For the first time since the formation of a transitional government of national unity on 29 April, the South Sudan leaders have met to review the implementation of the August 2015 peace deal. On Tuesday in Juba, President Salva Kiir and his first and second deputies were shown on national television shaking hands and meeting for discussions. The brief broadcast reported that the three leaders reviewed the implementation of the deal, with emphasis on a deteriorating economy. There were no details of the discussions’ outcome. There are many contentious issues - the number of states, containment of forces, reconstitution of the national legislative assembly, and more. No donors have pledged financial support to the new government, citing lack of commitment to peace by the former warring parties. Pray for both sides to humble themselves and allow the civil war to end. Meanwhile Christians are still being killed by bombs: see

A spiritual awakening that has led to an estimated three thousand conversions and appears poised to last through the summer is creating continuing enthusiasm among Assemblies of God churches in southern West Virginia. ‘The past six weeks our Sunday morning services have been more spiritual. The move of the Spirit has gone up two or three notches’, said the leader of Victory Christian Centre Church in Lenore. Pentecostal evangelist Matt Hartley has been holding revival meetings which have attracted visitors from Texas, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia and Florida. After other meetings in different venues, on 14 May the ‘Awakening’ shifted to Logan High School's football stadium. ‘Young people want to be involved in Bible study, some pastors and youth groups have travelled hours to get there,’ said the director of youth and Christian education for the AoG Appalachian Ministry Network. ‘This has had some pretty far-reaching results, especially for youth ministries.’

Last month a San Diego church posted online, ‘In the midst of outpouring and extended revival, we feel that it's time to be intentional with releasing impartation each month through hosting special themed weekends of revival. We will be bringing together fathers and mothers with a history in outpouring and revival to begin to spread what God is releasing here in this “Fire and Glory Outpouring” in San Diego to the whole of North America and the Nations. Come and be a part of this special time of impartation and activation, in the midst of nonstop revival which has been going on for over two and a half months! Fresh Awakening San Diego is exploding!!!’ ‘Incredible Glory Presence’ is just one of many Facebook messages about the outpouring, at

Research has found that for the first time, those without a religion outnumber Christians in England and Wales. The main driver is people brought up with some religion now saying they have no religion. Those brought up as Anglicans and Catholics are most likely to leave the Church, with four out of ten adults raised as Anglicans abandoning their faith. Rising trends of secularism have also been reported across Europe in the past decade, with a study in March finding that the majority of Norwegians no longer believe in God. Pray for us to raise our faith and expectation, our commitment to prayer, to raise our eyes from what we are seeing around us, to take our eyes off the falling and the decaying and to lift our eyes to God; pray also for a powerful new move of God. Read a prophetic word given by Malcolm Duncan at a recent WPC prayer event:

Last week the Christian Institute stated, ‘The Government’s planned Counter-Extremism and Safeguarding Bill must be carefully crafted to avoid damaging freedom of expression.’ The chief executive of Index on Censorship said, ‘We should resist any attempts to make it a crime for people of faith to talk publicly about their beliefs, for political parties to voice unpopular views, and for venues to host anyone whose opinions challenge the status quo. We urge the Government to use its consultation to ensure this does not happen.’ The proposals for a new law, outlined in the Queen’s Speech, are more ambiguous than earlier Government proposals. Current legislation already prohibits incitement to violence and terrorism, and a compelling case for broadening them further through civil measures has not been made. It is still not clear how new legislation would deal with the problem of defining ‘extremism’ in a way that would not threaten free speech.

Teaching of Christianity in schools is set to be transformed by a new resource from the Church of England, launched yesterday. Understanding Christianity is a set of comprehensive materials and training which will enable pupils from age 4 to 14 to develop their understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to making sense of the world and their own experience within it. Available to schools across the country, it was written by a team of RE advisers from RE Today Services, in collaboration with more than 30 teachers and academics. It has been trialled in over fifty schools. Understanding Christianity was commissioned by the Church of England education office with the support of Culham St Gabriels, The Sir Halley Stewart Trust, the Jerusalem Trust and an anonymous donor. The chief education officer for the Church of England said that the ability for young people to have informed conversation and dialogue about belief and faith is key to building a peaceful society and helps combat ignorance and extremism.

Recently Angela Rippon investigated dementia in a TV programme. Dementia took her mother’s life and is now affecting her friends. Angela visited people who are living with the disease and families that carry a gene for early-onset Alzheimer’s. In an ageing population, dementia is an issue that is likely to touch each one of us some time in our lives. We are hearing more about it on the media as our population ages. In his article ‘Dementia, God, & Christian Faith’ James Howell, a pastor in Charlotte, North Carolina, says that polls indicate we fear dementia more than we fear cancer. However in Christianity, well-being is not gauged by the presence or absence of illness or distress. Well-being is defined by the presence of God, and God is not distant from the one with dementia, or from those who love someone with dementia. Howell says, ‘Can someone with dementia have a spiritual life? I’ve seen forgetful, withdrawn people to be quite prayerful; faith sometimes achieves a lovely simplicity in such instances.’ See

Wycliffe Bible Translators UK and Ireland is part of an international family of over a hundred organisations from more than sixty nations working alongside many partner organisations, individuals from local communities and international groups to carry out Jesus' command to make disciples of all nations. They see Bible translation as something that reflects the character of God and teaches people His provision for them. Much work has been done over the years to bring God’s truth to unchurched / unreached people groups, but the remaining task is immense. Pray for those developing various programmes specifically designed to equip nationals with the skills they need to develop languages and Bible translation into these languages. Pray for good partnerships between Wycliffe individuals and churches to develop Bible translation further. Pray for the protection of overseas workers, and for God’s wisdom to be with those working with His words of life all the time.

An independent review will establish whether Sharia law in England and Wales has been used to discriminate against women. It will look at whether Sharia law is compatible with UK laws and whether it is being ‘misused’. Theresa May commented that some Sharia councils had sought to legitimise forced marriage and issue unfair divorces to women. The review will be completed next year and seek best practice among councils. It will be led by Professor Mona Siddiqui, an expert in Islamic and interreligious studies from the University of Edinburgh. Pray for an end to discriminatory decisions taken by Sharia councils and for all UK citizens to adhere to the UK’s laws and justice system.

Scientists have raised fresh questions over effectiveness and safety of ‘gene-editing’ techniques which create ‘three-parent babies’. The technique aims to prevent babies inheriting health problems which may lead to developmental delays, seizures, deafness and heart failure. The 'three-parent' IVF technique creates an embryo with no disorder. Many concerns have been raised as to the ethics. Now, a report has discovered ‘potential adverse’ outcomes when using the technique: it states, ‘In some trials the transfer of unhealthy mitochondria could sometimes ‘carry-over’ and dominate the healthy mitochondria.’ This may increase over time, potentially causing one of the diseases the therapy was intended to cure, and therefore nullifying the technique’s effect. Last year, the UK legalised ‘three-parent’ IVF. The fertility regulator, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is yet to give it the green light. HFEA will wait for further experiments on the technique’s efficiency and safety before approving it for clinical use.