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Australia blessed by rain

Human nature is more interested in bad news than good. Hence news media seemed to almost delight in Australia ‘burning’ with many phenomenal pictures, hysterical headlines and apocalyptic analyses. In recent days, though, there has been some welcome good news and yet, to a large extent, this is buried away in mid-page columns, if reported at all. I guess ‘Australia being blessed by rain’ is not as dramatic as ‘Australia burning in hell’. Many fires are still ongoing, but there have been some remarkable stories and pictures of the effect of the much prayed for rain. Jeremiah 14:22 tells us that only the Lord brings rain. Gloucester in New South Wales ran out of water, after four years of drought; then in seven days, they had over 100mm of water. The effect is dramatic. What was dead and barren has sprung to life with what one farmer called ‘rapid growth’.

Praise: God for answered prayers and the many images of life-giving rain in barren wastes. (Job 37:5,6)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-51003504

More non-evangelical Americans ‘born again’

Just as more Americans are becoming religiously unaffiliated, there is another shift happening on the religious spectrum. More people today say they are ‘born again’ than at any point in the past three decades. While significant portions of the country jettison religion, others are increasingly identifying with a more devout expression of the faith. Across segments of Christianity – not just evangelical Protestants – Americans are heeding the scriptural call that ‘you must be born again’ (John 3:7), even when the label has not historically been part of their faith traditions. 60% of black Protestants claimed to be born again in 1988, now it’s 80%. The increase for evangelicals was 68% to 78% during the same time period. Also, across all Christian traditions, including mainline denominations and Roman Catholics, the born-again identity is trending up.

Praise: God for the Holy Spirit life He is pouring into His church. (John 3:3)
More: www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/january/us-born-again-rise-mainline-catholic-evangelical.html

Praise Reports

Bishops differ on sexual relationships

The CofE’s bishops appear to be at war after some distanced themselves from a statement reiterating a longstanding Christian teaching that sex is for male-female marriage only. The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, said that she was ‘deeply frustrated and saddened’ by the way the statement was published. She continued, ‘I recognise that it has fanned into flame unnecessary pain and distress and I wish to acknowledge my part in that’. In the House of Bishops’ document responding to the introduction of mixed-sex civil partnerships, they wrote, ‘For Christians, marriage – that is, the lifelong union between a man and a woman, contracted with the making of vows – remains the proper context for sexual activity. Sexual relationships outside heterosexual marriage are regarded as falling short of God’s purposes for human beings. The introduction of same sex marriage has not changed the church’s teaching on marriage or same sex relationships.’

Pray: for the House of Bishops to continue to stand on the wisdom of God’s Word and theological teaching. (1 Corinthians 3:19)
More: www.christiantoday.com/article/bishops-in-disarray-over-sex-for-married-straight-couples-only-rule/134104.htm

Salvation Army challenges Government

Thousands of Salvation Army members, officers and supporters are joining forces to warn the Government that, unless urgent action is taken, it is on course to break a manifesto pledge on rough sleeping. The pledge was to end rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament, but since 2010 there has been a 165% increase in people sleeping on the streets. The church and charity has called on its members, officers, employees and supporters in England to ask their local MP to lobby Government to prioritise funding to tackle homelessness. The campaign coincides with a recent poll which found that 68% of the public did not think the Government would deliver on its commitment to end rough sleeping. Anyone can take part in the campaign by going to the Salvation Army campaign page:

Pray: for millions to contact their MP, urging the Government to meet its commitment to end rough sleeping in suburbs and towns. (Matthew 5:33)
More: www.salvationarmy.org.uk/salvation-army-mobilises-challenge-government%E2%80%99s-rough-sleeping-target

UK prayer survey

57% of UK adults say they never pray, and only 12%  say they pray at least once a day. By contrast, 49% of Americans say they pray every day. Despite Britain’s concerns about the Brexit future, people are not responding in prayer. Global phenomena like secularisation, immigration, and technological development are overhauling the UK Church, and for every Anglican church in London that closed its doors between 2016 and 2020 more than three Pentecostal churches were launched. British churches are struggling to retain members, but churches with strong African and Asian immigrant bases are growing. As the demography of faith changes, prayer trends are changing too. The increase of prayer in London may point to growing Pentecostal and immigrant-operated churches, but a large share of British Muslims live there also. Muslims are Britain’s most prayerful faith community.

