Supermarkets stock ‘Christian’ Easter eggs
An unlikely lobbying campaign led by bishops has paid off after Britain’s biggest supermarkets agreed to stock Easter eggs with a religious theme for the first time. Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and the Co-Op bowed to pressure after a three-year ‘pestering’ campaign by figures including the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu. Dr Sentamu used his Easter sermon in 2010 to voice alarm after research suggested that millions of children had no idea about the meaning of the main Christian festival. One poll even found that one in three children thought that it was the ‘Easter bunny’s birthday’. But now a range of fair trade eggs in which fluffy rabbits and chicks are replaced by three empty crosses is to go on sale in mainstream stores. The so-called ‘Real’ Easter eggs are made by The Meaningful Chocolate Company, a Christian fair trade group based in Manchester which donates its profits to charity.
Praise: God for this initiative and pray for it to prosper, both spiritually and financially.
Uzbekistan: Overcoming government pressure
Uzbekistan’s law severely limits all religious activities it’s one of the most restrictive countries for religious freedom in Central Asia. But repression is not stopping a Barnabas-supported congregation from flourishing. Members have found ingenious ways to meet together while remaining under the radar of government spies, getting together in cafes, or sharing their faith while driving together. Their pastor was a Muslim extremist with links to the Taliban before becoming a Christian, and their congregation has grown from 10 to 120. Now it is too dangerous for the church to come together as one so they meet in 19 separate home and family groups across the region. Many, too fearful of police raids and fines to attend home groups, learned the importance of fellowship and now relish meeting in creative ways. Two were so strong in their faith, they were able to resist pressure from security service officers to spy on the church and pastor.
Praise: God for the strength of faith he has given to his persecuted Church. May this and similar congregations continue to advance the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Is.32:19-20)
More: http://barnabasfund.org/US/Barnabas-Aid-magazine/
Uzbekistan: Overcoming government pressure
Uzbekistan’s law severely limits all religious activities it’s one of the most restrictive countries for religious freedom in Central Asia. But repression is not stopping a Barnabas-supported congregation from flourishing. Members have found ingenious ways to meet together while remaining under the radar of government spies, getting together in cafes, or sharing their faith while driving together. Their pastor was a Muslim extremist with links to the Taliban before becoming a Christian, and their congregation has grown from 10 to 120. Now it is too dangerous for the church to come together as one so they meet in 19 separate home and family groups across the region. Many, too fearful of police raids and fines to attend home groups, learned the importance of fellowship and now relish meeting in creative ways. Two were so strong in their faith, they were able to resist pressure from security service officers to spy on the church and pastor.
Praise: God for the strength of faith he has given to his persecuted Church. May this and similar congregations continue to advance the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Is.32:19-20)
More: http://barnabasfund.org/US/Barnabas-Aid-magazine/
NIGERIA: Boko Haram victims recount woes
An official and others wept in Abuja after listening to the pastor of All Saints Church recount how 17 Christians were killed for refusing to renounce Jesus Christ. People also heard from Deborah Shetima whose husband was butchered last April, that her two children (7and 9 years-old) were abducted, then Boko Haram returned three months later and killed her third child. The Minister said, ‘If we have become a nation that does not put value on human lives then we are really in a bad place. Listening to these women and seeing what they have to carry alone one feels a sense of abandonment for them. They are invisible to the rest of us - that worries me. We must figure out who we really are; and what have we become as a people and as a nation.’ Also church leaders in NE Nigeria are saying Christians are scared to leave their homes after 8pm and too afraid of Islamic extremist attacks to attend church services. See: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2013/s13030003.htm
Pray: for an end to bombings, killings and abductions, provisions for widows and orphans without a source of livelihood and for desperate communities to know hope, peace and restoration. (Is.54:5; Pr.2:12)
More: http://www.punchng.com/news/ezekwezili-others-weep-as-bharam-victims-recount-woes/
Turkey: Stealthy transformation
Images of proposed new Turkish Airlines uniforms were leaked online, and in Turkey where seemingly trifling matters can become bitter contests over identity, the leaked proposals are eliciting passionate reactions from the secular and the pious. Some mocked them as reminiscent of the Islamic 16th century dress code. Others called them a transparent effort to please the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party. The party’s decade-long run in power has wrought changes in the traditionally secular culture - Islamic head scarves in public and on college campuses and restrictions on alcohol in certain places. According to a sociologist at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, many believe a certain lifestyle is being imposed on all institutions in Turkey. Turkish Airlines is 50% owned by the government, whose leader is either accused by his opponents of being a strict Islamist or a latter-day sultan for his accrual of power. While Turkey is a Muslim country, it prides itself of a secular government.
