300 new churches planted in Norway
In Norway 300 churches have been planted in the last 15 years. This is reported by Oivind Augland, director of DAWN Norge, a national network for church planting in which many denominations and churches participate. DAWN Norway is serving a network of people who recognize that when we stand together as the Body of Christ, we have the opportunity to see the nation filled with living cells, groups and congregations of believers in all geographic areas, ethnic and cultural groups in the nation. Churches in Norway are actively working together and have a vision beyond their own nation. They want to ‘ignite multiplying church planting movements all over Europe.’
Praise: God for this encouraging cross-denominational growth in Scandiinavia and beyond
15 years of Christian broadcasting in Arab world
SAT-7: SAT-7 is celebrating 15 years of broadcasting Christian programmes across the Middle East and North Africa. The ministry started out as a single channel format but has enjoyed unexpected success over the years and now broadcasts SAT-7 Arabic, SAT-7 Pars, SAT-7 Kids and SAT-7 Turk. Until SAT-7's first transmission on 31 May 1996, fear of government reprisals meant the media had largely been out of bounds for the Arab Christian community. Rita El Mounayer, Executive Director for SAT-7's three Arabic channels sees a continuing hunger in the Middle East and North Africa for SAT-7's holistic and uplifting programming. ‘We're very excited about our shows and the people making them - people who want to make a real difference in the lives of our viewers,’ she said. The 15th anniversary coincides with the Arab Spring sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa. Praise: God for the blessings that SAT-7 has brought to the Arab world. (Is.44:3)
10,000 Egyptian youth gather in desert to worship
Earlier this month about 10,000 Christian young people came from all across Egypt for three days to worship the Lord and to seek God's blessing for their country. The worshippers, mostly ranging from ages 13 to 30, gathered from 10 o'clock in the morning until 8 each evening. Many travelled hundreds of miles to the worship site in the middle of the desert north of Cairo. ‘To sit among over 10,000 young people, worship with them in a roaring holy noise, listen to powerful and challenging messages and pray for God's powerful presence in our lives; really, it is hard to describe in words,’ says a Christian leader. ‘Sitting at the very back of the small soccer stadium gave me a good view of the scene. Thousands were sitting to my right, thousands to my left and thousands more in the middle. Hardly any empty gaps!'
Praise: God for this gathering and may He bless all those who attended. (Gen.28:3)
'Wow' factor teaches kids about Jesus
Thousands of schoolchildren in the UK will benefit from a £62,000 makeover of a classroom hi-tech mobile pod which teaches about Jesus. Secondary school children visiting GSUS Live will enjoy an up to date experience with a renewed 'wow' factor. It’s run by Christian charity Counties and visits secondary schools across the UK providing lessons for Key Stage 3 pupils. Volunteers from local churches present teachings on fear, forgiveness and rejection to help them discover how Jesus is relevant today, and includes multi-media computer motorised all in one touch computer screens which rise out of tables, new desks and benches for pupils plus improved wheelchair access. One church volunteer helping on it said, ‘The opportunity to be involved in local mission with such a fantastic programme was awesome. The children were amazed at the technology and it was great to show them Christianity is not boring but very much relevant today.’
Praise: God for every hi tec advance that opens doors into His Kingdom.
More: http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/Stories/National?storyaction=view&storyid=55
'The Bible' mini-series earns Emmy nomination
The Bible' mini-series has been nominated for an Emmy Award in the ‘Outstanding Mini-series or Movie’ category, it was announced last week. History Channel's biblical miniseries will be competing with five other programs for the category's top spot, including FX Network's ‘American Horror Story: Asylum,’ HBO's ‘Behind the Candelabra,’ HBO's ‘Phil Spector,’ USA's ‘Political Animals’ and Sundance Channel's ‘Top of the Lake.’ The show, which was produced by husband and wife team Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, has also been nominated for ‘Outstanding Sound Editing for a Mini-series, Movie or a Special’ and ‘Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Mini-series or a Movie’ for its premiere episode, ‘Beginnings.’ ‘What a blessing this is. Mark and I have poured our hearts and souls into this series,' Downey said in an email to The Christian Post. ‘We have worked so hard for four years now, It has been a labour of love that deepened not just our faith but our marriage and our friendship.’ (See also Prayer Alert 13-2013 & 15-2013)
Praise: God for this further opportunity of spreading your message
'Mother ship' traffickers arrested off Libya
The Italian navy has arrested 16 human traffickers aboard a so-called ‘mother ship’ in international waters off Libya. The ship was located some 500 kilometres southeast of Sicily, near Libya, the Navy said on Sunday. Submarine surveillance ahead of Saturday's raid was ‘of particular importance, notably for gathering proof’ against the traffickers, the Navy said in a statement. The fishing boat served as a staging area from which the traffickers dispatched their clients - Syrian migrants seeking asylum or a better life - aboard smaller, often rickety vessels to destinations in southern Europe. The boat had been under surveillance, including by drones, hi-tech radars, night-vision equipment and the submarine, under stepped-up operations launched after two shipwrecks last month claimed some 500 lives.
