Don’t stop prayingdaily for the work of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Australia and its partners around the world.

1. The Australian Christian Book of the Year Award was won in 2011 by Ian Harper with Economics for Life (Acorn). One of the nation’s leading economists, Ian regards this book as one of his most significant contributions to civic life in

Australia. Second Prize was won by Christianity Alongside Islam (Acorn), the late John Wilson’s thoughtful antidote to a sensationalised debate. Historian, Paul Collins, won Third Prize with Judgment Day: The struggle for life on earth (UNSW Press). Please pray for the judges and team respon-sible for administering the Australian Christian Literature Awards. Pray that the awards will encourage Australian Christian writers and publishers and that their work will help seekers to find Jesus and Christians to grow.

2. France. An SPCKA loan has made possible the publication of Soif de la Parole, the French edition of Search the Scriptures. This is an initiative of GBU, the French IFES-affiliated student movement. Pray that this book will

nourish and inspire French-speaking students in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and Canada. gbu.fr

3. The Australian Christian Literature Awards also include prizes for unpub-lished manuscripts by young writers. Amber Holmes, a student at Bendigo Senior Secondary College, Victoria, won the 2011 Australian Christian Teen

Writer Award. Her composition, Sunshine, vividly evokes the conflicting emotions experienced by a family confronting the trauma and challenges of mental illness. Second Prize was won by Christy Tobeck of Knoxfield, Victoria, for her manuscript Who are you anyway? Pray that our emerging Christian writers will be encouraged

to fulfil their calling to contribute to the church’s written testimony.

4. National Council. Please pray today for members of the SPCKA National Council who guide the Society’s work and support our National Director, Michael Collie. Pray also for those who serve on our Awards, Grants, Publishing

and Management Committees as we seek to faithfully fulfil our purposes under God.

5. Central Asia. Theological college staff in a former Soviet republic are working with an emerging local publisher to make Tom Wright’s popular New Testament For Everyone series of commentaries available in the

predominant language. SPCKA has agreed to help fund this strategic initiative. Pray that first generation Christians in this independent Central Asian republic will grow in maturity and be equipped to extend God’s kingdom.

6. Kenya. Pray for Peter Ibui and his team at Word of Life, a correspondence school based in Kianjai. The Society has provided a computer, duplex laser printer, paper and toner to make possible the economical preparation

and printing of Bible studies and evangelistic tracts. This material is produced or adapted by local Christians in Kiswahili.

7. Sudan. Please pray for peace in this troubled region following partition in 2011. SPCKA has been asked to assist with the production of liturgical resources for the Dinka-speaking church. A pilot edition of a new Dinka hymn

book compiled in Australia by Abraham Ayur Mayor Dit has been circulated to twenty Dinka congregations for testing and checking. Please pray for Dinka church leaders and the SPCKA Grants Committee as together we use the results of this trial to decide how this resource might be best delivered to the global Dinka community.

8. Tanzania. Please continue to pray for John Kayange and the other graduates of St Mark’s Theological College in Dar es Salaam as they assume their teaching and pastoral responsibilities. Australian missionaries John and Jill Morshead

both teach at the Munhimbili University of Health Sciences and at St Mark’s Theological College. SPCKA has restocked the college’s theological library and provides book prizes to graduates. Please pray for the college Principal, Maimbo Mndolwa, and all those responsible for the care and preparation of church leaders.

9. Tanzania. A library provided by SPCKA has enabled St John’s University, Dodoma, to offer advanced degrees in theology. Pray for the eight students undertaking Masters level studies in Theology and Contemporary Issues.

Thank God for the Christian commitment of the University staff and the opportunity to be partners in this nation-building enterprise. www.sjut.org

10. Tanzania. SPCKA has agreed to provide the Diocese of Kagera with a duplex laser printer to print a series of fifty systematic Bible studies. The studies are locally-written and used in small groups. Please pray for the Bishop,

Aaron Kijanjali, and the Diocesan team of evangelists. Pray that the printed studies will extend and reinforce their teaching and training ministry.

