Melbourne University OCF
Reach Out, Build Up, Send Back

Scripture reading: Acts 4:24

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

Before the disciples came to any petition, they filled their mind with thoughts of the divine sovereignty - the God of creation and the God of revelation.

Laos

Population: 6 million
Religion: Buddhist 61.05%, Animist 31.2%, Non Religious/other 4.3%, Christian 1.85%
Laos is a Buddhist-Communist state. It has no state social services. The country has a high infant mortality rate [8.7 percent], and many urban areas lack modern sewage and water facilities. Malaria, dysentery, parasitic diseases and respiratory infections are a major problem, and there is only one doctor for every 6,500 people.
Challenges for Prayer

• The Church still faces restrictions and Christians still face persecution.
• Pray for freedom for evangelism, church planting and building, for the effective use of present freedoms and for changes that will open Laos up for the preaching of the gospel. Rather than retrenching, pray that Christians would reach out, especially to the ethnic minorities.
• Pray for unity, integrity and godly leadership in the Church.
• Pray for leadership and Bible training. Pray for the effectiveness of informal study programmes [by radio and through Theological Education by Extension].
• Missionary work is not officially permitted, but there are openings for Christian professionals and those working with aid and relief programmes. Pray for a reopened door for Bible translators, church planters and Bible teachers.
• Unreached peoples in which there are no known churches:

• Tai peoples, speaking 15 languages.
• The northern peoples, many of whom have responded to the gospel in neighbouring China and Thailand.
• The small southern ethnic groups that were being evangelised for the first time between 1957 and 1963. War prevented the planting of churches among most of these peoples and they remain deeply enmeshed in the fear of spirits.
• The Vietnamese and Chinese, among whom there has been little evangelism.

• There are at least 13 languages for which there is a definite need for Bible translation teams and a possible total of 66 languages. Pray for discernment in prioritising, and for men and women to invest their lives in translating God’s word.
• Christian radio: FEBC broadcasts 16 hours weekly in Lao, Hmong, Khmu and Lahu. Pray for a good reception and spiritual response.

OCF Hobart

President: Wong Zee Hame
Theme: Love (John 15:12)
Campus: University of Tasmania

Attendance:

2001: 50
2002: 50
2003: 45-60
2004: 50-60
2005: 70
2006: 70
2007: 70
2008: 60

Description:

Our centre consists mainly of students from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and local Australians. This year, we experience an influx of new students joining OCF. Praise God that some non-believers who have joined us in our meetings are attending OCF regularly hungry to learn more. Some of them have accepted Christ. However, a lot of us in leadership are graduating or going to another place in the coming semester/year. We praise God for a new batch of very potential leaders in our midst this year, but we need continual prayer, discipling and equipping to get them ready for leadership. Pray for this new generation so that they are bold in bringing the gospel and the love of Jesus Christ to the university. Pray also that they are able to capture the full measure of the OCF vision and to fully realize their potential and purpose in God. What we are working on this year is also to inculcate the culture of one-on-one discipleship/connection, which we believe strongly, will propel spiritual maturity, accountability and trust on a personal level.

Praise God For:

• An increase in number of new members despite a big number of returnees
• New members who are willing to serve.
• Non-believers who are coming to OCF each week to learn
• Non-believers coming to Christ
• Very potential leaders
• Supportive churches to work alongside with us

Please Pray For:

• New potential leaders, pray that they’ll capture the heart of God and the vision of OCF
• Non- Christians who are regularly attending OCF, pray for openness and spiritual revelation
• Spiritual growth among the current leaders, pray also for strength, wisdom and God-centered decision making.
• As the theme this year is Love, pray for us to actively and genuinely stretch out beyond our comfort zone and put Christ-like love in action, thoughts and words.