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  • Meet a really special Marine—on his third Purple Heart!
  • It’s Clergy Appreciation Month. Time to thank your pastor!
  • Awesome words—Thomas Jefferson’s Prayer for Peace.

Things to pray for

Pray for President Bush as he manages the concerns of leading our nation every day. Photo courtesy of the White House.
  1. President Bush is working very hard to lead our country in dealing with many concerns, from the war on terrorism to North Korea and Iran as they develop nuclear weapons. He begins every day with briefings from members of his staff who tell him about the biggest problems and threats in the world. But he still keeps a positive attitude and seeks God’s help as he leads, so we must pray for the President as he handles the great issues and concerns that face him every day. Ask God to guide and help him in every decision and at every moment.

  2. This month is Clergy Appreciation Month! It’s a time when we are all encouraged to reach out to our pastors, youth leaders, chaplains or other leaders. We want to pray for the leaders who nurture us spiritually, thanking God for them and praying for His leadership, protection and strength for each one. Pray that they will have a vital spiritual life, a thriving family life and great health. And pray that God will work in their hearts to keep them fresh all the time so they can be effective as they minister!

  3. This week, the United States Air Force celebrates its 60th anniversary! That means it’s a great time to thank God for these special troops who serve America in the skies and pray for their continued growth, strength and protection. Give thanks that these guardians are always ready to spring into action when America needs them, as they did when Cory Lidle’s small plane hit a New York City apartment building this week. Air Force flyers were dispatched immediately, to ensure the safety and protection of Americans. It is sad that two people died in the crash, but it is good to know that our Air Force was at the ready when they were needed.

    It’s also a great time to pray for all the members of our military who faithfully serve our country day after day. Pray for their protection, care and support, and for them to know how very much we appreciate their efforts.

  4. Since we are giving thanks for our troops, we must also remember to pray for those who have been injured as they serve our country. Many young men and women who have answered the call to serve America through military service are recovering in military hospitals. They are fighting for their health and strength with the same passion that they fought for freedom. So pray for the hospitals, doctors, therapists and others who work to bring healing and strength to our injured troops, and give thanks for the sacrifices they are making on our behalf. Read the story below about a very special young man.

  5. This fall’s elections are just a few weeks away, so it’s very important that we pray for the elections taking place all over America on November 7, asking God to help every person to consult with Him as they vote. Pray that godly leaders will be elected and that each issue will go the way God wants it to go. Pray that PPT’s Pray the Vote materials and resources will be used by many people.

Leaders to pray for


Secretary of Transportation—Mary Peters

Portrait courtesy of the Department of Transportation.

Mary Peters was sworn in as our nation’s Secretary of Transportation on September 30, 2006. She follows in the footsteps of Norman Mineta, who did a fantastic job for over six years (remember, Mr. Mineta was the only Democrat on the Cabinet, and he served under former President Clinton). Mary Peters brings a lifetime of valuable experience in America’s transportation system. She has served in both the private and public arenas. She has been head of the Federal Highway Administration and Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

As he placed her name in nomination, President Bush said, “Mary has a reputation for character and common sense. She's an innovative thinker. She knows how to set priorities and to solve problems. And as a member of my Cabinet, Mary will work closely with state and local leaders to ensure that America has a state of the art transportation system that meets the needs of our growing economy.”

As the leader of the Department of Transportation, Mary Peters leads a team of over 60,000 employees. With her team she is responsible for maintaining a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system. In addition, the Secretary of Transportation works to guard against terrorist threats to our aircraft, our seaports and our infrastructure.

Mary Peters holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix and attended Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. With her husband, Terry, she has three grown children and five grandchildren.


Secretary of Labor—Elaine Chao

Photo courtesy of the Department of Labor.

Did you know that our government has a whole big department made just to help the workers of America? That’s right—it’s called the Department of Labor and its leader is a dynamite woman named Elaine Chao. Elaine and her family came to our country from their native China when she was just a little girl of eight. They worked very hard and had much kind help and support from others, and soon they were doing well. The experience of receiving so much help and support from so many others made Elaine feel like she wanted to give something back to her country, so she dedicated her life to helping others succeed and find success, especially with their jobs.

Elaine Chao has done some pretty amazing things in her life—like being the Director of the Peace Corps, and being the President/CEO of the United Way. She has also worked in other parts of our government, like the Department of Transportation.

With her team at the Labor Department, Secretary Chao works hard to help all of America’s workers. She wants to be sure they are doing the very best job they can, getting paid fairly, being safe and growing in numbers. She helps provide workers with information on how to get jobs and develop careers, health and retirement benefits and assistance for those who are without jobs. Her department also makes sure that no one is being treated unfairly in the workplace because of their race or gender. That’s a lot to work on, so you can bet Secretary Chao and the other people at the Department of Labor really appreciate your prayers.

