More babies born early fuel calls to lower abortion limit
The number of babies born weighing just 2lbs has more than doubled in the last two years, causing pro-lifers to reinforce the demand to lower the abortion limit from 24 weeks. Statistics do not disclose at what stage the babies were born but reports suggest that a child weighing less than 2lb 3oz is likely to have been born at least three months early. This would inevitably include some babies being born at an age when they could, in other circumstances, have been aborted. The number of tiny babies stillborn has almost halved during the same time span. The latest figures, from the NHS Information Centre, show that in 2008/09, some 3,836 children weighing less than 2lb 3oz (1kg) were born in England and Wales. That is a 115 per cent rise on 2006/07. A spokesman for the ProLife Alliance said: ‘These statistics are yet more proof that more and more babies are being born very prematurely and surviving’.
Pray: that in the light of these changing statistics the decision over the abortion limit would be reconsidered. (Job.31:15)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/more-babies-born-early-fuel-calls-to-lower-abortion-limit/
Only God can heal wounds in body of Christ - Archbishop
The Archbishop of Canterbury has told Anglicans at the Fourth Global South to South Encounter in Singapore that it is only the work of God’s Spirit that can heal tensions within the worldwide Anglican Communion. Dr Rowan Williams said in a video message to the meeting this week that the recent actions of certain provinces had made the ‘confusion, brokenness and tension’ in the Anglican family ‘still more acute’. Dr Williams pointed to the Anglican Communion Covenant, a document aimed at uniting the provinces despite their divisions, as a new way of ‘grounding’ the Communion’s mission and laying the foundation for its future. ‘It is the work of the Spirit that heals the body of Christ, not the plans or the statements of any group, or any person, or any instrument of communion’ he said.
Pray: that God would send His Spirit to heal the broken body of His bride. (Mt.12:25)
First nationwide survey of churches launched
The first nationwide survey of all the churches, chapels and meeting houses in the UK, was last Monday. The National Churches Trust Survey 2010 includes buildings of every Christian denomination, of all ages and conditions, and aims to understand how they are maintained, repaired, funded and used by their local communities. The survey hopes to create a national picture of the current status of places of worship. It will remain online until mid-June. All churches, chapels and meeting houses in the UK are being encouraged to complete the survey which offers guidance, tips and technical support to help participants. Andrew Edwards, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said: ‘A single, national survey will make a considerable difference to our understanding of church buildings across the UK. These buildings are important, not just as places of worship but also as centres of local life. This survey is seeking to capture the contribution they make to our heritage and our communities’.
Pray: for this survey that it will allow the people of the Church to better care for and use the physical buildings that we use as places of worship. (1Ch.28:10)
Young people gather to pray for the Election
The Message Trust prayer coordinator James Aladiran says ‘We have a heart to see God release a Great Awakening to the UK. We've got our next prayer gathering coming up on the 1st of May called Prayer Storm. The vision is to mobilise the youth of the Nation to a lifestyle of Intercession. With the Election coming up we believe this is a key moment for the church to rise in Intercession for the Nation. Have a look at this 1 minute video: youtube In Prayer Storm, explains James, ‘We believe God wants us to be a people who pray not just because we should, but because it has become a part of our lifestyle.’ Prayer Storm, taking place at Audacious City Church, Manchester will focus on the needs of our country at a time of massive political change and will ask for God’s blessing on the next Government.
Pray: that God would listen to the cries of His young people. (1Ki.8:52)
Filipino pastors' family soap industry helps poor parishioners
A Filipino couple who are both pastors have become accidental entrepreneurs after their daughter's search for body care products for her allergy-sensitive skin led to the creation of a home-based industry, which the family sees as its ministry. ‘With this evolving business, poor parishioners can earn extra income, which can sustain their local churches,’ Pastor Robinson Ayupan told Ecumenical News International. ‘With more income, parishioners can give tithes, support their pastor, and sustain their ministries.’ Ayupan's wife, Lorna Jane, says many of the 100 dealers, who retail the family's bath soap and other body care products, are poor parishioners, some of whom are students working their way through college, others unemployed housewives. The Ayupans belong to the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, but the two pastors also minister to other Protestant and evangelical groups, where they tell people they can combine their ‘Christian faith with enterprising ventures’.
