Please, thank God that

1. all of us are fit and fully active at ESCALE.
2. 15 Pastors will receive an ESCALE Certificate on Saturday 28th May.
3. I am coming to England on June 17th (Marcia will have to stay, unfortunately).
4. We are not having to wear masks and things are slowly returning to normal - Praise God!

Please pray for...

1. My journey to UK and participation at EMA Conference.
2. We are organizing a new group of Pastors to be trained at a town called Sabara (more than 40 leaders).
3. Those who are suffering because of COVID: mourning for lost ones, unemployed people having to beg on the streets, even Pastors who have work are going through difficult financial situations.
4.  Inflation is growing every month and we pray God will raise more people to make donations to ESCALE.

This week we are praying for Martin & Fran Russell who serve on the National Leadership team for Agape Italia in Florence, Italy.

This week we are praying for FESTIVE who seek to equip and inspire Gospel work in the often-overlooked area of Further Education (16-18 year olds).

They support individual students and Christian unions around the country
offering mentoring, encouragement, prayer, and free resources.

• Please pray for the evangelistic exam giveaway packs that we are sending out to Christian students to give to their non-Christian friends.  Pray that God is at work through the literature in them and that they start some Gospel conversations.
• Please pray for CU’s and CU leaders during this term where exams and deadlines are dominant in many colleges and 6th forms.  Pray that CU’s would keep meeting and that momentum wouldn’t be lost. 
• Please pray for students facing the stress of exams.  Many have not had to deal with big exams before (because of Covid).  Pray for peace and perspective.  Pray for Christian students that they would know how to encourage and support their non-Christian friends well and point them to the prince of peace at this time.
• Please pray for Festive as it exhibits at multiple events this summer and does some seminars.  Pray that we would be able to connect with lots of Christian young people who we can then support and equip during their time at college.
• Pray for our growing FE staff network and events.  Pray that we would be able to connect with more Christians working in FE this term and our next event would be a real encouragement and inspiration to those that attend.
• Please pray for Festive finances as one of our major grants ends this summer.  Pray that other funding will come in and we will see more people and churches become regular supporters of our work.

Sunday 15th May is Further Education Sunday and we are being encouraged as a church family to find out more and & pray for our local  FE colleges and VI Forms.

• Pray for all our students at BH at FE college or studying A -levels during this exam term, including those at BHASVIC, Brighton MET, Newman College, Plumpton and Brighton College. Many of them are regulars at KO & would love to tell you what you can be praying for them.

Further ideas and resources can be found at http://wmcfec.org.uk/further-education-sunday
 or pick up a prayer card from BH on Sunday.​

This week we are praying for Susanna Baldwin in Darwin, Australia working with Wycliffe on a PEV (Plain English Version) Bible translation project.

1. Give thanks that God has helped me reach a decision to stay in Darwin for at least the rest of 2022. Pray that I can sit well with the discomfort of 'divided loyalties' between Australia and Ethiopia, my original planned destination. Please continue to pray for God's guidance as to whether I should still seek a return there one day.

2. Please pray for my continued progress on translating Genesis into the Plain English Version (PEV) - that my work will be faithful to God's truth and message, and that my gospel motivation will always outweigh my enjoyment of the intellectual challenge!

3. Pray for the Aboriginal people around Darwin who help us test-read the draft PEV chapters - it's a great opportunity for informal ministry as we discuss Bible passages with them, and they will often ask for prayer from us. Pray that lifelong disciples will be made and nurtured.

4. The PEV Mini-Bible (containing 70% of the New Testament and a few excerpts of the Old Testament) was due to be printed and published early this year, but the process keeps stalling due to various technical and personnel issues. My colleagues tell me this is very common when a major volume of Scripture is about to be launched - Satan will try everything to stop God's Word reaching people's hearts. Pray that his schemes will not prevail.

5. Give thanks for my colleague Melody, who originally came to work as our publicist but who has developed an interest in translation work. She has begun a draft of the Book of Hebrews for the PEV and is making great progress so far. Please continue to pray for more much-needed translators and other ministry workers in the Top End

6. Give thanks and pray for my involvement at Christ Church Cathedral, Darwin, where I'm co-leading a youth Bible study and working with a team to establish a new 'missional' evening service. Pray for grace, peace and unity between members of the cathedral from different backgrounds and traditions, and for the minister Rob as he  seeks to shepherd us.
​
7. Give thanks for the opportunity to visit England in the middle of the year and to reconnect with family, friends and supporters there (including a visit to BH on Sun 19 June).

Our Mission Partners of the Month for May are James, Carolyn, Toby & Gabriel Webb
who work with ECM where they are planting a new church in Zalla, Basque Region, Spain.
They are soon to return to Spain after a recent home assignment in Australia.

​1. Having all had covid, we give thanks that we've now all recovered.  We look forward to flying out of Sydney on Tuesday 3 May. Please pray for a safe and smooth journey via London, arriving back in Spain on 6 May. 
 
2. Please pray in particular for Gabriel's health as he suffered from febrile convulsions during covid. Pray that follow-up appointments with the pediatrician go well and that he would no longer experience those again. 
 
3.  As we reflect on our Home Assignment in Sydney, we give thanks for a restorative and refreshing time. We feel strengthened to face the coming term and we are encouraged to have reached 100% of our necessary support. 
 
