Praying for Covenant’s Missionaries and Organizations LOCAL MISSIONARIES Bekah Ishak INTERVARSITY Bekah works on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at ECU. InterVarsity is a national movement of campus character that seeks to disciple and transform college students to participate in God’s global mission. Bekah identifies and equips student leaders, discipling and training them to lead the chapter at ECU.

Praise God for: • A solid group of freshmen who are still on campus despite online classes. They have been faithful coming to small group • The leadership team who has been flexible to changes and trying new things during this difficult semester • Bekah and her new fiancé- may God bless their upcoming marriage Please Pray for:

• Outreach to students who are still living on campus • Developing new leaders as 2/3 of the current leaders will be graduating this year LOCAL MISSIONARIES Carmen Obi EVERY NATION As a campus missionary in Greenville, North Carolina, Carmen has the privilege of helping students discover and grow in the love of God as they search for their identity and purpose. At Every Nation, our aim is to disciple these future leaders to be so intimately familiar with the Gospel that they are radically changed and empowered to share it with others.

Praise God for: • In September, we baptized three freshmen girls that we met during our coffee meet-ups at the beginning of the semester Please Pray for:

• Students to continue to prioritize and cultivate their relationship with God in the midst of this fast-paced semester • Wisdom for our staff in how to lead and engage well with students (here and back home) and personal refreshing as we continue to serve the campus and community LOCAL MISSIONARIES David Wall FCA David has been the Area Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Eastern North Carolina since 2007. He supports and leads huddles (Bible studies for student athletes) as well as equips and trains coaches and huddle leaders for middle schools, high schools, and colleges in 14 counties.

Please Pray for:

• Our Board. We have a great local board but are praying that we will continue to work well together and we are so blessed to have three new board members • Our staff. Our goal is to have more staff covering smaller areas. We currently have 9 staff covering our area, but have one new staff member coming on board as we speak • Everyone on staff is responsible for building a home team of monthly financial partners who come alongside them in the areas of ministry, prayer, and finances. We hope to see the home team for each staff member grow during this time LOCAL MISSIONARIES David & Kathy Sawyer WITH PURPOSE INTERNATIONAL David serves as the lead pastor at Snow Hill First Baptist Church and Ministry Coordinator/Pastor of FBC Snow Hill, NC at With Purpose International. David and Kathy also engage in premarital counseling for couples.

Praise God for: • Continued ability to lead our ministry initiatives despite the restrictions due to COVID via online portals and outdoor gatherings for weddings • Protection and provision for those who participate in our ministry initiatives Please Pray for: • God to allow our overseas mission trips to resume in His perfect timing regarding our world travel and missionary work • Our ministry initiatives to remain creative in developing relationships, despite contact restrictions, to further the advancement of the gospel LOCAL MISSIONARIES Trudy Halstead GOD’S LOVE Trudy is the founder of God’s Love, Inc. God’s Love meets the needs of low income families by delivering furniture, household goods, clothing, and other items as needed to their homes and praying for them.

Praise God for: • A wonderful turnout for the Third Street Education Center giveaways • The many donations that have been received and continue to come in Please Pray for: • God to open a door for God’s Love to go deeper in helping those with addictions • God’s guidance to help Trudy to do His will for this ministry LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

Building Hope BUILDINGHOPENC.ORG Building Hope is a faith-based non-profit youth and family development organization founded in 2001 with a desire to serve the children and families of our community. Building Hope has served over 1,500 youth and their families by providing academic support, spiritual formation, character and leadership development, service opportunities, summer programs, and parent engagement. Praise God for: • Starting two new initiatives: Day Program- serving 40-60 (1st- High School) students daily during their weeks of remote virtual learning; Saturday Seminars-focused on college and career exposure and exploration for our middle and high school students • Staff & student volunteers every Friday to do Meals on Wheels through Pitt County Council on Aging Please Pray for: • The safety and health of our families & staff as we follow COVID protocols while maintaining a safe, nurturing and fun environment • Wisdom as we pray, plan, and prepare for what our 20th annual fundraising event will look like in this season LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

CAROLINAPREGNANCYCENTER.ORG The Carolina Pregnancy Center exists to provide abortion alternatives, abstinence education, and post-abortion support with the hope of transforming lives through the grace of Christ.

