Prayer Focus: May 2016

Week 19: Mozambique & Kenya

Monday (2nd) - New Board Members (Mozambique):

Praise God! CLC Mozambique have recently added three new members to their CLC Board of Trustees. Let’s pray that these members will settle into their new responsibilities quickly and that they will be united in seeking what is best for the mission through intercessory prayer.

Tuesday (3rd) - Investigating Nampula, Mozambique:

One of the new Board members has a real vision for us to open a new bookshop in Nampula, Mozambique. At the time of writing, he and his wife (who used to run a Christian bookshop in Burundi) were preparing to move to Nampula. It is both his and our hope that his wife would be able to run the shop in Nampula, while the mission would provide the ‘oversight’ needed to make this vision a reality. Please pray for the Board’s investigation into the area and the essentials that would be required to get this new ministry started.

Wednesday (4th) - Kenya’s Print-on-Demand (POD):

We are so grateful to God and to CLC USA for our POD system. Its arrival was a timely one for CLC Kenya in terms of revenue and ministry. Join us in praising God once again for His provision and the real blessing this system has been for our ministry in Kenya.

Thursday (5th) - Publishing Rights for CLC Kenya:

We are thankful to now have the printing rights for the books from CLC USA and Oasis International Publishers. These have allowed us to minister to so many people who need specific titles. This answered prayer has also increased our variety of titles, something we have been trusting God for such a long time.

Friday (6th) - Kenya’s POD Automatic Binder:

At the time of writing, our team was working on an order of 500 copies of a 390 page book, with more orders still coming in. However, this increase in productivity does cause a problem: the cutter and binder that we have is purely manual and does not allow for many copies to be processed in a timely fashion. It also demands more manpower. (Continued…)

We are trusting God for an automatic binder and a new book trimmer/cutter from Publish4All. This will shorten our bookmaking process, improve on quality and increase production.

The Weekend (7th/8th) - CLC Kenya’s Answer to Prayer:

Since the Print on Demand system was installed in our Nairobi headquarters last year, nearly 4,000 books have been printed by our team. It is wonderful to note that a good proportion of these books are by local authors. They were previously unable to publish their books because of the capital outlay involved in a normal print run of 1,000 copies or more. With Print on Demand, they are able to print 25 or 50 copies, sell them, and then come back for more. Praise God for this new technology at an affordable price.

Week 20: The UK

Monday (9th) - New Focus for the Leadership Team:

Having moved the warehouse in 2015, the leadership team wants this year to concentrate more on the retail operation. Pray for them as they consider ways of strengthening the shops at a time when trading on the High street continues to be difficult.

Tuesday (10th) - Changing of the Guard:

With the retirement of John Watkins, the Northern Regional Manager, after conference in May, Geoff Fanning will oversee all the UK shops. To help with this task, a system of ‘cluster mentors’ is being developed where more experienced shop managers help a number of other shops in their area. Please pray that this new arrangement will be a support and encouragement to all the shop teams and raise the standard of our retailing.

Wednesday (11th) - Implementing Chreos (IT System) into our Bookshops:

By the end of June, most of the UK shops will hopefully have transferred to the new Chreos computer system. Pray for the staff as they get used to it, and David Scouler (project manager) and the Chreos team as they make any necessary adjustments.

Pray that both the warehouse and shops are able to use the new system to maximum advantage in order to benefit our calling to sell and distribute Bibles, Christian books and other resources.

Thursday (12th) - Bookshop Developments and Changes:

UK shops are always changing and developing. Newcastle writes: “Praise the Lord — our refit and new staffing is resulting in extra sales and a fresh feeling to the shop and our mission in the city”. In Birmingham, with the end of the lease at Stephenson Street in June, prayer is required so that our shop in Carr’s Lane will flourish and that customers transfer across.

Friday (13th) - CLC UK Conference:

The UK Annual Conference takes place 15–17 May, 2016, and will be followed by a meeting of the UK Trustee Board on the 18th. Pray that the Conference will be a time of refreshing and inspiration for all who attend, and that our fellowship and friendship will be deepened. Pray also that the trustees will have Godly wisdom as they oversee the direction and objectives of CLC in the UK.

The Weekend (14th/15th) - A New Bookshop for CLC UK!

Praise God! Towards the end of March, the Tonbridge Christian Book Centre became part of the CLC chain of shops. Pray for the staff team there as they adjust to new ownership and new ways of working. Give thanks for this opportunity, and pray that CLC can build on the good work of the previous owner. Look for more information on this bookshop in our next issue.

Week 21: Indonesia & Myanmar

Monday (16th) - CLC Bookshop in Genteng Besar (Surabaya, Indonesia):

“At the end of 2015, a Marine soldier came to our shop and bought around 100 Bibles in different sizes and models. He explained that the Marine Corps needed these Bibles to be distributed throughout East Indonesia (Sulawesi, Ambon, Papua) at social activities, like medical checks. Please pray that these Bibles will touch the lives of those who have received them. We believe that the Holy Spirit will speak to their hearts so that they come to know, grow and mature in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)” - Donny Kairupan, CLC Indonesia.

