British evangelist Rico Tice spoke at GAFCON, warning that God would take His power, spirit and gospel outside the Anglican institution if Anglicans leaders do not submit to scripture and repent of sin. He said he could relate to Rev Behan when he said he wept and grieved over New Zealand’s church; adding, ‘To come here and see the largest collection of Anglicans for the last 50 years meet together and have a Nigerian bishop rebuke us about our sin was so refreshing.’ He said that the road to ruin in Britain is defined by tolerance and permissiveness, doing what you please, thinking what you please. ‘In a way I come to GAFCON partly grieving but also delighted to find a family that is Anglican, that I can trust, who submit to the Lord Jesus and to Scripture. There’s a loss of nerve in the Church because culture is intolerant of people holding onto the uniqueness of Jesus and his high and holy standards.’

Cannabis plants contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which affects minds and moods. While giving a ‘chilled out’ feeling, it can also cause hallucinations, paranoia and long term psychosis. The risk of schizophrenia is higher when used by younger people as THC interferes with the still-growing brain. Cannabis also contains cannabidiol (CBD), which shows promising results for reducing seizures in children with severe epilepsy. Caring for a person suffering epileptic seizures is heartbreaking, and can be frightening if a seizure is prolonged and leads to status. Status happens when one seizure follows another without the person recovering in between. Severe seizures can cause brain damage. Pray for God to give peace and strength to families currently caring for a person experiencing epilepsy. Pray for God to inspire MPs to make rapid, accurate decisions regarding the use of CBD.

Theresa May has welcomed the passing of the Brexit bill through Parliament as ‘a crucial step’ in delivering a ‘smooth and orderly Brexit’. Peers accepted the amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill sent to them from the House of Commons, meaning the bill becomes law. The important decisions agreed on 20 June give Britain a brighter future, in control of its money, laws, and borders. The PM promised more detail on the UK-EU's future relationship soon, and said that after a white paper is published with more details of a proposed future relationship with the EU, the Trade and Customs Bills will be brought back to the Commons. International trade secretary Liam Fox said that the option of a no-deal Brexit had been left firmly on the table. He said the Government has to be able to hold out in our negotiations with the prospect of no deal, otherwise the EU will get the upper hand in future negotiations.

Christians in Parliament, at their annual national prayer breakfast, gave 470 leaders time to stop and reflect, sing hymns, pray, and hear the American Presbyterian pastor Tim Keller. One of the themes was, ‘What role can Christianity play in contemporary public life?’ Theresa May said that Christianity had transformed the United Kingdom with its values and teachings, helping to shape the laws, customs and society of the country. She added, ‘Whether you are a Parliamentarian or a constituent, I encourage you to continue your engagement as Christians in public life for the common good of all.’  The Christians in Parliament ethos is for more Christians to respond to God's call and engage positively in party politics and government. Their mission is to make the biblical case for participating in party politics at high-quality events, and connect Christians and churches to people or organisations that can help them engage politically.

Documents used to investigate the deaths at Gosport Hospital have revealed that 456 people died from the staff practice of prescribing too many painkillers without medical justification. An additional 200 patients were ‘probably’ similarly affected between 1989 and 2000. The inquiry, led by Rt Rev James Jones, did not ascribe criminal or civil liability for the deaths. He said that a number of nurses raised concerns about prescribing diamorphine. Their warnings went unheeded, the opportunity to rectify the practice was lost, deaths resulted, and 22 years later it had become necessary to hold an inquiry to discover the truth of what happened. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said that a catalogue of failings had been identified, and apologised to the grieving families. Hampshire’s chief constable said that police would assess any new information contained in the report,, and consult their partners in health and the Crown Prosecution Service in order to decide the next steps.

On 21 June the Archbishop of York Youth Trust hosted a regional conference, for primary head teachers in church schools across the Diocese of Manchester. It provided an opportunity for them to learn more about the Young Leaders Award delivered at Key Stage 2 and to share in the experiences of those completing the award. To date the Youth Trust has enrolled over 550 primary and secondary schools in these award schemes, empowering 63,000 young people to put leadership into action and make a difference in other people's lives through acts of service and community volunteering.

Home secretary Sajid Javid, after unveiling a new ID scheme for EU citizens living in Britain, has called on EU leaders to publish concrete plans to preserve the rights of British citizens living on the continent post-Brexit. He is concerned that other EU member states have not stated how they are going to support Britons in Europe, when the Government has advanced plans for a new status for the estimated 3.4 million EU citizens living in the UK. The European parliament’s chief Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, said there were ‘serious concerns’ over all citizens impacted and affected by Brexit. ‘British in Europe’ complained last week that they represented the forgotten victims of Brexit, with neither Brussels nor London taking up their fight to retain their rights to maintain free movement and continue to work freely and offer services across the continent. The ‘right of return’ to the UK without any immigration barriers was also raised.

In a dusty Roma camp, life goes on despite threats of an ethnically-targeted census and deportation by Italy's new hardline interior minister Matteo Salvini, who recently refused to take in a rescue ship carrying 630 migrants. He intends to throw out Roma people without legal status. His call was blasted as ‘unconstitutional’ by rights groups and criticised by members of his own government. Some are drawing parallels with measures targeting Jews under fascist wartime leader Benito Mussolini. ‘If Salvini comes here, we will welcome him with kindness. He needs to see how we live’, says Habibi Mehmedi, a teenager in a camp outside Rome's main ring-road - away from the eyes of the office workers and tourists. ‘Some do bad things, but most of us are Italian and have not committed any crimes.’ Despite the Roma community making up at most 0.3% of Italy's population, they are subject to extreme hostility from the general public. The Joshua Project states that the Italian Roma people’s primary religion is Christianity.

Citizens are not usually incarcerated for their beliefs or peaceful activity in the West. Elsewhere Christian prisoners of conscience are threatened, not merely by criminals, but by an environment of unsanitary conditions, infectious diseases, untreated illness and extreme tortures at the hands of the authorities. These human rights abuses are enabled by a worldview that diminishes and even negates the Christian's value as a human being. Thousands of Christians are in prison for their faith, while others are held captive by jihadists. Pray for human rights lawyers like Gao Zhisheng (China), humble labourers like Aasia Bibi (Pakistan) and foreign nationals like Andrew Brunson (an American pastor in Turkey), Sister Gloria Narvaez (a missionary in Mali), and Dr Ken Elliot (an Australian missionary doctor in Burkina Faso). Pray for all prisoners and captives suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually, exhausted and confused. Pray for those heartbroken by separation from family and friends.

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is in its 48th day, wreaking havoc with thousands of varying magnitude earthquakes and a lava flow destroying property on its way to the ocean. Guatemala’s Fuego volcano eruptions, which began on 3 June, are different but no less deadly, occasionally shutting the international airport due to ash. Violent eruptions from another peak recently killed over 110 people. Eruptions have left dense volcanic mud covering villages with rescue attempts having to halt every so often due to the unstable environment. At the time of writing 200 people remain missing in Guatemala; 12,000 are displaced, and being supported by NGOs with food, water and relief items. Pray for those helping to restore family links and for those giving psychosocial support. Donald Trump approved a request for federal aid to assist the thousands left homeless after 600+ homes were destroyed by Hawaii’s lava.