4. Pray that we settle back into life in Zalla well; that we would quickly remember how to speak in Spanish and that the boys would also remember the Basque language. After 4 months away we feel a little rusty! 
 
5. Ask the Lord to keep growing the little church and that some of our friends in Zalla would come to know Jesus personally as their Lord and Saviour. 
 
6. Pray that God would soon provide the right building for us to use as a hostel on the Camino as well as for other church and community outreach activities. 
 
7. We give thanks that a few other short and long term mission workers are interested in joining our ECM team in Zalla. Pray God would give us wisdom as we make decisions, and that the right people would come along to help build up the church.

Restoring lives and hope of the homeless, women at risk and vulnerable school children in Brighton & Hove.​

As we celebrate Jesus’ death & resurrection this Easter please remember in prayer all our Mission Partners across the world. 

Here are some extra things to be praying for some of our  Mission partners
 Katie Bennett (New Zealand)
 Women’s Ministry: Pray for those of us at church who are going to help facilitate the Women's ministry at church. I'm excited to be a part of this! Pray for the new Vicar. Joel as he tries to get his head around the work that's already been done, and for us as we meet with him to discuss and plan for 2022.
 Thanks for study: Give thanks that I've finished the first semester of my Biblical counseling study. I have learnt so much for myself and for however God uses me this year and beyond

Martin Povey (UK) 
Praise God for the opportunities to continue to speak of Jesus through ‘A Passion for Life’ events in the first part of April. Please pray for boldness and humility as I preach Christ and him crucified.
 Please pray for me as I help on Edinburgh Theological Seminary's Theology access course on Tuesday nights in April. Pray that I am a help to the students as they dig deeper into evangelism and apologetics
 Festive (UK)
In the run up to Easter, please pray that students in sixth forms/colleges across the country would be bold to share Jesus with their friends. Pray for CUs who are running Easter outreach events and others who plan to give out Easter tracts. Pray over all the seeds that are sown in this season!
The Easter holidays usually mark the beginning of intensive exam revision that will last for the next couple of months. Please pray protection over students from the stress and anxiety that can take a grip at this time, and that the Christian students in particular will be able to know the truth of the assurance they get from being in Christ, and point others to this hope.

James, Carolynn, Toby and Gabriel Webb (Spain)
 
Please pray for our ECM co-workers in Ukraine who are working hard to meet the needs of refugees fleeing the war.
 
Give thanks for a refreshing home assignment in Sydney. Before we fly back to Spain please pray that we would go from 85% to 100% of regular financial support.
 
Please pray for recovery from Covid for James & that we can rearrange the flights back to UK & Spain that we had to cancel at the right time.
 
Susanna Baldwin (Australia)
 
Please pray for the final printing and production of the Plain English Version (PEV) Mini-Bible, which will contain 70% of the New Testament and some excerpts from the Old Testament. Currently the process seems to have stalled somewhere between the publisher and the printer, and it is hard to get information on what is happening. Pray that these hiccups will be quickly resolved so that the Mini-Bible will soon be available for Indigenous Christians to read and use
 
Julian, Nicky, Jemima and Theo Milson (Spain)
Our families in the UK, that they would know and follow Jesus as their Saviour.
For our church family; that we would each grow deeper in our faith and that everyone would take up the challenge of evangelism.
That the Youth Group will continue to flourish and that the young people will be equipped to serve Christ faithfully every day

They are involved in several projects including; a Masters in Strategic Leadership for Ministry (El Aprendiz), El Alfarero Student ministries and the new Mission Training School (AYLA) for Latins.

Many thanks for praying faithfully for us. Here are our prayer points: 
1. Give thanks for the 20 new online students that we have for the Master's Programme
 
​2. Pray for our strategic planning process as Alfarero International that we would be able to plan in order to manage well the growth that we are experiencing and have the structures in place to continue to grow.
 
3. Pray for an Easter retreat that Debbie has written and will lead (14th to 17th April) to help people reflect on the real meaning of Easter.
 
4. Pray for Graham's trip to the UK (April 11th to 21st) to celebrate his Dad's 90th birthday.
 
5. Pray for different health challenges that we are facing and that we would be able to find the right medications and make the lifestyle changes necessary to manage them.
 
6. Pray for wisdom to overcome obstacles in the process of applying for Alfarero UK.
 
7. Continue to pray for the team in Alfarero La Paz as they start discipleship and evangelism and continue to make adjustments in the cafe.
 

This week we are praying for Nelson & Marcia Salviano & their family who live in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Nelson runs ESCALE that supports & trains grass root pastors to correctly handle God’s Word.

Please pray 

1. For our son, Andre and his fiancé, Carol, as they prepare for their marriage on May 1st.
2. For both Camila, our daughter and her husband Mairon as they will hopefully conclude their university courses in the first half of this year.
3. Marica as besides helping as the ESCALE secretary, she is also leading the women's group at our church.
4. For ESCALE for the 2 groups of Pastors that are concluding their courses by April 22 and for forming another group to begin in August.
5. We are planning a Mission Trip to a town called Bacabeira, in the North, more than 1,200 miles away to train leaders and help the community. We don't have a date yet.
6.  Recently we were invited to train grassroots Pastors in the Portuguese speaking countries in Africa, beginning with Moçambique and Guine Bissau. Please pray for wisdom & guidance in these decisions.
7. We are planning to hold Seminars on Expository preaching this year, possibly in July or August. Please pray for the preparation of these.