CSB Canada Website

CSB Canada National day of Prayer 2025

The 2025 National Day of Prayer is OPEN for your participation.
This year's Prayer Requests are halfway down this page.

Join us on February 22, 2025
Our 24 hours of dedicated intercession for the work of CSB Canada is vital.
The Lord has placed many challenges in front of us. Not to hurt or harm us, but to build us through testing and faith. He is helping us. We are becoming better. Thank you for your part in praying for this important Work of God.
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:20-21

Saturday, February 22, 2025, midnight to midnight, is set aside for people to pray for the ministry of Christian Service Brigade across Canada. 

We are asking CSB leaders, churches, friends, alumni, supporters, staff and board members to share with us their prayer requests, and to be our part of our Special Team of Prayer Warriors.

Together, we shall lift our petitions to our God "who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think..."

We all have an on-going need to be lifted up before the Lord in prayer. Whether it's a prayer for yourself or a prayer for others, please consider sharing it with us. We will keep it private or share it as you direct.

Please share any PRAYER REQUESTS with our
National Office and we will pray over them:

Share Your Prayer Requests

Please set a time for yourself when you will dedicate 15 to 30 minutes of prayer for CSB's ministry to boys, men, and to their families and church.

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Prayer Requests & Praise Items 2025  

A simple way to pray:

• Start by getting into a comfortable position for prayer... on your knees or in a chair, walking outside or laying on your bed.
• Seek God, asking Him to settle your heart and mind. Seek the Holy Spirit to fill you with His thoughts. Allow your spirit to commune with Him. Pray as He directs.
• Read through the following Prayer Requests one by one. (This should take about 15 minutes.)
• Add your own prayers.
• Remember that God - "who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think..." delights in answering our prayers...  your prayers. Ask...
  

1. Local CSB Ministries across Canada:

• Pray that CSB in local churches will continue to Win and Train Boys and Young Men for Christ, and that together we will be fervently Building Godly Men of Today and Tomorrow.
  
• Pray for the new CSB churches - Kentwood Alliance Church in Red Deer AB, New Hope Community Church in Kentville NS, Bethel Christian Fellowship in Prince Albert SK, and Calgary Life Church in Calgary AB.
• Pray for the inquiring churches and ministries in Welland ON, Moncton NB, Langley BC, and Lytton BC. All have received Sample Kits. Two have ordered resources from our CSB Canada Store.
• Pray for the boys and young men in Christian Service Brigade as they form life-changing relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ; that they will love Him with all their hearts, minds, souls and spirits; that they will grow into men of honour, courage, chivalry, purity, loyalty, obedience, and dedication.
• Pray the men serving as leaders will be dedicated to Christ, and will be inspired with various opportunities to touch the hearts of boys and their parents.
• Pray for the weekend and summer camps that Brigade boys get involved with; that they will provide a powerful way of connecting children with Jesus Christ.
• Pray for the men in local churches to step into their roles as providers and protectors, and as prayer warriors for the people in their communities.
• Pray that God will continue to stir up church leadership to challenge the men in their church to take up their responsibility to disciple and mentor boys to manhood through action-packed, Christ-honouring, geared-to-boys ministries.
• Pray that churches will wholeheartedly trust their "volunteers", those people who are Called by the Lord to serve within their church, as they have done for generations; that church staff will encourage church members to serve the Lord with their utmost.
• Pray that there will be a resurgence of effort to reach out to the boys (and girls) in the communities of local churches. Pray that churches will take the Gospel to their neighbours.
• Pray that doors will be opened in families and in the community as local Christian Service Brigade groups take the Gospel home from the weekly meetings.
• Pray for a re-establishment of the Tree Climbers ministry in every CSB church as an effective way to get dads into regular ministry to their sons 5 to 7 years old.
• Pray that Brigade dads will develop a passion to serve God in their churches in whatever way the Lord directs.
• Pray for the two churches in Nova Scotia that are prepare to launch Brigade and Girls Alive this fall. Pray for men and women to lead the groups. Pray that these Units will thrive and that their churches will grow.
• Pray that more and more boys and young men around Calvary Temple in Winnipeg will join the CSB and be part of the program. Also, pray that men at the church will support the program by becoming leaders and mentors.
  
