October 2023 Prayer requests

Below, find the prayer concerns and requests from leaders of the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary and the congregations in Estonia.

Robert Tšerenkov
District Superintendent, EMK

Dear Friends,

We are so grateful to the Lord for the in-person gathering of the Friends of Estonia, which took place last weekend in Marietta, GA! Thank you to all who participated, and a huge thank you to Carl and Page Henry, co-chairs of the FOE and Mt. Bethel church, for hosting the meeting! It is a blessing to have friends in different parts of the world coming together for prayer and fellowship and to further the work of the Kingdom of God in Estonia. Thank you all!
Please pray for the pastors gathering on October 13 and 14. As we gather for prayer and fellowship and to discuss important matters for ministry, may the Holy Spirit guide and empower us.

Our Annual Conference Council made some changes in the leadership and elected two vice-chairmen to assist the Superintendent in leading the church: Anton Ojamaa will be vice chairman responsible for administration and finance, and pastor Priit Tamm will be an assistant to the Superintendent in spiritual matters. Please pray for a blessing over them in their new responsibilities.

Please pray for our churches in Võru and Tartu as they celebrate their anniversaries and for me as I travel to visit them.
Thank you for your faithful prayers for the Methodist church in Estonia!

In Christ,
Robert Tserenkov

Taavi Hollman
Interim Rector, BMTS

Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary prayer requests for October

We are grateful to God for:

• new school year that successfully started in September and is going well;
• having no tensions between Russian and Ukrainian students concerning the opinions of the war;
• the possibility of continuing with the fellowship meals for students and staff once a week during each study week;
• New teachers Brent and Colleen who have come to serve and help in the Seminary;
• The successful Friends of Estonia gathering in Mt Bethel Church last week and safe travels;
• Seminary Sunday in the churches across the land on September 10^th, many churches and private donors have already sent in their support;

Please pray for:

• the upcoming team meeting on October 11^th, where we are going to discuss and plan the activities suggested by the accreditation committee;
• the preparations for the upcoming accreditation next year;
• Russian and Belorussian students especially; also Ukrainian students;
• our vision to have a day master`s program;
• the need of getting teachers who have doctor’s degree;

Blessings,

Taavi

Vilja Ventsel
Tallinn Lay Person

I hope that you are all doing well!

• Pray for our new small groups that all participants will grow in faith and enjoy meetings!
• Pray for our congregation leaders that they will make wise decisions.
• Pray for people who have economic and/or health problems.

Blessings!

Vilja Ventsel

Lemme Aulis
Pastor, Reeküla Church

As it is in small congregations – sometimes you have to do many things on a Sunday Service yourself, so often, I also have to lead the congregation in praise and worship.

Congregation threw me a surprise birthday party in September, and their birthday present was the biggest I have ever seen and got. 😄🥰

(not everyone fits this picture, and not all of the gifts fit the picture!)

We also had Saaremaa Island´s pastors and workers fellowship, which was my first to attend. It was a blessed time, and I feel privileged to get to know pastors, priests, and lay leaders from different denominations in Saaremaa, worship our God together in unity, pray for each other, and have fun. I got invitations to go and visit and preach in some of their Churches, and I am sure we will have some good ecumenical relationships developed even more.

We will have our first Youth Evening this Saturday evening (on the 7th of October) and start with our Sunday School this Sunday (the 8th of October).

So, our prayer requests remain the same:

• Please pray that youth would start coming to Church so that God could touch and change the course of their lives. Please pray for me and the rest of the team serving the youth that God would give us the wisdom to minister to them.
• Please pray for our Sunday School teachers that God would give them wisdom and joy, guidance, and all the help they need to serve the kids in our neighborhood, and please pray for the kids – that God could touch them and speak to their hearts and that they would grow up in the presence and wisdom of God.
• Please continue praying that God would show us how to serve our Church and the community. That our presence in Reeküla would make a difference in people’s lives.

Thank you so much for partnering with us! You are such a blessing! I pray God would bless you, your families, your Churches, your Ministry, Your love and giving, and that you would bear much fruit and be loved, blessed, and happy!

With much love,

(pastor) Lemme Aulis from Reeküla

Oleksandr Holodylovskyi
Generation2 Youth

• We pray for the development of the leadership team and new ministers.
• We plan to have a new person responsible for missionary trips around Estonia,
• Weekly Kids, Teens, Young, and Youth Services.
• October 8 – we are going to have Harvest service with two congregations together.
• We are planning to make a School for youth and teens ministers on 28 October.

God bless you

Oleksandr

Veronika Fjodorova
Children’s Lighthouse Director

Thank you for your prayer support! Here are the Children Center Lighthouse prayer requests:

We thank God that the children’s center operates in a stable school rhythm where, apart from spending free time, children also get help learning.

We pray for the Sunday school teacher, Svetlana, who regularly goes to give children Bible lessons so that the Word of God can touch the hearts of the children.

Starting in the new year, the Defence Resources Agency will no longer send a military guy (alternative service), who has been an additional worker in the children’s center for many years, without us having to pay him. We pray that there will be enough volunteers to help in the children’s center.

On October 25, it is planned that people related to the children’s center and representatives of some organizations will meet to discuss how to help make the material situation of the center more stable. We pray that this meeting will be effective and that together, we will find solutions to ensure the better work of the children’s center.

We are praying for 16-year-old Milana, who is doing very well in school but has trouble making friends and feels very lonely and depressed.

We pray for a 12-year-old boy who has been in a shelter since spring because his mother is constantly drunk. Last week there was a court, and custody rights were taken away from the mother. The boy is very worried about his future because even though his mother has had alcohol problems all along, he has had a strong attachment to his mother and has not wanted to leave home.

I want to ask you to pray for both the children’s center and the teenagers of the church, the pressure at school is very high, and they often break under this pressure. Being a teenager also comes with many challenges. We pray that God will give them wisdom, that they will make the right choices in life and be able to cope with their studies.

God bless you!
Veronika Fjodorova

Ele Paju
Estonian Language Youth and Räpina

Hello, dear Estonia friends,

I am so deeply thankful for you! I had a wonderful time in Marietta, Georgia.

God blessed us with many special meetings. It was a real reunion! Thank you, God!

This Sunday will be the anniversary of Võru church. Many people are coming; we also expect the city mayor of Võru.

My vision is Psalm 1 that our church will be Bible-studying congregations. And we are working on that.

In my hobby school for children, there is lots of work going on; the new season is full of great action and activity. Please pray for teachers so that I can have a calm working atmosphere.

There is something very exciting about youth courses going on in youth work. More than 20 young leaders are taking on this course. Many wonderful church workers from all over the Estonian Methodist Church are very keen to help by doing videos. This is a great pleasure and blessing. Let’s pray for Naatan, who is leading this course.

On the 27th–28th of October, many young people gather in Saku to study the Bible together. Let’s pray that many may come and God Himself be present to serve us all. We are happy that Taavet Taimla could come to teach us.

I feel how the American trip lifted, encouraged, and gave me the experience of God’s love.

Thank you for your love

Hugs from Estonia

In love,

Ele