First Quarter Prayer Requests
PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY OF CHURCHES
From Mark Prater, Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches:
Epaphras, the man who planted churches in Colossae, Laodicea, and Heirapolis, is described in Scripture this way, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers…” (Colossians 4:12). Robert Carver in his article entitled, “Portrait of a Prayer Wrestler” says this, “This phrase, ‘struggling on your behalf in his prayers’ has been variously translated as ‘laboring earnestly,’ or ‘wrestling.’ It pictures serious effort and energy.” The early church prayed for one another with a compelling earnestness, and fervency.
Struggling in prayer for one another certainly marked the partnership shared by the early church, and it must mark the partnership we share in Sovereign Grace today for “apart from Him, we can do nothing.” (John 15:5) To aid us in struggling on behalf of the churches, and our shared mission in Sovereign Grace, below you’ll find the Sovereign Grace Churches First Quarter 2025 Prayer Requests.
Here’s how you can be praying for our fellow laborers and gospel partners as the new year gets underway:
Pray that God would give the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace churches a renewed desire, and opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers in our communities and workplaces.
Pray for Sovereign Grace Church in Pasadena, CA. Because of the recent fires several members of the church needed to evacuate, and a few of the members lost their homes. Pray for God’s comfort, wisdom for decisions, and His provision for the families impacted by the fires.
Keep up to date & learn more about how you can help relief efforts here.
Please pray for Brian Kiama (Lead Pastor) and Jonathan Leslie (Associate Pastor), as they plant Sovereign Grace Church in Nairobi, Kenya. Please pray that God would draw unbelievers to their Sunday services that begin in January, and that God would provide all they need to start the first Sovereign Grace church in Kenya.
Please pray for Marty Machowski, Executive Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA, as he travels to Lord’s Grace Church in Seoul, South Korea, January 10-20, 2025. He’ll be jumping into teaching the day after he arrives, serving at a seminar designed to teach couples about the work of the Spirit in the family home. Please pray for clear weather and no flight delays, as well as strength and stamina amidst a full schedule. Pray that the Spirit of God touches the lives of the folk that attend. Please also pray for his time with our very own Songhwan Kang, Pastor of Lord’s Grace Church, as he seeks to encourage and bless him and his wife, Miran. Songhwan has been reaching out to a group of pastors in his area who have shown interest in learning about our Sovereign Grace values, and so please pray for Marty as he teaches them.
Please pray for Ed O’Mara (Lead Pastor of Chiesa Grazia Sovrana di Torino, Italy and SGC Area Leader for Europe), as well as Rocco Dalia (Co-planter in Italy) asking God to give them wisdom and safe travels to Catania, Italy for 4 days at the end of January to meet with the leaders and congregation of Chiesa Grazia di Verità, pastored by Giuseppe Fortuna, as they explore adoption into Sovereign Grace. The goal of this time is to help them take the next steps and continue to build toward interdependence in the broader European area. Please pray for clarity and wisdom for all involved such that Christ would be glorified, local churches would be well served, and the gospel would advance across Italy.
Pray for the Sovereign Grace Leadership Team as they lead a retreat, February 3-7, 2025, that will include our U.S. Regional Leaders asking God to envision, strengthen, and equip our leaders to serve our churches in the States.
Pray for Juan Jose Salano, Lead Pastor of Iglesia La Gracia in San Jose, Costa Rica, who recently completed the Sovereign Grace ordination process, and will be officially ordained on March 27, 2025, becoming the first ordained Sovereign Grace elder in Costa Rica. Pray that God would bless this ordination service, and use it to strengthen Iglesia La Gracia’s mission to advance the gospel in San Jose and beyond.
Pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can fund the gospel opportunities He is giving us throughout the world.