May’s prayer request newsletter celebrates the joy of how the People Called Methodist and Estonia have used technology well to be together while apart.
Robert Tšerenkov
District Superintendent, EMK
Dear Friends of Estonia!
Greetings from Estonia! Thank you so much for your prayers for us here during these complicated times. We are grateful to God that the worst-case scenarios that people were afraid of did not happen and the situation in Estonia is getting better. The number of new COVID-19 cases is decreasing and the number of people in hospitals is decreasing as well. So, the government is starting to open up the country step by step and we hope to hear soon about when the churches will be free to gather again for worship services, though some restrictions and guidelines will still apply.
Thank you for your continued prayers for us! Please pray for our pastors, that they would continue to have strength, wisdom, and guidance from the Lord as they minister to people over the internet, phone, and other means of communications. I am grateful and proud of the leadership our pastors provide in their congregations in the time of crisis.
Please pray for the charge conferences that are taking place in the month of May over the internet. Please also pray for our Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary, as both students and teachers alike are working hard to finish this semester over the internet. Thank you for your prayers. May God bless each and every one of you as you experience the difficulties of this time in your own ways. May Almighty God keep you safe and in good health, full of joy and His heavenly peace! You have friends in Estonia who pray for you!
This last month the seminary has been adapting to life under the coronavirus. We have been teaching and leading our students using virtual mediums. Thus far, faculty, staff, and students have shown an amazing ability to adapt to this new environment. Please pray for everyone involved to continue to adapt and finish their classes and assignments.
Also, seniors are in the midst of preparing their diploma papers. Please be in prayer for faculty, staff, and students involved in this process.
Vitali Baranov Generation2 Youth ministry
We thank God for the opportunities that He opens for us at this difficult time, during isolation. We were able to spend an evening of worship through Internet broadcasting and many people being in their homes were able to join in the praise and worship of God. Thank you for your prayer support.
Pray for the opportunity to conduct summer camps for children, adolescents, and youth, now the situation is still not clear.
We believe that by the will of God everything will happen in the best way. We need wisdom in adopting a number of decisions related to the organization of camps, please bless us in prayer.
Pray for the new season of the “Year for God” project, we have a desire to bring up new Christian leaders, for this we need opportunities. Bless in prayer for that new participants come and the necessary funds appear for the formation of leaders.
Thank you for your prayer support.
Ele Paju
Estonian Language Youth and Räpina UMC
Estonian Language Youth
Our Estonian youth are doing well. We had a blessed youth spring camp via the Zoom app.
The Youth Team is working hard to reach to youth. We have had many challenges, zoom meetings, virtual game evenings, and youth can listen to some good talks about what we have posted on Youtube.
At the moment we are having a challenge and one of the main tasks is to get non-christian youth to be involved.
Our prayer request is to get more youth closer to God.
UMC Räpina Congregation
We are trying to our best in distance. I am writing devotionals for them and bringing them weekly something by post.
We all are good and miss our gatherings a lot.
Veronika Fjodorova
Children’s Lighthouse Director
We thank God that He kept us healthy, even though some of us had contact with people who had the virus.
We are grateful to God for people who supported the Children center in this difficult time, that we could continue to work.
In the middle of this month, we can open the center for children. We pray that God will give the wisdom to help children to finish their class, who had difficulties with home study.
Also, we pray about summer plans. We don’t know yet is it possible to do summer camp and we ask that God will be in the answer to this question.
Vilja Ventsel
Tallinn Lay Person
Pray for wisdom for all world leaders and for Estonian ones, too. Pray for those people who lost their jobs, that they will survive, and come closer to God.
Pray for our church members, that all of them use this time of restrictions to search God`s will and when the normal life begins, start with new power and wisdom our activities.
Pray for sick people, for their healing, and pray for people, who are lost their relatives and friends.
Pray for young people and children.
Üllas Tankler
General Board of Global Ministries
I am grateful for the grace we have experienced in our home during this extraordinary time. No one in our immediate family has suffered with illness or under the loss of the job.
Please pray for wisdom for me to make the right decisions in how to do my work best under current circumstances. An essential part of my work happens during my travels. Now that this is not possible for several months, I need to see what exactly and how can be done virtually. The computer screen and video platforms are helpful, but will never replace real human contact.
Thank you for your support!
Kristina Lepik
Paide UMC
All praise to God for he has been good to us! We had the first zoom meeting with my congregation as they aren’t that used to technology, but I discovered the possibility to call into the meeting and it worked! We had a few using the Zoom app and then those who just called in. I hope we can continue that as long as needed.
I would ask you to pray for my studies, I have basically the last month to finish with everything, plus the diploma paper. May I have motivation and wisdom.
Let´s pray for people in Estonia and wider as the isolation has started to affect people´s minds and emotions negatively.
I am thankful for the technical solutions during the virus´ period, which helped the church get out to many more people. The new version of the church has gotten to people who really haven´t been in worship for a very long time.
I am also asking the prayers for keeping contact with those who have watched the church services only on social media. Please pray for the wisdom of church leaders. Pray that they can help the contacts stay strong and new people would feel interested in joining with local churches in person too.
Please pray for the protection to everyone, staying in the hospitals, or in the care houses. People are still getting sick and get to the hospitals for several reasons but not only the coronavirus. There are also some people from Agape church, needs to be in the care house in Pärnu. They need special protection now that they won´t be exposed to the coronavirus.
Please pray for the churches, when they get to open again. We have seen so many blessings and new solutions during the virus´ period. Let God show to the pastors and other leaders, which new things can stay or which old habits should be put away. All the churches should not turn back into the same pattern of the ministries as they had before the lockdown started.