Praise God for: • Guiding the team to “think outside of the box” and offer an online, streaming version of the curriculum to their clients • Opening the door to reach clients who may not normally participate in the program due to scheduling conflicts, lack of transportation or lack of childcare Please Pray for: • The ability to continue to reach and assist young women and men in our community • Brightcourse program to reach people online even after COVID restrictions are eased • Young women who deal with their crisis pregnancy and the staff who provide safe and non-judgement care to them LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

HEARTFORENC.ORG A team of business people nudged by God to connect with those leading local, faith-based, non-profit organizations. Our mission is to support their mission through providing capacity building training and resources, building connections throughout the community, and offering grant writing and other services.

Praise God for: • Being able to host training events again with nonprofits. Over 30 different organizations attended a recent 3-part series on Marketing and Communications • Funds received for ENC and many of the organizations they serve Please Pray for: • Continued growth of our influence to organizations that really need help, especially to more rural areas • Direction as ENC considers the potential for the current building on the corner of 14th Street and Evans Street to be a nonprofit hub. Currently 10 organizations have offices within the ENC building LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

JOYSOUPKITCHEN.ORG The Mission of JOY, Inc. is to establish, organize, operate and promote facilities and services in Pitt County for the benefit of the poor and other persons in need.

Praise God for: • Many sponsors who donate materials and food • Churches that provide financial and volunteer support Please Pray for: • Provisions of serving over 100 take-out lunches since mid-March to continue and be able to serve evening meals on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday • Opportunity to start safely serving community meals in our dining room to a very vulnerable population LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

THIRDSTREETEC.ORG Third Street Education Center is a Christ-centered, non-profit organization working to see Generations Transformed by the power of the Gospel through the Academy, Business & Workforce Development Program, and Third Saturday of Service.

Praise God for: • A new Executive Director, Bob Wynn, to provide growth and deeper ministry in all branches of the Center • All staff staying healthy and learning every day • Growth in the Business and Workforce Development program and provision for 44 jobs to Third Street employees Please Pray for: • Our students, staff, volunteers and families who face heavy burdens at times. May all of them continue to reflect Jesus in all they do, ask the hard questions, and pursue God’s best for each other • Bob Wynn as he transitions into the new role • May there be growth in Business and Workforce Development and financial assistance for the classrooms LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

PITTCOUNTY.YOUNGLIFE.ORG Young Life has been reaching students in Pitt County for over 25 years. We have ministry in all 6 of the public high schools, 6 public middle schools, ECU students, students with special needs, and teen moms. Young Life seeks to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith.

Praise God for: • The incredible team of staff, committee, and volunteer Young Life Leaders the Lord has brought together to help our Area Director, Austin, lead the ministry of Young Life in Pitt County • The way He has taught us, primarily through COVID-19 pandemic, to depend more on Him and stay true to the ministry He has called us to: namely, to introduce lost and disinterested adolescents to Jesus Christ and disciple them in the faith Please Pray for: • God to bring more college students and career-age adults to help serve as volunteer Young Life Leaders in Pitt County • Pray that, this year, God would bring a Young Life College Director to lead our ministry to college students at ECU and Pitt • Pray that Young Life would continue to reach every kid in Pitt County with the Gospel of Jesus - specifically kids who are often forgotten or marginalized (kids with special needs and disabilities, teen moms, kids from low income neighborhoods and rural areas, students at Pitt Community College, students who identify as LGBTQ, kids in the foster system, etc.) NATIONAL MISSIONARIES Wade & Sharon Cox MERCY SHIPS Wade and Sharon serve with Mercy Ships in Texas. This international ministry builds and staffs ships equipped to provide medical service internationally to under-served populations. Both Wade and Sharon teach in training programs designed to prepare those who are following God’s call to serve with Mercy Ships. Wade’s role as Chaplain allows him to assist the staff in their spiritual growth; Sharon’s role as Medical Reviewer allows her to serve by ensuring that the future crew is as healthy as it can be.