11. Africa Bible Commentary. SPCKA presents essential reference works to students graduating from seminaries and Bible colleges in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. We are pleased to be able to make available to East

African graduates the Kiswahili edition of the Africa Bible Commentary. Written and edited by African theologians, this is the first one-volume commentary ever created to help students, pastors and leaders apply God’s Word to distinctively African concerns. Now Kiswahili-speaking students and pastors can draw on the experience, wisdom and insight of Africa’s church leaders and scholars to deepen their understanding and appropriation of the Christian faith.

12. DR Congo. Typically, students coming to Berea Bible College in Kindu have never owned a book and clergy and congregations in villages have no access to printed resources. Funds provided by the Society have been used

to build up the college library, provide students with key Bible references and print Bible study and liturgical materials prepared locally in Congolese Swahili. Please pray for the college staff and their Bishop, Masimango Katanda, as they equip and encourage lay and ordained church leaders.

13. Egypt. The Alexandria School of Theology campuses in Cairo and Alexandria have not escaped the effects of recent political and sectarian violence. Please pray for the Principal, Emad Azmi Mikhail, staff and students. Give thanks

for the successful launch of the Master of Arts programme and the appointment of Arabic-speaking faculty. Please pray that the staff and students will use library books provided by SPCKA to deepen their love of and devotion to the Lord of the harvest. www.ast-eg.org

14. Pakistan. The Zarephath Bible Institute is preparing pastors and scholars to serve in this powerful but unstable country. Please pray for graduates as they leave the Institute to work in less hospitable environments.

As the institute grows and standards of theological education rise, SPCKA has been asked to help expand the library. Pray for Steve Sonneman as he encourages students and pastors to acquire the habit of regular reading. Pray also that ZBI graduates will begin to address the dire need for good quality Christian books written in local languages. www.zbiedu.org

15. China. Please pray for the editorial staff at ZDL Books in Beijing as they encourage, train and nurture local authors. SPCKA has agreed to help fund the publication this year of Marriage: A covenant for Life by Andrew Yuan.

Pray that this book will reinforce and extend Andrew’s flourishing ministry to couples and families throughout China. www.zdlbooks.com/english/followme

16. India. Give thanks for the vision and enthusiasm of George Korah, Managing Director of Primalogue Publishing in Bangalore. The first two titles in the India Commentary of the New Testament series, First Corinthians and First Timothy

and Titus will be published this year by Primalogue with the help of a loan from SPCKA. www.primalogue.com

17. China. With the relaxing of laws regarding the religious instruction of children there has been a sudden influx of children attending church services and Bible studies. SPCKA is providing first-generation Sunday school teachers

with training, teachers’ manuals and other teaching aids. Pray that churches with little experience of Christian education for children will introduce boys and girls to Jesus with enthusiasm and creativity.

18. Mongolia. When the Soviet Union collapsed and the Russians withdrew in 1990 there were only four known Chris-tians in Mongolia. Twenty years later there are tens of thousands of believers and hundreds of churches. Praise God

for this display of his grace. Pray for first generation believers as their enthusiasm is tested by the hazards of affluence: individualism, indifference and apathy. Pray that local Christian authors and publishers will address the urgent needs of the growing church and the profound social crisis provoked by the disintegration of the communist regime. Pray that by providing expertise and strategic grants and loans the Society will effectively nurture independent and sustainable Christian publishers.

19. Philippines. We receive regular expressions of appreciation from final year students at St Andrew’s Theological Seminary in Manila for the provision of a Bible commentary and concordance upon graduation. Please pray especially

for the graduates who take up teaching and pastoral responsibilities in less sympathetic contexts. As their personal resources are meagre these gifts become indis-pensable tools.

20. Cambodia. Pray for Fount of Wisdom Director, Chim Titmakara, and his staff as they endeavour to nurture local writers and generate a vibrant body of indigenous Christian literature. SPCKA has agreed to help equip the

publishing office and fund the publication this year of Preaching Mark. There is very little Christian literature in Khmer. Please pray that the Cambodian church will find creative ways to foster a reading culture. www.fountofwisdomph.com

21. Sri Lanka. Pray for the Colombo Theological Seminary and its Principal, Ivor Poobalan. SPCKA has been invited to help CTS publish locally-written workbooks in English, Sinhala and Tamil. These new workbooks will standardise

certificate-level theological teaching across the three languages and extend theological education to regions where it has never been available before. Pray that this unprecedented trilingual publishing initiative will help reconcile a country torn apart by decades of civil war.