• Pray for a few churches in Ontario that used to be key Units for CSB that have not yet restarted since Covid.
• Pray for churches to trust their membership with sharing the Gospel in the community. Ask God to help church leadership see their people as being "Called by God for His Purpose" 2 Timothy 1:9, not simply as volunteers to be slotted in as they are needed.
• Pray for the CSB Father/Son Tough Guys campout April 25-27 in the Lower Mainland of BC. Pray the Lord will bless us with boys and men from CSB and non-CSB churches, as well as from the community.

2. The Staff of CSB Canada and their Families:
Howard (Kathie) Pike, President of CSB Canada, and Regional Director for both British Columbia and Alberta

• Pray for Howard that he will have wisdom and vision as he leads the ministry into the future as our President.
• Pray for Howard as he learns to cope without the guidance of his friend and mentor, Harold Browne.
• Pray for Howard as he continues to work with churches in the Alberta and British Columbia Regions.
• Pray for Howard as he continues to be very actively involved in a number of key national projects and with our American partners in many initiatives to enhance CSB's ministry resources that we provide to churches and others.
• Pray for Stephan Bieganek as he shares the load with Howard and CSB in the Alberta Region.
• Pray especially for Howard and Stephan as they seek to establish a Regional Council in Alberta.
• Pray for more men and women to be called to serve with Howard in CSB nationally, regionally and locally.
• Praise the Lord. The move of the Head Office to Coquitlam BC is completed. There is some construction needed, but it's work Howard enjoys. 
• Praise the Lord. We have found our Bookkeeper. She is Valentina C. and works as an accountant for a large construction company.
• Praise the Lord. Most of the loose ends are being tied up. We are having difficulties with QuickBooks, PayPal and a couple of credit card apps, but they will be dealt with after February 28th and the CRA deadlines for Tax Receipts and T4's.
• Praise the Lord. Howard is getting used to his new roles with the Head Office.
• Pray for Howard's office helper - Kathie. Kathie has been Howard's partner in marriage for 43 (+ 2) years, in business for 37 years, in ministry for 24 years, and in the CSB Head Office for 15 months.
• Pray for Kathie as she is having difficulty letting the family business go. Pray that Howard will be able to develop systems that will help Kathie and the company staff be effective without Kathie daily involvement.
• Please pray for Kathie and Howard's son, Jim, who works for the family business. He needs to take it over completely... with Mum and Dad's help.
• Praise the Lord! The CSB Canada Store has to Kentville NS and the bugs are being worked out.

Ken (Linda) McKenna, CSB Store Manager and Regional Director for the Atlantic Region - NS, PEI, NB & NL

• Pray for Ken as he works part-time for CSB as he transition into being the Atlantic Region's full-time Regional Director.
• Pray for the two churches that have already committed to establishing CSB groups near his home this fall.
• Pray for Ken and his daughter, Tiffany, as they take over the operation of the CSB Canada Store in their two homes.
• Pray for Ken as he raises support to expand CSB in Nova Scotia and the other Atlantic Provinces.
• Pray for the two denomination that have expressed their support for the ministry of CSB.
• Pray for Ken as he speaks to churches and men's groups about their opportunities to build the boys in their communities for Christ Jesus.

Gord (Marie) Banman, Regional Director for the Prairies Region

• Praise the Lord. Gord has transferred the CSB Canada Store to Kentville NS.   
• Pray that his local CSB group would continue to be a model ministry and to be an example of how CSB should be done in a large urban church.
• Pray for Gord's overall health, but especially his mobility and pains in his ankles.
• Pray for a small Regional Committee of CSB men to come alongside Gord to support the Work of CSB in his broad region - Thunder Bay, Ontario, to Lloydminster, Saskatchewan.
• Pray for Gord as he seeks a Staff Associate to be his replacement for the Prairies Region.