Praise: God for this initiative and pray that our God-given gifts will be developed to bless and encourage those in need. (Ps.22:26-27)
Filipino pastors' family soap industry helps poor parishioners
A Filipino couple who are both pastors have become accidental entrepreneurs after their daughter's search for body care products for her allergy-sensitive skin led to the creation of a home-based industry, which the family sees as its ministry. ‘With this evolving business, poor parishioners can earn extra income, which can sustain their local churches,’ Pastor Robinson Ayupan told Ecumenical News International. ‘With more income, parishioners can give tithes, support their pastor, and sustain their ministries.’ Ayupan's wife, Lorna Jane, says many of the 100 dealers, who retail the family's bath soap and other body care products, are poor parishioners, some of whom are students working their way through college, others unemployed housewives. The Ayupans belong to the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, but the two pastors also minister to other Protestant and evangelical groups, where they tell people they can combine their ‘Christian faith with enterprising ventures’.
Praise: God for this initiative and pray that our God-given gifts will be developed to bless and encourage those in need. (Ps.22:26-27)
Crime drops after Street Pastor patrols
Violent assaults in Northampton have dropped by around two-thirds after church volunteers took to the streets.The volunteers, known as Street Pastors, have been working in conjunction with local police officers since 2008, and in the twelve months to March this year there were only 38 violent incidents recorded. This is a significant drop from the previous year when there were 110 recorded violent incidents. Rev Mark Lees, the local architect of the national scheme, said: ‘I think it is reassuring for people to see somebody else there that’s obviously involved and cares.’ Earlier this year it was revealed that prayer and the work of the Street Pastors was helping Devon and Cornwall police tackle crime. Churchgoers in the Barnstaple area were asked to pray that crime detection rates, which were then at 26 per cent, would increase. And in February it was revealed that the detection rates had risen to 40 per cent, one of the highest in the country. (See also Prayer Alert 0910)
Praise: God for the way He uses His people in prayer and practical action to make changes that transform the community. (1Ch.29:10-11)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/crime-drops-after-street-pastor-patrols/
Crime drops after Street Pastor patrols
Violent assaults in Northampton have dropped by around two-thirds after church volunteers took to the streets.The volunteers, known as Street Pastors, have been working in conjunction with local police officers since 2008, and in the twelve months to March this year there were only 38 violent incidents recorded. This is a significant drop from the previous year when there were 110 recorded violent incidents. Rev Mark Lees, the local architect of the national scheme, said: ‘I think it is reassuring for people to see somebody else there that’s obviously involved and cares.’ Earlier this year it was revealed that prayer and the work of the Street Pastors was helping Devon and Cornwall police tackle crime. Churchgoers in the Barnstaple area were asked to pray that crime detection rates, which were then at 26 per cent, would increase. And in February it was revealed that the detection rates had risen to 40 per cent, one of the highest in the country. (See also Prayer Alert 0910)
Praise: God for the way He uses His people in prayer and practical action to make changes that transform the community. (1Ch.29:10-11)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/crime-drops-after-street-pastor-patrols/
One in three constituencies to hold church hustings
The number of church hustings registered on CARE’s election web site Make the Cross Count broke through the 200 mark over the weekend, with more than 220 church hustings now registered. Nola Leach CARE’s chief executive said, ‘The number of hustings registrations surpassed all expectations. When we set out we hoped we might get 50, never expecting that two weeks into the campaign we would have over 200! We continue to be unaware of any larger single source of hustings. It’s wonderful to see the church playing such a strategic role during this election.’ Dan Boucher, CARE’s director of parliamentary affairs said of the site, which addresses subjects as diverse as human trafficking and euthanasia, child poverty and religious liberty. ‘We really hope that Make the Cross Count empowers Christians to make the most of their hustings and to ask challenging questions, putting Christian concerns and priorities right at the heart of this election.’
Pray: for the Holy Spirit to empower Christians to voice God’s will and purposes in the run-up to the election. (Ro.12:2)
Will Christians swing the 2010 UK election?
Tony Blair's spokesman Alastair Campbell famously once said the prime minister didn't ‘do God’ when talking to the media illustrating how Christianity is generally treated at Westminster. Explicit mention of religion is seen as ‘un-British’, a bit ‘American’ and a ‘turn-off’ to the electorate. But, with a closely fought election in the offing and a desperate fight taking place for marginal seats, might candidates become more open about their beliefs if it means a few more votes? The preacher Canon J Johns thinks they should. He urges his fellow believers to ‘do our best to find out about our local candidates’. He adds: ‘We might want to ask whether they are genuinely committed to moral values or do they simply adopt whatever is the current fashionable view? Does the candidate place their party's ideology above everything else? Would they be prepared to vote against the party line on moral grounds?’
Pray: for wisdom and discernment when ‘weighing’ political rhetoric to recognise honesty in moral issues. (1Ch.29:17)
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8607964.stm