Number of children sleeping rough on the rise
There has been an alarming rise in the number of children sleeping rough across Europe, which is why the system needs an overhaul, writes Kate Moss. The number of rough sleeping children across Europe is on the rise. These are young people who have mostly run away either from home or from sheltered accommodation. They may also include minors who have made border crossings in search of a better life and improved opportunities or for any number of other reasons. Financed by the EU Daphne programme, the pioneering two-year children rough sleepers research project which we at the University of Wolverhampton are currently leading has been tasked with conducting precisely this study, for which ongoing collaboration is currently underway among a team comprising ten partner countries from around Europe. There is very little information about children who sleep rough. Figures show that 100,000 children go missing every year in the UK.
Pray: against this trend and the dangers that sleeping rough brings to young people. (Pro.22:3)
More: http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/number-of-children-rough-sleepers-on-the-riseaccording-to-new-study/#.UjcNu39kln4
Nederland: Muslims appropriate football fields for jihad propaganda
We're used, by now, to the idea of Mohammedan influence gradually infiltrating its way into the media, government, the police, the military, academe. But here's a new one: football fields. Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise after the Muslim takeover of the French national football team (followed by the French people's almost total loss of interest in it) or the beating to death of a Dutch referee by Mohammedan players. But in the Hague, in the Netherlands, as recent incidents attest, football fields seem to have been appropriated as instruments for the jihad. ADO Den Haag [a Dutch football team] announced on Monday that it had nothing to do with the flag of the Islamic terror group ISIS, which was shown on a football field with the ADO logo. The club says it is 'very shocked' to be on the picture.
Pray: against the Islamist influence in French and Dutch sport. (Ps.34:16)
More: http://europenews.dk/en/node/71789
Nederland: Muslims appropriate football fields for jihad propaganda
We're used, by now, to the idea of Mohammedan influence gradually infiltrating its way into the media, government, the police, the military, academe. But here's a new one: football fields. Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise after the Muslim takeover of the French national football team (followed by the French people's almost total loss of interest in it) or the beating to death of a Dutch referee by Mohammedan players. But in the Hague, in the Netherlands, as recent incidents attest, football fields seem to have been appropriated as instruments for the jihad. ADO Den Haag [a Dutch football team] announced on Monday that it had nothing to do with the flag of the Islamic terror group ISIS, which was shown on a football field with the ADO logo. The club says it is 'very shocked' to be on the picture.
Pray: against the Islamist influence in French and Dutch sport. (Ps.34:16)
More: http://europenews.dk/en/node/71789
NIGERIA: Five Christians executed in road-side ditch by Muslim gunmen
Five Christians were shot dead near Jos, Plateau State, on 29 August by Muslim gunmen, who had stopped the bus they were travelling in and separated them from the other passengers. They found out who among them were Christians and forced the five to lie down in a ditch. At this point, another Christian man became embroiled in the scene when the Islamists stopped his motorbike. He said: The gunmen asked me about my religion, and when I told them I was a Christian, they asked me to join a group of people already ordered to lie down by the side of the road. It was when the gunmen started shooting and killing those of us that were Christians grouped together that I ran into a nearby maize farm, because it was already dark. Four other Christians, including a pregnant woman, were injured in the attack.
Pray: for God’s people that they will be protected and their enemies will be held back. (Ps.68:1)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/kidnapped.nigerian.archbishop.freed/33990.htm
USA: Deaths and hundreds missing in Colorado floods
Rescue teams responding to the Colorado floods have warned residents to evacuate their homes or face being stranded for weeks without electricity, water or basic supplies. Amid apocalyptic scenes across the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, at least four people have died an d hundreds remain unaccounted for. Some areas have seen more than 15 inches (38.1cm) of rainfall in three days – above the average expected for a whole year – in what a county commissioner has called a “500- to 1,000-year flood”. State authorities say that with more rain forecast for the next two days, further fatalities are all but inevitable. With thousands more people stranded in rural canyon towns, and rescue teams impeded by waters washing away the state’s transport infrastructure, the authorities have issued a stern warning to anyone thinking about trying to stay in their homes and weather the storm.