Praise God for: • Our daughter Brooke who just got engaged • Global Mercy Ships to be completed in April 2021 Please Pray for: • West Africa to open soon for our two Mercy Ships to begin another Field Service • Health and well-being of our family and our ministry NATIONAL MISSIONARIES Jason & Ericka Gates FAMILYLIFE As FamilyLife staff members, we are stateside missionaries serving at the FamilyLife headquarters located in Orlando, FL. FamilyLife; a ministry of Cru, mission is to effectively develop godly marriages and families who change the world one home at a time. Jason serves as an Event Planner, and is responsible for coordinating events such as the “Weekend to Remember” marriage getaway in cities around the country. Ericka serves in Human Resources as FamilyLife’s Childcare Coordinator. We also help to develop marriage ministry movements in communities along the east coast.

Praise God for: • Making strides working with the NC Department of Social Services to offer The Art of Parenting as a choice in free parenting classes mandated by the state • Allowing COVID to postpone our big catalytic events with FamilyLife and, instead, beginning small grassroots groups of people meeting in their neighborhoods to learn the tangible hope of Jesus through the platform of marriage and family Please Pray for: • FamilyLife as decisions are made on what upcoming marriage events look like in a COVID world. At these events people find Christ and move forward in discipling their families • The Lord to provide tangible ways to proceed in Family Ministry to reach families struggling with divorce, addiction, and financial struggles which have significantly increased due to COVID NATIONAL MISSIONARIES Matthew Lilley AWAKEN THE DAWN Matthew and his family have moved back to Greenville, NC. He transitioned in October from serving as the National Director for Burn 24-7 to an official staff position with Awaken the Dawn serving their Nationwide Leadership Network of worship & prayer leaders across America. He continues leading with the Presence Pioneers’ mission to connect, equip, and plant worship & prayer communities for revival. Praise God for: • 90 locations hosting Tent America 2020 with over 3500 cumulative hours of worship, prayer and gospel proclamation from June to September • Dozens of salvations and supernatural healings and unprecedented expressions of unity in the body of Christ in cities across America Please Pray for: • Upcoming Leadership Summit at the end of 2020 to serve and equip our network of worship & prayer leaders across the USA • Our podcast to continue to grow as more downloads occur every month; may God use this format to equip, encourage, and train prayer communities around the world • Rest and refreshing of the Lilley family since moving, finishing a season of ministry travel, and re-launch of homeschooling NATIONAL MISSIONARIES Kimberly Ward (YWAM), CANADA

Kimberly is a part of pioneering a new YWAM base in Victoria, BC, Canada. Her roles revolve around member care & leadership development in the mission, making it available worldwide.

Praise God for: • Great insight, revelation, and wisdom that will help our leadership team to create a solid foundation for YWAM Victoria. It will keep the team serving for many, many years to come • The early stages of dreaming with the Lord and are thrilled to be pioneering with Him. It’s exciting to be here and beginning to see pieces coming together Please pray for: • Temporary housing with a kitchen, bath, washer and dryer close to my team in East Sooke by 12/31/20 • Land or ministry location • Opportunities to include our greater YWAM community in prayer, worship, and service once guidelines relax Ethiopia INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Josh & Bryan Mills SPORTSFRIENDS Josh and Bryan serve with Sports Friends which is a ministry of SIM. They mobilize the American church to reach people through sports camps in Ethiopia, Thailand, Greece and other countries. They are based in Charlotte, NC.