Steve Alder, Staff Associate for the Prairies Region assisting Gord Banman

• Pray for Steve A as his health has declined significantly over the past year. Pray the the doctors will be able to determine how to control his bouts of runaway diabetes.
• Pray for Steve A as he wrestles with his future with CSB.

Ron (Dianne) Carnahan, Regional Director for the Ontario Region

• Pray for the Ottawa Impactus Men's Conference this day - Saturday, February  22nd.
       - Pray for travel safety.
       - Pray for contacts at conference.
       - Pray for gathering of leaders and wives from the Met Church at supper time.
       - Pray for my health as driving that five plus hours can be painful.
  
  
• Pray for Ron as he works with the churches across Ontario, from the Quebec border to Windsor, from Niagara Falls to Nipigon.
• Pray for Ron as he occasionally faces health issues that cause him serious pain.
• Pray for Ron as he is now looking for his replacement as the Ontario Regional Director.
• Pray for the CSB Ontario Region, CSB in Canada's historic heart of Brigade.
• Pray for Ron as he diligently seeks raise a small CSB Regional Committee of men to help in rebuilding CSB in Ontario.
• Pray that the Lord will continue to call men who will push Brigade through the barriers which seem to have dampened the former excitement for CSB in Ontario. We are seeing some good opportunities.
• Pray for Ron and Dianne as they travel to and from Ottawa - 5+ hours away - to present CSB to the men attending the Impactus (formerly Promise Keepers) Men's Conference there this very day - February 22.
• Pray for safe travels for Ron as he travels the province.
• Pray for Dianne as she will be there to answer any questions about CSB's Girls Alive relaunch.
• Pray for new church contacts and a revived interest in CSB from former Brigade churches.
• Pray for Ron, that his meeting with the MET's leadership, Tree Climber, Stockade and Battalion leaders will bear fruit. This is Harold's former church and there will be fond memories shared about Harold's decades of leadership at the MET.
• Pray for CSB's participation at the FEB Central "Stronger" Conference coming up April 28-29.  Pastors and lay-leaders from Ontario and Quebec will be attending.

Dr. Steve (Bonnie) Grove, Special Projects & Curriculum

• Pray for special wisdom for Dr Steve as he balances his full time duties as the Camp Director with Camp Easter Seal with his projects for CSB.
• Pray for Dr Steve as he continues to work on significant Brigade projects, including our Frontier Trails Battalion Achievement Guide and the Junior Leaders’ Training Guide.
• Pray for the young men who are working on the Battalion Achievements that Dr Steve has produced, that they see their opportunities to progress into the Herald of Christ program.
• Pray for Steve's wife, Bonnie, as deals with the lingering health issues. Please pray for a complete recovery.
• Pray for his daughter, Heather, as she continues her university education.
• His son, Ben, as he continues pilot training; that his courses will be successful and that God will continue to lead him in his pursuits.

Stephan (Andrea) Bieganek, Staff Associate for the Alberta Region, assisting Howard Pike

• Pray for Stephan as he serves in Alberta on a part-time basis.
• Pray for his success in his full-time job with the City of Calgary.
• Pray for the blessing of Camp Teepee Pole (CSB's Camp Affiliate in the Alberta foothills), where Stephan is a Board Member and currently the Vice-President of that wonderful ministry.

