Prayer Request 1/3--1/9

Tuesday
According to the yearly government survey, 74.4 % of Chinese are happy with the international prestige of China. But nearly 40% are dissatisfied with “ traditional morality,” a 24% jump in disapproval. Let us pray for the testimony of all the believers and their churches in the New Year. May the Lord empower each one of them as the light and salt to their community .

Wednesday
The government reports that 90% of urban Chinese celebrated Christmas Eve in some way, as more people gave gifts and merchants enjoyed a strong Christmas sale. Open churches throughout China report packed worshippers and spectators. The popularity of Christmas brings mixed blessings for churches in a more tolerant and commercialized but spiritually empty society. Let us pray for renewed zeal for evangelism by all churches .

Thursday
In the government examination to recruit workers this year, there was an increase of nearly 50% (365,000) over a year ago. A whopping 38% of college graduates want to work for the government while only 7% want to have their own businesses. Let us pray for all the college students who are considering the calling to go into full-time ministry at this time. Churches in China desperately need a new generation of workers with a college education and advanced theological training .

Friday
“A cigarette, a cup of tea and a newspaper until time to go home” is the common image of the civil servant in China. While the image lingers, there are some changes in many places now staffed with young MBAs trained abroad.There is also a new crop of pastors with newer styles of preaching and ministering in urban churches. Let us pray for all these young (under 40) pastors and church workers .

Saturday
What do factory workers do when they aren’t working? Fifty-eight percent say there is little time or really nothing to do. Twenty-eight percent chose karaoke among preferred recreations. Some Hong Kong churches are helping the open churches in Guangdong by offering fellowship and Bible study groups in the factories complete with karaoke. Let us remember these unique outreaches in the factories .

Sunday
Most of the marital counseling in Guangdong involves extra-marital affairs. Career women and housewives account for nearly 40% of the cases. Experts attribute this to the good incomes and busy lifestyles of these groups.The divorce rate in Guangzhou has doubled in 2005 compared with last year. Very few churches offer marriage counseling and generally lack teaching on sexual purity. Let us remember the need for teaching and examples of a Christ-centered family .

Monday
China has 17 million college students. Nearly a fourth of them are “adult” students working toward a two-year certificate but still they are considered as “second-class citizens” by employers. A great majority of church workers have little schooling beyond the ninth grade. Let us pray for excellent training and spiritual formation for all of them. We remember, too, all of the correspondence courses, radio classrooms, and short-term training sessions for lay leaders in the churches .

星期二
根據一項中國2005年常規民意的調查顯示：民眾的總體幸福感較２００４年有所提高，但對家庭生活的綜合滿意度降低。其中對國家國際地位的滿意度最高，為74.4％；對「傳統道德」指數的不滿意度為38.2%，比去年上升了24個百分點，升幅最大。讓我們為所有教會與信徒禱告，在新的一年為主作美好的見證，在社區中作光作鹽。

星期三
根據政府報告，90%的城市居民會以各種方式歡慶聖誕夜，朋友互相交換禮物及聖誕節打折活動也使商人的荷包進帳不少。全國各地的教會也湧進大量人群，有的前來敬拜神，有的則是來看熱鬧。聖誕節在中國的流行，顯示出社會對教會更加接納，但夾雜濃厚的商業氣氛反而模糊了聖誕節的屬靈意涵。讓我們為所有教會屬靈更新、滿有傳福音的熱忱禱告。

星期四
全國有36.5萬人報考2006年中央國家公務員考試，比上期增加了近50%。據統計有近38%畢業生選擇到政府機關工作，平均每個崗位有35人競爭，某些職位還超過2,000人角逐；僅7%的人想自己創業當老闆。中國教會迫切需要新一代服事同工，求神親自帶領祂所撿選的門徒，尤其是受過高等教育並神學裝備的生力軍。

星期五
「一支煙、一杯茶、一張報紙到下班」，是過去人們對公務員的刻版印象。但現在一些具碩、博士背景、出過國留學的菁英進入政府部門，改變了工作環境並提高了競爭力。同樣的，在教會中也有一批具新興風格的年輕牧者，讓我們為所有這些年輕的(40歲以下)牧者與同工來禱告，不叫人小看他們年輕，求主保守他們在言語愛心信心和行為上都作信徒的榜樣。

星期六
「民工業餘閒暇之時在做什麼？」58%回答「極少有業餘時間」、「無所事事」。28%選擇唱卡拉OK為消遣。一些香港教會持續以行動支持廣東教會的事工，許多工廠查經班成立的團契，均附設卡拉ＯＫ。讓我們在禱告中紀念這些事工，「我栽種了，亞波羅澆灌了，唯有神叫他生長」。

星期日
廣東省的婚姻輔導案例中，大多數與婚外情有關。女方有外遇的情況約40%，由於收入優渥與生活忙碌，使得職業婦女與家庭主婦成為高危險人群。２005年廣州的離婚率也比去年增加一倍。國內教會普遍缺少婚姻諮詢的輔導與持守聖潔的教導，讓我們在禱告中紀念現實的迫切需求，願信徒家庭能尊基督為首並在教會中作美好的榜樣。

星期一
中國的高校生(不包括研究生)已達1,700萬，居世界第一。其中近四分之一是接受成人教育，經過兩年的學習後獲得一張國家認可的大學畢業文憑，但是他們仍被視為勞動力市場上的二等公民。許多的教會同工都只是初中畢業，讓我們為他們的培訓與屬靈塑造來禱告，同時也紀念專為平信徒提供的信仰函授課程、廣播空中教室、短期訓練等等聖工。