CLC Prayer Focus September 2018
September - Week 36: Focus on Asia
Monday (3rd) – India
National Director Justin Chellappan asks for prayer regarding two of the CLC (ELS) buildings. We need to relocate the bookshop in Mathikere, Bangalore, as the basement property is not easily accessible for some customers and there can be problems when it rains. Rent is high in the area so finding a suitable and affordable place is not easy.
In Chennai, where the rent for our main premises is also high, we own land (about 7,000 sq. ft.) not far from the headquarters and want to build a bookshop, a warehouse and living accommodation there. It is a big project for which we pray for God’s guidance and provision.
Tuesday (4th) - Indonesia
Praise God for our latest publication Love Not the World by Watchman Nee. We are working together with another agency to distribute this. Please pray that the book will be a blessing.
We currently have plans to publish another two books – The Bible and the Meaning of Life by Christopher Flint (a book already published by CLC Philippines) and a title by Warren Weirsbe.
Wednesday (5th) – Philippines
CLC Philippines will be participating again in the annual Manila International Book Fair that will be held from the 12th to 16th of September. It is the biggest book fair in the country and CLC will have 8 stands at the event. Please pray for the final preparations, for favourable weather (it is the rainy season now and there can be typhoons in September) and for strength and good health for the staff and volunteers. Pray too for encouraging contacts with visitors to the fair, and for good sales.
CLC Philippines has a partnership with Josh McDowell Ministry, and is publishing some of Josh’s titles, which they plan to have ready to launch at the book fair.
Thursday (6th) – Pakistan
Please pray for Sohail Javed, the manager of the bookshop in Karachi, and his co-workers Khalid and Habeel as they work together and seek to share the Good News in their country. Every year, during the last week in September, there is a major Christian convention in Sialkot. CLC will once again have a book table there. Pray for preparations, the journey with the books (it’s about 1,500 km from Karachi) and good sales and contacts at this event.
Friday (7th) – Korea
CLC Korea’s ministry is centred on publishing and they have hundreds of titles. Please pray that some of the older stock in the warehouse would sell/move. Although CLC Korea does not deal in retail, they have a small bookshop in the headquarters for their own titles. Pray that more people would find this place, and for new outlets for our books in churches, seminaries and bookshops. The majority of CLC Korea’s books are on the deeper Christian life and theological study books.
At the time of writing, there is also a need for more staff on the team – for editing and in the warehouse.
The Weekend (8th/9th) – Japan
Summer this year has been a difficult time for people in Japan. In just one week, during July, at least 65 people died of heatstroke and many thousands were admitted to hospital. Heavy rainfall also led to flooding, mudslides and fatalities. Please pray that CLC can minister through Bibles, books and testimony to many people who are tired and feeling hopeless in such situations.
Pray too for the CLC team, some of them are nearing retirement, as there are also health issues and other problems.
Praise God for good sales of a new translation of the Japanese Bible last year. However, generally sales are still not enough, and the work has suffered financially for quite a while. Pray for wisdom, encouragement and God’s strength for the team.
September - Week 37: Focus on Europe
Monday (10th) – Bulgaria
We have to reorganise the company structure to avoid paying unnecessary taxes. This is taking a lot of our time and involves a lot of people. Please pray that we will get all the paperwork in order as soon as possible as this is a big distraction for the work.
We are in the process of publishing the book Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. We are looking forward to its publication but the work has slowed down due to different staff members taking holidays. Please pray that we will be able to link up the various people involved in the project so that we can publish the book soon.
Tuesday (11th) – Hungary
We are thrilled that the last three titles we published are already bestsellers… 10 Boys [and the book 10 Girls] that Changed the World by Christian Focus and Fervent by Priscilla Shirer - which is selling well on line too and was highlighted by a popular speaker at a major conference for women in Hungary. We are now planning to publish Awaken, also by Priscilla Shirer.
Please pray for the bookshop in Miskolc. Since staff member Hugi retired the shop has only been open part time. Please pray for the right co-worker for Eva so the shop can open full time again, both for the benefit of our customers and for our sales.
