England and Wales: Over 90% of crimes unsolved
Home Office data for England and Wales revealed the proportion of crimes that resulted in a charge or summons was 5.7% over the 12-month period from April 2022 onwards. 2.3 million crimes were dropped without a suspect being found. The charge rate for sexual offences was 3.6%, with rape at 2.1%, and 6.5% of robbery offences. Yvette Cooper said that over 90% of crimes are going unsolved with more criminals being let off and more victims being let down. The Home Office said, ‘Since 2010, our communities are safer. Neighbourhood crimes including burglary, robbery and theft are down 51% and serious violent crime is down 46%.’ Pray for more individuals from fields such as business fraud investigations and child protection to be recruited into the police force. Pray for the government to fulfil their promise to improve public confidence by getting their resourcing right so that they catch more criminals.
Foreign aid cuts risk hundreds of thousands of lives
A Foreign Office internal government assessment reveals poor countries are being short-changed from the £900m Overseas Development Assistance Budget as other UK government departments raid the aid budget to spend it in the UK. A £30 million cut to aid for South Sudan this year will leave 27,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition, potentially causing 3,000 deaths. Aid to that region has shrunk by 1/5th since 2017 and they are one of the frontline states suffering the hardest climate crisis - which the UK caused historically. The report also reveals that the 49% cut to UK's Pan Africa aid budget significantly impacts women's sexual health across Africa. Thousands more women will die in pregnancy and childbirth while the number of unsafe abortions will increase by about 185,000. The Foreign Office said the cuts are temporary, to meet savings targets and will increase in the future as a commitment to support Ukrainian refugees ends.
Bank of England Interest rate rise
On August 3rd, the Bank of England’s base rate rose again to 5.25%. The last time it was 5.25% was in 2008. The Bank expects inflation to fall below 5% in the final quarter of 2023, while the government pledges inflation will be 5% or below by 2024. The Bank's increase influences the cost of borrowing, making mortgages more expensive, while at the same time offering greater returns on savings accounts. The theory is that raising interest rates makes it more expensive to borrow money, so people have less to spend, reducing demand and inflation. Meanwhile, rising interest rates, higher energy costs and squeezed consumer spending have weighed on retailers with Wilko homewares now on the brink of collapse, putting 12,000 jobs at risk. They have filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators after failing to find enough emergency investment. Wilko has 400 UK stores. See
International Prayer Connect, along with our friends at Canberra Declaration, the World Prayer Assembly Australia and many worldwide partners, invite you to join us for 21 days of prayer and fasting from 28 August–17 September.
Together we will be seeking God for awakening in Australia and across the globe!
The theme for our upcoming time is titled "Wave of Glory", based on Hab 2:14, where God's glory will cover the earth like "water covers the sea".
The wave is vivid red to represent that only the shed blood of Yeshua the Messiah can cleanse sinners. His blood is the only reason our nations and the globe can experience a wave of awakening.
Our heart's cry is simple: "That the Lamb would receive the reward of His suffering". All glory belongs to Him alone.
Recently prayer leaders from around Australia and the world joined with Dean Briggs, a keynote speaker for the International Prayer Counciland executive director at IHOPKC. What Dean shared was highly inspiring and can be viewed HERE.
Earlier in the year we enjoyed daily prayers throughout the month of May as a part of GO Month the Isaiah 62 Fast and Pentecost 2023. It was a brilliant and crucial time! Here's one testimony:
“I was feeling very tired but as soon as I logged on, it was like a supernatural energy and peace came and I felt so ready to stay up all night... and pray/worship Jesus. I could feel the presence of God as soon as I joined.”
We believe that our prayers throughout May will have flow-on effects for months and years to come. We are anticipating that this next time of prayer and fasting will build on that foundation. That is truly exciting!
Every morning during the 21 days, Canberra Declaration will send out a daily prayer and outreach devotional to encourage and equip us. Sign up by clicking the red button below!
Our prayers during Wave of Glory will include the World Prayer Assembly (WPA) in Perth, 3–6 October. We highly encourage you to consider coming to the WPA.
Wave of Glory Prayer Points:
Pray for a wave of the “knowledge of the Glory of the LORD” to sweep the globe and the WPA in Australia on 3–6 October. Isaiah 40:5
Pray for awakening for Australia and millions to find Christ. Isaiah 64:1–2.
Pray for a global awakening for the world and billions to find Christ. Romans 10:1 We look forward to testimonies from Wave of Glory like this one from May:
“l have been very blessed... The people in the prayer rooms has been fantastic and the presence of the Holy Spirit has been very evident.”
