Church of the Great God

Prayer Requests

Members wishing to have prayer requests posted should email David Grabbe.

New Prayer Requests:

06/22/2026 Sisbarro, Christine (74)
06/18/2026 Clinton, Deborah


   

Belk, Priscilla

10-Jun-26

Please continue to pray for Priscilla as she battles an aggressive form of cancer. She is beginning twelve consecutive days of radiation treatments in hopes of stopping the cancer’s progression. This is a very difficult and exhausting time for her. The cancer is located on the right side of her head above her ear and affects many aspects of her daily life.

Michelle Weis writes,

Please pray for God’s mercy, strength, and comfort to sustain her through each treatment. Ask that the radiation would be effective in stopping the cancer, that her pain and side effects would be minimized, and that she would experience peace and encouragement throughout this trial. Pray also for wisdom for her medical team and for God’s healing hand to be upon her.

Benefiel, Carl

12-Jun-26

Please pray for Carl and Shirley Benefiel, who are in assisted living. Carl has been receiving therapy to help him stand since his stroke. If this is successful, the Benefiels would like to return home. Thank you in advance.

Blackman, Randy

14-Jun-26

Randy endured a 48 hour chemo session that started on Thursday and ended on Sabbath morning. Despite being on 2 antinausea medicines he started vomiting early Friday afternoon and continued about every half hour through the remainder of the session. As of Saturday afternoon, the vomiting started to ease up. Please continue to keep Randy in your prayers which are very much appreciated.

Bright, Gayle

13-Jun-26

Please pray for Gayle Bright of Cayce, South Carolina. She has been in the hospital for a week with different issues. Thursday, the doctors shocked her heart to get it back in rhythm, and the procedure was successful. However, she is still not out of the woods. Please pray for a full recovery. Thank you!

Clinton, Deborah

18-Jun-26

Debbie was discharged from the hospital yesterday and she writes,

All procedures went (well) and dialysis has taken place. Due to being nearly dead, my progress is going to take a long time, however, my GFR did go from 2 to 7! I need prayers for the hole remaining in my abdomen from the parathentesis drain tube. I pour fluid all day from it, so I need God to close and heal it. Time will tell what all God has planned, but I trust His process!

Thank you for all your prayers on Debbie's behalf.

12-Jun-26

Debbie’s mother, Jane, let us know that Debbie has been admitted to the hospital, filled with fluid and is so sick she has agreed to dialysis. Jane writes,

We ask for continued prayer for her. Thank you always to our brethren for prayers, cards, calls and support. What a gift from God and a Blessing.

Also please pray for God to grant Jane the strength she needs while watching her daughter, Debbie, go through this very severe trial.

Cochran, Josie

10-Jun-26

Please continue to keep Josie in your prayers. She is experiencing significant pain, especially when she is moved at the rehabilitation center. Please pray for God’s healing hand to be upon her, bringing relief from her pain, strength for each day, and a steady recovery so she can return home soon. Also pray that those caring for her would treat her with gentleness, patience, and compassion, as some of the handling she is receiving has been causing her additional pain and discomfort. Thank you.

Fuhrer, Mike

15-Jun-26

Mike was released from the hospital last evening. He is doing better but is still weak. The doctors were not able to pinpoint exactly what happened. Please keep Mike in your prayers.

14-Jun-26

Please pray for Mike, who is on the way to the hospital because it appears he suffered a stroke. Thank you.

Pinkston, Kae

11-Jun-26

It is with great sadness that I must announce that Kae Pinkston died peacefully in the afternoon of Wednesday, June 10, 2026. She was 47.

I realize this is a great shock to everyone, particularly due to its suddenness. We didn't know that Kae had an aggressive brain tumor that was slowly causing widespread brain damage. She has always been an absolute dynamo, and even on Pentecost less than 3 weeks ago, she was instrumental in facilitating the AV for our offsite church service. Over the past few weeks Kae grew increasingly tired, sleeping more and more, until she fell asleep midday on Sunday and never woke up again.

The doctors rapidly pinpointed the issue, and were both thoughtful and candid in explaining Kae's prognosis, which was dire. There was essentially no hope of recovery. Kae had an advance health care directive that made her wishes in such a situation very clear, so I carried them out for her and let her finish her race. She was surrounded by loved ones watching over her, sharing beautiful stories of how she had impacted their lives, and sending her off to wait for the resurrection from the dead.

