FAMILY WORSHIP SUPPLEMENT
February 2021
Hymn of the Month
Trinity Hymnal #302 – Come, Christians, Join to Sing
Written by Christian Henry Bateman in 1843, this month’s song was originally titled “Come, Children, Join to Sing” and was written with uncomplicated lyrics and the often repeated “Alleluia, Amen” making it easy for children to learn and sing. With the updated lyrics calling on all people to join in the praise of our God the hymn reminds us that it is Christ’s unfailing love and faithfulness that is the impetus for our worship. The hymn ends with a heavenward note reminding us that death is no longer an enemy and thief of praise, but it is the gateway to an everlasting bliss where we will be unencumbered in our worship of our God.
Prayer for Unreached Peoples
The Mahratta of India (Evening Service, 2/7/2021)
The Mahratta primarily live in western India. With a population of 30.7 million people they are 98.5% Hindu and 0.0% Christian which classify them as not just unreached, but a frontier people group. They are typically in the upper tier of farming communities, able to maintain food crops as well as cash crops. They are less hostile to other cultures, but still maintain rather strict religious and cultural customs. They do have the complete scriptures translated into their language.
The Pashtun of Pakistan (Evening Service, 2/14/2021)
The Pashtun reside primarily in Pakistan and Afghanistan and 100% of the 30.3 million people in this group are Muslim. Missionaries first arrived to the Pashtun people in 1818 with the
arrival of William Carey and many mission hospitals, schools, and colleges. However, this legacy of witness has largely been suppressed in recent decades with the rise of militant Islamist
groups in the region. Pray for opportunities for the small number of Pakistani Christians to share the gospel, for more open doors for missionaries, and for the completion of scripture translation currently ongoing.
The Arabic-speaking Algerians of Algeria (Evening Service (2/21/2021)
There are 29.7 million Arabic-speaking Algerians with 95.5% adhering to the Muslim faith and .01% Christian. The harsh lifestyle of Northern Africa has led many of these individuals to immigrate to Europe to seek a better living for their family and to send money back home. This immigration has produced greater opportunities for evangelism but with minimal success. Pray for those immigrating to receive the gospel and for converts to be willing to return home to advance the gospel.