Praise God for: • Josh’s ability as a mobilizer for SIM to find people with strong cross- cultural experience to serve as long term missionaries • Opportunity to witness to a non-believer from a closed country and read then discuss the bible for the first time • Byran’s recent appointment to the Sports Friends Leadership team and new role as Director of Mobilization Please Pray for: • Josh and Bryan as they welcome their first baby in November 2020; may they learn to balance work and family with grace • Josh as he continues conversations with people online who want to know more about serving in cross-cultural ministry • Bryan in her new role with Sports Friends as she launches a new initiative to provide care and support for the team globally INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Central Asia J & J J & J and their family live in Central Asia. They are working to build and grow a business through which they Not pictured will care for their employees and be a witness in their for security interactions with clients and manufacturers. *Because reasons they live in a secure location, we have chosen to withhold their last name, exact location, and picture.

Praise God for: • Friends having dreams and vision from Jesus • Government approval of our ministry business and the hiring of two employees Please Pray for: • God to open the eyes of our neighbors, employees, and friends to the truth of the gospel • Government approval of our local national-led church’s “foundation” status application Dominican Republic INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Isidro & Lucy Mejia HOUSE OF RESTORATION In 1998, Hurricane George brought catastrophic damage to the DR, forcing most of La Romana’s poorest people to higher ground. This dramatic shift in people became what is now known as Barrio George. Isidro and Lucy lead a church in the Barrio as well as a ministry center out of which sports ministry, medical ministry, and other outreaches take place. Covenant has partnered with the Mejias since 2005.

Praise God for: • Our American family • A new school year Please Pray for: • Healing of our people infected with COVID • Missionaries all over the world INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Northern Africa Bishop Saint Saint is a pastor in West Africa who shepherds other pastors. We have supported him for over ten years as he works to pastor congregations and serve other pastors where the violence is rampant.

Praise God for: • Saving Brother Saint’s wife from a ruptured appendix • The start of a new church plant with Covenant’s assistance Please Pray for: • Complete healing of Brother Saint’s wife - she got an infection from the ruptured appendix • People who desecrate the church building and alter by defecating every Saturday night requiring church members to clean every Sunday at 6am. May these people hear the truth of Jesus and turn to Him and repent Ethiopia INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Ermias & Tez Abay NEW LIFE FAITH MINISTRIES Ermias and Tez disciple and equip Christian believers in Ethiopia to evangelize, disciple, and lead house churches through New Life Faith Ministries. As native Ethiopians, Ermias and Tez are able to communicate the Gospel to other Ethiopians without crossing cultures. They are witnessing the miraculous movement of the Holy Spirit to bring people to Christ.

Praise God for: • Opening new doors with amazing results - 817 non-Christians have been saved. Of these new believers, 417 have been baptized and 300 are ready for baptism • 184 groups were created and 98 House Churches have been planted • All of these happening despite ethnic clashes, political instability and even natural calamity from a 100-year flood event • After one month with Joy of Harvest, more than 300 people have been baptized. Please Pray for: • More discipleship training, sending more workers to unreached villages, and places of work • Peace and security in the country so they can travel nonstop INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Ethiopia Richard & Amanda Coleman TMS GLOBAL Richard and his family moved to Ethiopia in early 2018 to work with TMS Global in Addis Ababa. He has worked with TMS, mobilizing missionaries for over eleven years and in 2017 the Lord called him and his family to serve in Ethiopia long-term. Richard continues to equip and mobilize African believers to serve as missionaries in response tot he Lord’s call on their lives.

Praise God for: • Connecting people to the ministry with nearly $10,000 in resources • Family safety from recent unrest in Ethiopia and potentially dangerous situations • Three churches now partnering with TMS Global that provide greater stability and expand the capacity to be generous Please Pray for: • Endurance to do the work as the family is tired and lacking motivation lately. They need spiritual renewal and time away • Salish, young son, to not need a dental procedure to save a tooth • Encouragement to Amanda and Amara who were disappointed they could not travel to the US • Source of home-schooling supplies for the coming school year • New ways to encourage business ideas with their Ethiopian friends Ethiopia INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Caroline Douglas BINGHAM ACADEMY IN ETHIOPIA Caroline grew up in Greenville and attended Covenant Church. She is in her third year at Bingham Academy as a Math teacher, volleyball coach, and Assistant Principal. Bingham Academy is a residential school for children of missionaries. She works with middle and high school students, many of whom are Christians but many of whom are not. As with many American schools in international locations, the school becomes a place for children of government officials or other non-Christian cross-cultural workers to attend. Caroline has had opportunities to lead Bible studies with 10th grade girls and share the gospel with some students who are not Christians.

