Kentucky WMU Prayer Partnership with
​NAME (North Africa and the Middle East) Affinity Group

​

Ways to Pray
Join the North African Middle Eastern (NAME) prayer email group to hear from the field and know how to pray for the salvation of the people in the NAME area. We have watched in awe over the years at how God is moving in the hearts of the NAME people groups, drawing them to Him. Be apart of this movement! 

NAME Affinity Group leaders produce a monthly calendar of prayer for the unreached peoples of NAME and its workers.  If you would like to receive NAME prayer requests by email, contact Stacy Nall at Kentucky WMU or sign-up below.  Please identify your church and association in the email.
 
Pray regularly for NAME countries:

• Clip articles about NAME countries.
• Share information about NAME countries and news with your missions group, Sunday School class, prayer team, or other group.
• Pray for open doors for the gospel among NAME peoples.
• Pray for workers to have access to NAME countries and people.

 
Remember that NAME peoples may be found in many countries of the world. Pray for those who work with NAME peoples in many different places around the world.
​

• Kentucky WMU & NAME
• FACTS about NAME
• Praying Helps

<

>

​At the request of NAME leaders, Kentucky WMU Executive Board accepted a request to enter into a Prayer Partnership with NAME for three years, 2012-15.  The partnership was extended and we still continue to pray and partner with NAME. 
​
All Kentucky Baptists are invited to join us in what God is doing throughout NAME through this prayer partnership. ​

Some Facts

• NAME countries contain close to a half billion people with 584 people groups, most of which are unreached and unengaged.
• NAME countries are some of the most turbulent in the world (Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, etc.).
• NAME workers have frequently been relocated for short periods as country after country has been affected by the “Arab Spring” movement. Continued unrest in many NAME countries creates many challenges as well as opportunities.
• One NAME country is considered the keeper of the flame of Islam. Another NAME country is the center of Judaism. Yet there are also several NAME countries with large traditional Christian communities (Orthodox, Coptic, Catholic, etc. 
• NAME countries appear in the news regularly. The situations and people need our prayers.

Praying during Ramadan

WHAT IS RAMADAN?
Muslims account for 1.6 billion of our global neighbors. Here are some things you should know about Islam’s holiest month.

1. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Because it’s based on the lunar calendar, the beginning and end dates vary from year to year.
2. The Qur’an claims that it was during the month of Ramadan that Mohammed received his revelation from Allah.
3. The Qur’an claims, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.”
4. Fasting during Ramadan, known as “sawm,” is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, the basic religious duties for Muslims. The other four pillars are Shahadah (declaring there is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger); Salat (ritual prayer five times a day); Zakat (compulsory charity for the poor, assessed at 2.5 percent of capital assets); and the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime if he or she is able; the hajj takes place during the last ten days of the 12th lunar month).
5. Fasting during Ramadan begins 20 minutes before dawn (fajr) and ends at sundown (maghrib).
6. The day’s fast is considered invalidated if the Muslim participates in any of the following activities from sunrise to sundown: eating or drinking, sexual activity, telling lies “about Allah and/or His Messenger,” immersing the entire head in water, deliberate inhalation of smoke, taking injections whereby nourishing liquids reach the stomach, deliberate vomiting, intentionally passing an object through the throat or any other natural opening (including chewing gum).

WHY PRAY DURING RAMADAN?
The month of Ramadan is a time when Muslims are very aware of dreams and visions. They believe dreams are a direct way that Allah chooses to reveal himself to people. During this time of heightened spiritual focus, Muslims are often seeking a special message or revelation. As Christians have prayed earnestly for their Muslim neighbors and friends during this season, they hear reports of dreams and visions in which Jesus appears to these friends and draws them to Himself.

Save the dates and pray with us! 
Ramadan 2023 - from the Evening of Wed, March 22, 2023 - Evening of Thu, April 20, 2023. 
Ramadan 2024 - from the Evening of Sun, March 10, 2024 - Evening of Tue, April 9, 2024.
Ramadan 2025 - from the Evening of Fri, February 28, 2025 - Evening of Sun, March 30, 2025.
Ramadan 2026 - from the Evening of Tue, February 17, 2026 - Evening of Wed, March 18, 2026.

ARTICLES
5 Things Christian should Know About Ramadan
For Muslims around the world, this is their reality for the next month. This year, Ramadan starts on the evening of Wednesday, March 22 and lasts until Friday, April 21. This is when every follower of Islam is encouraged — and in some cases, required — to spend the month exercising self-restraint, seeking to be aware of Allah and thinking about how they should best worship him. Read more...

Gospel opportunities abound during Ramadan
When June heard the gospel and believed last year, she knew it might mean facing conflict with her Muslim family members. June lives in Southeast Asia and her country has the largest Muslim population in the world. While many of her family members did reject June due to her faith in Christ, her mom didn’t. Read more...


​DOWNLOAD THE PRAYERGUIDE

Ramadan Prayer Guide