Wednesday (12th) – Poland
Praise the Lord that sales continue to grow although we only have one bookshop - in Katowice. Much of this is due to publishing and selling our own CLC books to individual customers and other bookshops throughout the country. In addition, our old website is still functioning and even growing, though it really needs to be renewed.
Please pray for our publishing department, which has grown significantly over the past 6 years. We have 38 titles in print including books by Josh McDowell, A.W. Tozer, Francis Chan, Corrie Ten Boom and John Stott. We need wisdom to pick the right titles that not only have an important message but that will potentially sell well. We also need to find extra storage space for the books as the back of our shop is almost full!
Thursday (13th) – Russia
Praise the Lord for the arrival of the Tabernacle book, a joint project with CLC Korea and the Redemptive History Center.
Currently we are planning to publish the New Evidence that Demands a Verdict – a combined and updated Volume 1&2 of the book by Josh McDowell. We are praying for God’s help in this big project.
Sales in the Moscow bookshop have been in decline since Easter, which has been a concern. Praise God for signs of sales levelling during August. Please pray for better sales during the last quarter of 2018.
Friday (14th) - Switzerland
Thank God that last June we, together with two other organisations, were able to arrange a conference with a pastor from Israel. Attendance at all three seminars was encouraging, and people seemed very enthusiastic about the event.
Now, for October, we are planning an event in the bookshop to highlight the work of Compassion International. Please pray that this event will be well attended, that people will be encouraged to support this ministry and that more people will discover CLC at the same time!
The Weekend (15th/16th) – UK
Across the whole of retail, the number of shop closures in the UK, which includes many major and well-known names, has been dramatic this year. This is due to the move online, and the unsustainable costs of physical shops. CLC is caught up in this and has had to close our bookshops in Tonbridge, Coventry and Newcastle this year. We have moved the Sheffield shop to a smaller, more central location next to the Cathedral. Please pray with us that we will find the right model to be effective and sustainable for the future. The UK Trustees meet for two days next week. Please pray for them, as they are very involved in the decision-making.
Thank you Lord for the steady stream of testimonies from customers who have found ‘just the right book’ or have seen a book making the difference in someone’s life. We want this to continue!
September - Week 38: Focus on North America and Asia
Monday (17th) – Canada
Our distribution branch is now in recovery mode, having lost thousands of dollars in previous years. We are not yet stable however, and profitability is yet to come. Please pray for a complete recovery.
We have also gone through a significant organisational crisis in recent years, and came close to ceasing all our activities. However, for the past two years we have seen a noticeable improvement in our situation, and feel we are coming out of the crisis, for which we thank the Lord.
Tuesday (18th) – USA
Following a sabbatical period earlier this year, Dave Almack has moved on from his role as the National Director for CLC, and an opportunity has opened up for him to work with P&R Publishing. Please pray for Dave and Debra as they adjust to all the changes after many years’ service with CLC. We are grateful for all they have done with, and for, CLC.
David Scouler, who has served with CLC in a number of countries over the years (most recently in the UK), is now acting National Director for the next few months. David will work with the team on a number of issues including establishing a new leadership structure to facilitate the sustainability and growth of the ministry in the years ahead. David has had heart surgery recently so pray for stamina and good health as well.
Wednesday (19th) – USA
The lease for the bookshop in Moorestown expires next February. Since the mall where we are located is experiencing a decrease in customer traffic, we are already looking for other options nearby. It will be a challenge to find a place where customers will easily find us. Another challenge is deciding the best size for the new store. We want our customers to feel comfortable, and have a good choice of stock, but we are seriously considering downsizing.
Thursday (20th) – Myanmar
We praise God that we have been able to publish, print, import and distribute the Myanmar Study Bible. We thank the Lord for His provision to be able to do this.
Our prayer requests are: for wisdom as we work in a world that moves and changes so fast; for the hand of the Lord to be seen in the daily situations we face; and that we would give glory to God in all that we do.
Friday (21st) – Thailand
In partnership with the Bible League, CLC has published an affordable and easy to read Thai Bible. The project has taken longer than anticipated and the Bibles finally arrived in Chiang Mai in August. Pray that they will be a blessing as they are distributed.
