Prayer Requests

One important purpose of the church family is to pray (Ephesians 6:18; James 5:16; Acts 1:14). How can we pray for one another if we don't know what to pray?

This is a place where we'll keep a list of current things we are praying for. In a separate blog, we'll keep a list of praise reports regarding answered prayers. If you want to be added to the list, you can reply to this blog with your prayer request, email FarrisHolyfield @ Gmail . com, or just show up at our prayer sessions at around 6:30PM after Sunday night service. We're really looking forward to documenting how the Lord is going to move when we really start to dig in and pray.

Things we're praying for currently:

General Church Needs

1. The growth of the church. Lighthouse exists to be a harbor to the lost. Pray that the Lord leads unsaved or unchurched people into our doors and that the members and regular attenders are welcoming to them. Pray that if they go to the altar, they never go alone.

2. The pastor and board, that they would continue to make good decisions for our church family.

3. The Ignite Young Adults group itself. Our age group is the age group least likely to attend church. So many people our age are out in the world doing their thing rather than in the church doing God's thing. Pray for the growth of the group, both in numbers and in love and fellowship. Pray that as we gather together to have a good time, we also gain strength to follow God. It is not easy to be a young adult, so please pray for strength for each of us so that we might discern and live out the calling God has for our lives.

4. All the workers and volunteers of the church, whether they work with children or youth or the Hands team or the choir or the nursery or the Missionettes (Impact Girls) or the Royal Rangers or another ministry. Pray that they have the strength and patience to continue in their service, and that God will arrange their schedules to make it so. For those who have not found a way to give of their time in the church, make a way for them schedule-wise and help them find a place where they feel comfortable serving. Also pray that their service is an effective witness to others.

Specific/Personal Needs

1. Bruce White, that his broken leg will heal quickly and he'll be up and walking again soon without crutches.

2. Anonymous, an unspoken family need regarding an infant

3. An anonymous couple, a relationship need

4. Ethan Powell, an infant at St. Jude who had leukemia and was originally given only a 15% chance of survival. He has received an experimental treatment that's only been done on eight other people in the history of the world. Currently, we are praying for no side effects from this experimental procedure, no return of leukemia cells to his blood or bone marrow, and no infection in his body because he has a vulnerable immune system. Also, pray for his parents' strength as they continue to go through all this. As Ethan's dad says, BELIEVE. PRAYER WORKS.

5. Shauna Caldwell, as she enters the mission field. Shauna, Lighthouse's first missionary associate, just began a mission of at least a year in Moldova, home educating the children of a missionary couple who run a center for exploited women. Pray for a hedge of protection around her in the mission field, strength in her body to do God's work, that her work is an effective witness, for the continued financial support of her sponsors, for comfort when she may get lonely or homesick, and for personal growth in her relationship with Christ.

6. Farris and Lori Holyfield, as they continue to try to grow their family.

7. For the missions team currently planning a return trip to Romania in June 2008. Paul Joseph Gallina is organizing this trip. Start praying NOW for the Lord to reveal His sovereign will and to prepare the way for this trip.

8. Matt Little. He left August 20th for South Carolina due to being called up by the Marine Corps. Pray for his safety and that he will not suffer from loneliness or homesickness. If you'd like to write to him, we have his address and we're sure he'd be glad to have letters from home to encourage him.

Praise Reports

We were praying very hard that the Lord would provide a wonderful youth pastor to lead our youth group. Well, he's here and he's definitely great! Pastor Pablo and his wife Sarah are doing so well already. They just fit right in, and they're digging in and hopefully changing lives. We're so glad to have them and their children join our church family. Praise the Lord!

For the most part, Bruce White's recovery from his leg-breaking incident has been really good, and it looks like he'll be back on both feet relatively soon. (He also has cool scars to show off in the future.) But seriously, because of the surgery he had, Bruce was at risk for infection, but he seems to be doing fine. Praise God!

Ethan Powell is just doing better and better! When he was born, his parents were told he only had a 15% chance of survival, but he's ten months old now, and things are really looking up! Praise the Lord!

Shauna Caldwell is doing great away from home, serving God in the mission field. It seems that she's adjusting to cultural differences with relatively little difficulty, including a total lack of air conditioning at home or church. You should pop on over to her blog and say hello! Shauna is aiding a missionary couple as they minister to women who have been trafficked. Their ministry is touching many lives, and we continue to keep them in prayer. Praise God!