Turkey: Ongoing court case
Middle East Concern (MEC) request prayer concerning a legal case following the murders of three Christians (Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske) at the Zirve Christian Publishing House in Eastern Turkey in 2007. Five men were arrested at the scene and charged with the murder. Their trial became complicated due to efforts to identify those behind the perpetrators. At the hearing on 16th December 2011 no verdicts were issued, contrary to expectations. However, a witness testified that he had had knowledge of a plot to murder the publishing house staff and informed the authorities one week prior to the attack. The next hearing is scheduled for 17th February 2012. Under Turkish law, those accused will be exonerated if not formally convicted and sentenced within five years. Delays beyond April 2012 may lead to the perpetrators being released. Please pray that family members and friends of the victims continue to know the peace of Jesus as the trial process continues, for justice and for the perpetrators to be identified.
Pray: for all involved to know the Spirit's enabling, equipping and assisting as they persevere to promote justice. Pray also for judges, officials, lawyers and journalists involved to hear the gospel of Jesus. (Mt.6:10)
More: www.meconcern.org
Clampdown on offensive language on the radio
Media regulator Ofcom has moved to clampdown on offensive language on the radio amid concerns that children are being exposed to inappropriate material. It says that broadcasting offensive language when children are likely to be listening has ‘frequently been the focus of complaints’. In October the watchdog censured one radio station for playing a track which repeated one swear word 41 times at 7.30 in the morning. Now Ofcom, which has a statutory duty to protect young people, has issued new guidance saying that listeners ‘do not expect to hear strong language during the day on radio’ even if children are unlikely to be listening. It has also warned broadcasters that children must be protected from songs with clear references to drugs and sex. The guidance says that ‘broadcasters should avoid broadcasting lyrics that clearly focus on the taking of drugs, sexual acts or behaviour, or convey a clearly sexualised theme, when children are particularly likely to be listening.’
Pray: that the move by Ofcom to restrict the use of offensive language on the radio will succeed in its aim. (Ps.139:24)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/clampdown-on-offensive-language-on-the-radio/
Azerbaijan: ‘Without registration you can't pray’
Following a raid on a Baptist worship meeting in Neftechala, Pastor Telman Aliev, his wife and all Church members were summoned for police questioning on 23 December and threatened with criminal prosecution. The authorities declared the Church ‘closed’ and confiscated all the books they could find. Officials also asked for the full addresses of all Church members and their ethnicity. The State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations said, ‘Without registration you can't pray. We close any place of worship that isn't registered, including mosques. We don't ban, we just demand documents.’ The Church has applied for re-registration, but its application has not been answered. Exercising the right to freedom of religion or belief without state permission is illegal in Azerbaijan, in defiance of international human rights standards.
Pray: that these restrictions would not hinder the spread of the Gospel in Azerbaijan. (2Th.3:1)
More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue14955.html
USA: Elections 2012
Evangelical Christians and anti-abortion activists united the Republican right behind Rick Santorum for the party's presidential nomination. On Wednesday Mr Santorum declared that his strong Iowa showing means it's ‘game on’ for the party's presidential nomination, and he's heading to New Hampshire for round two after coming second by eight votes to Mitt Romney in Tuesday’s caucuses. The Associated Press did not declare a winner, but Iowa Republican chairman Matt Strawn announced early Wednesday that Romney had 30,015 votes to 30,007 for Santorum. Santorum's camp called the result a moral equivalent of a win because their support grew so fast in the last couple of weeks. Santorum the former senator from Pennsylvania said, ‘God has given us this great country to allow his people to be free. I offer a public thanks to God.’ and ‘It's now or never for conservative voters.’
Pray: that as the USA moves into eleven months of political canvassing, God’s values will be honoured and not used as a political tool. (Ex.20:3,7)
More: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/01/04/santorum_declares_game_on_in_close_iowa_race/
Let the “New Wave” of His Glory Fill the Earth!
We acknowledge that God is at work in powerful ways all over the world. As a result we anticipate the following:
1. The World Prayer Assembly 2012 will be a “new wave” to strategically connect and empower the global prayer and mission movements. 5000-6000 Christian leaders from up to 220 nations will join with the Lord and each other through united prayer, leading to Spirit-inspired action to transform our world.
2. The World Prayer Assembly is being arranged and co-hosted by leaders of the Indonesian and Korean prayer movements, two of the most powerful prayer forces in the world, with the support of international prayer networks such as the International Prayer Council and the Global Day of Prayer.
3. The ultimate goal of the World Prayer Assembly is two-fold: to see the knowledge of the glory of the Lord filling the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14) and to experience the fulfilment of Jesus’ prayer that His followers become one so the world will know He is its Creator and Saviour (John 17:21).
4. The WPA 2012 will learn from and build upon what the Body of Christ has experienced through the worldwide explosion of prayer efforts since the last International Prayer Assembly in Korea in 1984, by linking together prayer, mission and marketplace ministries from all church traditions, denominations and social spheres. In the spirit of Acts 13, together we will seek to hear from the Lord of the Church regarding His plans to engage and direct the global prayer movement. The goal is to see every nation, city and rural area throughout the world become filled with ongoing intercession and Spirit-inspired action until His Kingdom’s values are fully manifested.
