Over the past weekend, we celebrated 75 years of ministry at Mission Hills Church. We looked back on the people, places, and programs God used throughout the history of this church to continue to grow his kingdom and show his faithfulness to this church. We have a firm foundation to build upon as we move forward.

Our reflection can also help us look forward toward what God wants to do next. He’s done incredible things through Mission Hills and he’s not done yet. We want to be certain that we don’t get ahead of God with our own plans and hopes for the future, though. One of the best ways that we can ensure we’re following God instead of hoping he’ll put his blessing on our preferences and plans is to pray.

Take a moment today to pray for each one of these areas of our church:

1 //Pray for the children in our kids ministry

God, speak to each child personally and powerfully during this time. Plant seeds of faith and initiate a relationship with every kid that comes into our kid’s ministry—from the babies to the fifth graders. Show me how I can be part of the answer to this prayer.

2 // Pray for the students in our middle school and high school ministry

God, make your presence know to the students in our kids ministry. Meet them where they are, especially in the places of confusion and questioning that teenage years can bring. Show them their identity in you and help them make their faith their own. Build them into the leaders of the next generation.

3 // Pray for those who are single

God, thank you for your good gift of singleness. Remind the single people in our church that they are loved, gifted, and a gift to our church as a whole. Create in them an excitement to serve and lead in our church and in the world through their example of lives characterized by care for others.

4 // Pray for those who are parents

God, thank you for the good gift of families and marriages. Remind the parents in our church to value and cherish their children, even in the tough moments of parenting, and to not allow them to become idols or sources of one’s identity. Give them grit and wisdom, enabling them to know how to model faithfulness, teach fearlessness, and fight for the intentional sanctification of their families.

5 // Pray for those served at the Life Center

God, thank you for the opportunity to serve some of “the least of these” in tangible ways through the Life Center. Let each of the areas of service show those in our community who you are and give them a concrete example of your love for them. Help us make more room in our church to welcome those who have come to the Life Center but have not yet come into a relationship with you.

6 // Pray for our volunteers

God, thank you for all the volunteers who selflessly give of their time to contribute to your mission. Remind each of them that their contribution to our church is not only important but indispensable. Thank you for the way you have gifted every believer to take part in your mission through the local church. Reveal to me how I can use my gifts to serve your people and the world.

7 // Pray for our church staff

God, thank you the staff at Mission Hills—past and present—and for their commitment to creating a space for God to continue to transform lives. Give them wisdom and endurance in their ministries at Mission Hills. Strengthen their relationships with those they are serving and those they serve alongside.

8 // Pray for our elders

God, thank you for the elders who help lead our church. Give them insight into where you want to lead Mission Hills in the future. Give them boldness and perseverance in enacting your vision for our church. Grow them in leadership, humility, wisdom, and integrity as they serve our church as a whole.

9 // Pray for our community

God, help us open our doors even wider for those who do not yet know you. Help each of us remember that we’re on mission in this community—whether we’re in the grocery store or at work. Give us eyes to see the needs of our community and make our hearts and hands ready to meet them. Help us prepare a place in our church for our community to meet Jesus and to discover a place to belong.

10 // Pray for your heart

God, show me how you would like me to join God’s mission at Mission Hills Church and in our community. Help me prioritize my live in a way that shows you are my God. Reveal to me how you have gifted me and how you want me to use those gifts to serve your church. Fill me with hope and give me faith to follow you forward even when I do not know what the future holds.

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