Prayer Request 10/4--10/10

Tuesday
Five years after it infiltrated China's historic Forbidden City, Starbucks has opened a shop at the Great Wall. With prices about the same as its American counterparts, going there is considered a status symbol, especially among young professionals.Translated American books are the majority of Christian titled published in China. Chinese believers in comparison have very little to read. Let us pray for more culturally relevant Christian books and other literature .

Wednesday
The city of Beijing will eliminate tenure for all professors and teachers employed in the municipal system and replace them by a comprehensive performance-based contract system. Teaching has been thought of as the last "secure job". We should take time to remember all the professors who teach in all the seminaries and Bible schools. Let us pray for their diligent teaching of the inerrant World of God with an emphasis on personal spiritual formation .

Thursday
With a life expectancy of nearly eighty years, residents of Beijing enjoy the longest lives of any people in all of China. The government attributes this to the presence of more doctors, 3811 designated centers for exercise plus many activities for seniors there.The majority of Chinese senior citizens live with their families. Let us pray for all the churches who have special ministries reaching out to the homebound. A great need is for audio Bibles and devotional recordings for those who are not able to read well .

Friday
Road construction has become ubiquitous throughout the China's West. The Erlanshan tunnel, on the Chengdu-Tibet road, is celebrated as a Chinese engineering marvel as great as the Three Gorges Dam. (The) Dali Lama said easy transportation to Tibet could lead to "cultural genocide", the destruction of its cultural preservation. Let us pray for the slow, often difficult but steady work of evangelism in Buddhist Tibet .

Saturday
In Chinese cities more than seventy percent of teachers are women but in rural regions only forty-two percent are women. Being a female teacher carries much stress and burden, such as becoming a parent to the students raised by grandparents.Rural church workers are mostly female. Shepherding multi-generations flocks with little support is common. Let us pray for strength, comfort and helpers for all female church workers in the rural and remote regions .

Sunday
By the end of this decade, China will have twenty-three million more marriageable young men than women. Experts call this the "Marriage Squeeze" saying it will have a serious political and social impact the same as crime, HIV, and sexually transmitted diseases. More and more Christian young women must choose between marrying a non-believer or not being able to marry at all. Family pressure compounds the situation. Let us remember the young women in all the churches that they will be faithful and serve the Lord .

Monday
Even to Chinese from other parts of China, Shanghai is like a foreign city. Shanghainese, the local dialect is nearly unintelligible to untrained ears so the government has decided to enforce the use of Putonghua (official Mandarin Chinese) in all public communication including TV, radio, and schools.While many churches in Shanghai have been formed specifically for those seeking work there from the surrounding provinces, the city has proved to be a place where the local citizens are hardened toward the gospel. Let us pray for spiritual revival in this huge city and growing evangelism among the migrant workers .

星期二
五年前，星巴克咖啡進駐紫禁城開設分店，現在星巴克更把生意版圖擴大到萬里長城。星巴克的價格不是一般百姓能負擔的，到星巴克不只是喝咖啡而已，更成為一種社會地位的表徵。在中國基督教書籍中，以翻譯英文書籍為目前最大宗的出版品，但數量仍是無法餵養廣大信徒靈裡的需要。讓我們一起禱告，有更多符合中國信徒文化背景的書籍與文學作品問世。

星期三
今後北京33所市屬高校，將取消教授、副教授等頭銜的終身制，代之以全面實行教師聘任制和全員聘用合同制。高校老師的薪水也將實行以崗定薪、崗變薪變的分配制度不再是永不失業的鐵飯碗。我們特別在禱告中紀念神學院與聖經學校的教職人員，願他們能剛強壯膽不懼怕，殷勤地傳講神的話語，述說神國的事。

星期四
北京地區人口的平均預期壽命將近八十歲，高居全國之首。一方面是因為有更多專業醫護人員投入，另一方面則是全民健身設施等社會福利保險制度推行，有3811間居民健身活動場所，提供居民與年長者活動的空間。大部分的年長者仍與孩子們同住，讓我們在禱告中紀念國內對於影音聖經光碟與錄音的大量需求，祝福它們成為年長者認識福音最好的媒介。

星期五
中國西部地區，道路工程建設隨處可見，成都-西藏公路上的賀蘭山隧道，已被喻為中國工程史上的奇蹟，足以與長江三峽大壩媲美。達賴喇嘛認為，西藏交通運輸便利化可能會帶來文化的滅絕，摧毀長期努力保留的文化資產。讓我們在禱告中紀念西藏地區的福音工作，雖然艱難且緩慢，但願神親自開路。

星期六
在國內城市中，超過70%以上的教師為女性，但農村地區，女老師的比例只有42%。女性擔任教師，遠比男性要承受更多的壓力與重擔，隔代教養的孩童也經常把對母親的思念投射在女老師身上。農村和偏遠地區的教會同工也多為女性，肩負餵養不同世代的需要，卻少獲支持。讓我們以禱告托住她們，願從神來的力量、安慰與祝福，源源不斷地加添她們每日的需要。

星期日
中國人口男女比例失衡情形日益嚴重，到2010年適婚男性將比女性多出二千三百萬人。專家指出這種「婚姻擁擠」(Marriage Squeeze)現象，將會導致犯罪、愛滋病、性病交互傳染等嚴重的社會問題。越來越多的女性信徒，不是選擇與非信徒結婚，就是不結婚，來自家裡的壓力也使情況越來越複雜。讓我們在禱告中紀念單身的女信徒，願她們能以主為生命的滿足，一路跟隨主忠心服事主。

星期一
在其他中國人眼中，上海話是相當艱澀難懂的，上海話通行的上海市儼然已成一個「外國」城市。因此市政府強制所有上海的大眾媒體包括電視、廣播與各級學校，都要說普通話。隨著上海人生活的富庶，當地居民是越來越難接受福音。現在上海許多教會都有針對外來的民工的事工。讓我們為這富裕國際都市的屬靈復興禱告，也盼望有更多民工能接受福音真理。