Wednesday 3 August 2016

Prayer Letter August 2016

Since August is holiday month for a lot of people, including the folks at ICS, we thought it would be appropriate to lay out our priority concerns needing prayer for this month on the five Mondays of August. Please join with us as we bring these major items before the Lord.

Monday, August 1:
Pray for the work of the Search Committee for a Manager of Finance, which as we announced last month, is necessitated by the departure of Ed Hayley at the end of July. Please pray the Lord will send us just the person we need to fill this vital role and that the committee will have wisdom and discernment as they interview the different candidates. It is critical that we have someone in place before the school year begins September 5th.

Monday, August 8:
Please continue to pray for the negotiations with the Receiver for 229 College concerning the renewal of our lease. The main issue is our decision to reduce the size of our footprint and thus our rental costs, as approved in our budget for this year. Please pray for a way through this that enables us to meet our objectives: primarily, both a quick sale and an affordable lease.

Give thanks with and for Henk Hart, who started working for ICS on this day 50 years ago. His first task was putting stamps on a mailing!

Monday, August 15:
Please pray this week for the development of our Wayfinding program and a successful launch in September. We have made strong connections with several churches and Christian ministries who are interested in partnering with us in a pilot launch of the continuing education option this September. Please pray for the logistical planning and organization that is needed to deliver this program to those who wish to participate.

We also have strong interest from several Christian organizations who see the potential of this program to be a component of their educational programming for staff. Pray for wisdom as we work out those details in the coming months.

Monday, August 22:
Please pray this week for our faculty and administrative staff as they prepare for the beginning of the school year in a couple of weeks. Pray that they will be encouraged, even in the midst of difficult times, by the work that they do. We ask for God’s grace and wisdom as they work together, and for keen discernment in working through the issues facing ICS at this time. And give thanks to God for sending them to serve the Institute’s mission with commitment and dedication.

Monday, August 29:
Next week we welcome our Junior Members, both returning and new. Please pray for all of them as they wrap up their summer projects, academic and otherwise, and settle back into the coming year’s routine. It is a joyous time, as we all start afresh as the ICS community, gathered here in Toronto.

And we do remember also the broader ICS community of supporters and alumni, near and far, which of course includes all who read this. We give thanks to our Lord for you, and for His sustenance in the past and into the future.