NECF Monthly Prayer Bulletin - June 2011
1. Global Day of Prayer
The 2011 Global Day of Prayer (GDOP) will be held on the 12th of June. It is an event hosted across the globe originating from South Africa. In Malaysia, 40 different cities and towns have committed to participating in this event. In the Klang Valley, the GDOP will be held at four different venues catering to the four language speaking congregations namely English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil. GDOP is a response to the call to corporate repentance and prayer for the transformation of the nation and the globe. It is always preceded by 10 Days of Prayer and followed by the 90 Days of Blessings where Christians are challenged to bless their communities in practical ways. Let us pray for Christians all across Malaysia to come together in unity and prayer. May they be instruments of blessing through prayer and action for His glory.
2. Nation
Media
Over time and especially in recent days, the level of reporting and journalism in Malaysia has become a great concern. Unsubstantiated and sensitive reports have been published, creating tension among various parties in the country. Pray that those in the power to influence the public in the area of media will uphold integrity and be responsible for the information that they distribute. Pray also that the authorities will act justly by taking the appropriate measures to address this phenomenon and that they will take action boldly against those who seek to behave irresponsibly.
Inflation
It has been pointed out recently that the government could no longer maintain the current subsidies, signalling the inevitability of inflation. Petrol subsidies, according to Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, are "like opium" to the Malaysian economy and will have to be reduced in stages to bring the budget deficit under control. This statement comes hot on the heels of the latest 20 sen increase in sugar prices, the fourth such increase in 18 months. For a long time, subsidies have played a vital role in absorbing the rising cost of food, basic services, and other products in Malaysian households. Hence, pray that the government will implement reasonable measures as they reduce subsidies to the public, and that they will manage Malaysia's finances wisely for the wellbeing of the nation's people and her future. Pray also that as these plans are carried out, that the public will be prepared to accommodate the difficulty of these changes, especially those who are worst hit by impending inflation.
3. World
Syria
Following the wave of unrest sweeping through most of the Arab world, large protests began in March in the town of Dara'a, where citizens were outraged by the arrest of more than a dozen schoolchildren. They had written graffiti on the wall the slogan of the Arab uprising: "The people want the regime to fall." Demonstrations broke out in several cities and then grew rapidly after security forces fired on protesters as the people challenged President Bashar al-Assad's iron-fisted autocratic rule. Protesters continued to gather, undaunted by the government's use of force to quell weeks of unrest, witnesses said. Security officers have responded with deadly force, witnesses reported, including live ammunition fired at a funeral and the seizure of critically wounded demonstrators from a hospital. Over 850 people have been killed over the past two months and activists say at least 10,000 protesters had been detained in a mass arrest campaign. Pray that the violence and repression in Syria will come to an end.
Egypt
Though the protests are over and Mubarak's regime has been removed, Egypt is far from the country that her people hoped it would be. Since his ousting, Egypt has been gripped by national insecurity and sectarian unrest, while – by the government's admission – a "counter-revolution" by remnants of the old regime aimed at sowing chaos. Muslim-Christian clashes on the 8th of May in Cairo left at least 12 dead and about 220 injured, according to officials. Two churches were left in flames as angry demonstrations erupted in the capital after fighting broke out over rumours (which turned out to be false) that a Christian woman was being held inside a church and prevented from converting to Islam. In March, 13 people died in similar clashes in another neighbourhood. In April, demonstrators in the southern city of Qena cut all transport links with Cairo for a week in protest over the appointment of a Christian governor. In view of these events, pray for the authorities to take appropriate measures to improve internal security, and establish peace and unity in the nation. Pray that the Muslims and Christians would be willing to cooperate instead of resorting violence as it is a solution that results in death, injury and further tension.
4. NECF Malaysia
Chinese Prayer Camp
This prayer camp with the theme of "Lighting Up the Unity Altar" will be held on the 3rd to 5th of July at KL Methodist Hokkien Church to encourage unity and togetherness. The focus would be to pray and intercede for the transformation and renewing of the nation in this area.
The speakers of the camp will be covering various aspects of unity, including the challenge of church unity, unity in relation to current events affecting our nation, unity of the young and older generations and the church's mission mandate. Pray that as the camp draws closer, that response for the camp will continue to grow and that God will anoint and impress His message upon the speakers to empower the participants. Pray that the execution of the planning and logistics still underway and during the event itself will run smoothly so that there will be no hindrance for the Spirit of God to move as His people pray and intercede for the nation.
Unashamedly Ethical Campaign
Unashamedly Ethical (UE) is a movement that brings individuals to say "NO" to bribery and corruption, under the UE Covenant Campaign in which many countries across the globe have adopted. The UE Conference came to Malaysia and was conducted in three places: Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur and Penang in April and May this year. The conference challenged participants to sign a pledge, committing themselves to uphold ethics, values and clean living in their personal lives, businesses and other spheres of influence. A total of 700 pledges have been submitted online to date, on top of almost 2000 pledges being keyed in. In addition to these individual pledges, business organizational commitments have also been signed by participants in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Sibu. Pray that those who attended the conferences will courageously stand up against bribery and corruption and inspire others to do so as well. Also pray that follow up and continued pursuance of the UE campaign will be carried out nationwide to impact and make a difference in the various communities in Malaysia.
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