Worldwide Prayer Meeting December 14, 2023
Prayer Focus: Middle East Region
Worship the King! It is our privilege and joy to be in the service of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. During this time as we move closer to Christmas we are made aware that our King did not arrive in a palace nor did was His birth heralded by proclamations across earthly empires. But His presence made the manger a throne just as the presence of Christ transforms our lowly hearts into a holy place. We worship Him because He only is worthy of our praise and adoration
Prayer
Righteous Father, we thank You for this time of year when we can especially focus on the mission that was Your eternal focus long before the first atom was formed that made the earth. We praise You that before the galaxies formed that we were on Your heart and that Your dear Son was destined to take on flesh and dwell among us. We thank You that He tasted the sweetness and the bitterness of our lives and showed us how we ought to live. We praise You that in His coming, He did not end His time here until He had accomplished all that needed done for our salvation so that on that day when I saw my sin and saw my need for a Savior, You forgave me, cleansed me and made me a new creation in You. I cannot praise You enough for what Jesus’ coming to earth means to me in every moment of my life. Please accept my praise. In the name of Your incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Time for one of our beautiful Christmas classics, “Gesu Bambino”
Background of the Middle East Region
That The Salvation Army is able to be at work in this part of the world is something of a miracle in and of itself. These four countries, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and United Arab Emirates, all share certain things in common:
Ethnically, they are Arabic but heavily dependent on expatriate workers, primarily from South Asia, the Philippines and Asian countries.
- Economically, they have enjoyed their current prosperity because of the presence of oil reserves. However, the oil reserves are starting to decline so there are also efforts being made to diversify the economies for long term growth and prosperity.
- Religiously, they have for many centuries been solidly Muslim and each has in place laws making it illegal to proselytize (convert) Muslims to other faiths.
- Each allows a degree of freedom of religion among the expatriate community. This includes allowing evangelism to and with the expatriates.
- Governmentally, although there are elements of democracy in each, they are governed more or less along traditional lines of a sultanate or kingdom.
- Each is experiencing some friction between traditionalists and progressives, which has been accentuated by the rapid change brought about by the wealth and development that the oil boom has brought.
- Expatriates in these countries are often poorly treated, which has provided an opportunity for ministry among the Christian communities. Human trafficking is an issue both for labor and exploitation for other purposes.
The Salvation Army: Unofficial meetings were held among Salvationists for some years, leading them to contact International Headquarters to request that formal work be opened. Captains Mike and Teresa Hawley with Captains Robert and Glenis Viera from the USA Southern Territory were appointed in August 2008 to open the work in Kuwait, followed by the United Arab Emirates, then Bahrain and finally Oman. It was designated a region in April 2011.
Facts, Stats and Leadership of the Middle East Region
Statistics
- Total population with which to fish and disciple: 19,958,386
- 4 officers, 6 employees
- 8 corps
- 383 senior soldiers
- 38 junior soldiers
Leadership
- Regional Leaders: Majors Douglas and Janet Newman
- Assistant Regional Leaders: Majors Paul and Amy Jo Ferguson
Prayer Requests of the Middle East Region
We praise and give God all the glory:
- That we are able to meet together to praise and honor God within these Muslim countries/kingdom/states.
- For the committed and passionate soldiers, who each pay such a vital role within our Salvation Army families here being the hands and feet of Christ as He opens doors and leads the way.
- For the opportunities to help the vulnerable in the community with such things as food, shelter, wellbeing check-ups, repatriation networks and support, and social/spiritual support.
We ask God:
- To grow The Salvation Army in the Middle East.
- To call Salvationists in the Middle East back into the corps, to strengthen the fold for His purposes and glory.
- To open our eyes and hearts to new opportunities throughout the Region
- To fight injustice where we find it.
- To share the love of God with all we encounter, without discrimination through our love, care and holy living.
- Resources to meet our many and various needs.
- To enable The Salvation Army acceptance and legal registration as a church within the Gulf states.
- Due to the distances and required travel of officers please pray for physical, spiritual, emotional protection and travel mercies.
- That those that have been trafficked or tricked and are deported, receive God’s protection, healing, and provision to also meet any debt which has been incurred trying to improve their family's situation.
USA Southern Territory Prayer Requests
- The family of Commissioner Lennie Feener, who was Promoted to Glory this past week
- Colonel Deborah Sedlar
- Major Matthew Satterlee
- Territorial Commander’s Department
- Kumar Gujarathi, Custom Tailor, Trade
- Peter Witherell, Territorial Planned Giving Director, Planned Giving Department
- Major Patrick Richmond, Director of Personnel, EBC
- Cadet Donna Shea
- Colonel Paula Johnson, Divisional Candidates’ Secretary, Texas Division
- Lt. Colonel David Davis, National Social Service Liaison and Special Representative to Capitol Hill, NHQ
- Lt. Colonels Ronnie and Sharon Raymer, officers, soldiers, employees and volunteers of the North and South Carolina Division
- Angel Tree
- Anonymous prayer request for daughter Melissa who lost her husband a year ago on December 13 as she faces this sad anniversary and has had a difficult year of firsts.
Something to Consider
One of the benefits of playing a horn for over 40 years on the kettles is that I have memorized the Christmas carols. Not only that but I can play them so automatically that I can watch what is going on around me. It was during such a moment that a little boy about 7 or 8 years old stopped by the kettle on his way out of the store. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out a dollar bill and put it in. His adoring mother exuded praise. “Oh, honey, that is so sweet. I am so proud of you. You will help a lot of poor people.” Apparently feeling good about his gift and the resulting attention, he reached in his pocket again for another dollar bill. The mother grabbed his hand, twirled him around and said sharply “Enough is enough!”
The idea of giving is well accepted in our day. But extravagant giving, sacrificial giving – that is another story. This is true not just with holiday giving but giving within the spiritual life of the Army as well. Sad to say the per capita weekly giving of Salvationists still yields embarrassingly small amounts.
We in the West are often put to shame by the sacrificial life of Salvationists in what we call the Third World, in nations that know little of stability, whose economies are a shambles, whose prospects for the future are bleak at best. No more so is this seen than in the nations of sub-Saharan Africa where we have the world’s largest concentration of Salvationists in a desperately poor but constantly rejoicing Army.
The evidence of this can be seen in the everyday acts of quiet giving. Colonel Brian Tuck, a native of South Africa told of a visit he made to Nigeria. There for a conference, Tuck was invited to the home of officers for a meal. Accepting the offer, he went with the officer to his home, small, and by our standards, primitive. The wife welcomed him as did the several children they had. The meal consisted of a single loaf of bread the only food in the house. After thanking God for His goodness, the officer carefully broke the loaf apart giving Tuck the largest piece. “I was moved beyond words,” he said. “As I ate this humble but costly offering I thought, ‘Could there be a more sacramental moment than this one?’ In sharing what they had, they shared all that there was.”
I hear the mother saying, “Enough is enough.”
Someone wiser than me has said that when our life is over and the tally of it is taken, we will not be judged on how much we have saved but on how much we have given. May we learn the secret of the widow’s mite and freely toss to the Lord everything we have. May we hear Him say one day, “When you gave your all it was enough.”
Benediction
Dear God, as I go through this day, challenge my heart with the generosity You showed by surrendering all to come and live among us. Let me share with others in the spirit that You shared Yourself with us. Amen.
To conclude our time together, enjoy “Away in a Manger” by the International Staff Songsters.