Tuesday (17th) - CLC ‘Kiosk’ Shop at the CITO Mall (Surabaya, Indonesia):

“Two separate Muslim women who were wearing Jilbabs/Hijabs (head coverings) recently visited our CLC ‘kiosk’ shop. The first woman asked to buy a small souvenir cross as she wanted to put it in her car. We were very confused by this, but she explained that she ‘felt saved’ when she saw the cross. The second woman came and bought a Bible. She wanted to study the Bible to find ‘the way, the truth and the life’. She believed that the Bible would have the answers she was searching for.

Please pray for our worker, Mrs. Mardiana, as she meets many people in the CITO Mall. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to give her the ability to speak and testify about our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Please pray for the Muslims in Indonesia that they can come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Donny Kairupan, CLC Indonesia.

Wednesday (18th) - CLC Myanmar Study Bible:

Our team is working very hard on the first ever Burmese Study Bible, which will be used in discipling both lay people and church leaders in Myanmar. Please pray that the translation work (from English) will soon be finalised so that we may begin to work on the layout and design of the Study Bible. Our hope is for the Study Bible to be printed in 2017.

Thursday (19th) - Seminary Students in Myanmar:

In June, many seminary students will be returning to the Bible School and will be visiting our shop to buy their books for the upcoming year. Please pray that our teams will be prepared for this influx of students by making sure the right books and the necessary quantities are available for them.

Friday (20th) - Heavy Traffic in Myanmar:

Due to the heavy traffic nowadays for those traveling to and from the city, many are finding it more difficult to visit our bookshop in the downtown area. Please pray that our customers will continue to make the effort to visit us so that our sales will increase. We have quite a few ongoing projects that require steady and available funds to continue.

The Weekend (21st/22nd) - Thankful for God’s Provision:

What a blessing! In just a single day last February (2015), we were able to sell 1000 Bibles. Praise God for His provision! Now, a year later, as we reflect on this gift from God, we are filled with gratitude for all that He has allowed us to accomplish.

Week 22: Making Connections

Monday (23rd) - Connecting with Children in the Philippines:

CLC Valenzuela and CLC Malolos have a children’s area in the bookshop where children can browse and read books. Please pray that this little corner in the shops can be a blessing to children who enter the shops and find solace in these corners. Pray that the books will minister to their young hearts.

Tuesday (24th) - Connecting with Churches in India:

“We used to only visit churches/seminaries during November and December so that we could offer book tables that featured seasonal stock. However, we are now making it a practice to visit churches with book tables whenever and wherever the Lord opens a door for us. We have been appreciated and have received positive responses from the congregations, especially in churches where people find it difficult to visit our shop. We praise God for every opportunity to reach out with His word. Please pray that God will move in the hearts of the people as they read His Word.” - Justin Chellapan, CLC/ELS India National Director.

Wednesday (25th) - Publishing Connections for CLC Philippines:

CLC Italy and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have purchased copies of Tagalog and Ilocano Bibles through us for the many overseas Filipinos based in their countries. It is wonderful to be able to provide these Bibles so that they may acquire a Bible in their own language. These orders are increasing each year, so please pray that this partnership will continue to progress.

Thursday (26th) - Connecting with Children in Germany:

Recently, we built a little play area for children visiting our shop. We don’t have a huge amount of space, so it’s fairly small, but it has two places to sit inside with lots of little things to do! From the outside, it looks like an old castle on one side and like a car on the other. It even has a lock on both sides, making it a bit more challenging and exciting for the little ones. This play area allows parents a few peaceful minutes to browse and helps to ensure that we have fewer damaged books. A win for all!

Friday (27th) - Connecting with Churches in the Philippines:

Three Sundays a month, CLC Valenzuela has bookstalls or book tables in different churches in Manila. People who are unable to go to bookshops can purchase their needed books, Bibles and other novelties from these. CLC Malolos, CLC Cebu, and CLC Davao have the same programme as CLC Valenzuela, enabling them to bring the literature one step closer to the people.

The Weekend (28th/29th) - CLC France and CLC Canada Connecting:

We are so thankful to God that our teams are able to support each other’s ministries in a variety of ways. You may remember earlier that we mentioned how CLC France is making publishing a key role in their ministry. This has been a huge blessing to our Canadian team as CLC France is beginning to send them the necessary art work and electronic files to begin locally printing CLC France’s publications as their own. In Canada, the same Christian book in French can sometimes cost double the amount of the English one due to all the shipping costs involved. (Most French Christian books are published in Europe). This has been a huge support to their ministry and to the French Canadian people.

Week 23: Canada & USA

Monday (30th) - CLC Canada Is Hopeful:

Up until recently, the survival of CLC Canada was very uncertain. What put us in this difficult situation was too much change in too short a period of time. We were then forced to take drastic measures to address the situation but, thank the Lord, things have greatly improved. Although we are not yet ‘out of the woods’, there is cautious optimism for the future of the ministry. Thank you Lord!

Tuesday (31st) - Staffing Situation for CLC Canada:

Only a few years ago, we were a team of 15 people, but today we are down to six full-time workers. Soon, Esther will be leaving to have her second child and Hernan, our controller (computer, internet and techie), will be moving to Japan. We have quite a challenge to replace these two. Please pray that we might find the right people and that they will quickly learn the systems and ministry.

Thank you for praying for our teams and projects around the CLC World - you are vital to our ministry!

Please note that there may be slight differences between these online CLC prayer/praise topics and what is available in printed form as we are able to add updates online after our publication has been released.