Canada: Call to prayer
Government:-The recent federal cabinet shuffle has put new faces in senior levels. Please pray into this change - asking God to use it to shift government tone and direction toward righteousness. Immorality:- Canada was the first country outside Europe to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. In 2003 the ordination of a gay man, Gene Robinson as the Bishop of New Hampshire created a split in the 72 million-strong Anglican Communion which remains unresolved. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada accepts gay clergy. Pray immorality would be cleansed from God’s Church - no matter how deep the darkness, Jesus saves and delivers. Outreach:- Pray for more ministry outside the Church walls with the love and power of the Holy Spirit. Unity:- Recently there has been beachheads established for unity in the Church; let's pray for these to strengthen and for a new level of grace for unity throughout the Canadian Church.
Pray: that the government and church of Canada would be blessed by God’s direction and protection. (Ps.33:12
More: http://www.ears2hear.ca/en/
North Korea: Military cargo on seized ship
Panama's president Ricardo Martinelli said his country has seized a North Korean-flagged ship in the Panama Canal carrying ‘undeclared sophisticated missile equipment.’ The 35-strong crew had resisted the search and the captain had tried to kill himself. The US ‘commended’ Panama for its actions and said it strongly supported a full inspection of the ship. The ship had crossed the Pacific from Cuba without its automatic tracking system switched on - a move described by the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner as highly suspicious. The suspected weaponry was found in two containers and finding further ‘surprises’ was not ruled out as the search of the ship continued on Wednesday. Neither Cuba nor North Korea has yet commented on the incident. Under United Nations sanctions North Korea is banned from weapons exports and the import of all but small arms. North Korea has an on-going missile development programme.
Pray: that all North Korea’s black-market dealings would continue to be intercepted, and that sanctions would achieve the desired results. (Job 34:28-30)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23324170
Egypt: Leaders of Cabinet has women, Christians - no Islamists
The interim leader has sworn in a Cabinet that includes women and Christians but no Islamists as it moved swiftly to formalise the new political order and present a more liberal face that is markedly at odds with the deposed president and his supporters. The changes came as bloody clashes continued following the coup that removed President Morsi from office and cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood. For two years Egypt has been split between Morsi, his Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist allies, and secular Egyptians, liberals, Christians and moderate Muslims. The fault lines remain. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said, ‘We have encouraged the leaders to be inclusive, bringing all political parties in to allow them to participate in the writing of the constitution and the elections.’ The Cabinet includes three Christians. Successive governments had no more than one or two Christians.
Pray: for God to enable the leaders to agree on a constitution that is workable and accepted by the population. (Ps.106:3)
More: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10899001
Israel: Israeli Arabs land
Israeli bulldozers demolished a Bedouin village in southern Israel for the 53rd time on Tuesday. Families in Araqib managed to re-build five of the sheds and Palestinian and Israeli activists are due to visit the village to help rebuild the rest of the structures. On Monday thousands demonstrated across Israel and Palestine against a plan to displace 40,000 Bedouins from land they had always lived in but for which they have no proof of ownership. The Israeli government plan addresses the matter of unrecognized Bedouin villages in southern Israel. The plan allows the Bedouin to own 45,000 acres of land that is registered in the name of the State of Israel and they will be eligible for 62.5% of land that they own. Last month the Knesset approved the first reading of the bill to legalise Bedouin settlement in the Negev, but not before a heated debate during which the Arab MKs tore up the bill. See: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169921#.UeZ2lW1lhGM
Pray: for the 90,000 Bedouins at risk to be able to retain their communal and social fabric peacefully and for the state to give communities access to basic services and infrastructure, such as electricity and running water.(Ex.22:21 & Lev.19:33)
More: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=614293
USA: Rallies to condemn racial profiling
George Zimmerman, a white man was aquitted in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin and civil rights demonstrators have been attending rallies across America to condemn racial profiling. Activists are pressing for civil rights charges in Federal Court, saying ‘Zimmerman wrongly suspected 17-year-old Martin of being a criminal because he was black.’ The US Justice Department was evaluating whether it has enough evidence to support prosecuting Zimmerman in Federal Court after his acquittal in Florida. President Obama called for a peaceful response to a case that polarized the US public from the beginning, raising issues of racial profiling and gun control. In Sanford at the largely black Allen Chapel AME Church, pastor Valarie Houston dedicated a Sunday morning prayer service to Martin. Initially Police declined to arrest Zimmerman for shooting Martin. In Boston and New York, several hundred demonstrators expressed a sense of frustration. ‘I feel we don't get justice when it's needed,’ said one demonstrator.