Pray: for the Church to remember Paul’s plea to ‘pray continually in every situation’. (Colossians 4:2)
More: www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/january/prayer-survey-london-uk-prayfor-hashtags-premier-comres.html

Franklin Graham deemed ‘unacceptable’

Franklin Graham is scheduled to preach the gospel in eight cities across the United Kingdom later this year, but one of those stops is now in jeopardy after the venue cancelled the 12 June booking over his biblical views on LGBTQ issues. ACC Liverpool, an arena and conference centre, said, ‘Over the past few days we have been made aware of a number of Graham’s statements which we consider to be incompatible with our values. In light of this we can no longer reconcile the balance between freedom of speech and the divisive impact this event is having in our city. We have informed the organisers of the event that the booking will no longer be fulfilled.’ Graham, though, said that everyone is welcome. ‘The Gospel is inclusive, I’m not coming out of hate, I’m coming out of love.’ A Change.org petition that labelled Graham a ‘homophobic hate preacher’ had gathered more than 350 signatures as of 28 January.

Pray: for Franklin Graham to be able to share the hope of Jesus in every planned location, and for LGBTQ to attend. (2 Timothy 4:2)
More: www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/british-arena-boots-franklin-graham-over-homophobic-biblical-views.html

Coronavirus: repatriating British citizens

British Airways has cancelled all flights in and out of China. Thousands of UK citizens on holiday, work visits, or school trips there could struggle to get home. A government-chartered plane with a doctor on board will leave Wuhan early on 31 January. Returnees will undergo health checks and be denied boarding if they display coronavirus symptoms. They must also agree to two weeks’ isolation in the UK to be able to fly. A government source said, ‘We are working hard to get British nationals back from Wuhan, but public safety is our top priority and we are not taking any chances’. 250 Britons are believed to be in Hubei province. The Government faces the challenge of repatriating British citizens if more routes out of China are shut and there is a surge of foreigners seeking to get out. 1,400 returnees from Wuhan since January 10 were told to self-isolate themselves for fourteen days.

Pray: for the Government to get people home safely and quickly. May God pour his peace and protection into this situation. (Galatians 1:3)
More: www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/coronavirus-uk-latest-brits-stranded-china-isolated-14-days-a4347626.html

Scotland: Prince William’s new role

The Duke of Cambridge has been made the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland by the Queen, while the Duke of Sussex begins his search for freedom away from the monarchy. The high commissioner role was established in the 1707 Act of Union between England and Scotland, and the Queen pledged to continue it during the first Privy Council meeting of her reign. William will make the opening and closing addresses to the Assembly, and will carry out official visits across Scotland. The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian and recognises only Jesus Christ as ‘King and Head of the Church’, so the Queen attends services as an ordinary member, and appoints someone to represent the role every year.

Pray: for the Duke of Cambridge to be blessed as he serves in this new role and all his other commitments. (Psalm 115:15)
More: premierchristian.news/en/news/article/prince-william-steps-up-to-new-royal-role-in-church-of-scotland

Christian wedding venue – homosexual couple’s booking

The owner of a wedding venue in Gloucestershire has said he is ‘deeply sorry’ after revoking a provisional booking for a same-sex couple’s marriage reception. Kevin Chaffe and Ken Silvey had expressed an interest in booking Priors Court Barn in Brockworth, but Tim Wiltshire, the venue’s co-owner, contacted their wedding planner to cancel after finding out that the enquiry had been made by a same-sex couple. Chaffe took to Facebook to express outrage at this ‘disgusting, homophobic’ action. A social media backlash led to a barrage of negative reviews for the business. Wiltshire released a statement of apology that ended, ‘Of course everyone has the right to their own beliefs, and I now realise that my initial reaction was inappropriate in modern society. I am truly sorry’.

