Bethany Community Church

Watching the Wall
Prayer Guidelines for November, 2009

I’m finishing up teaching on an island in Canada this week. The time has been full of both teaching and opportunities for personal ministry with students, for which I’m profoundly grateful. Meanwhile, back at Bethany Community Church…

1. We’re getting ready for our annual meeting, which will happen Monday, Nov. 9. This is a critical time in the life of our church as we briefly look back, once again grateful for the provision of Christ, but also look ahead, confirm the next year’s key leaders, and pray for our future. Please pray that God will continue to both shepherd us, and provide for us as we seek to follow the Lamb.

2. We’re beginning our work for the filling of two very important positions at Bethany. Pray for us as we search for the Children’s Ministry Director Position, and for our Director of Worship and Music. Being confident that both of these positions are important to the work of God at Bethany, we’re confident that God has people in mind for these roles, and are praying that God would lead them to us.

3. Please pray for Brian and Ted, as both of them seek God’s will for the next and future steps for their vocations and calling. We’re grateful for both of these men, and continue to pray that God would guide them into His perfect calling.

4. Megan is making plans for various mission trips for our college students and others. Pray for her, as she seeks God’s direction regarding those trips.

5. Nancy and I are working on plans for the Winter as we seek to build a culture within Bethany that makes intentional practice of a rule of life a central piece of discipleship. We’re asking that God will give us wisdom to structure this, and that His hand would be upon us as we move into more widespread and intentional practices of Bible reading, prayer, service, and generosity.

6. Many of our team will be attending a conference in November related to the subject of beginning satellite campuses and planting churches. Please pray for us as we continue to learn and seek the Lord regarding these things.

7. We’re happy to say that we’re very close to being able to announce key leaders for not one, but two satellite locations! Pray for us as we continue to seek God’s wisdom and provision for these key leadership roles.

8. I’ll be writing a book on the subject of hope over these next months. Please pray that God anoints both the study time of learning, and the writing time of articulating truths, to the end that people would learn how to get on with the calling of imparting hope to our world—right now, in the midst of life’s messes and uncertainties.

9. Many of us are particularly grateful for health in these days, mindful in this time of flu, that our strength is a daily gift. Take time to give thanks for that, and to pray for those suffering with afflictions.

10. This time of economic uncertainty continues to be a time of struggle for many families, and fallout of economic hardship often stresses marriage and family relationships as well. Please pray that God will shepherd each family through seasons of vital and visible need.

11. We were blessed to hear from our friend Doru and his ministry in Romania. Pray for him and his team of leaders as they serve faithfully in that country.

12. Continue to remember the special classes that have begun well this fall: Alpha, Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, and Phil’s Spiritual Journey class. Pray that each one will complete their fall course strong, and that the result of the huge investment of time and resources will result in changed lives.

I’ll close with the personal observation that this Fall we’ve taken on, under the guiding hand of Christ, the challenging task of running simultaneous services in two locations. We’ve certainly needed the space, and while this new format hasn’t been without hiccups and challenges, it’s clear that we’ve turned a corner. I want to offer a personal word of gratitude to the Lord Jesus, for it’s perfectly clear to me that none of this would have been able to happen without the hard work and dedication of two special groups:
1. The staff team of Bethany, both on the ministry and administrative side, who have worked tirelessly and sometimes very long days, in order to fulfill this mission, and have done so with grace and joy.

2. The hundreds of volunteers who fold bulletins, drive buses, make coffee, teach classes, greet attenders, help people cross the street, lead worship, run cameras, fix broken tech stuff, bring snacks, run sound and lights, sing in the choir, and so much more.

God has been good to us, but it’s these people who have made Christ visible. Thank you. May we each know the blessing of Christ and, as we move into this glorious and beautiful season, cling to Christ as our source of all we need.

Yours in Him,

Richard Dahlstrom