Pray for Northern Alberta
March 13, 2020
This is the area of Alberta north of Edmonton extending from the BC to the Saskatchewan borders.
Largest Cities:
· Fort McMurray, northeast of Edmonton, and
· Grande Prairie, northwest of Edmonton.
Quick Facts:
Population: The population of northern Alberta is around 300,000.
Fort McMurray: 66,570
Grande Prairie: 63,190, and
Slave Lake: 6,650.
Ethnic Groups: 51% of the total population is Aboriginal, 9% of the total population are more recent arrivals.
Religious Groups: in Fort McMurray, the majority claims to adhere to the Christian faith, 5.17% claims to be Muslim, and 2.5% Hindu.
The three main sources of employment in this area are agriculture, oil sands, and forestry.
The population of Fort McMurray has decreased recently because of the major wildfire in May 2016 and the downturn in activity in the oil sands. Fort McMurray is located 435 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. It is surrounded by boreal forest and is in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands. It is situated in the Wood Buffalo Municipality which has a population of around 112,000. Of that population, approximately 75% are permanent citizens, while 25% are classified as shadow residents, living in temporary accommodations for more than 30 days a year, but not permanent citizens. A number of new Canadians have settled in the area to work.
Number of mosques: 6, located in in Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Slave Lake, Peace River, Lac La Biche, and Cold Lake
Number of churches: 206
Pray:
1. That Christian believers in these smaller communities will reach across cultural barriers to befriend the Muslims in this area of Alberta.
2. That churches will also seek to share the good news of Jesus with the Muslims living in their communities.
3. That God will raise up Christian workers to move into these communities to make disciples of Jesus Christ among these Muslims.