Praise the Lord for a new member of staff, Ruchadapain, for the Chiang Mai shop. She started in August and from her first week was making a positive impact in the shop.
This has been a great encouragement for Don and Betsy Veldboom, ‘retired’ missionaries from the USA, who are currently helping to lead the CLC ministry here.
We urgently need to sell CLC’s property in Bangkok, and then the one in Chiang Mai. The money released will mean debts can be paid, and a new suitable property in Chiang Mai acquired for the bookshop.
The Weekend (22nd/23rd) – Papua New Guinea
Praise God for a pallet of books from Book Aid Australia that finally arrived in August, having been dispatched in January! This was a donation, and we only had to cover shipping costs. We are now expecting 3 pallets of stock from the USA that was shipped in August and is due in October.
In November, the APEC Leadership Summit will be held in Port Moresby. Pray that our leaders will make the right trade partnerships. Regulatory charges, land lease, land tax etc. have been increased recently, adding more strain to businesses. Pray that, despite the challenges, we will continue to serve the people through CLC.
September - Week 39: Focus on Latin America and Caribbean
Monday (24th) – Colombia
Praise the Lord for opportunities for CLC, in partnership with an American ministry, to distribute Bibles in prisons. Recently 2,400 were given out in a prison in Bogota but 7,000 have gone out to five prisons in total so far. Pray for this ongoing project as CLC plan to do this for all prisons in the country. Along with Bibles, the CLC Colombia Social Foundation provides evangelistic tracts to be given out with the Bibles.
Praise the Lord for a new distribution agreement between CLC Colombia Publishing and Editorial Unilit, which is based in Miami. This will enable our books to have access to a much wider market than we are capable of ourselves.
Tuesday (25th) – Chile
Earlier this year, Sergio Mellafe, previously the manager of the bookshop in Santiago, took on a new role exclusively dealing in public relations. We recognised a need to create links with Bible Colleges, church denominations and pastors’ associations etc. and visit radio and TV stations to connect with more of the 6 million inhabitants in the capital city. Sergio’s work has already proved very successful with new opportunities for book tables, to promote CLC in conferences and, in the case of two major denominations, the possibility of helping to establish bookshops in churches.
We have really felt God supporting us in this venture. We are encouraged and give God the glory.
Wednesday (26th) – Mexico
Thank the Lord for good relationships with representatives from other ministries in the country, as well as alliances with pastors and seminaries. Through these bonds of friendship and cooperation, we have been able to introduce authors to a number of groups. During September and October we would appreciate prayer for the various authors who will be visiting Mexico – not all are well known in Mexico, but they have established and appreciated ministries. By God’s grace, we trust the events will be well attended, and we pray especially that it will be life changing for those who come with little or no knowledge of the Word of God.
Thursday (27th) – Uruguay
September is the ‘Month of the Bible’ in Uruguay and we hope to have an impact in the country with a major distribution of Bibles through churches.
In recent months, sales have fallen in the Montevideo bookshop but we continue to gain new opportunities and contacts with the mobile ministry and through book tables.
After more than 30 years with CLC, Roberto Prochnau is nearing retirement. In 2019 we will be training and preparing one of our staff members, who will take over administrative responsibilities from Roberto.
Friday (28th) – Trinidad & Tobago
In 2016, VAT was introduced for Bibles, having previously only applied to books and gift items. We are praying that this cost will be removed to make Bibles more affordable to our customers. We are also praying for an increase in sales, despite the decline in the economy in general. Sales are particularly low in the San Fernando bookshop.
Praise the Lord for a recent order for 1,000 NLT Bibles for the work of Youth with a Mission who will distribute these Bibles in schools around the islands.
The Weekend (29th/30th) – Dominica
Prayer would be appreciated as the shop landlord has asked us to move out. We praise God that, for the moment, we have been given permission to stay a few more months but we will need to find new premises soon.
Praise the Lord for an increase in ministry opportunities – seeing people come to faith and others encouraged in their faith. We also saw an increase in sales particularly in the wake of Hurricane Maria last September.