Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Aug 10: Latvia
Latvia
Republic of Latvia
Europe
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 64,610 sq kmA fertile plain with 3,000 lakes; indented by the Gulf of Riga. The central of the three Baltic republics.
Population: 2,240,265 Annual Growth: -0.46%
Capital: Riga
Urbanites: 68.2%
HDI Rank: 48 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 34 (21% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Latvian (Lettish) Languages: 13 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: ChristianReligion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
---|---|---|---|
Christians | 1,344,159 | 60.00 | -0.2 |
Evangelicals | 157,351 | 7.0 | 1.2 |
Challenges for Prayer
Unprecedented unity in the churches was caused in part by challenges to biblical morality in society. The aggressive lobbying by homosexual and anti-family agendas in particular elicited joint statements and coordinated activism by the churches. But more important are the prayer and worship summits attended by the leaders of almost every denomination and confession – these meetings are the foundation for revival in Latvia. Pray that this unity might reverse the moral tide in Latvia, and that the laity might emulate their leaders to worship and work together for the Kingdom.Missions vision in Latvia is still in its infancy, but is demonstrating impressive diversity and determination. Pray that this spark might grow into a flame to take the life-changing gospel to the less-reached in Latvia and beyond. Pray also for groups such as Bridge Builders International, the Latvian Evangelical Alliance and its CP-21 vision, which seeks to work with indigenous churches to plant new churches and reach every Latvian. Peoples of special note for prayer are:
a) Rural populations. They have far fewer opportunities to encounter the living Christ. Pray for renewal in their mainline congregations and for more teams such as YWAM that will evangelize in villages.
b) The Russian minority – mostly non-religious or Orthodox. Pray for increasing reconciliation and partnerships between believing Latvians and ethnic Russians – a painful legacy is still not entirely resolved.
c) The 7,000 Jews in Latvia, very resistant to the gospel and increasingly subjected to anti-Semitism. Pray for a loving and patient Christian witness to them.
For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.