Bibles burned, hymnbooks slashed
Yobs in West Yorkshire burned Bibles and slashed hymnbooks in an attack against a Methodist church in a village near Bradford. The attack on Birkenshaw Methodist Church was discovered earlier this week when an art group went to hold their meeting. A large crucifix had been ripped from an interior wall, chairs slashed, and wires leading to the church’s speakers and piano keyboard cut. Rev Graham Edwards, the church’s minister, said: ‘Everyone is very upset and it is very sad to go to the effort of refurbishing the whole place to find somebody will break in and, for what seems like no reason at all, will destroy and ruin things’. The church has 61 members and was refurbished two years ago. This attack could cost them a further £2,000. In Westry, near March, a 19th century Cambridgeshire church was gutted by a massive fire, reportedly started when yobs set Bibles and prayer books alight. Pray: that God will infuse His people with His Spirit in their fight against their attackers. (Ps.92:7) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/bibles-burned-hymnbooks-slashed-in-bradford-attack/
Fight the good fight
Veteran civil rights campaigner and Baptist minister the Rev Jesse Jackson has urged Christians never to stop fighting for the poor - especially in this period of austerity. During a brief visit to the UK the Baptist minister, who founded the social change Rainbow PUSH coalition, said the church was compelled to challenge injustice. But citing his long record, which includes campaigning with Dr Martin Luther King, Mr Jackson said as long as Christians fought, they would inevitably secure victories that would make the world a fairer place. Mr Jackson was in the UK to speak at an event entitled A God of Justice, organised by Christian Aid in collaboration with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Church.co.uk. He was also a guest speaker at a Christian Aid supporters day and lobby of Parliament in support of the world's poor. He said he had seen 'tremendous changes' in his 50 years as a campaigner. Pray: for all Christians to rise to Rev Jackson's challenge to keep fighting for justice. (Dt.16:20)
Churches urged to step into breach created by cuts
The Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu, said it was ‘madness’ to cut investment from public services and communities after the Government unveiled its cuts to public spending in the Comprehensive Spending Review. Dr Sentamu urged people to ‘stand up and call on the state to play its part by investing in Britain’s recovery’. The Bishop for Urban Life and Faith, the Rt Rev Christopher Chessun, who will be translated from Woolwich to Southwark early next year, said: ‘The cuts are accompanied by changes to the way welfare and housing are provided. This has implications not just for vulnerable individuals, but whole communities.’ The Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Rev Michael Hill, told BBC News it was ‘slightly chilling’ that the Government had ‘targeted some five million benefit recipients, and is trying to knock down their benefits. Nobody thinks that’s a bad thing for people who are clearly cheating the benefit system, but my understanding is that the majority aren’t’. Pray: that God's Spirit will move communities to succour the needy. (Pr.14:31)
Call for more abortion counselling provision
Tory MP Nadine Dorries urged the Government to instruct clinics to provide counselling to women who seek terminations. She said such ‘informed consent’ would lead to a reduction in UK abortion figures, currently around 200,000 a year. Opening a short Commons debate, former nurse Ms Dorries said: ‘If any of us were referred to a hospital today for a minor procedure, e.g.an ingrowing toenail operation, the procedure would be explained to us in detail. We would be aware of the level of pain we would experience, told exactly what would happen while we were under the anaesthetic and be given follow-up appointments. A woman who has an abortion has none of that: she is discharged at the end of the day out onto the street and left to come to terms with the roller coaster emotional journey she will still be in the midst of.’ Pray: that very sensitive consideration is given by health professionals to the spiritually vulnerable. (Ps.34:18)
Switzerland: 'Protect religious minorities' says Muslim at talks with Christians
The coordinator of a Muslim initiative to promote common ground with Christians says that leaders of the two religions have a duty to protect adherents of the other faith against followers of their own. ‘For both our religions harming religious minorities among us is evil, is absolutely forbidden and is ultimately a rejection of God's love and a crime against God Himself,’ Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal of Jordan said on the opening day of a 1-4 November meeting of Muslim and Christian leaders and scholars in Geneva. Prince Ghazi is the co-ordinator of the ‘Common Word’ initiative, a document released in 2007 by 138 Muslim scholars seeking common ground between Christian and Islamic religious traditions. See Common Word Organizers say it is intended to address issues of common concern and provide guidance for co-operation between Muslims and Christians. Addressing participants, WCC General Secretary the Rev Olav Fykse Tveit said religious leaders need to provide ‘moral leadership’ in their communities. Pray: that the truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit permeates all discussions. (1Cor.2:13)