Pray: for God to give wisdom and grace to this and all Christian companies as they navigate the business world with their Christian views. (Colossians 4:5-6)
More: premierchristian.news/en/news/article/christian-wedding-venue-owner-apologises-for-cancelling-gay-couple-s-booking

Praise Reports

Britain leaves EU

Three million newly-minted 50p coins celebrating the UK leaving the European Union on 31 January have entered circulation. They bear the inscription ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’. Chancellor Sajid Javid said ‘This coin marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in British history. Let us look forward with confidence and unleash the enormous potential of our great country.’ Seven million more coins will follow in the coming months. Meanwhile Finland’s foreign minister, Pekko Haavisto, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said that other countries have seen the issues faced by the UK: ‘What Brexit actually triggered was a lot of support of EU members. Seeing how difficult it is to leave and how many agreements they have to make to leave, so maybe it is better to stay.’ See. The World Prayer Centre, Birmingham have instigated a Call to Prayer at 11pm on Friday 31st January, the time that the UK officially leaves the EU: https://www.worldprayer.org.uk/Event/call-to-prayer-brexit-31-january.

Pray: for God’s Spirit to move across Europe as political changes and adjustments are made around Brexit. (Proverbs 3:5)
More: https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/26/new-brexit-coin-unveiled-as-britain-prepares-to-leave-eu

Turkey earthquake: 1,600+ hospitalised, dozens dead

Social media videos show patients in overcrowded hospitals, as over 1,600 people have been hospitalised in eastern Turkey after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake. At least 36 people have died. Most of the injured were in Elazig province, the epicentre of the earthquake. 3,699 search and rescue personnel have been deployed. Fifteen aftershocks have been felt in the wake, with the strongest registering at 5.4. ‘All relevant departments are taking measures to ensure the safety of citizens following the earthquake’, said President Erdoğan.

Pray: for health and environment ministers investigating damaged structures; pray also for the healing of those in hospital or in temporary accommodation. (Psalm 71:20a)
More: edition.cnn.com/2020/01/25/europe/turkey-earthquake-intl/index.html

Praise Reports

China: coronavirus update

Please continue to pray for the success of thermal-imaging screening and other airport precautions to contain coronavirus. Over 130 people have died, and the total is rising daily; there are 6,000 confirmed cases, but due to under-reporting the true figure may well be much higher. Pray for those who have unwittingly been in contact with the virus to be discovered by investigating authorities, as only detective searches can bring this epidemic to an end. Currently there is no vaccine for the virus; may God help scientists make an antidote. Pray for His peace to surround the many frustrated people who are subject to limits on travel at home and abroad. Pray for the success of the information programme encouraging hand-washing. Praise God for a 1,000-bed coronavirus hospital , completed after 48 hours of construction, and for an even more ambitious hospital building project due to be completed by Monday. Pray for an equally speedy delivery of protective clothing for healthcare workers. See also

Pray: for God to direct the administration and health and safety for return journeys of citizens from China. (Proverbs 3:13)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51048366

China: Africans trapped in lockdown

With rich countries like the US evacuating their students, Doctor Bakari, a Tanzanian PhD student, has become a leader for hundreds of students from poorer African countries stranded in Wuhan with little chance of escape. Beijing’s expanding influence on the youthful African continent means Africans are the second-largest population of foreign students. Over 4,000 are estimated to be in Wuhan alone. No one knows how long the lockdown will last, or all the ways the virus can spread. Students fear that angering Chinese or their country’s authorities could lead to retribution such as withdrawing scholarships. Kenya’s government had to defend itself against accusations that it was not helping its students. ‘Students don’t have a clue what’s going on’, says Bakari, who is sending updates on social media to 400+ Tanzanian students in Wuhan and hundreds more across China. ‘Together we are one family,’ his association tweeted, encouraging fellow Africans to take precautionary measures.

Pray: for students and all under lockdown to be calm and wise as they face the challenges of being confined. (Psalm 4:8)
More: apnews.com/fc178264c9eda573efd47d6078f7c22a

Israel: peace plan protests

Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have rejected Donald Trump’s peace plan which was unveiled on 28 January. Many Palestinians protested in the West Bank, and the US embassy warned of potential terror attacks. The plan calls for a two-state solution with detailed maps of territory showing territory currently under Palestinian control more than doubled, while recognising Israeli sovereignty over major West Bank settlement blocs. Palestine’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, had a rare phone call with Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh in which they agreed to work together against the plan, even though Abbas’s Fatah faction has been at loggerheads with Hamas for over a decade. Palestinian demonstrators at the entrance to Ramallah City burnt tyres, chanting, ‘We will resist the occupier and we announce our rejection of the deal of the century. We won’t accept any substitute for Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.’ Trump’s plan enshrines Jerusalem as Israel’s ‘undivided’ capital.

