Northern Ireland: Peace rally against latest violence
Around 1,500 protesters held a peace rally at Belfast City Hall on Sunday in reaction to Northern Ireland’s 40th night of violence. The protest took place hours after 29 police officers were injured during the latest sectarian clashes in east Belfast. Loyalist anger has built over several weeks following restrictions on the use of the union (or British) flags at official buildings. Police say paramilitary groups are behind some of the violence. The organisers of Sunday’s peace rally said protesters were speaking for ‘the silent majority’.‘What you’ve seen on TV over the last weeks has nothing to do with what we want for this country or for our children,’ said one man. ‘We don’t want to go back in time and the peace march was a really positive atmosphere of everybody coming together just to make that statement,’ said another protester. (See also 02-2013)
Pray: that these protests will bring a breakthrough leading to a sensible resolution to this situation. (Ps.120:6)
More: http://www.euronews.com/2013/01/13/northern-ireland-peace-rally-against-latest-violence/
Persecuted church inspires faith among young Christians
Open Doors and Youth for Christ have teamed up to create an exciting new resource for youth groups. My Heart Bleeds looks at the plight of persecuted Christians around the world and the valuable lessons that can be learned about staying in faith through tough times. The resource is broken down into six lifestyle sessions looking at what it means to follow Jesus through the inspiring lens of the persecuted church. The resource, available for a donation of £10, contains teaching material, activity discussion ideas, games and film clips for use with each session theme. National Director of Youth for Christ, Gavin Calver said ‘This is a deeply challenging resource that will have a huge impact on young people throughout Britain.’ Jonny Goodchild, Open Doors youth spokesman, said: ‘My Heart Bleeds is a way of taking seriously our responsibility to stand with the suffering.’
Pray: for the success of this new resource leading to a wider understanding of persecution and its causes. (Job.28:12)
European Court judgments send wrong message
Tuesday’s judgments on religious liberty have sent out the wrong message about the position of religious faith in Britain today, Theos, the religion and society think tank, has said. Of the four discrimination cases, only one, Nadeia Eweida, was ruled for the Christian in question. The other three – nurse, Shirley Chaplin; marriage counsellor, Gary McFarlane; and registrar Lillian Ladele – all lost. Although each case has mitigating details, and there was a dissenting judgment in Ladele’s case, the general impression is that the default position is a narrow interpretation of the right to manifest religion. Elizabeth Oldfield, Director of Theos said: ‘Disputes around freedom of religious belief and manifestation are an inevitable part of living in a free and diverse society. However, it seems as if the courts are erring on the side of limiting rather than accommodating religious freedom’
Pray: that, with the results of these cases sending mixed messages, God will give us wisdom on how to pray. (Eph.3:12)
European Court judgments send wrong message
Tuesday’s judgments on religious liberty have sent out the wrong message about the position of religious faith in Britain today, Theos, the religion and society think tank, has said. Of the four discrimination cases, only one, Nadeia Eweida, was ruled for the Christian in question. The other three – nurse, Shirley Chaplin; marriage counsellor, Gary McFarlane; and registrar Lillian Ladele – all lost. Although each case has mitigating details, and there was a dissenting judgment in Ladele’s case, the general impression is that the default position is a narrow interpretation of the right to manifest religion. Elizabeth Oldfield, Director of Theos said: ‘Disputes around freedom of religious belief and manifestation are an inevitable part of living in a free and diverse society. However, it seems as if the courts are erring on the side of limiting rather than accommodating religious freedom’
Pray: that, with the results of these cases sending mixed messages, God will give us wisdom on how to pray. (Eph.3:12)
Church on the Streets in Greece
A co-founder of Church on the Streets in Greece Malcolm Bradshaw is working with other Christians to feed the destitute in Athens. Unemployment in Greece has spiralled in the last year, with more than half of young people out of work. The things that were once considered basics are now luxuries, says the Rev Jimoh Adebayo. He and his church are helping to run a soup kitchen in central Athens that is feeding around 700 people each day. Church on the Street was set up four years ago to assist destitute migrants but after the country plunged into economic crisis, more and more Greeks are lining up for the free lunch. Malcolm Bradshaw, of the Anglican Church in Greece, a co-founder of the project, estimates that around a third of the recipients are Greek. ‘The situation is very dire,’ says Rev Jimoh, who pastors Faith Apostolos Ministries, a Pentecostal church in Athens.
