Worldwide Prayer Meeting December 7, 2023
Prayer Focus: Norway, Iceland and the Faeroes Territory
Hallelujah! The Lord reigns! Every star must follow the course God sets for it. Every atom must obey God’s laws to exist. The physical world in every aspect bears witness to God’s sovereign rule. What is not subject to His rule now soon will be. Make sure this day that you have bowed the knee before your Creator and that you have named Him as your Lord. His reign in your heart will guarantee that all will be set right.
Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank You for today and all that it has in store. I have some challenges ahead both in my personal life and at work. For many of us in The Salvation Army, it is so very busy and we start to feel tired. But I praise You that I can be in Your service and that what I do for You counts for something. Help me to know, whether I am on the frontline or doing work to support those who are, that when I give my work to You, You take it and sanctify it and use it for Your glory. There is no small gift if it is given entirely to You. Help me to remember that I am to give it freely and trust You with whatever may or may not come from it. Thank You that you give meaning to who I am and what I do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
The Salvation Army Corps Band from Stavanger, Norway gives us this jazzy arrangement entitled, “Blessing” based on the familiar hymn, “Count Your Blessings.”
Background of the Norway, Iceland and Faeroes Territory
Norway: With a strong, diversified and healthy economy, Norway has enjoyed a long period of prosperity. Christianity is by far the dominant religion, led by the Lutheran Church which is also the state church. Norway has traditionally sent missionaries way all over the world out of the proportion of its population. But all is not well. Although 90% of Norwegians are church members, only 4% attend church on any given Sunday. There is a strong commitment to traditional Christianity but it is under attack as the same forces that are besieging Christianity in the rest of Europe are making themselves felt in Norway as well. Half of the population lives in and around the city of Oslo, where the greatest opportunities and challenges lie for Christian ministry.
Iceland: A relatively small volcanic island, Iceland enjoys one of the highest living standards in the world. One of the great challenges before Iceland is balancing growth and development with a very delicate environment.
Christianity is the clearly dominant religion led by the Lutheran Church which is also the state church. However, most Icelanders are only nominally Christian with few who live a vibrant Christian life. Traditionally, evangelicals have been small in number but more recently those numbers are growing.
The Faeroe Islands: A self-governing region of Denmark, the Faeroes Islands is heavily dependent on the fishing industry, which is unfortunately declining. There is some hope for petroleum production but this is not certain. Christianity is the dominant religion led by the Lutheran Church, which as in Norway and Iceland, is also the state church. There is a very active and vibrant expression of evangelical Christianity and the Christians in the Faeroes are very mission minded.
The Salvation Army: The Army opened fire in Norway under the direction of Commissioners Hanna Ouchterlony and George Scott Railton along with Staff-Captain and Mrs. Albert Orsborn on January 22, 1888. Work in Iceland began soon after on May 12, 1895 by Adjutant Christian Eriksen, Captain Thorstein Davidsson and Lieutenant Lange. It spread to the Faeroes Islands where it was pioneered by Ensign E. Juul Pedersen, opening there on October 23, 1924.
Facts, Stats and Leadership of the
Norway, Iceland and Faeroes Territory
Statistics
- Total population with which to fish and disciple: 5,919,381
- 140 officers, 14 envoys, 36 cadets, and 1,709 employees
- 178 retired officers
- 92 corps, 294 outposts
- 4,052 senior soldiers
- 1,880 adherents
- 3 junior soldiers
Leadership
- Territorial Commander: Commissioner Knud David Welander
- Chief Secretary: Colonel Paul Waters
- Territorial President of Women’s Ministries: Commissioner Lisbeth Welander
Prayer Requests of the Norway, Iceland and Faeroes Territory
Norway:
- Pray for all those who are coming to our welfare centers and corps for help in a difficult time with rising costs. We pray that they will also feel valuable and seen.
- Pray for all officers, staff and volunteers who meet these people in the frontline. We pray for courage, strength and blessing.
- Pray for children, youth and families who participate in one way or another in our various programs.
- We are thankful that we still have the capacity to be able to support people in a difficult time with financial challenges.
The Faeroes:
- Pray for all our wonderful young people. That they must have a conscious relationship of what they believe in, and that they will be protected.
- Pray that we can grow and that new people will find Jesus as their Savior.
- Pray that we get good employees and volunteers for the work.
- Pray that we can function in the society in which we live.
Iceland:
- Pray that in our corps and other places where we work that God will help us to care for the people He has sent to us and give us courage and strength to continue being an inclusive fellowship for everyone coming and taking part in our activities.
- Pray for the situation that is right now in Iceland with the volcano at Grindavik. Pray for people who have to leave their homes and live with uncertainty about how this will develop.
USA Southern Territory Prayer Requests
- The Family of Major Rosalie Chastain who was Promoted to Glory last week
- Commissioner Donna Igleheart
- Captain Leon Farraez
- Spiritual Life Development Department
- Ed Escobar, Missions & Cultural Ministries Assistant, Mission & Cultural Ministries
- Barbara Gunning, Estate and Trust Specialist/Probate Paralegal, Legal
- Darrien Johnson, DSS Network/IT Systems Administrator, ARC Command
- Captain Lorraine Crawford, Divisional Candidates’ Secretary, Potomac Division
- Christopher Corbitt, Music & Gospel Arts Director, EBC
- Cadet Jeremiah Crawford
- Lt. Colonel George Baker, National Secretary for the World Services Office, NHQ
- Majors Algerome and Teresa Newsome, the officers, soldiers, employees and volunteers of the Georgia Division
- Community Care Ministry
Something to Consider
Recently a jet flying from Atlanta to Belgium had to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport in New York. Was it a sick passenger? Was someone unruly and had to be removed? No. The cargo plane had to land because a horse had escaped its stall. I expect that this created a number of problems. A horse wandering around the cargo hold could no doubt find a great deal of mischief on a pan-Atlantic flight. And given the weight of the average horse, the shifting weight might cause some concern to the aircraft, although not much to the larger ones. And of course, an unsecured horse would be in danger as the plane landed and could be severely injured by not being secured, although I’m not sure how they addressed this during the emergency landing.
When things get loose, they can cause a lot of damage. Sometimes things get loose with us. We know the damage that can be caused by a loose tongue. The Bible cautions, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).
Then there’s the problem of someone who looses his/her temper. “A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated” (Proverbs 14:17).
We could go on with a host of things but suffice it to say that some things need to be corralled. Or they will be as out of place as a wandering horse at 40,000 feet.
Benediction
Go in the strength found in the Lord who loved you and sought you, who sent His Son to save you and who, when you seek Him, you will find He is already seeking you. Amen.
This is a video that will get your heart going with a great gospel song by the Mississippi Mass Choir singing “When I Rose This Morning.”