Turkey: Religious property seizures overturned
The Turkish government made a historic U-turn in state policy this past weekend, issuing an official decree inviting Turkey’s Christian and Jewish communities to reclaim their long-confiscated religious properties. Last Saturday’s decree comes 75 years after the Turkish government seized hundreds of lands and buildings owned by its Greek, Armenian, Syriac and Jewish communities. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the surprise decision last Sunday in Istanbul, addressing a large gathering of Istanbul’s non-Muslim religious leaders. Invited as the honoured guests for an iftar (breaking the fast) meal near the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan, Erdogan declared, ‘The times when citizens in our country were oppressed for their beliefs, their ethnic heritage or the way they dressed is over.’ Acknowledging past injustices inflicted on those of different faith groups, he vowed, ‘Those days are over, no citizen is superior to another.’
Praise: God for this bold decision by the Turkish government. (Pr.16:33)
More: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/turkey/article_116880.html/
Turkey: Religious property seizures overturned
The Turkish government made a historic U-turn in state policy this past weekend, issuing an official decree inviting Turkey’s Christian and Jewish communities to reclaim their long-confiscated religious properties. Last Saturday’s decree comes 75 years after the Turkish government seized hundreds of lands and buildings owned by its Greek, Armenian, Syriac and Jewish communities. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the surprise decision last Sunday in Istanbul, addressing a large gathering of Istanbul’s non-Muslim religious leaders. Invited as the honoured guests for an iftar (breaking the fast) meal near the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan, Erdogan declared, ‘The times when citizens in our country were oppressed for their beliefs, their ethnic heritage or the way they dressed is over.’ Acknowledging past injustices inflicted on those of different faith groups, he vowed, ‘Those days are over, no citizen is superior to another.’
Praise: God for this bold decision by the Turkish government. (Pr.16:33)
More: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/turkey/article_116880.html/
Bid to lift morale after riots
Premier Christian Radio and Premier Gospel Radio have launched an advertising campaign to lift morale in the nation’s capital in the wake of the riots. Posters will appear in parts of the city that saw the worst rioting, pointing to the work the radio stations do in offering hope and inspiration. The posters will appear in Croydon, Hackney, Ealing, Haringey, and Lewisham. Peter Kerridge, CEO of Premier Radio, said: ‘The aim of these posters is to be a source of hope. We want to be a beacon of hope to Christians, those of other faiths and none, who live in these areas. In the aftermath of the riots there has been a lot of condemnation. We want to focus on a possible way forward, a tried and tested way of re-building lives and communities. Hope and inspiration are things we all need and the Christian gospel provides it.’
Pray: for all affected areas and that the Gospel message will bring healing to these communities. (Pr.13:17)
More: http://www.religiousintelligence.org/churchnewspaper/news/bid-to-lift-morale-after-riots/
Charity launches ad campaign to help people in housing difficulty
The housing and homelessness charity Shelter has launched a new advertising campaign to encourage people facing housing problems to seek earlier advice. The campaign aims to tackle a common reluctance to do this: a survey carried out in 2010 by the Civil and Social Justice Panel found that 50 per cent of people do not seek external advice when they are in housing difficulties. The main focus of the activity is a series of poster advertisements. Each depicts a person in distress because they face a serious crisis, such as sudden job loss or mounting debt. They carry a single headline which shares with the viewer the desperation the person is feeling. The charity says that early advice can be crucial in helping people with housing issues to find a positive outcome for their problem. The advertising campaign aims to highlight this as well as demonstrating how people can seek help.
Pray: for all those facing critical issues in their lives at this time. (Heb.4:16)
Soul Survivor and Momentum bring 1,500 to Christ
A whopping 33,000 delegates attended youth conferences Soul Survivor and Momentum this summer, with more than 1,500 youngsters becoming Christians. Soul Survivor Director and event host Mike Pilavachi, said, ‘Once again we have been humbled by how God has met with us and moved among us as we’ve gathered to worship him. ‘One of the highlights has been seeing so many come to faith and hearing their stories. ‘ One youth leader told me he’d brought seven staunch atheists to Soul Survivor, four of whom gave their lives to Jesus before the end of the week. ‘We’ve seen many healed and set free and, in contrast to many of the negative reports about teenagers in our nation, many have told me they want to make a positive difference and serve their communities. We’re praying that the things God has done in people these last weeks will bear fruit for many years to come.’
