Prayer Focus: August 2014
1 Fri. Austria – Holiday Season
During August the bookshop in Graz is closed for the holiday season. Please pray that Edeltraud Heumann, the manager, and her helpers Ilse and Tanja will rest and have renewed energy for a good and fresh start in September. Pray too about the future of the bookshop. At the time of writing, we are actively looking for a full time member of staff who could become the new manager. If no suitable candidate has been found by now, the long term future of the shop is uncertain.
2-3 Sat/Sun. UK – London
The tourist season in London is well under way with many people visiting St. Paul’s Cathedral. Pray that these visitors will find our nearby London shop, receive a warm welcome there and discover resources which will help them. Many CLC shops are experiencing an increased demand for foreign language Bibles. Pray that the shop staff will be able to find UK sources for all the Bibles requested.
4 Mon. Germany – Sold Out!
“We are thankful that we have sold almost all the copies of the innovative evangelistic book Alltagstourist (meaning everyday tourist) that has been distributed exclusively through CLC since it was released in December 2013. People have been very impressed with this book and now a second edition will be produced.” - Valentin Schweigler
5 Tue. Indonesia - Major Facelift
Following the recent removal of large trees, and the addition of new paving stones, outside the Surabaya bookshop, CLC (Yakin) has now repainted the outside of their building.
Another recent change is to the new CLC bookshop in a shopping mall in Surabaya. CLC took over the management of this existing bookshop earlier in the year but in June it was renamed as a CLC bookshop.
6 Wed. Papua New Guinea – Bible Supply
“Pray for our Boroko shop in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Sales have been low due to lack of much needed stock. I have been ordering from the US and the Philippines. Pray that we will also be able to find a supplier of KJV Compact Bibles to supply the schools that have been requesting them. Pray for our team, that we will find creative ways to market our products to the churches and schools throughout Port Moresby and the other provinces.” Vere Babona
7 Thu. Antigua – Encouragement
“Despite sales seeming a bit slow at times when better sales are expected (e.g. Mother’s Day), God has provided for us in terms of sales. We are very thankful for the opportunity to take a book table, and to promote CLC, at the PAWI (Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies) convention which was well attended. At this event we made connections with other churches in the eastern Caribbean as well as places further afield like the USA and England.” Arah Martin, Manager
8 Fri. CA2 – Beyond Borders
Praise God that books bought this year from our bookshop in CA2 were taken to a more ‘closed’ country and there they have greatly impacted at least one person, and are being used to reach out to others.
9-10 Sat/Sun. UK – Accounts Software
The UK finance department has switched to a new accounting software system, Sage Line 50. Pray for John Auger and Will Cerri as they get used to operating it. Give thanks that this will make things easier for them and enable them to be more productive and also produce a greater range of reports and financial information for the mission.
11 Mon. Philippines – Expired Contracts
Pray for our Publishing Department. A number of our titles have expired contracts. Please pray for replacement titles, and that foreign publishers would be generous in granting permits.
12 Tue. Ecuador – New Property
Please pray that, if it is His will, God would open the doors for CLC to obtain a property, with some land, that they have found near the current bookshop in Quito. The building is being sold and, at the time of writing, the missionary who is dealing with the sale was considering our offer. The property has much needed parking space as well as a place to relocate the bookshop.
13 Wed. Korea – Preparing Books
“We are preparing books which will be used as textbooks for the next academic semester. Please pray as pressure is on from some of the professors to work really quickly with the publishing; this can be stressful for us and, in some cases, it could mean that mistakes are made. Please pray for wisdom, good planning and diligence on our part as we publish these books.
14 Thu. Japan – Staff Changes
Due to ill health, Mr. Aketa, the bookshop manager for CLC in Okayama, has had to retire. Please pray that he would know God’s guidance, grace and comfort at this time. Pray too for Mrs. Imanaka, the staff member who has taken over as the new manager.
15 Fri. USA – Editing Staff
Managing Editor, Erika Cobb, joined the CLC team in May. Please pray for her as she adjusts to her new role and works on the next cycle of CLC Publications titles. We have been so blessed to have Tracey Lewis-Giggetts as the Managing Editor for the last couple of years and are delighted that she will be staying on in a part time, freelance role.