Pray: for peaceful demonstrations, for any further investigations to be exhaustive and justice to be done and seen to be done. (Ecc.3:15-17)
More: http://www.reuters.com/video/2099/01/01/reuters-tv-video?videoId=244220974
Uganda: Refugee crisis
66,000 Congolese refugees have crossed into Uganda in recent days, following fighting between Ugandan rebel group Allied Democratic Forces and the Democratic Republic of Congo's national army. Their arrival has left the Ugandan government and humanitarian agencies struggling to meet the refugees' needs.The UN Refugee Agency in Uganda said, ‘We don't have the infrastructure to support this huge influx of this scale in an area where we didn't have a presence in the past.’ Uganda already hosts more than 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers, over 60% of whom are from DRC. The refugees are in dire need of water, health supplies, sanitation, and shelter. On July 15th the UN delivered enough food for 20,000 people for five days. More food is expected to arrive. Uganda's military has beefed up security at the DRC-Uganda border to ensure ADF rebels do not infiltrate the country. More refugees are on the way.
Pray: for the villages and transit centres and for NGO-ministries in the area to know God’s provision and protection. (Is.16.3b)
More: http://www.irinnews.org/report/98417/uganda-unprepared-for-influx-of-drc-refugees
British child death rates are 'a major crisis'
Five children die unnecessarily every day of conditions such as asthma, meningitis and pneumonia because NHS care for young people is badly organised and dangerously inadequate, the leader of Britain's 11,000 specialists in children's health warns. About 2,000 children a year lose their lives because of an array of problems, which means the UK has some of the worst death rates among children up to the age of 14 in Europe, says the president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health . Branding the situation "a major crisis", Hilary Cass said that sick children were at greater risk of dying because some GPs lacked paediatric skills, expertise was absent in too many small paediatric units, and there was a serious shortage of consultants. The college believes a lack of senior paediatric doctors is so acute that the safety of treatment cannot be guaranteed at every unit. Cass urges the NHS to instigate radical changes in how it treats children to reduce preventable deaths.
Pray: for sick children and those who care for them and for an inmprovement in service provision in paediatrics. (Jer.8:22)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jul/13/preventable-child-deaths-nhs
Most children will be born to unmarried parents by 2016
Most children will be born out of wedlock by 2016 because of the decline in the number of marriages, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics. The statistics show that the number of children being born to unmarried parents has increased for 40 consecutive years, reaching 47.5 per cent in 2012. If this trend continues, the figure will rise to more than 50 per cent by 2016. MPs and social groups have warned that children have the best chances in life when raised by married parents, and that the government must do more to “deliver on its family friendly pledge.” Former children’s minister, Tim Loughton, who is calling on the government to introduce tax breaks for married couples, said "Without marriage people drift in and out of relationships very easily. "In families where parents break up children do less well at school, are more likely to suffer mental health problems and are more likely to have substance abuse problems.
Pray: for a re-adoption of marriage as the social norm providing a more stable environment for children. (Pr.18:22)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/family/most-children-will-be-born-to-unmarried-parents-by-2016
Fighting corruption is everyone's responsibility
Tackling corruption is not only the job of business leaders and politicians but also needs individual action, says evangelical leader Marijke Hoek. The Christian-led campaign against corruption is urging everyone to play their part in making the world a more just place. Hoek says that politics is not only for those working directly in government but for every citizen and that every person should be getting involved in what is happening in their communities, nations and the wider world. "What the co-operative enterprise or collective is capable of is probably most easily recognised in local politics that fosters a common life and pursues a common good - politics with a small 'p', if you wish. "It's community activism that recognises the fractures and flaws in society and their detrimental effect on its citizens."The welfare of our nation lies in the hearts and hands of us all," she says.
Pray: for each of us to accept personal responsibility for the society of which we are part.. (Mt.22:39)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/fighting.corruption.is.everyones.responsibility/33170.htm
Testimonies from the Welsh Outpouring
f you are a reader of Prayer Alert I'm sure that you have heard about what's going on in Cwmbran, Wales. See Prayer Alert 19-20-22&25. Let me encourage you to watch this video on the’ More’ link of testimony to the amazing things that God is doing.
Praise: God for His continued blessing on the people in south Wales and long may it continue, (Ps.85:6)