 Special Request for Wayne Pedersen (now retired):
Wayne shared this on Feb 18... "I had an emergency CT scan last Tuesday. Got a call just now from the pancreatic team of doctors at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary. I have an adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Since the last MRI in November, it has spread to the liver and about 8 new spots have come.
      I have a very aggressive form of cancer that is fast acting. The doctor says no surgery would help and anything else such as chemotherapy cannot help. It can only slow things down somewhat. The Calgary group of doctors are going to set me up with the cancer doctors here in Red Deer to figure what direction we go from now.
      Safe in the arms of Jesus  -  Wayne"

UPDATE From WAYNE...
Hi folks,
      So much has happened in 2 days that it feels like several years have been compressed into that time. We got the appraisal on our car on Thursday and it is a writeoff. The insurance company is willing to give us $12,900 for our car. They also had given us a car rental while waiting for the appraisal. Then, they told us that we have to give them some documentation and it would take about 3 business days after that to get the money for our car to us. However, they also said that we have to return the rental vehicle by the end of this next Tuesday. That would have made an impossible situation for getting wheels. Several of you have been looking on our behalf and we are truly thankful. We have looked at a few vehicles yesterday and today between medical appointments and a wonderful family visit. Today, someone called and said they would make up the difference between what the insurance company would pay and the price of a reasonable used car if we did it in Red Deer. We ended up getting a 2018 VW Tiguan about an hour ago.We will most likely pick it up on Feb 28 (Friday)
      Now to the medical side of things. Yesterday Jean and I met with the Diabetes people again. They had looked at the reports from the doctors in Calgary and after lots of questions and talk about the diabetes, they said I no longer needed to monitor the diabetes and that I should have a good quality of life. They cancelled all future diabetes appointments and are taking care of many items in the background. Behind the scenes they are setting things up for hospice care. We have had many meetings with lots of people to put details in order in case things degrade fast (already has).
      Pray that pain would be tolerable. Pray for Jean and the kids as they are emotional basketcases at present. Thanks for all your prayers and love you are showing us. We do not hide issues we are going through so feel free to ask questions or talk about what we are experiencing.
      God is sovereign and His ways are higher than our ways.
      - Wayne Pedersen 

Wayne wrote, among other things, the Prayer & Spiritual Warfare Mission for CSB Canada. In it, Christians are advised to be very specific in our prayers. Here are the specific prayer requests for his current situation.
Wayne write, "Since the pancreatic cancer is moving quite quickly and is inoperable, this email is unique. People are asking again how they can pray specifically for us.
Pray:

1. That our entire family would glorify God continually regardless of the outcome. I Cor. 6:20 "For you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body". Isa. 43:7 “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.”
2. That I would help people laugh in the midst of trials. Job 8:21 "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy"
3. That God would provide emotional stability (especially for Jean and the girls). Phil 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
4. That the rear compartment door of our motorhome can get fixed and that it will sell quickly. Ps. 37:23  "The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives".
5. That someone who does not know Jesus Christ personally that gets these emails will come to Jesus for forgiveness. II Pet. 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
6. That the circumstances we are in will not shake the faith of Anna, Bella, Jesse, or Jonathan.  John 15:4 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (Jesus is speaking)
7. That the girl’s driver training will go well and both will get their driver’s license easily and quickly. (Bella starts today)
8. That the issues surrounding our car will be resolved and we can either get ours fixed (unlikely) or get another one in a reasonable time.

                Serving the Lord God Almighty
                Wayne Pedersen

3. CSB Canada Requests:

• Pray for Board Members of CSB Canada, Wayne King, Art Maitland, Gord Lovegrove, and Keith Hadigate as they provide overall leadership and determine the direction of the organization.
  