Praise: God for the success of the Italian Navy in bringing these traffickers to justice. (Pr.21:15)
Poland fears Russian invasion
Russia’s intervention in Ukraine is a big concern for Poles who fear Moscow might be planning an invasion of their country. This has reportedly resulted in increasing numbers of Poles joining volunteer paramilitary groups that provide basic military training. Up to now, the Polish government has ignored unofficial militias. Now it is reportedly seeking a way to harness the 120 volunteer groups that boast a membership of 10,000. Some 800 members of paramilitary groups gathered in Warsaw on March 20 to attend a meeting hosted by the defence ministry. Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak announced the government’s decision to pay the wages of 2,500 people who would form the backbone of local volunteer units to be mobilised in the event of a war. In an interview with Reuters, the Polish President's chief security adviser, General Stanislaw Koziej, said the new approach had been prompted by the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine, where Russia is accused of fighting alongside pro-Moscow separatists.
Search operations continue at French Alps crash site
Churches have opened their doors in the wake of Tuesday's Germanwings Airbus crash in the French Alps, which killed all 150 people on board. Sixteen of those who died were teenagers on a Spanish exchange programme from Joseph-Koenig school in Germany. Two of their teachers were also on the plane. The local Catholic Church in Haltern, St Sixtus, was reportedly open all night for mourners. Hundreds of people visited the church after the news broke yesterday to light candles and write messages of condolence to the families of those who died. At the school just 1.5km away, residents covered the entrance with flowers and red and white candles. Deputy Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Sylvia Loehrmann, told reporters on Wednesday: ‘We can only share that pain and maybe some comfort can grow from that sharing. All of Germany is mourning with us and the whole world is sending us messages.’ At least three Britons were also killed.
Switzerland: Geneva - Supporting the Human Rights of Christians
Part of a statement released at the 28th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on the 13 March said, ’The Middle East is living in a situation of instability and conflict. The consequences are disastrous for the entire population of the region. The existence of many religious communities is seriously threatened. Christians are now especially affected. These days even their survival is in question. Efforts to build a better future for all are frustrated. We witness a situation where violence, religious and ethnic hatred, fundamentalist radicalism, extremism, intolerance, exclusion, destruction of the social fabric of whole societies and communities are becoming the features of a non-viable political and social model, endangering the very existence of many communities, the Christian community in particular. We are confident that, all civic and religious leaders in the Middle East, will join us in addressing this alarming situation by building together a culture of peaceful coexistence. In our globalised world, pluralism is an enrichment.
Turkey: Supporting Mosul from the sidelines
At the moment Turkey is supporting forces forming to retake Mosul from IS by assisting America to train and equip Syrian rebel forces in Turkey, strengthening border security and upgrading discussions with the international coalition. Turkey also has influence among the Sunni Arab tribes of Mosul and other Sunnis, which allows it to collect human intelligence. A Turkish security official requesting anonymity said, ‘1.3 million people live in Mosul, at least 300,000 people will escape toward the Turkish border. We have to get ready for this potentially massive wave of immigration. Sadly Turkey is not at all ready for this serious issue.’ Another Turkish intelligence official said that Turkey is the only country with considerable influence with all Mosul tribes and other Sunni Arabs; and Turkey could easily be an intermediary, talking to all the parties and potentially achieving results with minimum bloodshed.