The Global Day of Prayer is coming soon giving your church an opportunity to pray with many others around the world. Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2013, will be the ninth year that the United States will be participating in the Global Day of Prayer (GDOP). The vision is as simple as it is profound: The glory of Christ and the blessing of all nations.
GDOP is more than a one-day event. It begins with ten days of prayer, guided and focused with biblical prayers from Thursday, May 9, to Saturday, May 18. This follows the example of the ten-day prayer gathering in the upper room before the first Pentecost. A team of international leaders has written the 10-Day Prayer Guide designed to help focus the prayers of people all over the world. Download and print or photocopy all the copies you need.
www.globaldayofprayer.com
On May 19, 2013, Christians will gather to pray and repent with sincere hearts and united hopes. Once again we will be gathering locally but praying globally. This year we will see even more of an emphasis on local churches praying the “Prayer for the World” as part of their normal Pentecost Sunday services.
Please consider participating in one of two ways:
1. Participate as a church. Ask the leadership of your church to join in during your Sunday services on May 19, 2013. With as few as 7 minutes of your morning service, your congregation will be encouraged as they unite with millions around the world by praying though “A Prayer for the World.” www.globaldayofprayer.com
2. Participate as a community or a group of churches. A small, well-organized gathering can be a great catalyst to propel your community forward in the coming months and years. The Global Day Organizer Guide offers some great ideas. www.globaldayofprayer.com
For Christ’s glory. P.S. It’s about six weeks before Pentecost. Find all you need on the website: the downloadable Ten-Day Prayer Guide and resources to help congregations pray the “Prayer for the World.”
http://www.gdopusa.com
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Last week we held a conference call meeting with the national representatives (Canada, Mexico, USA) and our NHOP representative in Ottawa. Through a time of sharing and discernment, we have decided the above noted June meeting would better served if held fall of 2013 instead of the planned dates. For June we were unable to schedule healthy representation from the USA and Mexico contingents. We are also aware of the need to ensure we have a strong representation from the younger generation including through the planning process. A move to the fall, specifically Oct. 15-18, 2013, would allow for both of these factors to be included.
We are aware of things the Lord is doing in this season and want to be aware that we catch the wind of His spirit for this and continuing similar gatherings. The Lord may be shifting our focus and direction of our continental meetings making the now October meetings critical to future direction and ongoing continental strength and relationship development.
We kindly request that those who have registered please consult your calendar and confirm your attendance at the meeting now planned for Oct 15-18, 2013. We will continue to provide details as they unfold. For those who have not yet registered please advise of your availability for the Oct meeting date.
NOTE – please respond to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. regarding the registration process.
We trust this change does not cause anyone undue hardship or scheduling difficulties. Our apologies for this if this is the case.
It will be interesting to see how the Lord puts together the October 2013 meeting! In our spirits we believe the change is from the Lord!
Please feel free to forward anything the Lord is speaking to you about this, and we will ensure it is considered.
Many blessings – The North American Prayer Summit Team
Imprisoned for his faith: Pastor Saeed Abedini’s amazing letter from Inside Iran’s Evin Prison. Let’s join in prayer, trusting the Lord for Pastor Saeed’s encouragement, protection, ministry to others in the prison, and his soon release.
From the body of Christ in Turkey, to our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Greetings from the church in Turkey -- from the land of Noah, of Abraham, of Paul, of Ararat and Harran, of Antioch, Ephesus, Galatia, of the Seven Churches of Revelation...Yet today, the body of Christians in our land is less than 0.1% of the population of 72 million.
We are writing to you on behalf of the leaders of the church in Turkey to ask for your prayers. In 2009 we asked the world to join us each year for a 'Global Day of Prayer for Turkey' on April 18, the day in 2007 when 3 of our brothers were tortured and brutally murdered in the town of Malatya. We greatly desire that you would join the small congregations of Turkey along with many churches worldwide to pray for Turkey in your churches and homes on April 18.
Church of England’s £8bn assault on 'culture of greed' in City bonuses
The Church of England has launched a major offensive against bonus culture in the City pledging to use its own multi-billion investments to attempt to block what it sees as excessive payouts. In an overhaul of its own investment policy announced Wednesday, the Church - which controls more than £8 billion of assets - announced it will attempt to vote down any bonus worth more than an executive’s basic salary. It issued an outspoken attack on what it called a ‘culture of entitlement and greed’ among the highest paid as it set out a list of demands which it will seek to implement in companies in which it owns shareholdings in the coming AGM season. Although, on its own, it is unlikely to revolutionise the City, the Church hopes that its stance – backed up by its financial presence – could start a ‘domino effect’ among disgruntled investors.