• Pray for our partners south of the border, particularly for their Interim President, Dave Miller, and all the staff of CSB USA.
• Pray for our "upcoming" Iron Sharpens Iron Men's Conferences - Halifax on May 3rd and Lower Mainland on November 8th. Pray for Ken McKenna, the Atlantic Regional Director, and his organizing team as they bring all the details together. Pray that the details for the venue will be firmed up immediately.
• Praise the Lord, ISI-Lower Mainland, our ministry to men beyond CSB is back on track. It had to be further postponed as we reorganized the ministry. Pray that all the details will be worked out. Pray that there will be a good number of men in attendance on November 8th, 2025, and that each one would be impacted for the Lord by being there.
• Pray for our Regional Directors as they seek opportunities to demonstrate how CSB builds the local church by building the men who build the boys for Christ.
• Pray for our Regional Directors - Gord Banman and Ron Carnahan - who are seeking their replacements.
• Praise the Lord for each of our Donors, especially those who have supported us so faithfully over the years as monthly, our preauthorized donors. Pray that God will continue to bless them as they bless others.
• Praise the Lord!!! Our preauthorized donations have been reestablished. It was quite the learning curve but we have now documented the process and shared it with our bookkeeper.
• Praise The Lord for His provision during Christmas. Our Christmas fundraising effort was focused on a mailing campaign. The loss of the Canadian postal service should have hurt us, but somehow the Lord had us end January with the same funding as we had a year ago. What a wonderful God we serve.
• Pray for wisdom for the Board and Staff as to how to invest these funds in advancing and growing CSB in the months ahead.
• Pray for CSB Canada as we desire to seek the Lord with all our hearts, knowing that His Plans for us are perfect.
• Pray for a wall of protection around our staff. We have been hit hard by health issues since 2023. Harold is with the Lord. Gord has major mobility issues. Ron has heart and pain problems. Steve Alder has severe uncontrolled diabetes. Wayne has pancreatic cancer. Howard had a double bypass (but is fully recovered). We know that God's strength is sufficient for us; we see the truth of it everyday, but... 
• Pray for our efforts in "Winning and Training Boys and Young Men for Christ" as we encourage men and CSB leaders to be effective in their churches and ministries, families and communities to be mighty Men of God and worthy Christ-followers.
• Pray for the expansion of CSB to more churches in Canada. Pray that this ministry will continue to raise up multiple generations of Christ-following boys and young men in our partnership with churches. We are particularly focused on the communities around our staff members where it would be easy to reach out to parents and churches about a ministry to their boys.
• Pray for open doors and open hearts as Brigade develops additional ways to connect churches with our ministry programs and discipleship materials.
• Pray for our initiative to reactivate "Girls Alive", our ministry to girls, and especially for several women to join an advisory committee as we begin the process of refining curriculum resources specifically for girls. 
• Pray for CSB's work in Men's Ministry for the building of men within local churches to serve Jesus Christ across the country and starting with the boys in their own churches and communities.
• Pray for fruit, as a result of our participating in a number of conference events: Missions Canada GTA, Impactus Men's Conference-Burlington, Missionfest Manitoba, Missions Fest BC, Impactus Men's Conference-Ottawa, Impactus Men's Conference-Edmonton, Iron Sharpens Iron-Halifax, Impactus Men's Conference-Winnipeg, FEB Ontario Stronger Conference, Iron Sharpens Iron-Lower Mainland, EFC Presidents’ Day, etc.
• Pray that CSB Canada would be able to establish a network of contacts with former leaders, Pastors, boys and young men, especially our Heralds of Christ, and get them involved as ambassadors for CSB as part of the revitalization of this ministry across Canada, with a particular focus on Ontario. 
• Pray for wisdom as we establish Regional Committees in each Region as part of our overall plan to revitalize the ministry.  
• Pray that we would be able to raise a Team of Prayer Warriors who will regularly pray for the ministry across Canada.
• Pray for the wives and families of our Staff and Board Members; for their strength, health, safety, spiritual dedication, and encouragement.

• Continue to pray for Carol Browne as she continues to mourn the loss of Harold, and deals with her own age-related health issues.
• From Arden M (CSB USA): Pray for Spirit-led opportunities of cooperation and collaboration through the ministry we share (CSB in Canada and USA).
• From Dennis T (CSB USA): Pray for the rediscovery of New Testament discipleship across North America within the hearts of men and boys.

