Bristol PrayerWall Newsletter  Nov.2004

 

CONTENTS:

 

 


DEVOTIONAL

Jesus says I have overcome the world. I can defeat all that is not of me. Don't look at the circumstances but at me. Just believe in me and in the Promises of my Word and proclaim and pray them in faith. As Christians we can easily get defeated because we don't see the Power of the Lord. We need to abide in the Lord and not glorying in works but in Him.

 

PRAYER WALL MEETING to PRAY for BRISTOL - SAT.NOVEMBER 13TH 11AM  1PM

PRAYER TOPICS TO INCLUDE:

  1. Praying behind the forthcoming ‘CHURCH LEADERS MEETING FOR UNITY FOR PRAYER AND OUTREACH  on Thurs. NOV. 18TH,   at which up to 100 leaders pected
  2.  PRAYER WALL development and future  how do we build from here ;
  3.  Praying into Citywide and City centre PRAYER WALKING proposals;

NOVEMBER 18TH MEETING  Church Leaders Day - ‘Shaping a United Strategy for Prayer & Outreach in the Bristol Region' at St Mary's Church, Church Rd, Leigh Woods 9.30am to 3.30pm tel. 9166658 Tim Dobson

 

PRAY FOR BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL

Pray for ANNE WHITE, a committed believer is a member of the council cabinet and is responsible for TRANSPORT, LEISURE, ENVIRONMENT which includes youth services. She has a burden for South Bristol and for the whole family to be healed. Her prayer is for more Unity and that the banner of Jesus will be lifted high over city.

Prayer points for Anne White: guidance in use of her time  wisdom and direction; protection from verbal attacks from all fronts; for help with her substantial workload  ie. Email load.

The council however is in financial crisis:

Pray for the SOCIAL SERVICES budget crisis  as they are 10 Million pounds in debt, Bill Mckitterick  Head of Social Services, is grateful for all prayers and all the help he can get.

More fosterers are needed to care for children and youth.

TRANSPORT  the budget from central government is very low and will not cover a new rail transport form. Continue to pray for congestion and pollution problems and better and safer cycling tracks.

YOUTH SERVICES  the youthwork budget is only very limited and so council youthwork can only focus on priority areas of the city. Christian youthworkers however, of which there are 70 full-timers plus numerous volunteers work in most areas of the city. Pray that God will facilitate a working together between the council secular and Christian youthworkers. Youth work was originally started by the church over 100 years ago.

YOUTH ISSUES PRAYER POINTS:

PRAY ABOUTH THE POSSIBILITY OF A CITYWIDE NOISE PROJECT  which might be on similar lines to the FAITH in the CITY Soul Survivor project in London this summer, where many people came to faith and there was an incredible cooperation between the borough councils, police and the churches.

CHILDREN WITH KNIVES  increasingly children are taking knives into schools either for self defence or for mugging (8year olds onwards)  they sometimes use the knives to threaten the teachers; pray for the safety of the teachers and for a policy to resolve this dangerous situation

ICQ  Schools work  looking to link up with Youth workers in schools or to help youth workers get into local schools. ICQs vision is to assist and facilitate Christian school kids in sharing the gospel to their school friends via the Winning Ways tools. Contact Tim Buckley of ICQ.

ALI HENDER YOUTH WORKER IN ST LUKES BARTON HILL  requests prayers for the advancement in progress for the appointment of a further inter-church youthworker.

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION is setting up a Centre of Spirituality which is very Christian based and is working with schools. Pray for God to use and bless this project and for links to be made with Christian teachers.

How to Drugproof your kids Course in Horfield and Lockleaze 

We are stepping out into new territory and really want to be praying specifically and strategically for the local community.

Praise Points

 Prayer Requests

Parents often do not know their kids spend money on Cannabis which they get at school

 www.drugproofcourse.co.uk

 

BIBLE SOCIETY OUTREACH CAMPAIGN  in Bristol  to promote the scriptures via the ARTS, MEDIA, CULTURE and POLITICAL FORUMS with a focus on the 20s and 30s age group

- 14th April to 25th May 2005

Pray for Rob Cotton leader of the campaign  pray for his safety as he travels weekly from Nottingham

Pray for local churches and Christian groups to be inspired to put on events and to be culturally relevant

Pray for longer term fruit.

For city to be transformed by this initiative and for churches to participate fully.

For further prayer updates see their website: www.Biblesociety.org.uk/Bristol

 

 

125 MINISTRY TO THOSE INVOLVED IN THE SEX INDUSTRY:

The newly appointed 125 Youth Worker requests that we pray for Christian men to be raised up to reach out to the pimps and men involved in the sex industry. She believes only this will bring the longer term break through needed. Pray for the children of the prostitutes who often grow up in an atmosphere of violence. Pray for right administrator to apply for vacant position.

 

CHANGING TUNES is a charity involved with teaching music in local prisons. Its aim is to equip prisoners with some of the vital life skills they will need on their release, through working together in groups to put on regular concerts in the prisons. The charity, which was set up around eight years ago, has a christian ethos and employs one full-time and two part-time musicians who cover various prisons including Horfield, Leyhill, Eastwood Park and Shepton Mallet. Aside from winning several Koestler awards for music performances, the greater success of the charity is clearly shown by the testimony of those it was set up to serve. One woman told of how Changing Tunes had helped her so much during her eighteen-month imprisonment that upon release she was able to restore relationships with her mother and two children. Another man described Changing Tunes as "the best thing that had happened" to him, and has gone on to pursue success as a singer and songwriter since his release.