22. Northern Territory. In our partnership with our indigenous brothers and sisters here is much unfinished business. Pray that God will raise up more people to help with Bible translation and literacy teaching. Pray

that the Holy Spirit will stir indigenous Australians as they read the Bible for the first time in their own tongue.

23. Northern Territory. Give thanks for Nungalinya College, the growing popularity of its courses and the desire of the new Principal, Judith Long, to train and encourage indigenous teachers. Pray that the staff, students

and their communities will be transformed by a personal knowledge of Jesus. www.nungalinya.edu.au

24. Mexico. SPCKA is sponsoring carefully tailored on-the-job training for publishers and booksellers working in strategic literature ministries. This year Mexicans Ana and René Menchaca will train with Certeza Argentina in Buenos

Aires. Please pray that they will be equipped to make vital Christian literature accessible to those who most need it.

25. LetraViva is a network of forty Latin American Christian publishers that exercises a ministry of logistical support, professional development and mutual encouragement. Please pray for the LetraViva coordinator, Ian Darke, based

in Costa Rica. Pray especially for the effective functioning of the LetraViva dispatch centre in Miami, an essential means of book distribution run cooperatively by member publishers. www.letraviva.com

26. Argentina. Our partnership with Certeza Argentina over two decades demonstrates the value of open and enduring relationships with those we serve. Thank God for Certeza’s progress in a volatile economy and growing

influence in the Spanish-speaking world. Certeza Argentina is now assuming a mentoring role with developing publishers and booksellers. Pray that Certeza Director, Beatriz Buono, will continue to lead her team with vision, creativity and courage. www.certezaargentina.com.ar

27. Grants Committee members are selected for their experience and knowledge of mission and Christian literature needs in various parts of the world. Pray today for Michael Collie. As National Director he is responsible

for providing information to help the Grants Committee respond wisely to the many requests for assistance we receive.

28. Other mission societies. Colleagues from a variety of denomina-tions and mission agencies including ABM, BCA, CMS, Interserve and Pioneers draw our attention to opportunities to support strategic Christian literature

work. Please pray for these co-workers, and also for SPCK (UK), SPCK USA and ISPCK (India). Although our societies are autonomous, a positive fraternal relationship continues. Pray that we will all be Christ-focussed in our work and purpose.

29. Training. SPCKA sponsors regional training events for Christian writers and publishers. Thank God for the Christian publishing professionals who willingly share their skills and experience. Pray that the participating authors, editors

and designers will make vital written resources accessible and attractive to those who most need to read them.

30. Publishers and booksellers face great challengers as readers embrace the digital delivery of information and literature. Please pray for those who work in your nearest Christian bookstore and all those involved in writing,

publishing and distributing Christian literature. Pray that in every nation God will raise up bold, robust and innovative Christian publishers.

31. Your church. Does it support literature ministries in difficult places? Pray for Christians who don’t enjoy the resources we take for granted. How can you encourage your congregation to help make Christian literature available where it is most needed through SPCKA? Pray for your leaders as you praise God for those who intro-duced you to Jesus and nurtured your Christian growth by recommending helpful books.

A Prayer for SPCK Australia. Almighty God, we thank you for rescuing us from sin and the ignorance of your love by sending your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. By his death and resurrection you have opened the way to true knowledge of you, our Father in heaven. By your Holy Spirit, fill us with the knowledge of your love, so that we will be willingly involved in your purposes for the world. Raise up more people to pray for and give to the work of SPCK Australia; give wisdom and discernment to all involved in gathering and allocating resources, so that through Jesus Christ our Lord, the light of the knowledge of your glory will fill the Earth. Amen

SPCKASociety for Promoting Christian Knowledge Australia and the Australian Christian Literature Society PO Box 198, Forest Hill, Victoria 3131, Australia Telephone 1300 13 7725 admin@spcka.org.au | www.spcka.org.au Igniting Christian writing