Please Pray for: • Faculty, staff, and students to seek God’s wisdom with what the new school year looks like and how to make the most of it. • Caroline’s role as assistant principal; discernment for balancing her time in the classroom and administrative roles as well as her own personal endeavors. • God to reveal unique opportunities to continue sharing the Gospel and advancing His Kingdom. INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Greece Stephan & Mary Calhoun HELLENIC MINISTRIES Stephan and Mary are originally from the United States and work with Hellenic Ministries in Greece. Stephan used to lead the Operation Joshua planning team (Operation Joshua is the outreach Covenant partners with most summers to distribute modern Greek New Testaments across Greece). His current role focuses on developing communities of faith in the villages that have received new Testaments. Praise God for: • Family’s safe return to Greece and ministry • New teammates on the Church Planting Team Please Pray for: • Growing needs of the believers in northern Greece • Leadership development in multiple Greek Roma communities Greece INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Eve Kantakas

Eve is a past school teacher who answered the Lord’s call to serve in her home country of Greece as a full-time missionary. She mentors and co-leads young women and girls at a local church so that they may be a loving community of Christ for the least of these. She builds relationships with unchurched women and teens through meeting their practical needs at the church’s community center. Praise God for: • Allowing in-person discipleship and teaching with young Greek girls to begin again after 6 months of online connections only • Opportunity to start relationships with 2 mothers and their children through the feeding ministry to the poor, immigrants and homeless in the community. The children are coming to Sunday School and the moms are more open in discussing God Please Pray for: • The community center and Women’s shower ministry to reopen. Both ministries are closed due to Covid19 restrictions. The community center provides outreach to neighborhood kids. The shower ministry reaches homeless and refugee women. Need God to guide Eve in creative ways to minister to these groups • Eve to find the financial support she needs to complete her Theological and Ministry Training through Westminster Theological Seminary INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Greece Alexander & Kendra Macris HELLENIC MINISTRIES Alexander and Kendra seek to make disciples through their local church and youth group in Chicago, Greek camps in the summer and at Petalouda throughout the week. Their main focus is to develop a Greek church plant in and make it reproducible for planting other churches and running camps during the summers that focus on and leadership development.

Praise God for: • Successful summer of camps and outreach events in-spite of COVID • Developing friendships for Kendra in Athens and Alex while in the army. Several have been to the house for visits Please Pray for: • Alex while he completes the mandatory 6 - 8 months of military service at the Greek borders • New neighbors in Athens and Alex’s army friends with whom they want to testify the gospel with their actions and words. Pray for their hearts to open to Jesus Greece INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Justin & Evangelia Macris HELLENIC MINISTRIES Justin is the son of Hellenic Ministries’ President, Johnathan. He works in Athens, Greece with Hellenic Ministries. Justin provides support for the media team and he assists with Operation Joshua.

Praise God for: • Completion of Operation Joshua 2020 despite Covid19. God provided last minute provisions and solutions, allowing 30,000 New Testaments to be delivered to some of the country’s most inaccessible villages • New team members for the Media-Communications and IT teams that Justin leads Please Pray for: • CityChurch which Justin and Eve attend. Need prayers that will allow people to be more connected rather than disconnected in the setting of Covid19. • Wisdom in leadership of the media team and the new members as they serve the needs of Hellenic Ministries INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Greece Bereket Nigatu HELLENIC MINISTRIES Bereket is a young missionary working with Hellenic Ministries. A gifted evangelist, Bereket spent time interning with us here in Winterville before joining Hellenic Ministries full-time.

