FES World Assembly begins
Hundreds of delegates from 154 countries will meet in Krakow, Poland, not to discuss politics or finances, but to discuss Jesus. Three or four student and leader delegates from each of 150 student movements in the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) meet every four years as part of the week-long World Assembly. IFES was founded in 1947 as a way to gather student ministries together into one world mission. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is just one of the dozens of student movements involved in IFES and represented at the World Assembly this week. ‘Everybody goes home with new ideas and strategies for ministry and evangelism on their campuses,’ explains Grahm Bob Grahmann, director of the IFES ‘So the end result of this World Assembly will be more, and better, and deeper, and more effective evangelism to students in universities around the world.’
Pray: that this conference would be led by God’s Spirit to be more effective in evangelising university students. (Jn.17:23)
‘UK clothes stores exploit women’ says charity
Thousands of women producing clothes for UK brands are working 14 hours a day for poverty pay in Bangladesh.This accusation comes from the charity War on Want in new research launched as the People newspaper publishes allegations that Bangladeshi workers earn under 6p an hour for night shifts. The charity’s researchers interviewed 1,000 female employees from 41 factories supplying western retailers, many of them British. Leading retailers – including Zara, Gap, Marks & Spencer, Monsoon Accessorize, New Look, Primark, River Island and Tesco - have pledged to observe a code of conduct with the Ethical Trading Initiative which says that suppliers’ workers earn a living wage, do not work over 48 hours a week or face abuse.The report, Stitched Up, is supported by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. A new poll shows members of the WI, Britain’s largest voluntary women’s group; want retailers and the British government to ensure a fair wage for overseas garment workers.
Pray: for all retailers to follow the ethical code generously to ensure a fair wage for all workers. (Mal.3:5)
More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/15139
Archbishop fears impact of welfare cuts on families
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England has warned that vulnerable families may be hit worst by the Government’s welfare cuts. The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, outlined his concerns in a letter to the Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith that has been seen by The Times. According to the newspaper, the Catholic leader spoke of the risk to thousands of poor families, who face being forced out of their homes as a result of cuts being made to housing benefit. He said that the loss of £93 a week for 50,000 families was a ‘significant sum for those struggling financially’. He warned that if media reports of 40,000 families being made homeless were correct ‘it would surely be a perverse result of policies aimed at reducing dependency of the ‘benefits culture’, since emergency support would immediately need to be put in place’.
Pray: for Government and Local authorities to be sensitive to the needs of the most vulnerable as they plan financial cuts. (Lk.11:41)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/archbishop.fears.impact.of.welfare.cuts.on.families/28317.htm
GMC and Medical Defence Union endorse 'tactful' offers of prayer by GPs
GMC and Medical Defence Union endorse 'tactful' offers of prayer by GPs
The GP magazine Pulse reports in an exclusive this week on new guidance from the Medical Defence Union saying that GPs can pray with their patients as long as they ensure patients are ‘receptive' to the offer. The guidance quotes a letter from Jane O'Brien, GMC Assistant Director for Standards and Fitness to Practise, published in the Daily Telegraph in 2009 suggesting that a ‘tactful' offer to pray could be appropriate. The development is highly significant in that it follows a statement by the GMC’s Chief Executive Niall Dickson who in a recent Radio Four interview confirmed the appropriateness of sensitive faith discussions with patients. Faith discussions are not normally part of the consultation, but there are occasions when they were appropriate. The World Health Organisation’s definition of health includes physical, mental, social and spiritual dimensions and part of practising whole-person medicine means addressing all issues that have a bearing on a person’s health.
Pray: that the GMC allows Christian doctors to practise medicine that addresses the needs of the whole person and to share their faith sensitively when it is appropriate to do so. (Ja.5:16)
More: http://pjsaunders.blogspot.com/2011/07/gmc-and-medical-defence-union-endorse.html
Posters declare ‘Sharia zone’ in east London
Islamic extremists have put up posters in an east London borough declaring it a ‘Sharia controlled zone’. The posters boldly claim: ‘You are entering a Sharia controlled zone. Islamic rules enforced.’ Underneath are images indicating that smoking, alcohol and music are banned. The posters are understood to have been discovered in the borough of Tower Hamlets last week, and they are identical to ones found in the boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham. A police spokeswoman said: ‘Officers are working closely with the local authority to have the posters removed as soon as possible.’ The posters come as a Bill in the House of Lords seeks to stop Sharia law taking root as a parallel legal system. Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, who grew up in Pakistan and is the former Bishop of Rochester, is backing the Bill. He said: ‘The problem with Sharia is that it is inherently unequal for certain kinds of people.’
