Lectionary Text and Prayers for Poland:  Luke 9:51-62

“And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”

God of all nations and peoples, we bring before you today all of those who have nowhere to lay their heads. We lift up the many many refugees and homeless all over the world. We pray for the health and well being of: all displaced  peoples and especially:  victims of war or siege or ethnic cleansing or gang warfare; political prisoners; innocents who have been duped by those who traffic in human lives;

We also lift up today all  those suffering  loss from natural or manmade disasters—earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, oil spills . . . . there are so many.

God of the past and the future, help each homeless person or refugee to look forward in hope, and not back in anger.

Heal religious, political and ethnic divisions; calm hearts; move minds to seek your peace.

Today we pray especially for the country, government and peoples of Poland, where past and recent history continues to divide people and cause pain.

Show forth your grace and mercy, O God, to:

*heal ethnic and religious divides;
*nurture an ecumenical spirit;
*encourage a spirit of acceptance and welcome of those who seem foreign or different.

As Poland continues to recover from the deaths of 96 key leaders, as well as recent losses due to flooding, and the challenges of electing and forming a new government, we pray for:

*provision for the family members of those killed in the Smolensk air crash, most of them leaders in the Polish government and military;

*guidance, wisdom and a cooperative spirit for all  those who seek to rebuild the government after the deaths of so many in key positions;

*provision for the survivors of recent flooding, many of whom are grieving and homeless;

May our partner in Poland, the Evangelical Reformed Church , be a beacon of light and hope and acceptance.  Bless their ministries, and bless mission workers Liz and Doug Searles who have  put their hands to the plough to work in partnership in Poland.

All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who calls us to leave behind our past, and to journey forward with Him into a shared future.  Amen.

(Prayer by Liz and Doug Searles)

Global Ministries International Partner in Poland:

Founded in 1551, Kosciol Ewangelicko-Reformowany—the Evangelical-Reformed Church in Poland–is a small and marginalized minority denomination in a country where over 95% profess membership in a Catholic Church.Evangelical-Reformed Church of Poland: http://www.reformowani.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11&Itemid=8

It is a diaspora church of 4000 members spread over a score of churches and meeting places. The forced “repatriations” and ethnic cleansings that followed the World Wars of the 20th century, and the many occupations and divisions of Poland before and after these wars, decimated the ancient and traditional reformed church which, at one time, had hundreds of thriving congregations.

Global Ministries Missionaries in Poland:

Elizabeth and Douglas Searles are Global Ministries mission workers with Kosciol Ewangelicko-Reformowany, a new partnership in Central Europe. Theirs is a joint sending, shared between Global Ministries and the Presbyterian Church (USA). Based in Lodz, Poland, Liz and Doug have a weekly circuit ministry of teaching ESL, English language Bible Study, youth programs, pulpit supply, and music development that takes them to many small communities beyond Lodz. The Searles are commissioned to support in whatever ways they can efforts towards church health, growth and outreach of the Evangelical-Reformed Church in Poland.