5. Prayer networks and ministries worldwide will meet with those who are prayerfully working for transformation in all spheres of society such as government, education, business/marketplace, arts and media. Ministry leaders will learn from one another and plan new strategies. They will coordinate their efforts to advance world evangelization and the reaching of the unreached. They will work to ignite spiritual revival of the Church, as well as to champion social justice and humanitarian efforts - so that His glory will fill the earth.
6. The WPA 2012 will also encourage and serve to launch the next generation to become cutting-edge leaders for Christ’s global prayer and mission movement, as children and youth take their positions as equal partners in leading this event.
7. In fulfilment of Jesus prayer in John 17, the WPA will unite a large proportion of Christ’s Body to cry out to God for breakthrough in the urgent issues of our time. On the evening of May 17, during the WPA, 100,000 believers of all denominations, including 20,000 trained child intercessors and 20,000 youth, will gather together in the national stadium of Jakarta for a massive prayer meeting. This prayer event will be linked live to 200 cities of Indonesia where there will be similar gatherings estimated at 2 million or more. Combining with the Global Day of Prayer broadcast through satellite TV, tens of millions will take part from around the world, uniting their prayers to shape the history of our world!
Let the “new wave” of His glory fill the earth!
New aid package for Horn of Africa
President Barack Obama announced in Christmas week a new aid package worth $113 million for the famine and drought ravaged Horn of Africa. The funding announcement comes as a ‘FWD’ campaign by the US Aid organization on the internet, with videos in which television stars and athletes are asking viewers to forward the humanitarian message using social media to as many people as possible. President Obama said, ‘As we enter the season of giving and renewal, more than 13.3 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance amid the worst drought the region has seen in 60 years. The heartbreaking accounts of lives lost and of those struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and the need to reach out to people in need.' ‘Famine, war and drought in the Horn of Africa is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world,’ said USAID.
Praise: God for the campaign, and may it gain momentum as it continues through 2012. (Ps.22:26)
New aid package for Horn of Africa
President Barack Obama announced in Christmas week a new aid package worth $113 million for the famine and drought ravaged Horn of Africa. The funding announcement comes as a ‘FWD’ campaign by the US Aid organization on the internet, with videos in which television stars and athletes are asking viewers to forward the humanitarian message using social media to as many people as possible. President Obama said, ‘As we enter the season of giving and renewal, more than 13.3 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance amid the worst drought the region has seen in 60 years. The heartbreaking accounts of lives lost and of those struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and the need to reach out to people in need.' ‘Famine, war and drought in the Horn of Africa is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world,’ said USAID.
Praise: God for the campaign, and may it gain momentum as it continues through 2012. (Ps.22:26)
Bible becomes 2011 bestseller in Norway
The UK's 2011 bestseller lists might have been dominated by cookery, courtesy of Jamie Oliver, and romance, courtesy of David Nicholls, but Norwegian readers were plumping for another sort of book last year: the Bible. The first Norwegian translation of the Bible for 30 years topped the country's book charts almost every week between its publication in October and the end of the year, selling almost 80,000 copies so far and hugely exceeding expectations. Its launch in the autumn saw Harry Potter-style overnight queues, with bookshops selling out on the first day as Norwegians rushed to get their hands on the new edition. ‘We only printed 25,000 to start with and thought it would last six to nine months, but it was launched mid-October and by the end of the year it had sold 79,000 copies – it's just incredible,’ said Stine Smemo Strachan, who worked on the project for the Norwegian Bible Society.
Praise: God for this incredible thirst for His Word. (Is.52:7)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/03/bible-2011-bestseller-norway
Bible becomes 2011 bestseller in Norway
The UK's 2011 bestseller lists might have been dominated by cookery, courtesy of Jamie Oliver, and romance, courtesy of David Nicholls, but Norwegian readers were plumping for another sort of book last year: the Bible. The first Norwegian translation of the Bible for 30 years topped the country's book charts almost every week between its publication in October and the end of the year, selling almost 80,000 copies so far and hugely exceeding expectations. Its launch in the autumn saw Harry Potter-style overnight queues, with bookshops selling out on the first day as Norwegians rushed to get their hands on the new edition. ‘We only printed 25,000 to start with and thought it would last six to nine months, but it was launched mid-October and by the end of the year it had sold 79,000 copies – it's just incredible,’ said Stine Smemo Strachan, who worked on the project for the Norwegian Bible Society.
Praise: God for this incredible thirst for His Word. (Is.52:7)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/03/bible-2011-bestseller-norway
Divorce easier than getting driving licence
Obtaining a divorce is now easier than getting a driving licence, a senior judge said yesterday. Sir Paul Coleridge said a cultural revolution has made it possible to end a marriage quickly with a basic form-filling exercise. He added that the stigma attached to divorce in the past has also disappeared. The judge – who presided over the bitterly-fought divorce of Sir Paul and Heather McCartney – blamed 50 years of relationship free-for-all for the spread of divorce on demand. He said the result was that 3.8million children were now left at the mercy of the courts because of the break-up of their parents. The judge, who sits in the High Court Family Division as Mr Justice Coleridge, has called repeatedly for legal reforms to clear up
the mess left by the decline of marriage. He has blamed youth crime, child abuse, drug addiction, binge drinking, truanting and bad behaviour in schools for the 'meltdown' of the family.
Pray: that the experience and wisdom of Mr Justice Coleridge will be heard and lead to reforms. (Jer.26:13a)