Secretary Chao prepared for her career by getting a college degree from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and a MBA from Harvard University. Through the years she has given of her time and talent to lots of organizations and has received many awards for her service.

With her husband, Mitch McConnell, a Senator from Kentucky, Secretary Chao has three daughters.

Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
—I Thessalonians 5:12-13

You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength. You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations.
—Psalm 65:5-7

Do you have a pastor? What is your pastor’s name? Is your pastor young or old? A man or a woman? Does your pastor wear a formal robe when ministering, or just casual clothes? No matter what your pastor wears, we’re pretty sure that you are thankful for your pastor, youth pastor or other person who ministers to your spiritual needs.

Does you pastor look like any of these people? Each of these is a pastor, serving God’s people is a meaningful and helpful way. This month is a great time to tell your pastor how much you appreciate him or her.

Or maybe you or someone in you family has had their spiritual needs met by a chaplain. That’s a person who serves those in the military, in hospitals or other “institutional” settings where a regular pastor might not be able to serve. Chaplains can be found right at the forefront of action, crisis, or other kinds of great need, and many of them put their lives at risk in order to serve the spiritual needs of their constituents.

These people are chaplains. They serve with our military, in hospitals, prisons, fire departments—even in corporations—and other places where people need spiritual support and growth.

Clergy Appreciation Month is a great time to consider the people who serve us by ministering to our spiritual needs. Our pastors and chaplains are really important people in our lives, our communities and in our country, because they help us grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. They equip us to grow stronger in our faith and to follow after them as we minister to others. They are there for us and our families in times of crisis as well as times of great joy. Our pastors are the people who help us keep eternity in mind, and that’s really important for everyone.

How can you express your thanks to your pastor? Here are some ideas. Maybe you have more ideas you have found a special way to thank your pastor for his or her ministry to you.

  • Write a note expressing your thanks for their leadership.
  • Tell them a way that you have grown as a result of their ministry.
  • Tell them how much you appreciated a recent sermon—and that you are praying that you and all the people in your church will take the message of that sermon to heart.
  • Put your pastor’s picture on your refrigerator so you can remember to pray for him or her.
  • Give your pastor a gift certificate to your pastor’s favorite coffee shop, bookstore, or music store.
  • If your pastor or youth pastor has young kids, offer to babysit for free.

Do you have other ways you’ve shown love, appreciation or support for your pastor? Write us and tell us about it, and we’ll be sure to tell others what your terrific ideas are. That way we can bless all our pastors!
Meagan@presidentialprayerteam.org

John McClellan.

If you are a teenager, you are probably thinking and praying about what you want to do with your life. Some kids know very early in life that they want to serve our country in military service. They feel a pride in America and love and respect the flag—so much that they are willing to fight and even risk their lives for our country.

Some kids enlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines right out of high school. They are very focused on a military career and they are excited to serve their country. John McClellan was like that. He knew he wanted to be a Marine, and he went into the service shortly after graduating from Hickman High School in Columbia, MO. He soon was sent to Afghanistan where he served faithfully, but was shot in the same arm on two different occasions. No wonder his buddies call him “Lucky.”

Two weeks ago, John McClellan, only months out of his teens at age 20, was on duty with his platoon in Haditha, Iraq. With no warning, a sniper’s bullet blasted through the air of the courtyard they were patrolling and hit him in the skull, just above his left ear. It was a scary injury and a scary moment for John and his platoon. Fortunately, many of the other guys in John’s platoon are guys who know the power of prayer. In fact, as soon John was pulled to safety, they applied First Aid and prayed for him. And prayed. They prayed as John underwent surgery in Baghdad. They prayed as he was airlifted out of Iraq. And they prayed as John came to Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. And while John’s platoon is still in action in Iraq, they are letting him know via email that they are still praying for him.

PPT member Connie McClellan met PPT President/CEO John Lind at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Connie is mustering prayer for her son, John, from across the nation.

Meanwhile, John’s mom, Connie got busy compiling an email list with many faithful intercessors. All those people have been praying for John. And the folks back home in Columbia, MO have been praying too. There have been prayer services and vigils, and John’s pastor, Rev. Leuther, even made the trip to Maryland to offer support and prayer for John and his family.

Twenty-year-old John McClellan is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, his third combat injury.

Then one day when Connie was in the liaison’s area at the hospital, she heard a man mention “The Presidential Prayer Team” as he introduced two men. Connie sprang to her feet. “I’m a member of The Presidential Prayer Team!” she said. The two men were John Lind, the President/CEO of PPT and Richard Webb, Director of Stewardship. They had a great visit with Connie and prayed together for John. It was an encouraging moment for Connie.

As God’s people hold him up in prayer, John McClellan has been making steady progress every day. Doctors have called his recovery miraculous. He is up and moving around, he can talk, read and write—all things that were in question when he first came to Bethesda. He has a long way to go, but he is in very good shape for a guy who has been shot three times and is about to collect his third Purple Heart.

