Yesterday the UN said it was ready to resume the delivery of life-saving aid to Syria, days after an attack on a humanitarian convoy killed 20 people and triggered the suspension of much-needed relief operations. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, ‘The preparation for these convoys has now resumed, and we are ready to deliver aid to besieged and hard-to-reach areas as soon as possible. The UN continues to call for safe, unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all Syrians in need, wherever they are.’ However, today this hope now looks increasingly unlikely, following the collapse of talks between the USA and Russia and a resumption of the Syrian government’s attacks on Aleppo.

Pastor William Devlin of Infinity Bible Church in New York City gave $4,000 from his own pocket to buy weapons for the Christian militia fighting IS. He bought grenades, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and AK-47 assault rifles for the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, saying that weapons are much needed by the Christian militia in their battle against terrorists. However, many believe this raises the serious issue of what forms of aid and intervention Western Christians should offer to help their Middle Eastern brothers and sisters. How we engage has wide repercussions and demands deep reflection. Although the US has provided training for weaponry, the American government has not supplied weapons. Meanwhile the Iraqi ministry of the interior revealed that security forces had seized four trucks carrying explosives in southern Baghdad. They had come from Syria and entered Baghdad in collusion with some local authorities, paying $13,000 per truck. See:

Last week, Jordan hosted the 11th General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches. Presidents of churches from Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt and Iran reflected on common challenges facing Christian communities in the region and met with King Abdullah who gave his support by saying, ‘Christians in the Arab world are an integral part of the Arab social fabric and protecting their rights is a duty of all.’ At the close of the three-day assembly, the leaders said how they appreciate the support of Muslim leaders in the region and value their combatting extremism. They asked for intervention to stop the war in Syria and to give support to the region’s refugees, and urged the speedy election of a president in Lebanon. In Lebanon, the constitution requires the president to be a Christian but the post has been vacant for over two years as the sides cannot agree on a candidate.

The European Organisation for Pakistani Minorities organised ‘Plight of Pakistani Minorities’ at the 33rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. International speakers came from the European Parliament, International Forum for Rights and Security and the Institute for Gilgit-Baltistan Studies. They expressed deep concern over growing intolerance in Pakistani society, aggravated by the actions of the Pakistan government. They believe the government and military should realise that their policy to sustain and use extremist elements in certain neighbourhoods to achieve their own ends will sooner or later not only destabilise Pakistan internally but also spread to other parts of the world. Pray that the international community will recognise and work towards resolving this crisis, which has not been adequately addressed in the past.

Thirty-two African heads of state are debating ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ at the UN. Some major concerns are: Chad - continues to fight Boko Haram. Malawi - respect for basic human rights as they open doors to refugees from neighbouring countries. Also millions need food assistance due to climate change. Tunisia - promoting security and human rights but needs support to improve its economy, emphasising Tunisia’s commitment to build a prosperous, united Africa. South Africa - developmental progress in line with the African Union’s agenda, also called for inclusive growth where countries put global interests ahead of national ones. Nigeria - anti-corruption stance and effects of the global downturn on the country, also pointed out that climate change effects are threatening livelihoods of 30 million people. Uganda - preventing discrimination based on religion, gender and political orientation. Ghana - Africa does not need sympathy or overseas aid, it needs a fair chance to trade with the rest of the world and amongst ourselves.

‘You must understand that Iranians are not Muslims, they are sons of Magi (Zoroastrians), and their hostility toward Muslims, especially the Sunnis, is an old one.’ These words were delivered on 6 September by the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul-Aziz Al Sheikh, as a response to the Haj message which the Iranian supreme leader released the preceding day. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had stated, ‘Saudi officials are trying to cover up their enmity and hatred of the faithful and revolutionary people of Iran by talking about politicisation of the Haj. They are small and pitiful devils who are very afraid of jeopardising the interests of the big Satan, the United States.’ Although Iranian president Hassan Rouhani came to power in 2013 with the promise of easing tensions between Iran and other countries in the region, what is currently taking place between Tehran and Riyadh cannot in any way be considered a de-escalation.

Last week Youth with a Mission hosted its largest event ever in its fifty-year history, in Kansas City. YWAM joined with International Houses of Prayer (IHOP), and they shared and encouraged each other, exploring what God is doing in nine spheres of society (family, economics, government, religion, education, media, and arts, entertainment, and sports). They also discussed subjects crucial to missions and prayer. IHOP’s 24/7 prayer room is divided into twelve worship-based prayer meetings a day, each lasting two hours.

As the US marked the 15th anniversary of 9/11 last Sunday, a YouTube video was released of a Bible recovered at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks. The Bible had a particular message to convey. Joel Meyerowitz spent nine months at Ground Zero taking photos in the aftermath of 9/11. A firefighter working there gave him pages from a Bible welded to a piece of steel. Meyerowitz marvelled that the Bible was preserved intact, and even more that it was turned to a passage from Matthew 5:38-39 (KJV) which says, ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.’ Meyerowitz said, ‘Of all the pages in the Bible that it could be opened at, that was remarkable.’

Ian Cole writes, ‘You will agree that we are living in a time when extraordinary things are happening at local, national and international levels on a daily basis. The same can be said for the Global Church worldwide. Day by day we are receiving reports of extraordinary moves of God, often in the most desperately needy places on earth. On 15 October, at Trumpet Call - National Day of Prayer - we are joining with church, prayer and mission partners to pray and declare that 2016/17 is going to see the beginnings of extraordinary moves of God across our nations. We shall worship, pray and declare that in villages, towns and cities, as we live in unity and speak out the Good News of Jesus, He will come in His wonderful grace and mercy and transform lives, heal broken hearts and bodies, restore families and bring freedom for the oppressed. In other words an extraordinary break-out of God’s Kingdom where we live! We look forward to seeing you on the day.’

Following Lord Roberts’ recent question to the Government about ‘what plans they have to speed up the reuniting of refugee children in the camps of Calais and Dunkirk with their families in the United Kingdom’, the Archbishop of Canterbury commented:‘The question has been extremely specifically put, about children who have families in this country; this is not about all unaccompanied children.’ He also said, ‘We are still having continual reports of delays for really quite young children who are not being brought across. Does the Minister not agree that where children - particularly young ones - have families in this country, there is no reason why they should not be brought across within the day?’