Pray: for the peace of Jerusalem and all surrounding areas. (Psalm 122:6)
More: www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-slams-trump-plan-as-israeli-conspiracy-as-palestinians-riot-in-west-bank/

Nigeria: the ‘leopard unit’

Insecurity in some parts of the country has led people to form their own vigilante units. A reporter writes, ‘Last week, I helped pay a ransom to free the kidnapped wife and two daughters of a friend; they had been held for eight days after being snatched from their home in the northern city of Kaduna. What I did is no longer unusual, and is one of the many stories resulting from insecurity in this vast country. The government is accused of ineffectiveness, and the governors of six states in the south-west of the country have come up with their own plan to set up a security outfit called amotekun (leopard). It will involve employing new security personnel, with the power to arrest and share intelligence and security infrastructure across the states. The plan has riled the national authorities, and led some to accuse the six states of plotting to secede from Nigeria.

Pray: for amotekun to bring positive peaceful changes across diverse communities. (Psalm 128:2)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-51266490

South Africa: demobilising ‘child soldier’ gangs

Hanover Park is a violent gangland neighbourhood of unemployed young men where even army deployment failed to stop shootings. Gangsters as young as 12 operate within a contested jigsaw of fiefdoms in the historically ‘coloured’ township – 15-minutes from well-heeled central Cape Town. Mary Bruce points to identical three-storey flats ‘That’s the Ghetto Kids. Over there are the Dollars, and this side are the Americans. They fight everyone.’ A couple of hundred metres towards the taxi rank the ‘turf’ yields the Mongrels and Laughing Boys gangs. Up to 500 youths in Hanover Park could be classed as ‘child soldiers’. Nearly 7,000 people in Hanover Park are active within the myriad street gangs that have their roots in a prison gang culture on the Western Cape that stretches back over 100 years. Pray for ‘Ceasefire’, NGO violence interrupters working to nip trouble in the bud and help gangsters to quit.

Pray: for all living in the area who are working for peace, mediation, and reconciliation. (2 Samuel 22:3)
More: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2020/01/23/South-Africa-gangs-child-soldiers-apartheid

Algeria: churches shut down by authorities

Thirteen churches in Algeria have been closed since 2018. Hope Evangelical Church is the latest to be ordered to shut down as the government’s crackdown on houses of worship continues. A 2006 law is being used as a pretext to clamp down on churches, even though the commission it created is yet to meet to consider the requests it has already received. The law requires non-Muslim places of worship be authorised by the National Commission for Non-Muslim Worship. Concern is growing for Algerian Christians, as it is unable or unwilling to fulfil this essential part of its mandate. The government should either reconstitute it entirely, or the law itself should be repealed in order to ensure the right to freedom of religion or belief for religious minorities in the country. Pray for churches to know the Lord’s peace, wisdom and guidance in the face of the growing pressure. Pray also that Christians are not discouraged by this fierce campaign against them.

Pray: for regulations governing non-Muslim worship to be amended and justly implemented, so that Christians can worship freely. (Job 9:19)
More: www.christianpost.com/news/algeria-orders-another-christian-church-to-close-as-crackdown-continues.html

US / Mexico: drug-smuggling tunnels

Since 2015 tunnels have run under the border from Mexico to America. Donald Trump has made building a border wall one of his key priorities to tackle illegal immigration and drug trafficking. On 30 January, US officials said that they had discovered the longest smuggling tunnel ever. Stretching for 1,313m, it had a lift, rail track, drainage, air ventilation systems and high voltage electrical cables. The passageway connected an industrial site in Tijuana to the San Diego area in California. Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, one of the largest drug-trafficking organisations in the world, operates in the area. Its founder and long-time leader, Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, is serving life in prison in Alcatraz. Mexico’s murder rate rises annually – 2019 was the bloodiest year on record, with 34,582 killings. Much of the violence is linked to criminal gangs who engage in drug trafficking, kidnappings and extortion of local businesses and farmers. See

Pray: for the blood of Jesus to cleanse the areas of repeated sins, deliver the people from corruption, and redeem the lives of victims. (Proverbs 29:26)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51304861

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