Pray: for all those new Christians that their faith will be sustained and grow. (2Th.1:3)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/soul.survivor.and.momentum.bring.1500.to.christ/28512.htm
Soul Survivor and Momentum bring 1,500 to Christ
A whopping 33,000 delegates attended youth conferences Soul Survivor and Momentum this summer, with more than 1,500 youngsters becoming Christians. Soul Survivor Director and event host Mike Pilavachi, said, ‘Once again we have been humbled by how God has met with us and moved among us as we’ve gathered to worship him. ‘One of the highlights has been seeing so many come to faith and hearing their stories. ‘ One youth leader told me he’d brought seven staunch atheists to Soul Survivor, four of whom gave their lives to Jesus before the end of the week. ‘We’ve seen many healed and set free and, in contrast to many of the negative reports about teenagers in our nation, many have told me they want to make a positive difference and serve their communities. We’re praying that the things God has done in people these last weeks will bear fruit for many years to come.’
Pray: for all those new Christians that their faith will be sustained and grow. (2Th.1:3)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/soul.survivor.and.momentum.bring.1500.to.christ/28512.htm
Equality body’s U-turn on religious liberty
Christians have reacted with a mixture of disappointment and alarm after an equality quango appeared to backtrack on its pledge to support Christians this week. In July the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) stated, ‘reasonable accommodation’ of religious beliefs was ‘needed’ after applying to intervene in four cases involving religious discrimination in the workplace that have come before the European Court of Human Rights. The organisation has now been given leave to intervene in the cases but announced this week that it will no longer be arguing for reasonable accommodation indicating it would be willing to intervene in cases involving public displays of faith in the workplace but not in cases involving employees with regards to their views on same-sex relations. In the face of the latest U-turn the Evangelical Alliance and CARE have expressed their deep disappointment and concern.
Pray: for the Evangelical Alliance, CARE and noticeable public opinions to be heard and acted upon. (Ps.11:7)
Religion 'no longer fits in with modern day life'
A Church of England study found church attendance in the UK has fallen by 50% over the past 40 years, and Reverend Canon Dr Jeni Parsons, from Gloucester thought congregations were falling because of huge pressure, ‘Pressure to get money to pay the mortgage or rent, pressure to get their children to football, or simply to work on Sundays.' she said, ‘People's lives are so different that we have to make our church available when they're ready, not when we're ready.’ She added Sunday morning service attendance is low, but ‘very big’ for baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Pray: for God to equip and enable His church to relevantly meet the spiritual and emotional needs of 2011 in the British Isles. (Mt.5:16)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-14395228
888-mile cycle to raise money for Egyptian Christians
Andrew Johnston, Christian Solidarity Worldwide's advocacy director is cycling the length of Britain to raise money for Christians in Egypt. Andrew set off from John O' Groats on Sunday and will be working his way 888 miles south to Land's End where he hopes to arrive by August 31st. Funds raised will go towards the ‘No Way Out’ campaign supporting the church in Egypt. He will pass Manchester on Friday before stopping over at the Greenbelt Festival at the Cheltenham Racecourse this weekend. For decades Christians in Egypt have faced discrimination and violence, he hopes to raise £1,000 to support Egyptian Christians through prayer, solidarity and action. Over 15,000 people have already supported the campaign by signing a petition urging the UK and US Governments and the European Union to do what they can to bring an end to religiously-motivated violence. According to CSW there have been at least 20 attacks on religious minorities since the January revolution.
Pray: for Andrew's stamina and protection and for minorities to be treated equally in the new Egypt. (Pr.29:14)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/888mile.cycle.to.raise.money.for.egyptian.christians/28480.htm
Latvia: Pastor in former USSR utilises internet
Alexey Ledyaev, the leader of the international Christian movement ‘New Generation’ revealed his reasons for blogging, something that was never allowed in the dark days of the Soviet Union. He said, ‘Some watch sermons - some don’t. Some read books - some don’t, the future is internet.’ Pastor and journalist Ledyaev leads a 5,000-strong non-denominational church in Riga, Latvia that he founded in 1989 after emigrating from Kazakhstan. He notes the main aim for the media and every journalist is to get to the truth, ‘which will help someone live’. ‘People are different now. Yesterday the biggest sin was smoking in school toilets, now this age group indulge in drugs and sex. Divorce was once a great sin, but now it’s nothing to many. Yesterday abortion was a horrible blasphemy over human life, but it is a usual thing now. Church must be more effective and modern today.’
Pray: for more Christian wordsmiths and innovators to utilise the internet across the nations as they address standards of immorality in open and frank discussions. (Ro.10:14)