Please pray for physical and spiritual protection for those who go into the prisons every week: Adam, Gareth, Myrtle and Esther. Pray for continued funding particularly at this time since the resources from a donation that has covered three years of full-time work are now running short.

 

THE BRISTOL HEALTH SERVICES PLAN

The Health Trusts are half way through the consultation on their latest plans for reviving Health Facilities in Bristol. Some people have attended the public meetings but not in  large numbers.

Please pray that enough people will make their views known so that a consensus can be reached.

This time round neither Frenchay or Southmead will close. Both with retain a community hospital on the site. But a decision has to be made as to which  will be redeveloped as the main site for North Bristol.  There is a danger that because the two hospitals are situated in different council areas the decision could become a political football.

Pray for wisdom for the decision makers and that their final choice will be based on bringing medical care in Bristol up to standard. There is a lot of money up for grabs, but it won't do everything. There is particular concern that more of the elderly will now be looked after in the community where the quality of service is more difficult to guarantee. Please pray that all those involved in healing and caring will be given the facilities they need to fulfill their God given vocations.

 

PROPHETIC VISIONS AND WORDS received recently in a prayer meeting  picture of Christians out with sweeping brushes, mops and dusters  leaving no stone uncovered. We all need to do our part in cleaning up the city and shine the light of the Lord. One of doing this may be to be Prayer walk our streets and pray for the people who live in live them regularly. One of our members recently felt led to prayer walk a street in Knowle West and then heard God at the end of it say to him  ‘do you realize that noone has prayer walked or prayed for these people for years'  this caused him to burst into tears. He then had the idea that it would be great if all Christians in the city could take one Friday night to prayer walk their streets simultaneously. Many Words have been given also that God has special plans for Bristol City Centre and that prayer walking there is needed. Hence the vision that it would be good to have a Worship session in the city centre followed by strategic prayer walking of the city centre, which could be followed by the prayer walking of our individual streets. Someone had a vision of a shofar being blown in the city centre with incense rising.

PRAY FOR THE RELEASE OF THE PROPHETS IN THE CITY to bring the cutting edge to the church and allow God's voice to be clearly heard.  An intercessor had a picture of the wings of an eagles being attacked and clipped unable to fly representing prophets in the city. Is it possible that for many years the voice of the Prophetic in Bristol has been dampened and not fully listened to?

PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH IN BRISTOL

Jesus often cries over His church in Bristol  there is unrighteousness Hebrews 6:1-12. Christ's heart is bleeding and wounded. The land of Bristol is full of Sin and needs to be redeemed and repented over. 2Chronicles 7:14. Once there is cleansing of the land it will be easier for Church leaders and pastors to perform the work they have been called to rather than hitting huge stumbling blocks. At the moment many Christians need to be taken to casualty for emergency operations. There is an urgency for the imprisoning, enslaving spirit over the city to be broken so that God's people can walk in freedom and power. Jesus wants his church back and to be the Lord of it. The Word of God comes across often as muffled rather than having the full impact which the Sword of the Spirit is intended to have. The church must not worshipping the fruit or works as an idol but rather enjoy the giver and  our position in the vine.

MESSAGE FROM PRAYER FOR THE NATION AT NEC  the churches in Stoke on Trent have come together in brokenness and prayer and God is moving. Following a secular study which concluded that Stoke on Trent was the worst place in UK to live the church became provoked and felt the barrenness and desperation of their town. They concluded however that the problem was in the church and not outside it. The issue was not the quantity of darkness but the quality of the LIGHT  the church and its people needed to decide to die to self and gather in prayer so that God's light could shine more brightly. Much unity has resulted from this.

 

THE NET BRISTOL. This is a voluntary organisation networking Christian Youth leaders (Paid and voluntary) and churches around the region, which sends out a monthly  newsletter about events concerning Youth both locally and nationally  please send in your info.. We also organise trainings sometimes,and breakfasts and meals to meet up with other Youth workers for support, exchange of information and worshipping God.To join contact: to thenetbristol@lycos.com  to receive regular email Youth information

 

BRISTOL COMMUNITY FAMILY TRUST sample newsletter contents:

PUBLIC POLICY CAN REDUCE DIVORCE - Now we know it can be done, will politicians provide their support? SHOCKING STATISTICS  22% OF SEPARATED WOMEN EXPERIENCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - Public policy has nothing to say about this. NEW STUDY  COMMUNITY MARRIAGE POLICIES REDUCE DIVORCE;   WORK IN PROGRESS  PRISONS - Horfield prison ask us to run our course monthly from January - Having run a successful pilot course in Bristol prison in September for six couples, it looks like we have the go-ahead for regular relationship education courses starting from January.  BCFT is available to give TALKS OR PRESENTATIONS to local groups, churches and community leaders on marriage and relationship education, family breakdown, and research. COURSES  We despecially like people to run our new LLL course on relationship skills. All you need to do is come on a course and experience it for yourself before you teach others. 

Get info. and complete newsletter from Harry Benson: T: 0117 924 1480 E: info@bcft.co.uk W: www.bcft.co.uk

Marriage, relationship and mentoring programmes, information and research

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CONTACT: 0117 924 6856  www.BristolPrayerWall.org.uk

Many thanks for your continuing prayers. Contributions for next newsletter to bristolprayerwall@blueyonder.co.uk; Financial support to the Treasurer, 48 Arnall Drive, BS10 7AP