PRAY for CSB Canada's Priorities:

• BUILD MEN WHO BUILD BOYS FOR CHRIST. CSB Canada builds men. It is the men of the local churches who build boys for Christ. Please pray that we will strengthen our bonds with the men of CSB, because they know how the win and train boys for Christ, they know how to deal with all the worldly distractions, and they know some great activities/events/games/stories/etc that make CSB fun in Christ Jesus. 
• REINTRODUCE CSB TO CHURCHES AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS CANADA. Please pray that CSB Canada will clearly show families and church leadership that we are uniquely qualified to build men and boys (women and girls) as Christian leaders who build their churches and communities.
• UPDATE & RELAUNCH A CSB-PARTNERED GIRLS MINISTRY. CSB Canada was partnered with Pioneer Girls. Later, we were partnered with GEMS. Churches tell us that we need a partner ministry that will serve women and girls in the same way CSB serves men and boys. Pray that our efforts to update our own Girls Alive ministry for August will bear much fruit. 
• BUILD MEN THROUGH IRON SHARPENS IRON MEN'S CONFERENCES. CSB's annual ISI Men's Conferences draw together ministries that build men for Christ. It usually happens in April in BC, but is delayed this year. Now, ISI-Halifax is happening in May in Nova Scotia. Praise the Lord that CSB's ISI's were successful in 2023, and God blessed the men in a church on each coast of Canada. Pray that God will give them greater success for Him in 2025.
• REGIONAL COUNCILS FOR EACH REGION. Covid hit CSB hard at all levels - nationally, regionally, locally, and individually. We are now seeing significant signs of renewed interest in CSB across the country. Pray that CSB will be able to establish a small Regional Committees that will encourage and guide each region with promotion, events and involvement.
• CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE CSB STORE AND OUR COMMUNICATION TOOLS. CSB Canada continues to need an "IT Guy" to help us with our internet-based tools: the website, the CSB Store, and the email system. Please pray that we will find a solution in March 2025, and that we will have full results by September.

4. Specific Prayer Requests:

• PRAISE... Several men did considered taking on the role of being a Regional (or National) Staff Associate, one became a Regional Director. We still need two more. Please pray for one for BC, one for the Prairies, and one for Ontario.                            
• One of our key leaders has asked us to pray that the Lord would show him clearly what his role in CSB Canada should be, and that he will do what the Lord Jesus has called him to do!
• Pray for a spiritual revival in our nation starting with our churches, our Brigade groups, our communities, and our national institutions.
• Pray that the continued refreshing of the Holy Spirit seen at Missionfest Manitoba, and amplified at Missions Fest Vancouver, will continue the Impactus Conferences in Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Pray that the Lord will bring REVIVAL to Canada.
  
• A key leader in BC continues to ask for prayer for stroke recovery for his wife.
• Howard's mentor and best friend, Captain Syd, is 97 on Saturday, March 1st (February 29th). It's his 24th and a quarter birthday. We want to celebrate with him. Pray for Syd. His wife, Joan, passed into Glory a couple of months ago. His son Steve passed a year ago. And Syd's health is declining rapidly. UPDATE: Syd fell last night and broke his hip. He is in Emergency waiting for a bed on the 4th Floor at Royal Columbian Hospital. He has prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. Pray for Syd, though I don't know how or for what. Lord, he is in Your care.
  

Share Your Prayer Request

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The Stockade Prayer
Lord, our Saviour, Guide and Captain,
Be a solid wall around us.
Make us all courageous servants.
Help us grow to be like Jesus. Amen.

The Brigade Watchword:
Now we trust in God
To keep us Bright and Keen for Christ,
Because we love Him,
Because we want to serve Him,
Until we see Him face to face.

The Brigade Poem
Oldest of Brigade traditions
Is the shield of shining symbols:
Bright, the torch of Christian living,
Keen, the sword of Christian witness,
Open wide the precious treasure,
Word of Truth – the Christ revealing.
On the shield of faith emblazoned:
Bright and Keen for Christ, our motto.

The Brigade Motto
Bright and Keen for Christ.

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NEXT YEAR...
the National Day of Prayer is February 21, 2026.
Bright and Keen for Christ.

Thank you for participating with us.