A Muslim-majority country of 41 million, Algeria depends on fossil fuels for its export income. It struggles to provide jobs and homes for its people. Democracy and human rights exist on paper, less so in reality. A movement to Christ is happening in Algeria. Most new believers come from a Kabyle Berber (non-Arab) background, but faith is growing among Arabs and most other people groups as well. New fellowships have begun throughout Algeria, partly because Berbers have moved into Arab areas to share the good news. Persecution is a fact of life. One Christian woman wrote: ‘Women who convert to Jesus Christ face new challenges, which sometimes cost them dearly. They face rejection by their families. Others are repudiated by their husbands because of their faith. They can even be deprived of their children.’ Pray for new hope for Algeria’s youthful urban population and its rural poor.

Human nature is more interested in bad news than good. Hence news media seemed to almost delight in Australia 'burning' with many phenomenal pictures, hysterical headlines and apocalyptic analyses. In recent days, though, there has been some welcome good news and yet, to a large extent, this is buried away in mid-page columns, if reported at all. I guess 'Australia being blessed by rain' is not as dramatic as 'Australia burning in hell'. Many fires are still ongoing, but there have been some remarkable stories and pictures of the effect of the much prayed for rain. Jeremiah 14:22 tells us that only the Lord brings rain. Gloucester in New South Wales ran out of water, after four years of drought; then in seven days, they had over 100mm of water. The effect is dramatic. What was dead and barren has sprung to life with what one farmer called 'rapid growth'.

Just as more Americans are becoming religiously unaffiliated, there is another shift happening on the religious spectrum. More people today say they are ‘born again’ than at any point in the past three decades. While significant portions of the country jettison religion, others are increasingly identifying with a more devout expression of the faith. Across segments of Christianity - not just evangelical Protestants - Americans are heeding the scriptural call that ‘you must be born again’ (John 3:7), even when the label has not historically been part of their faith traditions. 60% of black Protestants claimed to be born again in 1988, now it’s 80%. The increase for evangelicals was 68% to 78% during the same time period. Also, across all Christian traditions, including mainline denominations and Roman Catholics, the born-again identity is trending up.

The CofE's bishops appear to be at war after some distanced themselves from a statement reiterating a longstanding Christian teaching that sex is for male-female marriage only. The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, said that she was ‘deeply frustrated and saddened’ by the way the statement was published. She continued, ‘I recognise that it has fanned into flame unnecessary pain and distress and I wish to acknowledge my part in that’. In the House of Bishops’ document responding to the introduction of mixed-sex civil partnerships, they wrote, ‘For Christians, marriage - that is, the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows - remains the proper context for sexual activity. Sexual relationships outside heterosexual marriage are regarded as falling short of God's purposes for human beings. The introduction of same sex marriage has not changed the church's teaching on marriage or same sex relationships.’

Thousands of Salvation Army members, officers and supporters are joining forces to warn the Government that, unless urgent action is taken, it is on course to break a manifesto pledge on rough sleeping. The pledge was to end rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament, but since 2010 there has been a 165% increase in people sleeping on the streets. The church and charity has called on its members, officers, employees and supporters in England to ask their local MP to lobby Government to prioritise funding to tackle homelessness. The campaign coincides with a recent poll which found that 68% of the public did not think the Government would deliver on its commitment to end rough sleeping. Anyone can take part in the campaign by going to the Salvation Army campaign page:

57% of UK adults say they never pray, and only 12%  say they pray at least once a day. By contrast, 49% of Americans say they pray every day. Despite Britain’s concerns about the Brexit future, people are not responding in prayer. Global phenomena like secularisation, immigration, and technological development are overhauling the UK Church, and for every Anglican church in London that closed its doors between 2016 and 2020 more than three Pentecostal churches were launched. British churches are struggling to retain members, but churches with strong African and Asian immigrant bases are growing. As the demography of faith changes, prayer trends are changing too. The increase of prayer in London may point to growing Pentecostal and immigrant-operated churches, but a large share of British Muslims live there also. Muslims are Britain’s most prayerful faith community.

Franklin Graham is scheduled to preach the gospel in eight cities across the United Kingdom later this year, but one of those stops is now in jeopardy after the venue cancelled the 12 June booking over his biblical views on LGBTQ issues. ACC Liverpool, an arena and conference centre, said, ‘Over the past few days we have been made aware of a number of Graham’s statements which we consider to be incompatible with our values. In light of this we can no longer reconcile the balance between freedom of speech and the divisive impact this event is having in our city. We have informed the organisers of the event that the booking will no longer be fulfilled.’ Graham, though, said that everyone is welcome. ‘The Gospel is inclusive, I'm not coming out of hate, I'm coming out of love.’ A Change.org petition that labelled Graham a ‘homophobic hate preacher’ had gathered more than 350 signatures as of 28 January.

British Airways has cancelled all flights in and out of China. Thousands of UK citizens on holiday, work visits, or school trips there could struggle to get home. A government-chartered plane with a doctor on board will leave Wuhan early on 31 January. Returnees will undergo health checks and be denied boarding if they display coronavirus symptoms. They must also agree to two weeks’ isolation in the UK to be able to fly. A government source said, ‘We are working hard to get British nationals back from Wuhan, but public safety is our top priority and we are not taking any chances’. 250 Britons are believed to be in Hubei province. The Government faces the challenge of repatriating British citizens if more routes out of China are shut and there is a surge of foreigners seeking to get out. 1,400 returnees from Wuhan since January 10 were told to self-isolate themselves for fourteen days.

The Duke of Cambridge has been made the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland by the Queen, while the Duke of Sussex begins his search for freedom away from the monarchy. The high commissioner role was established in the 1707 Act of Union between England and Scotland, and the Queen pledged to continue it during the first Privy Council meeting of her reign. William will make the opening and closing addresses to the Assembly, and will carry out official visits across Scotland. The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian and recognises only Jesus Christ as ‘King and Head of the Church’, so the Queen attends services as an ordinary member, and appoints someone to represent the role every year.

The owner of a wedding venue in Gloucestershire has said he is 'deeply sorry' after revoking a provisional booking for a same-sex couple's marriage reception. Kevin Chaffe and Ken Silvey had expressed an interest in booking Priors Court Barn in Brockworth, but Tim Wiltshire, the venue’s co-owner, contacted their wedding planner to cancel after finding out that the enquiry had been made by a same-sex couple. Chaffe took to Facebook to express outrage at this ‘disgusting, homophobic’ action. A social media backlash led to a barrage of negative reviews for the business. Wiltshire released a statement of apology that ended, ‘Of course everyone has the right to their own beliefs, and I now realise that my initial reaction was inappropriate in modern society. I am truly sorry’.