Prayer Request 5/1 - 5/7

Tuesday
The Communist Youth League served as the cradle for generations of Chinese leaders, who rose through it into the high ranks of the party. In China the youth are often the weakest link, if not the missing piece in church ministry. We ​pray that the leaders in the church will redouble their efforts to prepare their young people spiritually and to know the Lord deeply as they invariably are bogged down with school work and the pressure of examinations.
Wednesday
The Communist Youth League in China has been stained by corruption and the criticism​ that it has fallen out of touch with the youthful idealism it was supposed to inspire. Historically, many pastors in China feel distant or intimidated by young and highly educated members in their churches. We pray for more pastors who can teach Biblical truth in a more modern and fresh fashion, making God's Word relevant for young people rather than using only the old-fashioned preaching method. ​
Thursday
The Communist Youth League traces its inception to the formation of the Chinese Communist Party in the early 1920s, to serve as a bridge to students, young workers, and other potential inductees into the Communist revolution. Churches in China cannot continue to grow youth and young adult ministries as in the past. We pray more pastors and churches will not simply complain about the young people and their culture but will minister to and bless the younger believers as Jesus did.​
Friday
The Youth League of China has about 87.5 million members, many of them ​are ​university students who hope to eventually join the party. The maximum age is about 28 for The Youth League. We praise God for the addition of many college students to churches in the cities and we pray that​ churches will intentionally reach out to more students, especially those churches that are situated near campuses or where young people congregate.
Saturday
In the late 1970's after the Cultural Revolution, the Communist Party leaders in China knew that age would soon catch up with them and made plans to fill the talent gap.​ ​Hence, the Youth League became an important training ground for nurturing potential successors. Churches need to intentionally raise up​ younger leaders, too . We pray for more pastors who will not merely exercise their authority and exclude the younger leaders, but will mentor such pastors and share the recognition with them.
Sunday
One of the criticisms of The Youth League has been that they are​ “spending too much time sitting in an office trying to get promoted without any practical experience.” We pray for ​ the ​youth ministry of churches in China, many of them ​have ​never heard ​about ​the availability of training, much less the idea and concept of youth ministry. We pray for those who provide and receive the training, we too pray ​that their churches will soon see the benefit and blessing of such ministry.
Monday
In Southwest China, Bible training classes are the only way to provide the badly needed pastors for the ethnic minorities there even though these churches are usually poor, culturally and traditionally distinct from Han Chinese churches, and unable to support their shepherds. We pray for the need for church workers for ethnic minorities in China, specifically for the need of teachers to train pastors and financial support for their pastors.


星期二
共青團曾是好幾代中國領導人的搖籃，這些年輕黨員通過在共青團內擔任職位晉陞到黨的高層。在中國教會事工中，青年事工往往是最薄弱的一環，甚至在一些教會裡根本不存在。我們求主幫助教會領袖們加倍努力牧養年輕人，好叫年輕信徒更深認識神，免得他們受課業學習和升學壓力而離開教會。
星期三
近些年來，共青團受到腐敗風氣的牽連，還有人批評共青團脫離群眾，未起到其本該在年輕人中啟發理想主義的作用。老一代的中國傳道人和年輕高知識的信徒間的確也有很大的挑戰。我們求主預備更多牧者，能用現代的表達方式靈巧地傳遞聖經真理，也能將神的話語生活化，幫助年輕一代信徒將神的道應用在生活當中。
星期四
共青團的開端可追溯至1920年代中國共產黨的成立之初，它為學生、青年工人，以及其他可能參加共產主義革命的人起了橋樑作用。 中國的教會不能像過去，繼續忽視青少年和青年事工。求主興起更多的牧者和教會，不是單單抱怨年輕人和他們的文化，而是要如同主耶穌，走入幼小和年輕人群中服事他們。
星期五
中國共青團擁有8750萬團員，其中許多是希望最終加入共產黨的大學生，一般團員的最高年齡大約是28歲。我們為近年教會當中(尤其是城市教會中)添加了不少大學生感恩。求主興起更多教會積極又有策略地關懷大學生的靈命需要，特別是那些在大學附近或是年輕人衆多的社區裡。
星期六
1970年代後期，文化大革命結束了，共產黨面臨人才缺口。當時的元老知道，年齡不饒人，所以制定了培育潛在接班人的計劃，共青團就成了一個重要的培訓基地。中國教會實在需要刻意栽培年輕一代的領袖。我們為教會牧者和領袖們禱告，輔導建造年輕領袖，不緊緊抓住權力，願意他們分享事奉的經歷，以生命影響生命。
星期日
共青團被人批評之一是，團領導們花很多時間坐辦公室，為了讓自己得到晉陞，而不是去獲得任何實地的實踐經驗。我們為中國教會的青年事工的重要和急迫性祈禱，至今仍有很多教會還沒這樣的理念和培訓。我們為那些提供和接受培訓的人禱告，願神大大使用他們，也幫助他們的教會能看到年輕一代得蒙神的祝福，將神的道薪火相傳。
星期一
在中國西南地區，少數民族的神學班是培訓附近教會的傳道人。少數族群教會的奉獻通常都不足，弟兄姊妹較沒有供應傳道人的能力，傳道人須自給自足；而信仰上，少數族群仍須突破文化與傳統的限制。我們在禱告中記念少數民族教會工人的嚴重短缺，求主為他們預備合適的培訓老師和供應牧者的經濟需要。