Pray: that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government will stand strong against pressure from those wanting a more Islamic government. (Jos.1:9)
Iran/Syria: Warnings from US & Gulf states
The United States and Saudi Arabia presented a united front to Iran and Syria. They have alerted Iran that patience over alleged nuclear ambitions is wearing thin and warned President Bashar al-Assad that they will boost support to rebels unless he steps down. While John Kerry was in Saudi Arabia on Monday he said, ‘The window of opportunity for a diplomatic solution cannot by definition remain open indefinitely. There is time to resolve the Iranian issue providing the Iranians are prepared to engage seriously on proposals. Talks will not go on for the sake of talks and cannot become an instrument for delay - making the situation more dangerous.’ The Saudi Foreign Minister, whose country shares concerns with other Gulf Arab states about increasing Iranian aggressiveness in the region, agreed. Also in a joint news conference Kerry and Saud told reporters that al-Assad had lost all claim to be Syria's legitimate leader.
Pray: that more will be done to eliminate the ‘slaughter of innocents’ and unethical nuclear ambitions.(2Sa.22:3)
More: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/03/201334122024169854.html
USA: Will aid Israel defence systems despite cuts
New US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel met with Ehud Barak for two hours on Tuesday, expressing strong support for Israeli missile and rocket defence systems despite fiscal uncertainty caused by across-the-board spending cuts. ‘Secretary Hagel is committed to working with members of Congress to ensure that there is no interruption of funding for Iron Dome, Arrow, and David's Sling rocket and missile defence systems,’ a US defence official said. During the talks, Barak stressed the importance of continuing to develop the special relations between the Israeli defence community and the Pentagon.
Pray: that God will bless security issues facing the Middle East today, foremost among them, Iran. (2Sa.22:4)
More: http://www.worthynews.com/top/jpost-com-LandedPages-PrintArticle-aspx-id-305409/
Pakistan: Elections
Will Pakistan return to a moderate government or become a fanatical terrorist country? The election process starts March 15th but much campaigning is going on now. An interim government will be in place for one month before May elections. Pray a religious ‘pir’ will not be Prime Minister during this period (Jer.1:8-10). Pakistan’s home minister Rahman Malik confirmed the Taliban was behind last Sunday’s car bomb in Karachi killing 50+ people and injuring 140+. Many believe political parties have gone soft on terrorist organisations because terrorists help them win elections (forcing candidates to withdraw their candidature and providing security to their political masters.) A worrying aspect is that the banned Sipah-eSahaba (Taliban affiliated party) entered into a poll alliance with PML-N, whose leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is known to be close to the Taliban (they named him as a guarantor in recent negotiations).
Pray: the run up to Pakistan’s elections will be peaceful. Pray deliverance for the innocent lives being destroyed and the failing economy. (2Ch.32:7)
Eritrea: Christians jailed for ‘illegal’ worship
There was uncertainty on Tuesday, March 5, about the situation of 125 Eritrean Christians who were ‘beaten and detained’ in western Eritrea as part of a new government campaign against Christians worshipping outside the state-backed churches. At least 85 were arrested in the last week, among them are 45 who were arrested February 27 for worshipping ‘outside the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran Churches'. An estimated 1,500 – 2,000 Christians remain detained for some years in prison facilities ranging from airless, hot, windowless metal shipping containers, to military prison camps. Christians are known to have died during their imprisonment. The crackdown began in 2002 when all churches except those belonging to the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran denominations were effectively banned. Independent evangelical and charismatic churches are particularly singled out. Government policies are aimed at religious groups who are ‘duped by foreigners’ seeking to distract from and to distort the true meaning of religion.
Pray: against the harassment and detention in harsh conditions of thousands of members of registered and unregistered Christian groups. (Ps.18:16-19)
More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/26883-eritrea-jails-125-christians-in-campaign-against-illegal-worship
Egypt: Unrest
On Wednesday President Mohammed Morsi was reportedly considering handing over security in Port Said to the military as clashes between protesters and police escalated for a third consecitive day. Lawlessness and violence have wracked the city since January. Photos posted on social networking sites on Tuesday showed smoke rising from locations where protesters threw molotov cocktails on security buildings. The government's inability to regain control is a sign of how deeply divided Egypt has become in the two years since Hosni Mubarak’s regime was toppled. Mr Morsi's deliberations over declaring martial law in Port Said had echoes of Mubarak's decision during the 18-day uprising to order the military into the streets to restore security. The tenuous security situation has raised questions about Mr Morsi’s ability to forge ahead with new parliamentary elections scheduled to begin at the end of April.
Pray: for Egypt’s political environment to be fair and inclusive. (Is.32:16)
More: http://www.thenational.ae/topic/subjects/egypt-unrest