Prayer Request 3/22 - 3/28

Tuesday
“Too many government officials!” There is one government worker for every 26 Chinese, the highest ever, the delegates of People’s Congress complained. At every level of government, there is also a parallel Party-hierarchy. In 2002, the Communist Party boasts 66 millions members. Let us pray for opportunity of witness to them and especially those who are believers but elected to stay in the Party system.

Wednesday
One-third of urban Chinese youth condone extra-marital affairs and sex before marriage, state press said. While most said marriage was indispensable to life, but only 65 % believed a marriage should last for life. The One-child-only generation clearly has a very different view of family. Biblical stand of family and marriage has little voice in this once “conservative” society. Let us pray for the all the young believers, especially their commitment to the Lord with purity.

Thursday
National People’s Congress called for changes in the judicial system to end collusion between judges and lawyers. Frequently, lawyers make up to ten times more than judges. Last year, the entire Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court was arrested for corruption. As money corrupts the judicial court, churches and ministries face the same temptation. Let us pray for guarding of hearts and integrity for all who manages and handle funds in churches.

Friday
“Left Behind Children” are kids 15 and younger, whose parents work in cities and living with grandparents. “Moral decay” has become their biggest problem. In many villages, 70% of children have no parents with them. In one study, 20% of juvenile delinquency is from this group. Rural church already suffers shortage of worker, low morale and graying of members. There seems like no resources and ability to cope with problem. Let us plead to God on their behalf.

Saturday
Mothers head nearly 90% of the single-parents families in China. Alarmingly, only half of these families have “adequate” relationship. Divorced father easily remarries and while most mothers sink into poverty. Single mother as a group is now an important ministry for churches. Traditionally, divorced people are not well-accepted. Let us pray for the huge need of counseling and support ministry for divorced-mother headed household.

Sunday
Dalai Lama recently renewed his commitment not to seek the independence of Tibet from China. Tibetans are found not only in Tibet, but also in the neighboring provinces. 20 % of Qinghai population and many villages in western Sichuan are ethnic Tibetan. While Tibet is less accessible, opportunities exist for evangelism to Tibetans in other provinces. Let us continue to pray for several ministries who are involve in community development work and direct witnessing in these remote regions.

Monday
On March 1, the new Regulations on Religious Affairs was enacted, government claims this is a step towards religious freedom. Some younger house church leaders are optimistic and say they will register, but there is also increases penalties for unregistered churches. Chinese house church leaders testified for the first time before the UN Human Rights Commission. Let us pray for hundreds of thousands of church leaders who struggle with the difficult decision of whether to register.

星期二
中國官民比例，已達史無前例的程度，10年前爲1比40；改革開放初期爲1比67。如今每26個老百姓，就要養活1個官。目前中國是黨領導一切，上到中央，下到基層，任何機構，設置黨政兩套班子。比如，除了省長，還有省委書記；除了校長，還有校黨委書記．今天共產黨再次積極吸引社會菁英入黨，讓我們藉著這個機會為超過6600萬共產黨員的來禱告，願主耶穌偉大無比的救恩能臨及他們，也為已經信主的黨員能在黨內作光作鹽代禱。

星期三
實行"一胎化"政策下出生的新一代現在正好爲青年階段。三分之一的都市青年人認爲婚外情和婚前性行爲不但是可容忍，甚至是“有益”的。雖然大部分的受訪者認爲婚姻是生命不可或缺的一部分，僅有65%的人相信婚姻應該維繫一輩子。新一代在婚姻觀有顯著的改變，以聖經為基礎的家庭觀念在這個曾經”保守”的社會漸漸失去其聲量，讓我們也為家庭事工機構禱告，讓他們對中國家庭有更深的影響力去抵擋扭曲的社會價值觀，帶來神所祝福的婚姻觀念。

星期四
由律師們協助完成的司法改革報告是兩會中引人注目的焦點之一。該報告提出的“五年改革綱要”，推動中國司法獨立改革，改革法院的審判委員會制度，解决審判委員會“審而不判、判而不審”的問題。司法行賄等違法行為往往影響法院的判決，主內的同工領袖也常常要面對金錢試探，求主保守他們的心懷意念，財務上不留下任何破口，能榮耀主名來禱告。

星期五
許多農民長年在外打工，產生了一特殊群體—留守兒童。在部分地區，和祖父母或親戚同住的留守兒童，高達七成。刑事犯罪統計中，有近20％爲這類孩子，“道德滑坡”是留守兒童的普遍現象，更是一個不可忽視的社會問題。農村當中缺乏傳道人，教會中同工的流失讓問題更為嚴重，讓我們為這個現象來禱告，願神的手自己來改變。

星期六
單親家庭中，90％以上是母親與子女同住，僅有不到50％的母親能保持離婚前那種融洽的母子關係，一般單親爸爸會很快找個女人替他看孩子，而單親媽媽怕孩子受委屈，寧願選擇單身一個人扛著家計，許多生活水平幾乎接近貧困線。現代社會已較能接納單親媽媽現象，她們往往為子女的好處不計得失竭力付出。也求主看顧教會裡單親媽媽的需要，興起教會來照顧這個日益擴大的族群。

星期日
西藏流亡精神領袖達賴喇嘛表示，他不贊同西藏跟中國分離，西藏是中華人民共和國的一部分。在他做出這一新表示的同時，西藏流亡政府的特使將在今年與北京商討西藏的自治地位問題。20%的青海人口及四川西部的村莊為藏族。西藏的基督徒棄絕佛教信仰、需面對族人的隔離與孤立。在西藏向人傳福音不易，但出西藏就容易多了。禱告神保守藏族信徒並使他們持續堅守信心，也紀念辛苦工作的宣教士。

星期一
從三月一日起，新制訂的宗教事務法正式施行，中國政府宣稱朝著宗教自由的目標又邁進一步。有些家庭教會的年輕領袖們樂觀地表示將會前往註冊，新法規也對沒有註冊的教會也加重了處分。近日中國家庭教會的領袖第一次在聯合國人權協會聽証會上作証受到迫害，使得目前許多教會領袖們的顧慮仍多。讓我們為為數頗眾的家庭教會領袖切切代禱，求主賜給他們屬天的智慧來面對這樣的情況。