November – Church Planting Month
Pillar Dumfries (Colby & Annie Garman, Chris & Amy McCranie, Ryan & Lynelle Peugh, Joe & Cassie Craft, Bobby & Maura Gomez, Stu & Selena Fugler, Chad & Mary Hossier)
-Praise The LORD for recent baptisms and new members monthly, it is such a blessing.
-Pray for our wisdom, unity and humility as they seek to love each other and shepherd well, under the authority and love of the Master.
-Pray for an upcoming missional leader cohort starting this month and running for the next 6 months to develop gospel oriented leaders.
-Pray for their Church plants (Bengali Fellowship, building momentum, and Hope Church who launched earlier this year in Alexandria, VA)
-Pray for the Hossier family, that they would feel God’s presence more clearly every day; and be sensitive to His leading in where and how to invest their time and efforts.
Hope Reformed Baptist Church Hamamatsu (Felipe & Ludmilla Hirata)
-Give thanks for their church family. They have had a consistent number of people attending their weekly gatherings.
-Give thanks for their church’s growth in biblical knowledge and discipleship. Along with their worship services, they have been meeting for in-depth Bible studies, in Bible Study Methods, Worldview, Proverbs, The Old Testament, Bibliology, and an Introduction to Old Testament Biblical Theology. Pray as they continue their studies in Missions and an Overview of the New Testament in the end of the year that their people would grow in their knowledge of God and understanding of His word.
-Praise God for a new couple that have become members of the church as well as having new visitors each week. Pray that God would continue to draw people to Himself.
-Thank God that they have been able to translate parts of their worship service into Japanese most weeks. Pray that they can continue to make the gospel more accessible to Japanese speakers in their community.
-Pray that the Lord will raise up more leaders within their church and that more people will come to faith in Christ and join their church family.
-Pray that their church family will have a growing hunger to know the Lord, mature in their faith, and continually realign their priorities with Christ and His kingdom.
For the Hirata Family specifically:
Our sons: We thank God for our sons, Stephen (17) and Benjamin (15), who are both in high school. We are grateful to see them growing in their personal relationship with Christ. They have also been a great help in our weekly services through music and translation. Please pray that they will continue to grow in their faith and love for the Lord.
Stephen’s future: Stephen will graduate from high school next March, so he needs to make decisions about his next steps. He has also been considering studying the Scriptures more deeply so that he can better serve the church. Please pray for wisdom and God’s guidance as he considers his future.
God’s provision: At the beginning of this year, we received 4 gifts from 4 different churches, which made it possible for Felipe to serve full-time for seven months. We praise God for His provision through these churches and for everyone He has used to support us.
Nine years in Japan: We praise God that this year marks nine years of serving Him here in Japan. We are thankful for His faithfulness throughout this journey.
Wisdom and spiritual strength: Please pray for wisdom as Felipe leads the church, especially during seasons of discouragement. Pray that we will continue to deepen our relationship with Christ and grow in our love for Him.
Ongoing financial support: Please pray that God will raise up ministry partners who can support our family until our church is able to provide for us financially. We trust in His provision and ask for wisdom as we continue serving the church and reaching people with the gospel.