Hey Team Punk Monk,

Today I sent my youngest off to his first day of high school. I always feel like the day after Labour Day is really Canada’s “new year.” September is the month where so many things begin, and that is definitely the case for the ministries I’m a part of. 

Zoom Prayer Times: September 6th – 13th

This week GOHOP is hosting daily Zoom prayer hours. I’ll be leading our Noon Prayer Sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you want to join me (or any of our other Zoom prayer sessions) go to gohop.ca/global for more info and the Zoom Link.

Please pray for all the ministries at GOHOP that are starting up in the next few weeks. I would especially appreciate prayer for the teams I help facilitate:
Asah: Creativity & Prayer Studio begins on Tue. Sept. 15th at 7pm.
Prayer for Pastors & Leaders begins on Fri. Sept. 18th. You can refer your pastor to sign up for prayer here: gohop.ca/prayer-for-leaders
Barnabas Listening Prayer begins on Tue. Oct. 6th at 7pm.

541 Prayer Gathering: Mon. Sept. 14th at 7pm

Some of my most formative prayer experiences have happened when GOHOP’s prayer room was located in the basement of 541 Eatery & Exchange. I’m told that staff could notice the difference in the atmosphere upstairs when people were praying in the basement. 

Even though the prayer room is no longer located at 541, I continue to lead a weekly prayer time there on Thursdays at 10am. As I have been praying in the space, I have been feeling a nudge that it is time for more prayer to be happening at the coffee house.

This Monday (Sept 14th) at 7pm I’m hosting a 541 Prayer Gathering. We will be praying for Staff, Volunteers, Customers, Neighbours, and seeking God’s vision for what prayer activities might look like next at 541. I would love for you to join me. All the details are posted here: gohop.ca/541prayer (please RSVP)

Even if you can’t make it, I would appreciate your prayers for 541. These are the things we will be praying about on Monday:

1. Pray for the people using buttons. These are the neighbours that don’t have the money to eat at a cafe. Some of the people live in subsidized housing and others are homeless. Many have mental health issues. There are also a number of people that are part of the community with addiction issues. 
2. Pray for the people buying buttons. These are customers who are adding a few extra dollars to their meal to help someone else get a coffee or a sandwich. 541 has a big push planned later in the fall to engage with new and returning customers (including a new menu, hours, and events). Pray that people would choose to add 541 to their rotation of coffee shops. Pray that people would catch the vision of the “exchange” at 541. 
3. Pray for 541 Staff & Volunteers. Over the last number of years the needs of people using buttons at the cafe have greatly increased. This puts a huge burden on the 541 team. This last year a number of regulars at 541 have passed away, and each death has weighed heavily on staff who are navigating their own grief while caring for a grieving community. 
4. Pray for discernment. I really believe that prayer is the heartbeat of 541. Pray that we could discern what a healthy (BPM) rhythm of prayer could look like next at 541. If any thoughts or holy nudges come to mind as you are praying, I would love to hear them.

Meeting Place Church Update:

This Summer I have been easing into my part time role as the Pastor of The Meeting Place. For my teaching weeks I used the Breath as Prayer book by Jennifer Tucker (I highly recommend this resource on breath prayer). 

One week the teaching touched on forgiveness. The conversation got pretty heated with a couple people remembering past hurts. An argument broke out with a bunch of pent up accusations being yelled at each other. I tried to calm things down and just blurted out “This is a great example of how forgiveness is really hard!” I went on to talk about how unforgiveness is really ugly and that it hurts us more than it hurts the other person. We also talked about what healthy boundaries might look like and the importance of keeping ourselves physically safe. All good things. We ended with a breath prayer based on 1 John 4:8, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”. Some calm returned to the room and we ended by eating supper together. 

Although I would rather not have a church gathering escalate into a shouting match (this is not the norm), I’m thankful that my friends are earnestly engaging with scripture and that they are honest about their own feelings. That is a real gift.

In other news, I’ve been working on a website for The Meeting Place and it is now up and running. You can see that here: meetingplacechurch.ca

A big thankyou to everyone who gave me feedback on the site and caught a bunch of typos. If you get a chance to take a look, let me know what you think.

Here are some ways you can be praying for The Meeting Place:

• Pray for me as I reach out to potential church partners. I’m sending out a bunch of letters in the mail this week. Pray that the letters are well received and pastors would agree to meet with me. 
• Pray for our regulars on Sundays. Many have significant mental health issues. I’m thankful that many of our regulars are currently housed. This is a big deal. Pray for stability in their housing.
• Pray for the new people visiting. Many of our new visitors are homeless and drop in for the coffee and sandwiches. Pray for their safety. Pray that we could build relationships with some of these folks from week to week (it is hard to keep a weekly rhythm when your whole life is transient).
• Pray for new leaders and volunteers. We are such a small team. There is a real need for others to pitch in. 

I am so thankful for your prayers and support. Please let me know how I can be praying for you! This is a partnership. I want to be praying for you as well.

If you would like to sign up for a monthly giving plan or make a donation, there are 3 ways you can do that:

1. Donate Online with CanadaHelps: canadahelps.org/en/dn/53164
2. Donate by E-transfer:
   Send your e-transfer to donate@gohop.ca
   You must write “Donation for Randell Neudorf” in the message section. 
   Please also include your mailing address to get a tax receipt next year.
3. Donate by Cheque: randellneudorf.com/gohop/donate

Grace & Peace to you in all the things you have happening this fall,

Randell  Neudorf
(Randy)