Prayers for the World:

Those impacted by the wildfire crisis in Australia which has killed at least 27 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes, killed an estimated 1 billion animals, and scorched an area larger than the state of Indiana since September. Approximately 50 fires remain uncontained.

Our partners in the Fraternity of Baptist Churches of Cuba as they are experiencing shortages of basic foods, medicine, and high fuel prices. New last week, the U.S. presidential administration issued an order to cap the number of U.S. public charter flights permitted to fly into Havana. The new regulations are intended to further restrict U.S. dollars from going to Cuba’s government. The U.S. actions are one step closer to closing travel to Cuba altogether. Among those standing to lose from these senseless and cruel policies are our partner churches in Cuba.

Those impacted by the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran , including the assassination of General Soleimani by the U.S., and the loss of lives resulting from the missile strike by Iran that downed a Ukrainian commercial airliner, and impacted families and nations worldwide. Our prayers are largely focused on the Iranian people who have not only experienced internal oppression and human rights abuses, they have also suffered from economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. We pray for all in Iran who fear U.S. retaliation with the awareness the U.S. has more than two dozen military bases in ten countries surrounding Iran.

The people of Puerto Rico for whom the earth has not stopped shaking since Dec. 28. We lift our prayers for these people who have been experiencing unceasing natural disasters the past two years. For those holding anxiety, grief, stress, confusion and exhaustion, we pray. Among them are members of our larger Baptist family. May Jesus who calmed the storm (Luke 8:22-25) accompany you and bring you peace in the midst of this crisis. 

The news of an anticipated presidential travel ban announcement focusing on excluding travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, as well as Venezuela and North Korea is heartbreaking. We raise our prayers for the families impacted by the presidential administration’s travel ban, for those cruelly and unreasonably separated from relatives, and those stranded in conflict zones. 

Continuing prayers for the congregations of the African Baptist Churches of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Theological Seminary , and the Ketunda Children’s Home , along with the communities they serve, as they are suffering severe effects of climate change along with political and economic instability which are contributing to widespread hunger and malnutrition. Read more: pray, learn, and give.

Crossing Lines Africa has successfully completed a conflict transformation training with church leaders in Kenya. We celebrate this work of Philip Kakungulu, an Active Hope Partner of the Alliance, and we offer continued prayer support for perseverance as he encounters resistance and misunderstanding in his peacemaking and ministry welcoming all. 

We pray alongside…

Kathy Manis Findley , Macon, Ga., who continues to recover from her kidney transplant in November. She writes: “ Your prayers mean so much...Recovery is difficult and will last for many months, so I need your continuing prayers. Thank you all for being such an important part of my journey.”

The family of Jennie Easterly , Pickens, S.C. who died on January 15, 2020. Jennie is the mother of Tonya Vickery, co-pastor of congregational partner Cullowhee Baptist Church, Cullowhee, N.C.

Jim Pike , Chapel Hill, N.C. as he is recovering from an infection following a Nov. 26 aortic valve replacement surgery. Jim, his son Andrew reports, is stable and doing much better than a year ago, and Jim's plan to have a much healthier 2020! Jim is a member of congregational partner Pullen Memorial Baptist Church and is retired from serving Binkley Baptist Church, Chapel Hill, as pastor.

The family of Joseph Wendell Smith , who died December 9, 2019. The pastor and missionary was also father to Kevin Smith, who is married to Karen Thomas Smith and shares life and ministry with her at Al Akhawayn University, Irane, Morocco, where Karen is an Active Hope ministry partner serving the university as chaplain in an interfaith context. A service celebrating his life was held Dec. 14 at Rineyville Baptist Church, Kentucky.

We celebrate alongside…

Susan Chorley , Jamaica Plain, Mass., who has been called to serve as pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Norwell, Mass. in a part-time capacity. Most recently Susan served as executive director of a national non-profit abortion counseling talkline, Exhale, an organization of which she was a founder.

Emily Holladay , who has been called as pastor of congregational partner Village Baptist Church, Bowie, Md. Emily has a history with Alliance congregational and individual partners beginning with her college years at Southside Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala. where she was ordained. She has served on staff of Crescent Hill and Broadway Baptist Churches, Louisville, Ken., Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mt., Ga., and on the staff of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. She recently moved to Maryland with her husband and newborn son. Congratulations on her call to serve Village Baptist Church!