Yours for spirit of prayer triggering a wave of glory,
Dr Jason Hubbard & Dean Brigg
International Prayer Connect
Samuel Hartwich & Warwick Marsh
Canberra Declaration
Margaret Court & Wendy Yap
World Prayer Assembly 2023
God gave Jewish man vision of empty tomb
Richard Harvey attended the prestigious Winchester School. Although he was Jewish he regularly attended chapel services. Richard debated with his Christian friends, but Christ’s resurrection was a stumbling block - until, while discussing it, Richard saw an empty tomb. He was interested in what it meant to believe in Jesus and studied theology at university, but he was pulled in two directions: his Jewish friends wanted him to return to Judaism and Christians suggested he wasn’t a Jew now. When he studied church history he wondered, ‘Whatever happened to the first Jewish Christians? Why did they disappear? How can they reappear today?’ God called him to be an answer to his questions. He became an evangelist with Jews for Jesus and later for the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ). Today he is involved with the British Messianic Jewish Alliance and lectures at All Nations Bible College, preparing missionaries for service overseas.
100th pantry opens
The Local Pantry network is saving money for and improving the health of their communities. Pantries are small shops serving local neighbourhoods. Members pay a few pounds weekly and choose ten items worth many times more. They eat more fresh fruit and vegetables and are trying and enjoying new foods. Their finances have improved, and it helps them reduce food waste. Members also say their health has improved significantly. On 18 July the 100th pantry opened, in Kent. Churches host or support 47 of the 100, and the network has reached 90,000 people. Churches are ideal hosts, with physical space, local links, a well-known location, potential volunteers, and a desire to see positive change. Portsmouth’s Baptist Church closed its foodbank and opened a pantry instead. Inspired by its success, a Southsea Church of England did the same, as did two other local organisations, including an Elim Church community group.
Record number of children homeless
Many are made homeless from ‘no-fault’ evictions when their landlord decides to sell. The Government promised to ban these types of evictions in 2019 but has not done so yet. Evicted families are placed in temporary accommodation. On 31 March almost 105,000 households, with over 131,000 children, were in such accommodation (hotels or bed and breakfast). This latest figure is the highest since records began. Sitting outside a hotel in Plymouth earlier this month, the BBC found several homeless families keeping each other company. When people are in temporary accommodation, there is nowhere for them to move to. The root of the problem is lack of housing, exacerbated because local housing allowance rates have been frozen for the past three years. Amid soaring rents, that choice has left much of the country unaffordable for any household needing housing benefit to help pay their rent.
Lawyers charge £10,000 to make fake asylum claim
A reporter posing as an economic migrant found immigration law firm staff briefing clients how to lie to the authorities to stay in Britain. They were willing to help him get refugee status despite being told he had no legitimate reason to stay in the UK. One lawyer asked for £10,000 to invent a backstory for him, including claims of sexual torture, beatings, slave labour, false imprisonment and death threats making him suicidal and compelled to flee to the UK. He promised a doctor’s report to back up the story and antidepressants to give to the Home Office as ‘evidence’ of mental trauma. Another lawyer promised to ‘create the evidence’ to make it appear the reporter had a genuine fear of ‘persecution and assassination’ if he returned home. He boasted of a success rate of over 90% with similar asylum cases. Immigrants face jail for making false asylum claims, whereas solicitors facilitating and profiting from them only face professional sanctions.
Reflections of a Christian consultant
‘I have been a doctor for forty years working in a broken system. Endless demands with inadequate resources have been costly. But will striking work? Does Jesus want me to strike? I’m conflicted. Philippians says, ‘Don’t look out only for your own interests, take an interest in others, too with the same attitude of Christ.’ If I strike someone else will cover. They’ll be taken from routine work, making the queue of suffering grow. Nevertheless, when all is said and done, the NHS is not playing fair; they expect everything and erode my salary by stealth. The BMA says a strike in August will show the government we mean business. Colossians says I should think I work for you Lord, not them. Do I really have to trust you to meet my needs? Or must I agree with BMA’s next strike over pay and conditions?’
Co-op 'no-go' areas due to crime
The Co-op has warned some communities could become ‘no-go’ areas for shops due to crime hitting record levels, increasing by over 1/3rd in the past year. There were about 1,000 shoplifting and anti-social behaviour incidents every day in the past six months. A Freedom of Information request revealed 71% of serious retail crime had not received a police response. Many police forces do not prioritise retail crime. The Co-op has called for an ‘urgent change’, and for all forces to target repeat and prolific offenders in cities where organised criminal gangs operate - it could be described as looting. Criminals come in with bags, sacks or clothing which can conceal hundreds of pounds’ worth of stock - coffee, meat, spirits; others clamber over the kiosk and just tip products into their bags. They know the police don't have the resources or can't attend quickly enough.