Pray: for the communities affected by these floods and for those trying to provide help. (Ps.31:2)
Egypt: Christians forced to pay Jizya Tax
Word comes from the Minya area city of Dalga that many of the town's 20,000 Christians are now being forced to pay the Jizya tax required by Islamic law. Islamic extremists have controlled the town since police were forced out July 3--the day the Egyptian people and their military deposed Mohammed Morsi from the presidency. According to a Voice of The Martrys contact in Egypt, Muslims have forced at least 140 Christians to pay a daily jizya tax starting at 200 Egyptian pounds per day. That's the equivalent of $29, or $203 per week! I've met with many Christians over the years in Minya and elsewhere in Upper Egypt. Many of them earn less than $5 per day. Two Coptic Christian government employees have been shot dead for refusing to pay Jizya, the Muslim poll tax on Christians. http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2013/s13090067.htm
Pray: for the Christians of Dalga who are living in constant fear and pressure from Islamic extremists. Pray that God, not the Jizya tax, will give them the protection and security they need! (Ps.122:7)
More: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=44122&PN=1
Vietnam: Christian Churches targeted
Two churches in Vietnam caught the attention of local authorities who later ordered their closure, Open Doors USA reports. In May, a group of believers were on their way to a church in an undisclosed village in south-western Vietnam when the police stopped them. The pastor was also summoned and questioned as to why he had church members from other villages. The authorities warned him, saying that he was ‘in violation of the law.’ A month later, local authorities in another village in southern Vietnam forced a pastor to close down his church, which has existed for many years, and stop his Christian activities. His house also stood on land that was earmarked for a government project, but his family was not compensated like his neighbours were.
Pray: for God’s Church that it will be given wisdom as it faces persecution. (Eph.4:16)
More: http://www.religiontoday.com/blog/christian-churches-targeted-in-vietnam.html
Cuba: Church closed and pastor attacked in Havana Province
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has learned that the Full Gospel Church was forcibly closed in Havana Province at the end of February, confiscating all of the church’s belongings, including chairs and musical instruments. This left more than 200 people without a place of worship. A week before the church closure, the pastor of the church, Jesus Hernandez, was attacked by an armed mob as he was sleeping in his home. According to Caridad Diego, the head of the Cuban Communist Party Office of Religious Affairs (ORA), which oversees all religious activity in Cuba, the church and everything inside were confiscated because of a dispute over ownership of the church. This account is contradicted however, by members of the church, who told CSW that the church has existed in its present location for more than 15 years, led by the same pastor and without problems.
Pray: that a resolution will be found to restart the Church. (Eph.2:21)
Bolivia: New law to control Churches' beliefs
Protestant church leaders in Bolivia are bucking a new law that they claim imposes religious beliefs contrary to their own and denies them the right to be a church. As a result, the National Association of Evangelicals of Bolivia intends to file suit this week asserting that Law 351 is unconstitutional and demanding it be revoked, according to Morning Star News. Law 351 stipulates a standardized administrative structure for all religious organizations that would force churches to betray their true ecclesiastical traditions, legal advisor Ruth Montano told Morning Star News. The law requires all churches and not-forprofit organizations to re-register their legal charters with the government; this process requires data on membership, financial activity and organizational leadership. Protestant leaders claim that the new law gives the Bolivian government regulatory power over the internal affairs of their denominations to the point of defining what is and isn't a church.
Pray: for the Church in Bolivia that it will be able to meet the requirements of Law 351. (Is.44:3)
More: http://www.worthynews.com/12566-new-bolivian-law-to-control-churches-beliefs
Street Pastors 'have reduced river deaths'
Street Pastors have been praised by the fire service for their ‘immense’ contribution in reducing river deaths in Shrewsbury. The volunteers patrol streets at night, helping ‘vulnerable’ people who may be about to take their own lives. Since they began work in November 2011, no deaths have been recorded along the Shrewsbury stretch of the River Severn. From 2004 until the volunteers began their patrols in 2011, 29 deaths were recorded on the river. Shropshire fire chief John Redmond praised their work. The same week as the volunteers began a training course on water safety. Mr Redmond said the Street Pastors were now receiving training to help people struggling in the water. ‘The contribution from Street Pastors to community safety has been immense.’
Praise: God for those who volunteer to work with Street Pastors. (Jdg.5:9)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-24007237