Church buildings house congregations with a variety of physical, mental and spiritual needs. We need flexible and creative approaches when planning a service, so that adults and children with disabilities are not overlooked. Reading isn't easy for those with learning disabilities, poor eyesight or declining comprehension.Pray for churches to explore fresh Bible translations like the Easy to Read Version for those with lower reading skills and comprehension, braille, or versions designed to help the dyslexic. Our churches can sometimes be loud during praise and worship for those with autism who could experience sensory overload. The teaching can be boring or confusing for those with moderate or profound learning disabilities. Pray for more personalised services that tell God’s story creatively just for them. Pray for congregations to help with the range of needs without splitting church families into types, abilities or tastes. See

When MPs return from their summer recess, parliamentary battles on the road to Brexit will be held on the following key dates:20 September: EU leaders discuss Brexit, possibly at a full summit. 17-18 October: EU summit deadline for agreement setting out the ‘divorce’ terms of the withdrawal agreement.A political declaration on the future relationship between the UK and the EU is also expected at this point. November: there is speculation that an emergency EU summit on Brexit might be held if a withdrawal agreement is not reached in October. 13-14 December: EU summit. If a deal has not been done by October, this is the fall-back option if the two sides still want to reach an agreement. 2019: withdrawal agreement approved by UK and the EU.

Five of England’s leading letting agents are discriminating against tenants on housing benefit, a report by Shelter and the National Housing Federation has found. Stephen Tyler, who uses a wheelchair, said he was forced to sleep in his car because of such discrimination. In an undercover investigation carried out by Mystery Shoppers Ltd. 149 regional letting agent branches were called by researchers posing as prospective tenants. One in ten had a branch policy not to let to anyone on housing benefit, regardless of whether they could afford the rent. The worst offender out of the six big brands investigated was Haart, with an outright ban on housing benefit tenants in a third of the branches called (8 out of 25). The research also exposes the uphill struggle faced by housing benefit tenants. Almost half of the letting agents said they had no suitable homes or landlords willing to let to someone on housing benefit.

Chaplains at Pentonville, one of London's biggest prisons, were forced to run for their lives after a fight erupted at a worship service. A new report by the Independent Monitoring Board stated, ‘There has been an increase in gang-related incidents during gatherings for prayer. On one occasion, a fight erupted and ministers had to run for cover. On another occasion, a prisoner was knifed as he entered.’ Thirty staff were assaulted in just two months at the prison. The report warned that drug trafficking, violence against staff, declining job training and ‘inhumane conditions’ are major problems. Although Pentonville had many energetic and committed staff there were too few officers for most of the year. Wings were shut down for three or four half-days a week, activities and association time were restricted, and some prisoners went weeks without exercise in the fresh air. See

PC Claire Boddie will face a misconduct hearing for shooting Judah Adunbi, a race relations adviser, in the face with a stun gun. Boddie did not warn Adunbi before she fired and his hands were by his sides at the time. In footage shown in court, Boddie is heard telling Adunbi: ‘You look familiar.’ Adunbi refused to say who he is, telling the officers: ‘I’m an African black individual living in my own city’. He fell to the ground after he was shot and told them: ‘I’m nearly 70 - here’s my **** ID.’The notice claims Boddie’s actions constitute a breach of the standards of professional behaviour for the use of force. Adunbi, also known as Ras Judah, has sat on Bristol’s independent advisory group, which forges links between the police and the community, and has worked with the Crown Prosecution Service’s local community involvement panel. Footage filmed by a passerby was widely shared on social media, making headlines around the world.

While the country convulses itself about Islamic face veils, a truly disturbing event affecting our freedom and our future goes almost unobserved. Christian nurse Sarah Kuteh was sacked for daring to suggest that a patient she was treating might like to go to church, and ‘inappropriately gave a Bible to a patient’. Her abilities as a nurse were not questioned, but she was only allowed to work again after reflecting on NHS professional boundaries, agreeing not to express her personal beliefs and letting her employers know in writing the steps she has taken to address ‘deficiencies highlighted in her practice and how she would act differently in the future’. In other words, she had to ‘confess’ her thought-crime and promise not to repeat it. Unemployment is being used to threaten people into keeping their deepest, beloved beliefs a personal secret while they are on NHS premises.

After meeting Dominic Raab on 21 August, Michel Barnier outlined things yet to be done: a backstop solution for avoiding a hard border in Ireland; outstanding issues of the Withdrawal Agreement, eg protection of borders; and a political declaration on future relationships. We can pray for the teams now working on these issues to make progress according to God’s timing and strategy. Mr Barnier also said, ‘As you know, we need a legally operational backstop solution in the Withdrawal Agreement. We must find pragmatic solutions, in line with the commitments made by Theresa May in December and March. We must de-dramatise the issue, and spell out which controls are needed, and and how they should be done. Next time we meet, Dominic and I will take stock of this work. The negotiations are now entering the final stage. We have agreed that the EU and the UK will negotiate continuously from now on.’ See also UK article on Brexit key dates.

On 17 August, Friday prayers from Intercessors for Israel stated: ‘There has been much spoken and written about the possibility of a ceasefire agreement being made between Hamas and Israel. Only the Lord knows for sure whether it is the right time for such a deal. Lord, we want Your plans to be put in place rather than any plans of men. Isaiah 55:8 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord”.’ Their prayers asked God to ‘invade’ the meetings of Israel’s leaders - Netanyahu, Liberman and Eizenkott - so that they might know God’s wisdom. They also asked God to reveal any deception in these negotiations according to Proverbs 26:26: ‘The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.’

Monsoon flood waters have receded in Kerala after the worst monsoon rains in a century, allowing authorities to retrieve the bodies of victims and enabling residents to start assessing the damage to their homes. But it is feared that thousands of people are still trapped in the worst-hit areas. Pray for regular supplies of clean drinking water and electricity to be distributed quickly and fairly to the state’s 33 million residents. Pray for the thousands of army, navy and air force personnel still searching for survivors and delivering food, medicine and water to those stranded in remote, hilly areas cut off by damaged roads and bridges. Pray for the 1,028,000 people sheltering in 3,274 relief camps. Disinfectants in adequate quantities are needed to prevent water-borne diseases. Pray for more paramedics to be available to advise and give medical aid. The government said it needs hundreds of thousands of electricians, plumbers and carpenters to bring Kerala back to normality. See

All across the vast land, intercessors unite under the umbrella of ‘Ears to Hear’ as they pray for Canada via conference calls, skype and emails. We can join them as they intercede for the summer to bring an unprecedented spiritual harvest. Pray that the nation will grow deeply hungry for God, and that the Church will use every opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus boldly. Keep lifting up all the summer camps and outreaches. The Lord has been speaking to Canada’s Prophetic Council through a vision of a church bell being rung in these days. The vision represents what He desires to do with the prophetic. May the gift of prophecy ring out in new and freshly restored ways. Pray that it is clear, pure and centred on Jesus. Across Canada, the Lord has been strongly emphasising that it’s time for reconciliation. Pray that even long-estranged relationships will be restored. Pray for grace, humility and forgiveness to grow in the Body of Christ. Believe for miraculous reconciliations.