How could you help John? Well, his mom, Connie, would still welcome more prayer on John’s behalf. So pray for John’s continued healing and progress. And pray for his mom and dad and sister. It’s hard to go through something like this, but the journey is made better when we uphold these special people with our prayers.

We’d also like to remind you that there are lots of great troops who have been injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. Like John, they are recovering from their injuries under the care of great physicians, nurses and therapists of all kinds.

This week we’d like to challenge everyone to consider sending to our wounded troops a word of encouragement, prayer, Scripture or just a note of thanks. In fact, we’ve created a special mini-poster you can use with our PPT mascot Patriot Pat! Click here to download.

Take a moment and draw a picture and write a few words to encourage the brave men and women at Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Mail your mini-poster to: The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids, PO Box 89130, Tucson AZ 85752.

PPT Honorary Committee member Michael W. Smith traveled to Leola, PA last week to participate in a prayer vigil held at The Worship Center. Smith also sang a stirring tribute to the five girls who died in the shooting, mentioning each of their names in the song. Photo courtesy of The Worship Center.

Do you know about Michael W. Smith? He’s a fantastic contemporary Christian musician and worship leader. He is known and loved all over the world, and he is a member of PPT’s Honorary Committee. Last week, Michael went to Leola, PA to lead worship at a prayer service held for the families of the victims of the recent shooting there.

Smitty said it was tough to be there, but he had gone to a special service after the Columbine, CO shootings, and he felt this would be a way he could help. Michael felt sad, as did others gathered for prayer at The Worship Center, a local evangelical church. But as they lifted their hearts in worship, they found that the Holy Spirit came and brought comfort and help.

Smitty wrote a blog entry about his experience there. You can read it here:

Weeks ago....actually months ago I was able to find a date on my calendar to go to Pennsylvania…None of us could have anticipated when we put October 3 on the books that a nightmare would unfold in Lancaster, PA just hours before I was scheduled to be there. There are no words for me to express the sadness and grief I feel for the families who lost their precious daughters in such a senseless act of violence. I grieve for these families who have been so deeply affected. I mourn with them. Read more.

Smitty has also asked for prayer for Rocketown, his youth club in Nashville, TN. Rocketown is a really cool place with a skate park, concert venue, coffee bar and lots of other cool stuff. But it’s not just a cool place for kids, it’s a ministry center too. The staff there work very hard at reaching out to kids with the love of Jesus Christ. They try to bring help and healing to anyone who needs it. And they provide a really great place for kids to go where there are no drugs or alcohol or gangs. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

These kids are enjoying a break from the action at the skatepark at Rocketown. Photo courtesy of Rocketown.

Since Smitty has asked for prayer, it seems like the right thing to do is to pray! Read the prayer request here:

Pray for the staff and leaders at Rocketown to have wisdom and patience as they work to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to every student who enters the doors. Pray that they will show the unconditional love of Jesus. Pray for creativity and insight in the ministry, and for safety at all times.

Portrait courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

President Thomas Jefferson
Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord and confusion, from pride and arrogance and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
--Thomas Jefferson, March 4, 1805

WEEKLY QUIZ

On his Inauguration Day, President Thomas Jefferson wrote and delivered an inaugural address. He also wrote a wonderful prayer for peace. When you read President Thomas Jefferson’s Prayer for Peace, you can see that it has many important ideas that are fitting for today. What do you think they are?

QUESTION 1

Read President Jefferson’s Prayer for Peace carefully and thoughtfully. Which of the following would you say is true?

  1. In this prayer, President Jefferson prays for Americans to remember all that God has done for them and hopes that they will be happy about serving God.
  2. President Jefferson prays for all the citizens in the country to be well-behaved, peaceful and God-fearing.
  3. President Jefferson prays that the great diversity of race and language of Americans will not keep our country from being unified and moving forward with one spirit.

QUESTION 2

Why would a president of the U.S. pray on his Inauguration Day?

  1. A president might pray on Inauguration Day because he realizes that there are so many huge challenges facing him, he must have God’s help.
  2. A president might pray on Inauguration Day because he knows that the people of our country, though they have many good qualities, are prone to sin and misbehavior.
  3. A president might pray for peace on his inauguration day because he has already watched one very difficult war for independence and he knows that war takes a very big toll on a nation and its people.

A WORD TO PPT KIDS

This week we’ve seen many ways that prayer is active in the lives of Americans—today and 200 years ago! For kids who pray, it’s great to remember that Americans have always been praying people. And as a member of PPT for Kids you are continuing that great tradition and practice. So be sure to pray this week—for the President, for our injured troops, for Michael W. Smith’s Rocketown and for peace. Because God hears and answers when you pray. Amen to that!

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