16-17 Sat/Sun. UK – Marketing Team
There have been changes recently to the warehouse marketing team. Amanda Lutes has moved to the International Office in Sheffield and will be concentrating on raising the mission profile of CLC in the UK. Sarah Williams will continue the wholesale marketing, informing CLC shops and independents of the titles we supply and, in particular, the new titles and resources coming into the warehouse. Pray for both of these ladies that they may have skill, insight and imagination as they convey this information to the public and the book trade.
18 Mon. Philippines – Manila Book Fair
Preparations are under way for CLC’s attendance at the 35th Manila International Book Fair to be held in September (17th-21st). Please pray for the Art Department as they prepare for the promotional materials like free entrance tickets, flyers etc. Pray too for our orders to suppliers, that there would be no delays in processing and shipment and that we would have good terms and conditions from the suppliers to help finance this major event.
19 Tue. Russia – Changing Leadership
Roger and Anita Jones will, God willing, be moving to the UK in the New Year. Please pray for the visa application process for Anita and for the new leadership of the CLC ministry in Russia. At the time of writing, we are considering several candidates and should have someone in place by the end of June, leaving plenty of time for the hand-over.
20 Wed. Germany – Encouragement in CLC Hamburg
Because another Christian bookshop in Hamburg had to close, we have had some new opportunities for book tables in churches. It has been a joy to get to know some more dedicated book agents who run these book outlets. Many shops are suffering from the rise of internet shopping, but we see an encouraging number of people who still value a ‘real shop’, face to face communication with staff and opportunities to browse among the book shelves discovering titles which they might not come across online.
21 Thu. Netherlands – Relocation
We need to examine the possibility of a relocation of the CLC shop in Amsterdam before the end of this year. We seek God’s guidance in this, so please pray that God will open a door for us.
22 Fri. Papua New Guinea - Bibles
At the time of writing, we are in the process of ordering a large quantity of Bibles from the PNG Bible Society; these will be for a new print run of The Pidgin Pocket Bible and The Good News Pocket Bible. The Bibles will be printed in South Korea and they should be ready to ship to PNG in August. Please pray that this shipment will arrive, and be processed, this month.
23-24 Sat/Sun. UK – The One Event
This weekend, a team lead by Geoff Fanning will be at Lincoln for the One Event with another large bookstall. Please pray for the logistics involved in getting stock and fixtures there and back. Pray too that our service to the event will be good and that we will be able to talk about the wider work of CLC to the customers.
25 Mon. Liberia – Two Years On
In September it will be two years since CLC re-opened in Liberia. Although there has been encouragement, there are difficulties as well, as sales have not been as high as projected. Many of the books we sell are second-hand, which means that the price is very low, and therefore we need to sell huge quantities, as well as a decent amount of new books with a proper margin, in order to make ends meet. Please pray about this situation.
26 Tue. Indonesia – Book Sales
Please pray that the two CLC bookshops in Surabaya will find ways to increase sales and reach out to more customers, as sales are low. In particular, it would be good to sell more of our own titles published by CLC Indonesia.
27 Wed. Venezuela – New Leadership Team
We would appreciate your prayers for everyone on the CLC Venezuela team and for those who have recently been appointed to form a new Leadership Team. Join us in praying for these people, that they would know God’s grace, wisdom and strength as they carry out the work of the ministry in the midst of some very difficult times for the whole country.
28 Thu. Korea – Multi-Language Publications
CLC Korea has recently published a series of 10 books on evangelism, by Dr. Lim, which they translated into Chinese. In addition, volumes 1 to 3 will also be translated into English, and then into Tamil, Burmese and Urdu. Please pray that these books will be well used in evangelism in many countries.
29 Fri. Philippines – Product Promotion
Pray for the continued promotions of our Kinder Curriculum. The Sales Department has travelled to various provinces to promote the book. Pray for good returns, orders and follow-up orders, from private and public schools in the country.
30-31 Sat/Sun. UK – Thinking of Christmas!
Towards the end of August most shops will be starting to think not just about the autumn trading but also Christmas! As Christmas stock arrives over the next few weeks, pray that the process of checking in and pricing will be done smoothly and efficiently. Pray too that shop staff will have wisdom as they think how to display the extra stock and rearrange the shop.