011
I am writing to request of you prayer support for the work of FOCUS – the Fellowship of Christian University Students – a ministry of and to the students on our local university campuses which is inter denominational in character and to ask in particular your support by way of consistent prayer for the upcoming National Student conference to be held in Jaffna from the 08th April – 12th April 2011.

FOCUS encourages students to reach out to fellow students in personal conversations, friendships and join in the conversations that take place amongst their non Christian peers to witness to the love and wholeness to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. We also facilitate regular study of the scriptures and sensitivity to the cultures prevalent in the Universities and society and teach our students to build bridges between the world of “the word of God” and “His world”. We expect students influenced by the ministry of FOCUS to be willing to spend their university years planting the seed of the gospel in their personal interactions and be a witness to the Lordship of Jesus in their lives as a community of believers.

This year, our conference theme is to Re-Imagine – To re-imagine who we are, what we do and how we do what we do. It’s about discovering what the Gospel is and exploring what mission looks like. We covet your prayers for the following areas:
That God will prepare will bring to the conference students whom He can use as His ambassadors on our universities and that He will prepare their hearts, wills and minds to “hear and obey” His word to them.

For the Camp committee made up entirely of students – that they will bear with each others’ weaknesses; learn from one another and that this experience of organizing a camp will teach them dependence on the Lord in a way that is fresh and new.

That God will oversee the long travel for many of the students, keep participants and speakers from illnesses and other issues that will keep them away from the conference and that as the students plan every detail and raise the necessary finances that they will experience His strength and providence in their weaknesses and obstacles.

That the students from the different Universities will interact with each other; learn that the Gospel is capable of breaking down many a barrier and discover that they are not alone in the challenges that they face. Pray also that the students will enjoy this their time together, have loads of fun and know the joy of fellowship across ethnicities, academic disciplines and denominations.

That our students will become men and women of prayer, deeply committed to subjecting themselves to the Word of God and to becoming mature in word and deed. Pray also that this conference will be a place where many will be able to recognize that their security comes from aligning themselves with God and not from setting their own road maps.

For the speakers, that there would be passion and clarity and that they will be able to communicate the love of God and the privilege of partnering with Him in His world sharing His purposes for the world that He created, sustains and redeems. Pray that they will be able to capture the imaginations of the students with the Gospel of Jesus so that their private and public lives will be shaped by their faith and faithfulness to Him.

___________________________________14th February 2011

As we met together as staff and prayed this morning:
We thanked God for The NSE that met on Saturday morning. Please pray for them, that they will:
• Make it their passion to nurture a movement of students who will become ambassadors of Christ in the Universities.
• Grow in their personal discipleship and understanding of discipleship
• Seek God and carve out of their busy schedules the best times for prayer and reflection of the scriptures
• Find the right people for the National Camp Committee

We also thanked God for Pahee our staff worker in Jaffna who has over the last few months made contact with students and Dr Solomon who met students and graduates over the last weekend. Please pray that the work that has been initiated will not die down and for creative ways and means to nurture the student leadership with no staff presence in Batticaloa.

Please pray for the National Camp Committee who will meet on Thursaday 17th in the afternoon to plan the logistics of a camp to be held in Jaffna. Continue to pray for the Jaffna fellowship who will take primary responsibility for the logistics. Pray also for the students that they will start saving up and raising the money for the food and accommodation. We expect cost of food to increase steeply over the coming month due to the flooding of a significant part of the country and so camp costs may be high this year. Transport Costs to Jaffna and back also will be approx Rs 2,000/- per participant.

We thank God that the website is slowly but surely being developed. We also thank God for people who are contributing ideas and their time to making this a place to learn and grow in our faith.
Pray for and join us on Skype (focusevents) as the office hosts an evening of Prayer for the FOCUS ministry and the Country on 16th February 2011 from 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm. Pray that students in Colombo will join us for prayer and be further strengthened and encouraged by this experience.

Pray also for Diyan as he improves the facilities at the office with skype and multi-media.

Pray for the Poya Day programmes to be held in Jaffna and Colombo this week. Pray also that graduates, staff and students will introduce the ministry of FOCUS and invite students to these poya day programmes.

Pray for the students at Peradeniya – that they will be encouraged to reach out to other students in a myriad of ways that bear witness to the Love of God. Pray also that they will also start doing their own bible studies (8 of them were participants late last year at a weekend learning the ways of studying the bible) Pray for Kolitha and Loyella as they seek to visit students in the evenings leaving behind at home (home being the chaplaincy) 3 young children. Pray also for the few first year students who have started attending the bible studies – that the senior students will welcome them and offer fellowship. Pray for Kolitha as he speaks at a YFC camp on Wednesday Feb 26th

From the IFES Diary….
Remember Chinese Christian students as they celebrate Chinese New Year. (3rd – 18th February) Pray for wisdom and balance as they seek to be children of light whilst honouring their families. Pray for protection and opportunities to share the Gospel.

___________________________________7th February 7, 2011

• Pray for NSE as they meet on Friday 11th Feb 2011.

• Pray for Jaffna students as they meet to plan the logistics for National camp 2011

• Pray for Yohan as he travels to Singapore for the IFES Bible Study Consultation which will reflect on:

o How scripture is used in each fellowship
◙ In individual bible studies
◙ In evangelistic outreach
◙ In teaching and preaching

o How new media can be used in scripture engagement

• Pray for families who are facing demolition of their properties including homes..

___________________________________25th January 2011

We began this year with the Council of FOCUS meeting over a weekend to mainly review the role of Council. As FOCUS looks forward to 2011, we would like to place before you some key aspects of our work for you to uphold in prayer…

◙ Pray for the Council of FOCUS – that they may prayerfully commit themselves to overseeing the work of the ministry and that each person on Council will individually love the Lord God with all of their hearts, minds, soul and strength and in obedience do their part in loving His world.

◙ Pray for the General Secretary as she works with a team of volunteers on the Strategic priorities for FOCUS over the next three years.

◙ Pray for the Staff of FOCUS –
○ For Pahee; Yohan and Kolitha – that as they oversee the student ministry in more than one University each – that they will know what constitutes “priority”; that they will have the wisdom to know which student leaders to spend time with and nurture and pray for them also as they travel and teach. Pray that as they encourage and challenge the students that they will seek to be agents of growth.

○ Pray also for Diyan and Lakshmi as they manage the different demands on their time as they think of different ways of making the office into a resource that is used by students and graduates
All our staff have to manage significant personal events during the course of this year and we ask you to pray for the ability to wait on the Lord and trust Him and to enjoy their relationship with Him during the year.

◙ Pray for the Programmes envisaged:
○ For the Poya Day and other teaching programmes – that they will be relevant to the students and help transform their thinking and being.
○ For a “graduands” weekend for Tamil speaking graduates who left University last year and who will leave this year.
○ For students/young graduates in Law and Management to spend time reflecting on their discipline
○ For the National Camp that is to be held in Jaffna – that as the students of the Jaffna Fellowship organize it that they will treasure the experiences it will engender and the camp itself (with many first year students expected) will help students catch the vision of a student ministry on campuses.

◙ Pray for Deliverables!
○ Pray for more teaching to be done in Sinhala and Tamil – that God will raise up and students and graduates will commit themselves to develop material and teach in Sinhala and Tamil
○ Pray for a website that is developed into being a vibrant resource that will be available to many Christians
○ Pray that SCOPE – our newsletter also will be an instrument of nurturing and transformation in the lives of those who love the written word.
○ Pray for insight on how to develop the Library.

◙ Praying for One Another….
That we may be able to not just say but be willing to live “the Covenant Prayer”
‘I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you, or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.’