13 June
ALGERIA v. SLOVENIA
ALGERIA
Algeria’s history is riddled with violence and political instability. Democracy has been the goal but often seems to fail. Pray for centuries of prejudice towards Christians and of misunderstandings about the Gospel to be taken away, and for hearts to be open to the truth. Pray that Algerian athletes and fans visiting South Africa will have opportunities to hear about Christ.
SLOVENIA
The Republic of Slovenia gained independent nation status in 1991, and the years since have seen the establishment of a strong new country. A majority of the two million citizens of Slovenia are Catholic or Orthodox Christians. Around 2.5 percent are Muslim and 10 percent have declared themselves atheists. Pray that their success as a nation will not deceive Slovenes into thinking that worldly achievements are more important than being in right relationship with God. Pray that followers of Jesus in Slovenia will live holy lives that demonstrate God’s values to their fellow citizens.
SERBIA v. GHANA
SERBIA
June 5, 2010 marked four years of independence for the Republic of Serbia. The young nation was birthed after many years of division and fighting among the states of the former Yugoslavia. Over 90 percent of Serbs are either Serbian Orthodox or Catholic. There are three times as many Muslims as there are Protestants in the country. Pray that Serbian followers of Christ will be leaders in helping their nation develop godly values and that they will model compassion, harmony and understanding in all of their dealings with fellow Serbs.
GHANA
The Republic of Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from a colonial power. Today it has one of the strongest economies in the region, bolstered by an abundance of natural resources. Although no official figures exist to reflect regional distribution of the various religions, it is generally agreed that the southern part of Ghana is more Christian, while the north is more Islamic. Pray that followers of Jesus throughout Ghana will demonstrate sincere love to all people and that the youth of Ghana will be drawn to Christ as they see His life reflected in His followers.
GERMANY v. AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
The Federal Republic of Germany is a powerhouse in Europe, boasting the continent’s largest economy and second largest population. Germany’s Christian heritage began in the eighth century, as Roman Catholic missionaries traveled there and won converts. Eight centuries later, Martin Luther was instrumental in establishing Protestantism as Germany’s second major faith. Today German Christians are evenly divided between these two branches of Christianity, but they account for only two-thirds of the German population. Like people in many other European countries, a large percentage of modern day Germans has no religious affiliation. Pray for a revival in this nation that has such a rich Christian history.
AUSTRALIA
Christianity is the primary religion in Australia, and Christian organizations are the leading non-governmental providers of education, health and welfare services in the country, but the number of Australians professing to be Christians dropped dramatically in the last century. Evangelical Christians are far fewer in number than Catholics. Pray that Australians will praise God as the source of their blessings and choose to honor Him through unqualified obedience and godly decisions in their daily lives.
