Pray for Egypt on Sunday, November 30, 2008

Lectionary Text and Prayer for Egypt: Mark 13:24-37

God of Abraham, we thank you for the faith of your servant, Abraham, our common ancestor among Jews, Muslims and Christians. As we pray for Egypt today, we think of our brothers and sisters in the Christian community and their efforts to reach out to those in need regardless of their religious affiliation. We thank you for the various development programs of the Coptic Church in Egypt that bring health, education and economic empowerment to the “least of these”. We pray particularly for the work of Kathleen and Paul, as they welcome refugees in your name at St Andrew’s Church.

(Prayer by Bob Shebeck)

Global Ministries International Partners in Egypt:

• Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services: Begun as a literacy project in 1950, CEOSS is one of Egypt’s largest development organizations, providing integrated approaches to poor communities in areas of economic, agricultural and environmental development, health care, and education.

• Bishopric for Public, Ecumenical and Social Services: In 1962, the Coptic Orthodox Church founded the Bishopric of Public Ecumenical & Social Services (BLESS) to take the leading role in achieving development in poor and disadvantaged communities. This work has gone through various phases, the last of which is the Comprehensive Integrated Development (CID) at the community level, in 29 communities, as well as at the national level in the areas of youth and education.

Global Ministries Personnel in Egypt:

Kathleen Kamphoefner and Paul Pierce serve a joint appointment (Global Ministries, ELCA and RCA) at St Andrew’s Church in Cairo, Egypt. They are the Refugee Program Coordinators working with Sudanese and other refugees from African countries in educational and vocational training programs that improve the opportunities for successful integration upon resettlement or repatriation.