Pray: that the stance taken by the Church will have the desired effect across the financial world. (Is.57:17)
Ban on teacher upheld in name of ‘British tolerance’
A Science teacher who was barred from teaching after expressing his beliefs on sexual ethics in the classroom has lost his case in the High Court. Robert Haye (43) was dismissed from Deptford Green School after he commented that homosexual practice was a ‘sin’ when responding to questions posed by his Year 11 pupils. The Teaching Agency subsequently placed an indefinite bar on Mr Haye from teaching at any school or sixth form - a ban that was later upheld by Education Secretary Michael Gove. In the first case of its kind, the High Court rejected Mr Haye’s appeal against the ban stating that his comments were ‘inappropriate’ and that he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. In delivering the judgment, Mr Justice King said that the school had a policy requiring teachers to present positive information on homosexuality ‘to enable students to challenge derogatory stereotypes and prejudice.’
Pray: for Christian teachers that they will be able to uphold their beliefs in the classroom without prejudice. (2Th.2:13)
Abortion on the basis of gender
Birth statistics in the UK show that abortions on the basis of gender could be taking place in some communities. The findings were made after Government officials analysed the boy-girl ratios of births between 2007 and 2011 and found women in certain communities were giving birth to an unusually higher number of males than females. The Department of Health has refused to release information on the nationalities of such women, stating ‘ it was not in the public interest to do so’. Last week a Ten Minute Rule Bill calling for the Government to monitor the sex of aborted babies was presented jointly by Conservative MP Fiona Bruce and Labour MP Jim Dobbin, with its aims being supported by more than 50 MPs. During the debate, Mrs Bruce said, ‘What should cause real distress is that babies are being aborted because they are the wrong gender. The most dangerous place for girl should not be in her mother’s womb. A second reading on the Bill will take place on 26th April
Pray: for the Department of Health and the Government to open up an evidence based dialogue and then take appropriate action.
Sinn Fein backs the ‘Turn off the Red Light Campaign’
CARE in Northern Ireland was very pleased to see Sinn Fein overwhelmingly back a campaign to make buying sex a criminal offence at its Ard Fheis (Party Conference) on Saturday evening. Sinn Fein members voted to support the ‘Turn Off the Red Light Campaign’ - a coalition of organisations including political parties, Trade Unions, Christian Organisations and civil society groups seeking to criminalise the purchase of sexual services in the Republic of Ireland (http://www.turnofftheredlight.ie/). Its decision has made Sinn Fein the 67th organisation to join forces with the campaign. Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Sinn Fein’s spokesperson for Justice and Equality, said following the vote: ‘There are as many as 1000 women and girls for sale for sex in Ireland today. Prostitution is not a real choice for the vast majority of these women. The ‘Turn off the Red Light’ campaign argues that the most effective solution is to tackle the demand for paid sex that fuels prostitution and trafficking.’
Pray: that the campaign to tackle trafficking and prostitution would not just reduce the problem but stopping it. (Hos.5:4)
Anglicans gather to plan new partnerships with health services
Nearly 200 church leaders and medics gathered in Birmingham, England, this week to plan new initiatives in health care. Against the backdrop of rising chronic illness in the UK, churches and Christian general medical practitioners (GPs) will outline their initiatives to reverse this trend. Conference convener, and coordinator of the Anglican Health Network, Revd Paul Holley, said, ‘Whilst the UK’s National Health Service delivers medical services, people’s mental and physical health depends far more on their lifestyles. Poor diets, lack of exercise and relentless stress are taking their toll. More people live alone and lack the support of intimate and community relationships to promote wellbeing’. Mr Holley pointed out that churches have supported people in their various circumstances through prayer, ‘but now they are increasingly taking practical action to tackle these causes of poor health. The conference will make visible the wide range of activity already in play.’
Pray: for the opportunities that the Church has in partnering health services bringing God‘s perspective and the power of prayer into health care. (3Jn.1:2)
More: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2013/4/23/ACNS5384
Guides join campaign to end topless pictures in The Sun
Girlguiding UK is backing a campaign to remove pictures of topless women from page 3 of The Sun newspaper. An online poll of more than 2,000 guides aged between 16 and 25 showed 88 per cent believed the editor of The Sun, Dominic Mohan, should end page 3. Girlguiding Advocate!, a group within the movement which is involved with public affairs, emailed Mr Mohan last week. It said of The Sun: ‘Anyone can pick it up and turn to page three and think that it is normal for young women to be treated as objects. We feel that this is just wrong and has to stop.’ Girlguide Katie Wormald, 17, came up with the idea of taking the poll. She said: ‘Children shouldn’t grow up thinking that this is the norm and that it is right.’ She added: ‘Young girls shouldn’t grow up thinking that they will achieve more by being sexually objectified’.
Pray: that this campaign will succeed in removing such pictures.
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/guides-join-campaign-to-end-topless-pictures-in-the-sun/