Prayer Calendar - December 2021
Praise items and prayer requests coming from within ANiC, ACNA and the Anglican Communion for each day of this month.
1. Pray for Bishop Charlie Masters (& Judy) as he leads ANiC. May God grant him all the health, strength, discernment and the passion he needs for this heavy responsibility. Pray for protection for him from illness and fatigue. Grant him Gospel zeal as he cares for the clergy and parishes in Canada and New England, especially as the busy fall/winter season unfolds.
2. Let us continue to pray daily asking for God's intervention in the spread of the new Coronavirus strains in North America and all around the world. Ask God to intervene and eradicate this virus. Ask him to help public health officials, doctors, and government officials with wisdom and guidance. Ask him to heal the victims and comfort those who have lost loved-ones.
**Pray especially for the many nations on the African continent where variants are causing new surges of cases and vaccines are in desperately short supply! Pray also for the nations of Western Europe where the 4th wave is spreading quickly. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6: 9 ESV
3. Our diocese and province – Pray for the Anglican Network in Canada and all of our parishes across Canada and in New England. Pray for revival in our churches and their neighbourhoods. May great passion for the Gospel be a hallmark of each congregation.
** First Friday: We urge you to set aside the first Friday as a day to pray and fast (if you are able) for our diocese (ANiC), the Anglican Church of North America, and the Anglican Communion worldwide. We live in an age of immense pressure against the Gospel, and a world devastated by COVID-19 and increasing racial conflict. It is critical that we unite together in prayer.
4. Pray for our primate, Archbishop Foley Beach (& Allison), as he gives godly leadership to the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA). Ask the Lord for great wisdom as he and the College of Bishops make strategic decisions around the growth of Gospel ministry. Pray also for him in his strategic role as chairman of the Gafcon primates’ council.
December Ordinations: Today, Deacons Angel Tong and Li “Paul” Shen are being ordained to the priesthood at Church of the Good Shepherd Vancouver. Tomorrow, Paul Simons is being ordained a deacon (transitional) at Celebration Church, Barrie ON. Please pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon these ordinands and their ministries in their respective parishes.
5. Give thanks for God’s direction in leading ANiC to not hold our recent 2021 synod in Abbotsford as originally planned but to hold it online. Thank Him for the gracious election process resulting in Archdeacon Dan Gifford of St. John’s Vancouver being selected as co-adjutor bishop elect with the consecration service to be held in February 2022. Once again, we pray that we may never lose our sense of desperate dependence on the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction for the leadership of our diocese!
6. Pray for ANiC’s bishops: Bishop Stephen Leung (& Nona) and Bishop Trevor Walters (& Dede). Pray for health, protection, wisdom and vision. May the Lord grant them the anointing of the Spirit for the fulfilling of their calling. Pray also for Archdeacon Dan Gifford, ANiC’s co-adjutor bishop elect, as he prepares to take on the responsibilities of being a bishop, ultimately to become our next diocesan bishop in 2022 when Bishop Charlie retires.
7. Pray for Bishop Don Harvey (& Trudy) in his roles as ANiC’s episcopal vicar and as senior chaplain to the ACNA College of Bishops. Pray for his continued health and vigour. Pray also for Bishop Ron Ferris (& Jan) as he fulfills his important role as Assisting Bishop for Missionary Planning. Pray also for our retired bishop, Bishop Malcolm Harding (& Marylou). Thank God for their fruitful ministries.
8. ANiC’s 5 Ministry Priorities – Pray that God will use these five priorities to transform us and our parishes. Pray also for the leaders and their team around each priority: Bold witnesses (Scott Hunt); Biblically grounded (Canon George Sinclair); Loving children & youth into the Kingdom (Rev. Jeremy & Kimberley Graham); On mission (Canon Brian McVitty); and Planting & Growing Churches (Canon Alastair Sterne).
9. ANiC archdeacons, canons & all clergy – Pray for spiritual and physical protection and renewal as well as God’s blessing upon their ministry. Pray also for their spouses & families that God would grant them safety and health in body, mind and spirit and may the Lord grant them grace upon grace as they pastor those under their care.
10. ANiC staff & volunteers in Burlington – Pray for strength for the tasks, faithfulness in service, and joy in the Lord. May the Lord grant physical healing to those in need and may God’s blessing rest on ANiC as we seek to know, love and serve Him.
Pray for ANiC’s council, chancellor & registrar – Pray for wisdom and servant hearts as they serve ANiC. May they know God’s leading, seek His will, and experience His joy.
11. Asian & Multicultural Ministries in Canada (AMMiC) – May God bless and prosper their ministry as they reach out to ethnic communities and new immigrants with the transforming Gospel of Jesus, and engage in planting new churches. For further prayer around this important ministry, AMMIC also produces their own monthly prayer calendar available on their website: ammic.ca
12. Pray for all our young church plants and new congregations that are in the process of getting established including: Resurrection in Rigaud, QC led by Jonathan Camiré; Messiah Kanata in Kanata, ON led by Rev. Daniel Avitan; St. Francis in Saskatoon, SK led by Jan Bigland-Pritchard; All Saints in Calgary, AB led by Rev. James Broadhead; St. Thomas in Summerland, BC led by Rev. Lars Nowén; and Highway Northshore in North Vancouver, BC led by Rev. Joe Pienaar.
