2010 is the year that the beautiful game comes to Africa, with the FIFA World Cup due to begin July and the African Cup of Nations already underway – sadly marred by last month’s attack on the Togolese team. This week, join us in praying for ministry across Africa.
- The eyes of the world’s media will be on South Africa this summer as the country hosts the football World Cup. As final preparations are made, there are ongoing reports of shanty town clearances and vulnerable groups – including many children – being sent to prisons or temporary homes. Please pray for Pavement Project partner organisations involved in responding to the needs of children-at-risk in South Africa. One innovative response, Street Child World Cup, gets under way in a fortnight’s time. Organised by children-at-risk agencies and headed up by former street children, the football tournament will also provide an opportunity for a forum on children’s rights – and provide ways for street children to tell their stories. See streetchildworldcup.org to find out more.
- Recent feedback on the use of Inspire resources in Africa has indicated that many churches find Bible booklets a great way to get to people to engage with the Bible. One group of Lifewords supporters in Kenya, doing a Bible study on forgiveness, were given copies of Forgiveness Matters to aid their learning. After using the booklets for the study, many people commented on how well the material was presented. Pray that there would be a greater awareness of these materials within local churches and that they would be put to use in helping people connect with the Bible’s life-giving words
- Rites of passage are a common practice across African tribal communities. This usually consists of training in traditional survival skills, but it can also include less-welcome cultural practices. In order to provide Kenyan children with an alternative, Lifewords has been talking to churches about developing a rite of passage based on the Bible-based curriculum Choose Life. Pray that these discussions would be fruitful in providing a viable alternative for Kenya’s young people.