The medical staff at Arcadia Keck USC were absolutely incredible, top notch. They gave Kae French braids, which just made her absolutely beautiful. They showed all of us the utmost respect.

All of this will make it easier for those who survive her and were most heavily impacted by her death. The memories are beautiful as well as terrible. The very best of human compassion and skill on display.

Kae is survived by myself, her husband, Donnie Pinkston, her father Doyle Herring, her sisters Tina Slater and Wilma Sue Sanders and their families, and her brother Philip Herring. I want to especially thank Philip for his willingness to take in the details of this horrendous event and communicate them to the rest of the Herring family; it allowed me to devote more attention to Kae as she was going through this ordeal. Addresses for cards are as follows.

Donnie Pinkston
1517 Pilgrim Way
Monrovia, CA 91016

Cards for Doyle Herring, Philip Herring, and Tina and Toby Slater may be sent to this address, and they will distribute them accordingly:

PO Box 8580
Amarillo, TX 79114

Cards for Wilma Sue and Tim Sanders may be sent to this address:

PO Box 747
Divide, CO 80814

We will be having a memorial service for Kae in the future; I expect it will be big since she was widely regarded in the church community, the local ceramics community, and also at Caltech where Donnie teaches. To this end, please fill out the following Google form if you are interested in participating in this service:

https://forms.gle/WuYp2q2MLewnQbTJ6

Finally, I want to personally thank every single person who has reached out to express their sorrow and support over the past few days, every person who offered up supplications, prayers, and fastings on Kae's behalf. It is absolutely humbling. I was diligent to share all of your messages with Kae - I like to think she perceived them, and it also gave me a lot of opportunity to talk to my honey for a little bit longer. Please feel free to continue reaching out to me by phone, text, email, etc. I'm still trying to make my way through all the communications, and it has really meant a lot at this time. I'm not always up for talking right now, so just keep trying.

Bye bye sweetie, you have no idea how many people are missing you right now. Redheads Rule.

-Donnie

09-Jun-26

Please pray for Kae Pinkston and her husband, Donnie, an elder in the church of God. Kae was transported to the ER yesterday because she was totally unresponsive with abnormal breathing. A CT scan revealed a massive tumor (likely glioblastoma) growing throughout the right side of her brain. The surgeon says surgery would merely be delaying the inevitable, and there is no guarantee that surgery could bring her back to full consciousness, let alone stop the spread. Donnie writes,

I know that God can do anything. He can heal completely. He can bring back the dead. But sometimes He waits to do that at the resurrection. So I will find out God's will for Kae soon enough. I'm glad that I've had the time I've had with her. Would love to have more if possible.

Sisbarro, Christine (74)

22-Jun-26

Christine writes,

A month ago, I began another detox to rid my body of the Lyme parasites. Detoxing is very difficult to endure. After 20+ years, my liver, spleen, and maybe even my intestines are damaged. They are being overwhelmed by the death of the parasites. Many of the parasites hide and then their population grows again. They all must be eliminated. This process causes me to suffer greatly. Please pray that I will have the strength to endure and that God will give my body the power to eliminate them all. Your prayers are extremely important to me and greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Stahl, Maria

16-Jun-26

Barry Stahl is asking for your prayers for his wife, Maria (Root). Saturday night, while helping Barry with a table saw, Maria severely cut three fingers on her left hand. Barry administered first aid and took her to the local ER. Maria was then sent to the Mayo Clinic to reattach her fingers. They performed the surgery but she is still at risk of losing two of the three fingers. She has a long road to recovery ahead and she will likely never be able to play her violin again. Your prayers for God's intervention and mercy are appreciated.

Recent Requests (Last 2 Months):

Baker Family
Belk, Priscilla
Benefiel, Carl
Blackman, Randy
Bright, Gayle
Clifton, Dana
Clinton, Deborah
Cochran, Josie
Criswell, Kathy
Croft, June
Fox, Jim
Fuhrer, Mike
Hensell, Alfred
Pinkston, Kae
Sisbarro, Christine (74)
Stahl, Maria
Walton, Marci