13. ANiC’s New England congregations:
Holy Trinity (Marlborough, MA)
Christ the True Vine Anglican Mission (Marlborough, MA)
All Saints’ (Rutland, VT)
Christ the Way Anglican Mission (Moosup, CT)
Emmanuel - Chinese (Boston, MA)
14. ANiC congregations in the Atlantic Provinces:
St Stephen the Martyr (St John’s, NL)
Resurrection (Halifax, NS)
Good Samaritan (St John’s, NL)
Christ the King (Sussex, NB)
All Saints (Bonavista, NL)
St. Matthew’s (Gander, NL)
15. ANiC congregations in the Ottawa area:
Faith Anglican (Limoges)
St Luke’s (Pembroke)
Messiah (Ottawa)
Blackburn Hamlet Community (Ottawa)
St Peter & St Paul’s (Ottawa)
Grace (Mississippi Mills)
Eternal Hope (Carleton Place)
Messiah (Kanata)
16. ANiC congregations in Quebec:
Emmaus (Montreal)
St Timothy’s (Montreal)
St James (Lennoxville)
Resurrection Church (Rigaud) new
17. ANiC congregations in Ontario:
St Aidan’s (Windsor)
St Aidan’s at River’s Bend (Belle River)
Cornerstone Anglican Church (Sarnia)
New Life (Sturgeon Falls)
The Gate (Iron Bridge)
Church of the Good Shepherd (Sault Ste Marie) church project
18. ANiC congregations in Ontario:
St Hilda’s (Oakville)
St Peter by the Park (Hamilton)
St George’s (Burlington)
Epiphany (Hamilton)
Good Shepherd (St Catharines)
St Jude (Guelph)
19. ANiC congregations in Greater Toronto and eastern Ontario:
St Chad’s (Toronto)
Celebration Church (Barrie)
Christ the King (Toronto)
New Song (Port Perry)
Living Waters (Kingston)
St James Fellowship (Trenton)
St Stephen Anglican Fellowship (Napanee)
20. ANiC congregations in Saskatchewan & Manitoba:
Resurrection (Brandon, MB)
St Bede’s (Kinosota, MB)
Redeemer (Dauphin, MB)
Saint Saviour’s (Lloydminster SK)
St. Francis Anglican Worship Community (Saskatoon, SK)
21. ANiC congregations in Alberta:
Holy Trinity - Filipino (Edmonton)
Grace Anglican (Calgary)
Christ the King (Edmonton)
Good Shepherd - Cantonese (Calgary)
Living Water (Athabasca)
All Saints (Calgary) new
22. ANiC congregations in the Fraser Valley & Interior of BC:
Ascension (Langley)
Resurrection (Kelowna)
Saint Matthew’s (Abbotsford)
Christ Church (Kelowna)
Church of the Holy Cross (Abbotsford)
Bulkley River (formerly Houston and Smithers)
St. Thomas (Summerland) new
23. ANiC congregations in the Vancouver area:
St John’s (Vancouver)
St. Thomas Mission (UBC, Vancouver) (merged with Sojourn Church)
St John’s (Richmond)
St Peter’s Fireside (Vancouver)
St Andrew’s (Delta)
24. Anglican Explorers - Pray for the fruitfulness of this ANiC church seeding and planting initiative led by Bishop Ron Ferris and Rev. Geoff Chapman as they seek to match church planters with seed groups and planting opportunities across the country.
25. Christmas Day - Pray that the joy of the birth of the Christ-child may refresh each member of every ANiC parish and be shed abroad as we share this blessing with everyone we encounter today! Pray for all who are alone today, especially those still separated because of COVID.
Collect for Christmas Day: Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born this day of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen. BCP2019
26. ANiC congregations in the Vancouver area:
St Matthias and St Luke (Vancouver)
Good Shepherd Richmond – Chinese
All Nations – Japanese
St John’s – Sudanese (Surrey)
Good Shepherd Vancouver – Chinese
St Timothy’s (North Vancouver)
St Simon’s (North Vancouver)
Highway Church (north shore Vancouver) recent
27. ANiC congregations on Vancouver Island & Sunshine Coast:
Open Gate Church (Victoria)
Church of Our Lord (Victoria)
Christ’s Church (Oceanside)
The Table (Victoria, Saanich Peninsula)
Christ the Redeemer (Pender Harbour)
28. Pray for the Anglican Relief and Development Fund Canada (ARDFC) as it is partnering with Redeemer Anglican Church and the Anglican Church of Paraguay in an expansion of El Redentor School. This project will complete the second stage of the school’s expansion, adding four new classrooms and an office for the administration, doubling the enrollment. The school will teach students Christian values and help them gain an understanding of the Christian faith.
P.S. Praise the Lord, the funding phase has now been completed and they are just waiting for building permits!
29. Please pray for Gafcon, our global family of authentic Anglicans standing together to retain and restore the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion. Pray for the fulfillment of their God-given mandate: “Gafcon works to guard and proclaim the unchanging, transforming Gospel through biblically faithful preaching and teaching which frees our churches to make disciples by clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ in all the world.”
30. Pray for the millions of refugees and internally displaced people worldwide. Pray for persecuted Christians, especially in Islamic, communist and war-torn lands. Pray especially for the church and the people of Afghanistan.
“Father, we pray for the thousands who are fleeing from the Taliban, asking for Your divine protection. We pray for divine intervention and supernatural provision for the men, women and children. Grant to Christian ministers and their churches great courage and boldness to proclaim the Gospel in the face of brutal persecution. O Lord, have mercy, have mercy, have mercy!”
31. As we stand at the threshold of another new year, pray for a fresh outpouring of repentance and revival upon our nations and our world! “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence - as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil - to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!” Isaiah 64:1-2 ESV