Pray: for the Church as it reaches out into the community to help those in need. (2Cor.9:12)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.on.the.streets.in.greece/31303.htm
NIGERIA: President says Islamists won't stop godly worship
The president of Nigeria said: ‘The Church is one of the main targets’ of terrorist attacks by the radical Islamic group Boko Haram. ‘If the idea of Boko Haram is to stop Nigerians from worshipping God, they will not succeed,’ President Goodluck Jonathan told parishioners at a church in Nigeria's capital Sunday. Gunmen suspected of belonging to Boko Harem have attacked a Nigerian village in the last week. They rounded up men, women, and children and killed at least 15. The Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans has been urging the United States to label Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organization, a move that could hurt its funding and support. However, while US State Department is considering the request, so far, the Department hasn't decided if labelling the group that way is the most effective way to deal with them. Boko Haram is blamed for killing nearly 800 people in 2012 alone, according to the Associated Press.
Pray: that the prayers of God’s people will hold back those that worship other gods. (Ps.81:9)
More: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=42436&PN=1&TPN=1
Mali: Hope rises with international military intervention
Christians had enjoyed widespread freedoms in Malian society, including allowing foreign Christian missionaries into the country. But the situation dramatically changed with the 2012 capture of the northern part of the country by Tuareg separatist rebels and Islamist fighters. However, French troops have launched a military operation aiming at stopping the advance of Islamists from their bases in the north to the South. The French intervention started on Friday, Jan 11 with air strikes, and had enabled the Malian troops to regain control of the central town of Konna, occupied by Islamists the day before. Since then, French warplanes have been bombing Islamists’ positions in Timbuktu, Gao and elsewhere in the North. Military authorities said France would double its commitment of troops to the country to about 1,500. More than half of Mali has been controlled by rebel groups, some with links to al-Qaeda, since April 2012. Many of the displaced Christians are anxious because they don’t know whether some of their family members are alive or dead.
Pray: that the French intervention will not cause Malion citizens to suffer but rather allow Mali to return to peaceful cohabitation between various religious groups. (Eph.12:13-14)
More: http://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/english/country/otherafrica/article_2012420.html
Iran: Pastor Irani will not survive another five years in prison
Pastor Benham Irani is severely ill in jail in Iran – and he shouldn’t be in prison in the first place. As you read this, Pastor Irani is bleeding severely from acute stomach ulcers and colon complications, can barely walk and has problems with his vision. The brutal beatings he’s received from prison authorities and other inmates have resulted in horrific injuries, and he urgently needs medical help and of course our prayers.
Pray for God’s healing hand to be upon him and protect him from further harm. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.csw.org.uk/home.htm
Colombia: Murdered evangelist’s widow also killed after threats
Four months after guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) sent a murdered evangelist's wife their first demand to abandon her home in northeast Colombia's volatile Arauca department, the militants made good on their threats, report sources close to Open Doors, a ministry to persecuted Christians. On Monday, Jan 7th 2013, as the family's pastor finished an evening devotional in the home of widow Alicia Castilla, assassins entered the home and opened fire on her with pistols, killing her instantly in front of her three children and her father. An Open Door's worker who cannot be named for security reasons told World Watch Monitor that before leaving the home, the guerrillas told Castilla's son, 18-year-old Hernán, that the rest of the family had three days to leave the region. After that, the killers warned, they would return and one by one kill other family members.
Pray: for God’s people in Colombia that God will protect them and confuse the enemy. (Ps.12:7)
More: http://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/english/country/colombia/article_2006360.html
Haiti: Help still needed after three years
After the powerful earthquake that devastated much of Haiti, a priest has pleaded with people in the UK to remember the plight of Haitians. Saturday marked the three-year anniversary, but Father Francois Kawas says many thousands of people are still living in camps. Father Kawas is the founder of The Centre for Research, Reflection, Training and Social Action and was in the UK last week to meet representatives of the UK Government and partner aid agencies Christian Aid, Progressio and CAFOD. His latest visit was made to ‘help people in the UK not to forget Haiti’, he says. ‘Haiti still needs the solidarity of your people. It’s very important for us.’ Despite billions of dollars in donations to help get Haiti back on its feet, Father Kawas laments what he sees as the poor management and coordination of funds, and says that much of the money is not gettng into the hands of Haitians.
Pray: that the funds given will be released to meet the needs of those afflicted. Pray that corruption and poor management would not prevail. (Ps.10.14)
More: http://www.theway.co.uk/feature.php?id=9074&this=After_three_years_Haiti_still_needs_help