Please continue to pray for the owners of over 1,750 properties that have been flooded in recent weeks. Ask God to support them as they go through the painful process of assessing damage, claiming insurance, and discarding much that was not salvageable. Pray particularly that those who did not have insurance will receive appropriate help to rebuild their lives. Pray for God to comfort those who have lost sentimental and irreplaceable possessions. The Environment Agency (EA) has warned that some older properties could be contaminated with anthrax or other dangerous pollutants after the floods, so the fire brigade might say they are not safe for re-occupation. Pray for wise and effective reviews by the EA of the flood defences required for the future. See also

On 10 November Rev Roland Parson was told by police officers he could not show his ‘Blood of Jesus Christ’ banner which was fixed with rope to the side of his preaching stand while he preached the Gospel. He has displayed his Christian banners and preached at Speakers’ Corner for over twenty years. Now the police informed him he was violating the Royal Parks regulations - banning the display of printed material. However, they didn’t do anything about other large banners displayed in the area. Mr Parsons is now taking legal advice to fight the ban, ‘not least because of the undue effect it has on evangelical Christians’. Mike Phillips, legal adviser to Christian Concern, added, ‘If you are doing something which has been allowed for many years, and suddenly the authorities prohibit it, then arguably they are acting outside their powers.’

New research by bioethicist Dr Kevin Smith claims that the risks of gene editing are now low enough to warrant its use with human embryos, arguing that ‘creating designer babies is ethically justifiable and highly desirable’. He said it could kick-start a revolution in producing genetically-modified (GM) people, offering hope to parents at risk of transmitting serious genetic disease to their future children. He said, ‘The human germline is not perfect. Evolution furnished us with minimal protection from diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. GM can protect future people against these and other common disorders.’ Producing GM babies in China last year was criticised by geneticists and ethicists. Smith compared GM people to the advancement of IVF, stating that if such negative attitudes to biomedical innovation had prevailed in the 1970s, the development of IVF would have been delayed and might never have come to fruition. His paper is published in the medical ethics journal Bioethics.

Homelessness is not a crime. The 1824 Vagrancy Act, which makes rough sleeping and begging illegal in England, is needlessly pushing vulnerable people further from help, according to a report from Crisis. The Government is reviewing the act as part of its rough sleeping strategy. Leading figures from across the political spectrum and the police, including former Met Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe, have called for the repeal of the act, branding it out of date, inhumane and unfit to deal with the modern challenges of addressing rough sleeping and begging. Although some changes came into force on 7 November and further changes are being considered, this outdated and damaging act has not been repealed. Please pray for it to be completely abolished, and soon. See

A note left in a postbox at the L6 Community Centre was written by a seven-year-old to Santa. She wrote, ‘Dear Father Christmas, can you help? Can we have a home for Christmas? Mam wants us to be all together. Can you give us some food, and can I have just a nice doll for Christmas? Thank you.’ Dr Maynard, from a Christian charity tackling hunger, said, ‘When I read it I almost wasn't surprised. This is a day-to-day reality for many who regularly ask where food is coming from, and if they are going to have breakfast this morning.’ She suggested that we could all be generous to someone and help them celebrate Christ’s birth. Could we invite a lonely neighbour for Christmas lunch or make a Christmas hamper for someone in need? The L6 centre team is helping the family, and may put them up in a hotel on Christmas Day.

Lawyers representing victims of the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have signalled they are willing to serve a subpoena on Prince Andrew to ensure he cooperates with their investigations. Meanwhile, he announced he was standing down from public duties and was willing to help ‘any appropriate law enforcement agency’ with their investigations after what he accepted was his ‘ill-judged association’ with Epstein. Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing five of the victims, said that Prince Andrew was simply not credible in his recent BBC interview. ‘He and his staff must cooperate with all investigations, show up for civil depositions and trials, and produce all documents about his contact with Epstein. We are just getting started.’ See also

Could Brexit be a symptom of issues facing Europe? When society turns away from God’s principles we risk making our desires our idols. For decades many of our nations have sought to make individualism a priority, whether pursuing selfish desires or not taking responsibility for the consequences of our actions, or sexually immoral expressions, or perhaps as a nation we think we are better than others or have some given right to be great. There is nothing new in these attitudes but we give in to them at our peril. The Old Testament is full of warnings to society as we seek to follow our own desires. Many observers from across the channel cannot understand how a nation known as the ‘mother of democracy’ could be in this mess. The UK and the rest of the EU need an answer to the Brexit question. For the UK it is about repairing division; for the EU, it is about protecting the integrity of a trading block that faces the complexities of a changing world of competing global powers.

The historical child abuse allegations against the Vatican continue after three former altar boys who were at a seminary in the Vatican in the 1980s have now accused two priests of sexually abusing them. They said they were between the ages of 10 and 14 at the time. The allegations will be explored in an investigative Italian TV show on 24 November.

Ever since the missionary era, Christianity has had a positive impact on Africa. In addition to evangelism and discipleship, Christian communities were behind the founding and growth of educational institutions, health facilities, poverty alleviation projects, children’s homes, and even civic initiatives. As a result, Christianity not only continues to grow, but has also achieved significant acceptance as a force for social good. Now, however, false prophets are chipping away at its moral credibility and public strength. Among these self-proclaimed ‘servants of God’, the values that have traditionally distinguished Christian ministry are increasingly absent. Humility, compassion, selfless service, and servant leadership are replaced by a preoccupation with image consciousness, self-aggrandisement, and enlargement of personal influence. This is in sad contrast to the faithful pastoral care and preaching of countless African Christians who are not motivated by self-promotion and gain. For truths supporting the above, click the ‘More’ button.

After centuries of global plunder, the industrial economy is severely undermining the life support systems of the planet. Just Transition believes we must build visionary economies different from the ones we are now in. This requires stopping the bad while at the same time building the new: changing the rules to redistribute resources and power to local communities, shifting from incinerators and landfills to zero waste, from dirty energy like coal to energy democracy. Burning coal is a huge driver of climate change. Coal mining employs six million people globally, and is the linchpin of many communities. Nuclear energy, fracking, and ‘clean coal’ are offered as economic solutions, but they harm the health of people and the planet. The path of extracting, transporting, processing, and consuming these technologies is paved with cancer and respiratory disease, among other devastating health impacts. These ‘solutions’ turn low-income communities into sacrifice zones.