Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,
Our summers in Bemidji are such an amazing blessing. Praise God for blue skies, green foliage, and
incredible lakes in which to fish and swim! Let’s keep praying that our church will continue to be a
gospel beacon in the midst of the incredible up north playground with which God has blessed us.
As I think back over this past month or so, I’m thankful to God for the wonderful ways he’s been at
work. Let’s continue to pray for those on our prayer chain who are navigating various health
challenges. Praise God for the ways He’s been helping and healing those for whom we’ve been
praying. And let’s keep praying for those who continue to have needs. Praise God for a wonderful 4 th
of July weekend and our Trail Life and Kids Ministry presence in this year’s parade. Let’s keep
praying that the hundreds of invitations we handed out will draw people to participate in the ministries
of our church. Pray that our gospel reach is effective both outside and inside of our church walls.
Praise God for continued strong attendance at our combined 9:30 summer worship service. Pray that
our worship music, our teaching from God’s Word, and our fellowship in the Lord will continue to
honor God and grow each one of us in discipleship. Pray for our time together in the Connection Café
as well as our summer kids Sunday School and Intergenerational discipleship. Also, please pray for
our Kids Church ministry that meets downstairs during the service. Praise God for our many faithful
volunteers who are keeping these ministries going during our summer months, including our faithful
technology team, kitchen servers, and welcome team just to name a few.
Please continue to pray for our senior adults. Praise God for their ongoing monthly Senior Connection
meals. Pray that each one will enjoy meaningful fellowship, good food, and encouragement through
the Lord and time together. Pray also for those who aren’t able to get out much. Pray that they will
have the help and services they need for a good quality of life. Praise God for the many people from
our church who are making an investment in others by visiting them at their homes and serving them
in a variety of tangible ways. May God be honored as we remember those who are out of sight, but
not out of our hearts and minds. Pray for increasingly more people to join Jan Hendrickson in her
wonderful caregiving ministry. Pray also for our Servant Team as they help in so many ways.
Once again, praise God for providing us with our new Facility Supervisor, Corbin McCray. Pray for
Corbin as he learns the job and carries out this ministry. Pray that he’ll be effective in caring for our
building and grounds in order to maximize our church’s discipleship mission. Please also pray for our
various boards and committees as they conduct our church business and plan for future ministry.
Pray for our elders, trustees, Nominating Committee, Worship Committee, Christian Education
Committee, and more. Praise God for an active full church schedule. Pray that these meetings and
activities will be Christ-centered, and gospel driven. May genuine discipleship continue to flourish for
young and old alike.
Praise God for summer youth group and our kids ministry Diamond Point Park outreaches. Pray that
these ministries will bear the gospel fruit of brand-new believers. Also pray that our believing children
and youth and their families will grow in deeper devotion to Jesus Christ. Pray also for the many
personal, one-to-one opportunities God is providing for us to be salt and light. Pray that we’ll be bold
in talking about Jesus and effective in making our invitation for people to consider new life in Christ.
Praise God for our young adult anchor group. Pray that these young men and women will continue to
enjoy Christian fellowship with their peers and will stay the course in their walk with God.
Pray for other summer ministries as well including the work of our Global Partners around the world
as well as those on furlough. Pray for our church’s softball team, our summer Bible studies, our
Friday men’s discipleship group, as well as the various summer camps, including Camp Oak Hills,
and more! Let’s continue praying that God will use each and every one of these ministries as
opportunities for us to win the lost, build up believers, and equip leaders for ministry. Pray for more
believers to use their gifts in service, that each deeply devoted follower of Jesus would offer every
part of themselves as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:13).
Please pray for us pastors as we have ongoing counseling and teaching opportunities, and as we do
premarital counseling and officiate at weddings. Pray for GriefShare’s upcoming “Loss of a Spouse”
seminar on July 27. Pray for our upcoming quarterly business meeting on July 30. Pray for the
agenda printed in the bulletin. Also please pray for the cookout to follow and the cornhole tourney.
May we be a church that works hard for the Lord, but also has fun together! Pray that there will be a
God-honoring mix of laughter and tears as we share our very lives with one another (1 Thessalonians
2:8). May our church body be a 24/7 body, not just a one-hour per week church service.
Please keep praying for our preparations for our upcoming Vacation Bible School August 6-9. Praise
God for some 40 volunteers who’ve already agreed to serve. Pray that they will be well-prepared and
energized for this ministry opportunity. Also pray for the few remaining openings that Amy Graf still
needs to fill. Praise God for the generous outpouring of ministry supplies for VBS. And please keep
praying for favor with our surrounding community as we not only disciple our own kids in the faith, but
as we also seek to bless the kids in our community who need to know Christ (Matthew 19:13-15).
Pray that we’ll not only reach the children and youth, but also their families. May the gospel be
declared to those who need to hear it.
As always, please continue to pray fervently, that our church will become more and more the church
that God would have us be. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, thank you for praying!
Together for Christ,
Pastor Jerry