Praise God for: • Bringing people to us through our shower and laundry ministries who are interested in Jesus • Less strict COVID measures allowing the team to share the good news with locals by singing Christian songs in local parks Please Pray for: • God’s protection from COVID and any attack from Satan and strength from God to do his will in our lives • Stewardship of what God has brought to the team; may those who hear the message open their hearts to Jesus Lebanon INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Selina Yamout CHURCH OF TYRE Selina serves with the Church of Tyre in Lebanon by leading the church to reach out to Syrian refugees. She helps the church with their medical work, ministry to children, and helping women recover from trauma.

Praise God for: • Family safety, in the midst of, the Beirut explosion • In times of desperation God has used us to give hope to the young generation in Lebanon Please Pray for: • A new tutoring program to serve single moms and support their children in education for a better future • The families they serve to meet Jesus in a very personal and radical way INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Middle East Brother J ANANIAS HOUSE Not pictured for security reasons

Praise God for: • For His work in our personal life due to health issue among family, the Lord has been good to them • Answering prayers in the Middle East to help many churches and people who were caught in a recent explosion Please Pray for: • People who are severely hungry and we do not have enough resources to help • Children who are committing suicide due to family issues and hunger • Brother J as he leads this modest ministry during a wave of problems facing them Middle East INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Jacob HOLY SPIRIT SCHOOL Not pictured for security reasons

Praise God for: • New families that were discipled then baptized. Many of them are now working in the ministry • Many kids from the school are now attending church and help with Sunday School and video projection. God continues to talk to these children in dreams and visions Please Pray for: • People who lost their jobs or now work for half pay • Breakthrough in the government to avoid civil war and improve the economy • People to find Jesus in the midst of hard times • Land in the south to build a church and have a house of prayer and anther school INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES Middle East R & R Not pictured for security reasons

Praise God for: • A 4-day prayer gathering with Arab Christians to pray for God’s purpose among global Islam • Testimony of an Arab sister who repented and guided a neighbor in her faith after she had 3 dreams of Jesus • Ability to start a digital media strategy to help people study the bible online Please Pray for: • The digital media strategy to lead Muslims to engage in face to face discipleship • Christian Arabs to unite in prayer and reach the lost around them Middle East INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARIES G & S Not pictured for security reasons

Praise God for: • Beginning to answer our prayers to the Lord of the harvest to call out His workers. We are seeing a slight increase in inquiries to the Middle east Please Pray for: • Our local friends, whom we miss and love, who are living through COVID and economic crisis there. Since we are in the US right now, we pray that God would bring other followers into their lives to impact them for Jesus • Pray for us as we are “stuck” in the US right now due to COVID. Pray that God would use us here for His glory and that we would be able to return shortly after the new year • Pray for His church to be salt and light during this season of strife and conflict in our nation INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

IGLWORLD.ORG India Gospel League is an international mission focused on sharing good news, serving with compassionate care, and seeing God at work to help the people of India. More than 95,000 villages have been invested in and impacted in the past 25 years.

Please pray for: • Pray for protection from the virus, spiritual strength, wisdom and God’s daily provision • Pray for IGL body of Christ will be able to continue to boldly proclaim and share the Gospel and that the message will be received with open hearts so that peoples lives will be transformed for eternity • Pray for God’s provision for IGL to help reach those in India with the greatest needs both spiritually and physically OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

COMMUNITYCROSSROADSCENTER.ORG At CCC, the Mission is to “serve the homeless and those at risk of homelessness by providing safe housing, and assisting them in developing a long term plan that leads to self-sufficiency.”

ofHope

Ministries

HOPE-OF-GLORY.ORG We are committed to serving others practically and spiritually through our Community Food Co-op Program and the Community Outlet Thrift Store. Our desire is to empower individuals and families towards financial stability and biblical stewardship so they can flourish without the need for government or charity assistance. covenant.cc/go  covenantGO