USA: Proselytizing Christian banned from library
16-year-old Caleb Hanson has been banned from all branches of the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library system for six months for proselytizing. According to a letter to his parents from North Columbus Public Library, Caleb repeatedly asked patrons about their religious faith and offered biblical advice. After several warnings ‘not to do it’ Caleb began talking to people outside the library. Caleb’s parents, Tim and Elizabeth Hanson, are in Columbus on furlough from mission work and living with Elizabeth's parents who are retired missionaries. Caleb is home-schooled and is the youngest of four children. Last year he had a real encounter with the Lord and he wants to witness for Christ. Ordinarily he is shy but he began asking to be dropped off at stores and other locations to share his faith. Caleb's library card has been blocked, and if he returns to the library he'll be criminally trespassing. Praise God for New Life In Jesus Christ. Praise: God and pray Caleb will take the ban in his stride, as he matures in wisdom and spiritual discernment. (Ac.2:17-21)
Orissa: Persecutor turned worshipper
Once a part of the terrible 2008 persecution against Christians in Orissa, Sharda Tamo now has been changed by the love of Jesus into a fellow worshipper in the very church he tried to demolish. In 2008 he joined a mob that tried to destroy the church's building and climbed on to the roof to break its Christian cross. Today he visits the church every week to worship at the cross of Jesus. The church in Orissa was known for its community outreach and ministry to women and youth and well-respected in the community serving hundreds of people under the leadership of a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary. In 2008 the church was badly damaged and its congregation was murdered or forced out of the village. But the church’s days of being a beacon for the love of Jesus are not over, and God’s spirit has not left the area. Praise: God for turning this situation around and ask Him for many more people in Orissa to choose to follow Jesus. (Ps.126:5) More: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=8247
Orissa: Persecutor turned worshipper
Once a part of the terrible 2008 persecution against Christians in Orissa, Sharda Tamo now has been changed by the love of Jesus into a fellow worshipper in the very church he tried to demolish. In 2008 he joined a mob that tried to destroy the church's building and climbed on to the roof to break its Christian cross. Today he visits the church every week to worship at the cross of Jesus. The church in Orissa was known for its community outreach and ministry to women and youth and well-respected in the community serving hundreds of people under the leadership of a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary. In 2008 the church was badly damaged and its congregation was murdered or forced out of the village. But the church’s days of being a beacon for the love of Jesus are not over, and God’s spirit has not left the area. Praise: God for turning this situation around and ask Him for many more people in Orissa to choose to follow Jesus. (Ps.126:5) More: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=8247
INSIGHT ARTICLE: Druidry an official religion in UK
A pagan tradition has been formally classed as a religion under the charity law. Druids can now receive exemption from taxes on donations and have the same status as the Church of England. The 350 member Druid network in the British Isles has practiced for thousands of years in Britain. They worship thunder, the sun, and spirits which they believe arise from places such as mountains and rivers. They cultivate a sacred relationship with the natural world through rituals, dancing and singing at stone circles and other ‘sacred’ sites throughout the country. A Druid who works as a counsellor said Druidry appeals to people turning from monotheistic religions but longing for spirituality in their lives. See Also at an Eisteddfod celebration of Welsh culture the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and the former Chief Constable of North Wales Richard Brunstrom, were inducted as honorary Druids and given Bardic names. See ml Click 'info' for Druidry INSIGHT ARTICLE. Pray: for God to touch the lives of these people, both in the United Kingdom and wherever the root of Druidry is found globally. (Ac.19:18-20)
Tony Blair: Islamic extremists
The west is being ‘out-spent, out-manoeuvred and out-strategised’ by violent Islamic extremism, Tony Blair has warned. He said there had been a failure to challenge the narrative that Islam was oppressed by the west which was fuelling extremism around the world. Too many people accepted the extremists' analysis that military actions taken by the west after the 9/11 attacks were directed at countries because they were Muslim and that it supported Israel because Israelis were Jews while Palestinians were Muslims. Speaking in New York to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Blair said it was impossible to defeat extremism ‘without defeating the narrative that nurtures it’. Moderate Muslims who believed in coexistence and tolerance were, he said, being undermined by the unwillingness of the west to take on the extremists' arguments. ‘Examine the education systems that succour it. And then measure, over the years, the paucity of our counter-attack in the name of peaceful coexistence.’ Pray: for strong leadership in all Christian nations to counter false Islamic arguments. (Jn 8:44) More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/06/tony-blair-islamic-extremism-west
