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Praise & Prayer Weekly Update - 5/14/2025
Prayer at MBC
It is our desire to be available to support you every day of the week, not just Sunday mornings. If you are in need of prayer or would like to share a praise, please fill out the email request below.
“I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.” ~Psalm 17:6
Praise God:
- Praise God for a wonderful membership class here at MBC on Thursday 5/8 with 27 attendees
- Praise God for the birth of Jesse Peter Arrieta, mom and son are doing well.
- Praise God that Josiah Erbig’s surgery was successful.
- Praise God for the birth of Ruth Landau’s daughter. Baby arrived on Saturday. Everyone is healthy.
For our MBC Family & Friends, please pray for:
- Please pray that the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to hear First Choice’s petition re: the unlawful subpoena by NJ’s attorney general. It is still under consideration.
- Praise that Josiah Erbig’s surgery was successful. Please continue to pray for him needing his CPAP to maintain oxygen saturation and tube feeds.
- Please pray for William Salvia. He is moving back to NJ (Flemington) from FL. Also pray for a job.
- Please pray for our college students as they approach the end of the year and finals.
- Please pray for Charlie Moore who is in a recovery center in Hackettstown for his eyesight.
- Jim Walsh’s surgery went well. Please pray for his recovery.
- Please pray for the family and friends of Wayne Briner, whose graveside service is to be held at MBC’s cemetery on May 24 at 10:30am.
- Stephan Landau had surgery on his left ankle. Pray for for healing during the rehabilitation process.
- Please pray for Jillian Redeker as she is transitioning to a new housing situation.
- Please pray for Betty Wagner who had surgery recently which required a biopsy to be taken. Please pray for a good report.
- Please pray for Billy Drake who is in need of a full-time job. Pray for his potential job at TSA. Please also pray for his mom who has multiple health issues. Please pray for healing and for God’s grace to comfort her.
- Please pray for Sue Philhower as she recovers from surgery.
- Please pray for the Rajoppi family as they mourn the loss of Deirdre’s mother.
- Please continue to pray for our expectant mothers Ruth Landau who is due in May and Lauren Rathnam who is due in July.
Our Church:
- Please pray for Pastor Dave Hentschel as he preaches this Sunday and continues our new sermon series on the book of 1 Timothy this Sunday 5/18/2025.
- Please pray that the Lord will continue to utilize the MBC YouTube Channel to direct people to Himself.
Our nation & those in authority.
1 Timothy 2: 1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
- Please pray for those in authority in our country.
- The recent violence in Israel and instability in the Middle East are reminders that we must depend on the Lord. We ask you to continue to pray for the salvation of those without a relationship with Jesus Christ, healing for the suffering, and peace among the nations that can only come from the Prince of Peace.
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Christians in Syria are calling for prayer after more than 1,500 people, the majority civilians, were killed in a series of attacks in Syria
Source: Click Here
Our Extended Family & Friends:
- Please pray – Please pray for a member’s 90-year-old mother, Lone. She is in the hospital and suffering in mind and body. Pray for her peace, her comfort, and that God will bring her to Him when the time has come.
- Please continue to pray for the Miller’s daughter, Lisa. She went to a pain management Dr who is giving her an epidural in May in hopes it’ll help her when they’re going on a trip to Italy. Please pray it’ll work for her so she won’t have to be in a wheelchair. Please keep praying for wisdom for her & her husband, Mike, & that they will continue to trust God to completely heal her!
- The Callender family requests continued prayer for niece Naomi. Her 3-year battle against stage IV cancer is taking a greater toll recently. She is not responding well to treatments now. Our nephew Matt’s writes: “Yet in the midst of all this, our hope remains anchored in Jesus. We believe He is still good – even here, even now. We are leaning into Him for peace, strength, comfort, trust that He is with us every step of the way. There is pain, but there is also faith. There are tears, but also moments of deep love and grace.” They are very appreciative of all the prayers of everyone. Please also continue to pray for Matt and their boys in this stressful time. We continue to pray for complete healing in the name of Jesus.
- Please pray for Sue Turner’s cousin Becky. Becky continues to have headaches and fatigue from brain swelling and inflammation after her radiation treatments in January. While some spots of cancer seem to be gone, there was a new tumor discovered recently in her breast. Please pray for wisdom as they continue to explore various options to treat all the metastasized cancer throughout her body.
- Please pray for Thomas Swon’s friend Brian R. who is under 50 with a family and found out he has cancer and doesn’t have health insurance. Please pray for him and his family.
- Please pray for Judy Cody’s family as her brother Al passed away. Please pray the family will be comforted and feel God’s blessings on each of them. Please pray for them to keep their memories of him.
- Please pray for Christine Julia Smith’s grandchildren to come to church and accept the Lord. Also, pray for a young Jewish man that she witnessed to that he would come to know the Lord.
- Abby, Stephan Landau’s second-born was recently hospitalized with severe abdominal pains. She is now out of the hospital, but still not sure the cause of the pain. Please pray for some answers on the cause.
Missionary Partner for the week: Kevin and Kaori Laverman, World Venture, Japan
Kevin and Kaori minister in a largely unreached high-rise neighborhood (MuKo) of Kawasaki, Japan.
Kevin asks us to pray for:
- Connections and trust built through “Joyful English Cafe,” “Kids Gospel,” “Bible Cafe,” “Beginners Bible” and “Kids Club” participants at the brand-new chapel in MuKo. (Side note: Yvonne Lai was able to attend the Joyful English Café when she visited the Lavermans last fall!)
- Fruit from the Easter outreach to young families in MuKo.
- College interns serving with the Lavermans to persevere through challenges and form redemptive friendships.
- Good relationships with brand new neighbors (3 houses of young families next door), and within neighborhood and foreigner groups.
- Japanese in MuKo to connect with the new chapel and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Persecuted Church: Young Christian Rejects Voodoo Ritual
- When Michelle, a college student, refused to participate in a voodoo ritual, her family abused and rejected her. On March 18, 2025, Michelle was at church when her mother and sister came in and urged her to come home. Not knowing what they wanted, Michelle left with them and went home to find her father performing an occultic ritual with a voodoo leader. The leader held a blade, covered with an allegedly magic powder to drive away a spirit of death, that he wanted to cut her with. The rest of the family had already performed the ritual, but Michelle refused and ran to her pastor’s wife for counsel. When Michelle returned home, her father told her she was no longer his daughter and he would no longer pay her living expenses. He also beat her and forbade her from attending church. Church leaders request prayer that her family will turn to Christ and that Michelle and the Christians supporting her will have peace and wisdom.
Would you like your prayer request to remain active longer?
Prayer requests will remain active for two weeks. If you would like your request to continue please update by contacting us here or via a connection card on Sunday. All long-term prayer requests (chronic illnesses) will remain active for one month. If you would like your request to continue, please update by contacting us here or via a connection card on Sunday.
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