Pray: for the authorities to work quickly to stop the actions of such extremists in the UK. . (Ho.10:4)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/posters-declare-sharia-zone-in-east-london/
Church of England will not die, records show
Religious leaders within the Church of England believe there is a real crisis when it comes to the future of the church, saying it will be dead in the next 20 years. The Rev Patrick Richmond, a Synod member from Norwich, warned the national assembly last week that the Church of England is entering into a ‘perfect storm’ with an overabundance of elderly members. Rev Richmond basically believes the Church of England as a whole is ‘dying off’ because of the number of senior citizens attending church in comparison to younger members. However, records from the Archbishops' Council's Research and Statistics Unit tell a different story. Updated records show that more than 36 per-cent of those who worship within the Church of England are under the age of 45. New statistics show that weekly services in cathedrals in 2011 is at 1.7 million people each month, a level that has been maintained since the turn of the millennium.
Pray: that the Church will rise from the ashes and soar like an eagle to glorify the Lord. (Is.40:31)
More: http://www.christianpost.com/news/records-show-church-of-england-will-not-be-dead-in-20-years-52454/
Anger over human trafficking strategy
The head of a leading anti-trafficking movement has slammed the Government’s new strategy on human trafficking. Steve Chalk said the Government was moving in a ‘dangerous direction’ by focusing its strategy on immigration. He said, its the strategy would address the symptoms but not the causes of the trade in human beings. ‘It will do little to stem the tide,’ he said. ‘It could also increase the vulnerability of the men, women and children who are trafficked into the UK and exploited, by concentrating more on their immigration status than their position as victims of a horrible crime. Human trafficking is a human rights abuse, not an immigration offence.’ The Government launched its strategy yesterday, committing itself to tightening border controls. Ruth Dearnley, Chief Executive of Stop the Traffik, said: ‘Prevention is better than cure. Human trafficking starts in communities and can be stopped by communities.'
Pray: that all aspects of trafficking would be recognised and challenged. (Is.40:10-11)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/anger.over.human.trafficking.strategy/28300.htm
UK publics' Africa emergency donations exceed £15 million
Donations from the UK public to the Disasters Emergency Committee emergency appeal for people suffering from severe food shortages in East Africa have now exceeded £15 million. The worst drought in 60 years has killed cattle and devistated crops in parts of East Africa, creating a humanitarian emergency, with problems expected to be compounded by a poor harvest. The DEC East Africa Appeal in Britain has been presented by actors Jason Isaacs and Fay Ripley, actor and comedian Lenny Henry and broadcaster and journalist Kate Adie. Chief Executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee Brendan Gormley said: ‘The more money we raise, the more lives we can save in the short term, and the more help we can give people to rebuild their lives in the long term. It’s vital that people keep giving,’ he added. To make a donation to the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal, visit www.dec.org.uk
Pray: for all those affected by this disaster, for those working to alleviate the suffering and for those who continue to donate to the appeal. (Ps.91:10)
Aid works - if it's in time
That's the verdict from international development charities this week in the wake of a generally positive United Nations update on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The report suggests the aim of halving the number of the world's poor between 1990 and 2015 remains on track. While there are a number of reasons for the progress, such as the increased wealth in India and China, international aid is an important factor in the improvements, said Laura Webster, head of public policy at the international development charity Tearfund. But in recent months the UK government has faced much criticism for sticking to the plan of spending 0.7 per cent of its national income on foreign aid in the current climate of austerity measures. Just last week David Cameron accused critics of his foreign aid policy as being 'possibly hard-hearted'.
Pray: for the ongoing success of the MDG’s despite the current financial climate. (1Sam.2:8)
Drug-resistant sex disease discovered
A new strain of gonorrhoea that is resistant to antibiotics has been discovered by scientists. The bacterial infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, with thousands of Britons becoming infected each year. Gonorrhoea can cause infertility, ectopic pregnancies and increased susceptibility to HIV. Dr Magnus Unemo, who led the team behind the discovery, described the find as ‘alarming’ and the researchers warned that the strain is likely to become a ‘global threat to public health’. He added: ‘While it is still too early to assess if this new strain has become widespread, the history of newly emergent resistance to the bacterium suggests that it may spread rapidly unless new drugs and effective treatment programmes are developed.’ Dr Unemo’s disturbing findings were presented at the 19th conference of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Disease Research in Quebec, Canada. Scientists are now trying to combat the infection using different drugs.
Pray: for those researching this disease that they may find a way to treat it. (Is.57:19)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/drug-resistant-sex-disease-discovered/