Global: Other elections to be held before 7 May
On the 7 May the United Kingdom will hold Elections for the House of Commons, but seven other countries will also be holding parliamentary elections between now and then: Finland with election for Parliament on 19 April; Haiti has an Election for Chamber of Deputies on 24 April; Anguilla with election for House of Assembly on 25 April; Togo has an election for President on 25 April; Benin an election for National Assembly on 26l; Kazakhstan holds an election for President on 26 and Tanzania has a Referendum on 30l. For further Insights into how to pray for these and other elections in 2015 click the ' 'More' button below.
Another migrant tragedy, 400 people died
Four hundred migrants drowned in the Mediterranean in the latest migrant tragedy taking place inside the European borders. On Monday, the Italian navy said that it managed to rescue 144 people. Survivors said the boat was carrying about 550 people who wanted to enter the European Union through Italy. The survivors were brought to a southern Italian port on Tuesday morning, the International Organization for Migration and the charity Save the Children reported. Most of the migrants were sub-Saharan Africans. ‘There were 400 victims in this shipwreck, which occurred 24 hours after their vessel left the Libyan coast,’ Save the Children said in a statement, citing survivors. ‘There were several young males, probably minors, among the victims’ and also children among those rescued'. IOM spokesman in Italy, Flavio Di Giacomo, told AFP that the Italian authorities are ‘continuing to investigate in order to understand how the shipwreck happened.’
Victory in Lowestoft sex shop case
Councillors in Lowestoft have rejected a licensing application for the opening of a Sex Entertainment Venue in the town centre. The case was supported by the Christian Legal Centre. This was the third licensing application for a Sex Entertainment Venue to be heard by Lowestoft councillors in a period of just 12 months. In February 2014, local residents expressed concern after a licence was granted for the opening of a sex club in the town, despite strong opposition from members of the Lowestoft community. After several months, it transpired that the proposed venue would no longer go ahead. However, in autumn 2014, a second application was made for the opening of a lap dancing club in the town centre, which was also rejected after residents, businesses and churches objected and three petitions were submitted. A third application was then made, this time for a sex shop in the town. But earlier this year, councillors rejected it after the Christian Legal Centre again supported local residents in opposing the plans.
Anonymous donor gives £1.5 million to restoration of Bath Abbey
An anonymous donor has given £1.5 million in an ‘ordinary-looking envelope’ to Bath Abbey to help with its £18 million restoration scheme. The donation is the largest the Abbey has ever received from a private individual. The donor explained that the main reason behind the gift was that he was: ‘much impressed by the care and the consultation which has been put in by the Abbey, which is such a vital part of Bath's future.’ He continues by saying that: ‘This generation has a solemn duty to ensure the Abbey is fit and able to carry out its service to the city and the community for the next hundred years.’ The money will go to the Abbey's £19.3 million Footprint project, aimed at stabilising the building's collapsing floor and introducing an under-floor heating system using Bath's famous hot springs as an energy source. It will also improve the Abbey's visitor facilities.
Victory in Lowestoft sex shop case
Councillors in Lowestoft have rejected a licensing application for the opening of a Sex Entertainment Venue in the town centre. The case was supported by the Christian Legal Centre. This was the third licensing application for a Sex Entertainment Venue to be heard by Lowestoft councillors in a period of just 12 months. In February 2014, local residents expressed concern after a licence was granted for the opening of a sex club in the town, despite strong opposition from members of the Lowestoft community. After several months, it transpired that the proposed venue would no longer go ahead. However, in autumn 2014, a second application was made for the opening of a lap dancing club in the town centre, which was also rejected after residents, businesses and churches objected and three petitions were submitted. A third application was then made, this time for a sex shop in the town. But earlier this year, councillors rejected it after the Christian Legal Centre again supported local residents in opposing the plans.
Anonymous donor gives £1.5 million to restoration of Bath Abbey
An anonymous donor has given £1.5 million in an ‘ordinary-looking envelope’ to Bath Abbey to help with its £18 million restoration scheme. The donation is the largest the Abbey has ever received from a private individual. The donor explained that the main reason behind the gift was that he was: ‘much impressed by the care and the consultation which has been put in by the Abbey, which is such a vital part of Bath's future.’ He continues by saying that: ‘This generation has a solemn duty to ensure the Abbey is fit and able to carry out its service to the city and the community for the next hundred years.’ The money will go to the Abbey's £19.3 million Footprint project, aimed at stabilising the building's collapsing floor and introducing an under-floor heating system using Bath's famous hot springs as an energy source. It will also improve the Abbey's visitor facilities.
Statement from 'The Mill Gathering'
During the 28 - 29 January the World Prayer Centre hosted an event that was attended by a number of leaders within the prayer movement. It was held at The House of Bread at The Mill in Shipstonon-Stour - and the statement they produced is called THE MILL GATHERING. They asked the question - ‘What is God saying to us in the British Isles at this time?’ and ‘What is our response?’ A link to the statement can be found when you click the 'More' button below. The leaders believe that God is preparing us for an unparalleled spiritual harvest and that there is going to be a great increase in turbulence and uncertainty as the Lord continues to shake the nations. He is calling us to mobilise prayer and be ready for action. This is a time of awakening - a time when many will come to know Jesus and a time when many will come back to the church. It’s not like anything we have experienced in our nations before. This is a time of great opportunity. Are we ready? Can we gather it in? Do we have enough capacity to cope with what is produced? Jesus warned that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few (Matthew 9: 36-38).
Archbishop Sentamu: Britain needs revival and renewal
Christian values can still turn the world upside down and transform people's lives from within, according to the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu. ‘Young people know in their bones that there must be something better, something more worthwhile than the self-centredness which is attracted by the promise of endless pleasure but which somehow never seems to deliver,’ he says in the The Yorkshire Post. It is not simply about numbers: It is renewal and revival, both at a personal and a corporate level, that are necessary today, he added, warning against the temptation to slide into ‘compromise and apathy’. Christians today must do a regular ‘spiritual workout’, with 'honest self-examination’ conducted in the searchlight of Christ's all-seeing, ever-gracious love. ‘In the eyes of most young people, the status quo has been tried and found wanting. Something far more worthwhile and exciting is needed.’
UK one of world's least religious countries
The UK is among the least religious countries in the world, according to a new survey. In a global ranking of 65 countries, the UK came six places from last, with 30% of the population calling themselves religious. While 53% of people said they were not religious, only 13% said they were a convinced atheist and the remainder did not know how to define themselves. This compares with 94% of people in Thailand and 93% of people in Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia and Morocco who said they were religious. Jean-Marc Leger, president of Win/Gallup International, said that globally an average of two-thirds of people still consider themselves religious. ‘Religion continues to dominate our everyday lives,’ he said. ‘Furthermore, with the trend of an increasingly religious youth globally, we can assume that the number of people who consider themselves religious will only continue to increase.’
Most UK mission agencies will disappear by 2050, warns former Wycliffe director
In a blog post entitled Mission Agencies 2050, the former executive director of Wycliffe UK, Eddie Arthur, compared declining church attendance in the UK since 1970 with the sharp rise in the number of mission agencies coming into existence during the same period. There are more and more agencies seeking support from a shrinking constituency. This is not sustainable even in the short to mid-term, much less by 2050.’ He added: ‘It isn't rocket science to suggest that the number of mission agencies based in the UK will decline drastically over the next 35 years.’ Most agencies will go by 2050. The demographics are against us. ‘Arthur suggested that too many agencies were trying to do the same sort of thing, that they should refocus on supporting indigenous Christians and that they should prepare for radical change. ‘The hardest thing in the Christian world is to stop doing something,’ he said.