Switzerland: 'Protect religious minorities' says Muslim at talks with Christians
The coordinator of a Muslim initiative to promote common ground with Christians says that leaders of the two religions have a duty to protect adherents of the other faith against followers of their own. ‘For both our religions harming religious minorities among us is evil, is absolutely forbidden and is ultimately a rejection of God's love and a crime against God Himself,’ Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal of Jordan said on the opening day of a 1-4 November meeting of Muslim and Christian leaders and scholars in Geneva. Prince Ghazi is the co-ordinator of the ‘Common Word’ initiative, a document released in 2007 by 138 Muslim scholars seeking common ground between Christian and Islamic religious traditions. See Common Word Organizers say it is intended to address issues of common concern and provide guidance for co-operation between Muslims and Christians. Addressing participants, WCC General Secretary the Rev Olav Fykse Tveit said religious leaders need to provide ‘moral leadership’ in their communities. Pray: that the truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit permeates all discussions. (1Cor.2:13)
Russia: Churches set on fire
Three churches in a predominantly Muslim province in Russia were set on fire by arsonists early Monday. One of the buildings, an Orthodox church in the village of Ordzhonikidzevsky, was almost totally destroyed. An Orthodox church and a Baptist church in the nearby city of Karachaevsk sustained only minimal damage after the night guard for one put out the fire and the night guard for the other called fire fighters. All the three arson attacks happened between 4:00 a.m.and 6:00 a.m. on Monday and were set when flammable objects were thrown through the churches’ windows. Vandalism of churches is rare in Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus. The head of the regional Spiritual Administration for Muslims believes Monday’s arsons were aimed at destabilizing the mixed Christian and Muslim society. Pray: that these attacks will not influence the different religious communities living in the region. (Ps.2:10-11) More: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101101/arsonists-target-3-russian-churches-burn-1-to-ground/
Russia: Churches set on fire
Three churches in a predominantly Muslim province in Russia were set on fire by arsonists early Monday. One of the buildings, an Orthodox church in the village of Ordzhonikidzevsky, was almost totally destroyed. An Orthodox church and a Baptist church in the nearby city of Karachaevsk sustained only minimal damage after the night guard for one put out the fire and the night guard for the other called fire fighters. All the three arson attacks happened between 4:00 a.m.and 6:00 a.m. on Monday and were set when flammable objects were thrown through the churches’ windows. Vandalism of churches is rare in Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus. The head of the regional Spiritual Administration for Muslims believes Monday’s arsons were aimed at destabilizing the mixed Christian and Muslim society. Pray: that these attacks will not influence the different religious communities living in the region. (Ps.2:10-11) More: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101101/arsonists-target-3-russian-churches-burn-1-to-ground/
Facing the axe? Bradford Diocese
A historic Church of England diocese where Muslim worshippers outnumber Anglican churchgoers by two to one is set to be scrapped. Apparently the Dioceses Commission is drawing up proposals to axe the impoverished Diocese of Bradford in Yorkshire and merge it with neighbouring Ripon and Leeds. Some are pressing for both dioceses to be subsumed into the adjoining Diocese of York, to create a ‘super-diocese’. Religious statistician Peter Brierley said that as the Muslim population in Bradford is about 80,000, on a conservative estimate 20,000 are regular worshippers, i.e. more than double the number of their Anglican counterparts. Canon Rod Anderson, of St Barnabas Church in Heaton, Bradford, said that during his 16 years at the church the congregation had diminished from more than 100 on Sundays to between 40 and 60. He added: ‘I have seen a demographic shift with a large ethnic Asian influx’. Relations between the Church of England and Muslims are highly sensitive. Pray: that the Church of England in West Yorkshire earns an increased following through its outreach activities. (1Pe.1:13)
Young people feel 'isolated' in their community
More than a third of young people in the UK aged 16 to 24 do not feel part of their local community, research by the Prince's Trust suggests. The study of more than 2,000 youngsters found one in 10 felt like an outcast. It said more than half ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ spoke to people over the age of 40 in their local community. And those who were not in education, employment or training were significantly more likely to feel isolated, the Trust said. Almost a third (30%) did not think there was a future for them in their local area. Almost a quarter (23%) felt ignored by older people. Martina Milburn, chief executive of the Prince's Trust, said: ‘It is a tragedy that so many young people feel separated from the people around them. ‘Being part of a community and interacting with a mix of people is a crucial part of a young person's development.’ Pray: for our young people and the opportunity for the church communities to engage with them. (Ps.148:12-13)