Young people’s 'faded memory of Christianity'
Religion is largely irrelevant to most young people who rely instead on a ‘secular trinity’ of themselves, their family and their friends to give meaning to their lives, a new book claims. The study published by the Church of England concludes that people born after 1982 - known as ‘Generation Y’ - have only a ‘faded cultural memory’ of Christianity. For many young people, religious observance extends no further than praying in their bedrooms during moments of crisis, on a ‘need to believe basis’. Fewer than one in five young people believe in a God ‘who created the world and hears my prayers’, and teenagers were more likely to believe in the ‘nicer’ parts of religious doctrine than those about the devil and punishment. ‘It is undoubtedly the case that the Christian memory is very faint and in many respects Generation Y is a largely unstoried and memoryless generation,’ the study said. Pray: for outreach to young people to give them the true Gospel message. (Ro.1:17)
60,000 children in Britain are problem gamblers
Tens of thousands of 12 to 15-year-olds in Britain are becoming problem gamblers, a charity that works with gambling addicts has warned. GamCare, a charity which gives help, advice and treatment to problem gamblers, has released a report calling for children to be taught about the dangers of gambling. It says the rate of adolescent addicts is over three times as high as adult addicts. It also says young problem gamblers are more likely to be involved in alcohol and substance abuse, theft, truancy and likely to do less well at school. Jane Rigbye, head of the education development at GamCare, said: ‘Gambling is all around us. It is advertised on television, children are accessing Internet bingo sites and Internet poker sites. They have found ways of lying about their age to access these sites’. Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science said, ‘Educating young people about the risks of gambling is vital’. Pray: for the advertising and accessibility of gambling to be tightened in order to protect our youngsters. (Heb.13:5) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/video-60000-children-in-britain-are-problem-gamblers/6
Spend more on evangelism
Too many churches are neglecting evangelism, with little time and money spent on it, a leading evangelist has claimed. Many churches have one-dimensional evangelism strategies that just focus on Alpha, while very few are actually training their congregation in how to evangelise. The issue is so critical because compared to evangelism, everything else the church is doing 'is like rearranging the furniture on the Titanic'. The comments were made by J John, during a wide-ranging address on what makes a church community at the latest leaders' day at Gorsley Baptist Church. 'What is church about?' he asked. 'It's about looking up in: worship. Looking in: wellbeing. And looking out: witness. However, all the research shows churches spend 90-95 per cent of their time on two of those three things. The first two. Don't you think that's an imbalance?' It's not that churches are not working hard, he said, but more a case of changing their approach. Pray: for church communities to reconsider the place of evangelism in their activities. (1Pe.3:15)
Methodist and URC ecumenical milestone
Ecumenical relations between the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church (URC) will reach a milestone moment next week when both church’s Councils convene for their first-ever joint meeting. 140 members of the two Free Church councils will meet at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick from October 13-15, when they will deal with both domestic and inter-denominational issues. Although the Methodist Church and the URC are not bound by many formal agreements, there has been extensive collaboration between the two bodies during recent years. Next week’s summit will be the latest step in this journey of joint working between the two Churches, which both span England, Scotland and Wales. At the meeting, each Church Council will meet privately to carry out its own business. However, for the majority of the sessions, members of the two bodies will come together to work from the same agenda, as part of an ongoing drive to unite in mission and outreach. Pray: for unity of purpose between Christian churches (2Co. 11:28)
GDOP London links up with Micah Challenge
Global Day of Prayer London (GDOP) is partnering with Micah Challenge’s 10-10-10 campaign as part of their 500 days of prayer initiative. They are encouraging churches across the UK to pray for the marginalised in their local areas and the world’s poor this October. As churches throughout the UK are getting behind this initiative, GDOP’s London Convenor, Jonathan Oloyede, wants to continue to build this momentum of prayer by providing more and more resources to keep mobilising Christians towards 24-hour intercession. GDOP London is now producing a monthly podcast with regular interviews and features with key Christian leaders. Their October podcast has a special focus on praying for the world’s poor. Oloyede also presents a monthly video blog to keep Christians inspired and updated on the 500 days of prayer movement and there are a number of prayer resources on the GDOP London website. Pray: that all Christians remember and pray for the world’s poor that their plight is lessened by God's strong intervention. (Dt. 15:7)