Russia: Asalted Church youth leader in critical condition
Vladislav Korabel, who serves as the regional church youth leader in Russia’s Novgorod Oblast (state), is in the hospital with severe brain injuries following an assault and beating by unknown assailants. Vladislav was on his way to church in the city of Veliky Novgorod when he was brutally attacked. Initially he was treated by a neurosurgeon, then transferred to another unit where he underwent craniofacial surgery on Friday, January 14. Vladislav is the son of Anatoly Korabel, regional pastor for the Novgorod Oblast. According to Pastor Anatoly, the doctors are withholding any comments on prognosis for the time being. The church leadership believes the assault is related to anti-Baptist propaganda broadcasts aired on television, and they sent a letter to the local television station protesting the false reports. Local authorities including the regional ombudsman and governor’s administration have promised to investigate the matter.
Pray: not only for Vladislav’s full recovery, but also for the protection of churches, pastors and church members. (Is.49:7)
Turkey: Education should facilitate freedom of religion or belief
Many in Turkey see an urgent need to reform primary and secondary school education to facilitate freedom of religion or belief. This is because aspects of the school system play a role in fuelling a type of nationalism behind intolerant attitudes, violent attacks and possibly even murders experienced by vulnerable groups. Key problems identified by members of various religious communities include compulsory Religious Culture and Knowledge of Ethics (RCKE) school classes, strict limits on exemption from such classes, discrimination against those seeking exemption, and misleading information in textbooks on the History of Turkish Republican Reforms and Atatürkism. An overdue first step would be to implement an October 2007 European Court of Human Rights judgment to legally enable all parents to exempt their children from RCKE classes. Implementing respect for everyone's freedom of religion or belief in school education will contribute to Turkey flourishing as a truly pluralistic democratic society.
Pray: that those who have authority over the educational establishment will be granted wisdom to reform and to remove intolerant attitudes. (Pr.13:14)
Turkey: Education should facilitate freedom of religion or belief
Many in Turkey see an urgent need to reform primary and secondary school education to facilitate freedom of religion or belief. This is because aspects of the school system play a role in fuelling a type of nationalism behind intolerant attitudes, violent attacks and possibly even murders experienced by vulnerable groups. Key problems identified by members of various religious communities include compulsory Religious Culture and Knowledge of Ethics (RCKE) school classes, strict limits on exemption from such classes, discrimination against those seeking exemption, and misleading information in textbooks on the History of Turkish Republican Reforms and Atatürkism. An overdue first step would be to implement an October 2007 European Court of Human Rights judgment to legally enable all parents to exempt their children from RCKE classes. Implementing respect for everyone's freedom of religion or belief in school education will contribute to Turkey flourishing as a truly pluralistic democratic society.
Pray: that those who have authority over the educational establishment will be granted wisdom to reform and to remove intolerant attitudes. (Pr.13:14)
India: Two families see God’s power
Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries Bhavi and Dipan are the pastors of two growing churches in South Asia. They have seen God’s power in the lives of many people in their congregations. Giri suffered from ongoing kidney stone problems. After six operations failed to cure him Giri didn’t know what to do. It was then that Giri heard about the church where Pastor Bhavi served. He approached with great hope, and after Pastor Bhavi and the other believers prayed, the Lord healed Giri. With great joy and thankfulness Meenu and his wife received an equally powerful miracle in their lives. After years of marriage they had no children. But when they heard of Jesus’ loving power from a Bible college student, they had new hope! They went to visit Pastor Dipan, who prayed with them and the Lord blessed them with a baby boy. Like Giri’s family, Meenu and his wife now serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Praise: God for His miraculous power that brings life to those who believe. (Dan.2:2-3)
India: Two families see God’s power
Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries Bhavi and Dipan are the pastors of two growing churches in South Asia. They have seen God’s power in the lives of many people in their congregations. Giri suffered from ongoing kidney stone problems. After six operations failed to cure him Giri didn’t know what to do. It was then that Giri heard about the church where Pastor Bhavi served. He approached with great hope, and after Pastor Bhavi and the other believers prayed, the Lord healed Giri. With great joy and thankfulness Meenu and his wife received an equally powerful miracle in their lives. After years of marriage they had no children. But when they heard of Jesus’ loving power from a Bible college student, they had new hope! They went to visit Pastor Dipan, who prayed with them and the Lord blessed them with a baby boy. Like Giri’s family, Meenu and his wife now serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Praise: God for His miraculous power that brings life to those who believe. (Dan.2:2-3)
CTBI launches social networking site
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has marked the start of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with the launch of a new social networking site. CT Connect is a free website for local Churches Together groups to access CTBI’s online resources. CTBI hopes the website will facilitate groups sharing resources for worship and spirituality and publicising events. More importantly, they want to see groups use the website to interact and discuss current issues locally, nationally and internationally. CTBI General Secretary, the Rev Bob Fyffe said: ‘It’s about building an on-line community. Significantly, it will allow Christians at a local level to engage directly with each other and with the many organisations in the ecumenical family.’ Praise: God for this initiative and pray that interaction via CT Connect will be a blessing to God’s Church. (Ph.1:1-2)
CTBI launches social networking site
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has marked the start of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with the launch of a new social networking site. CT Connect is a free website for local Churches Together groups to access CTBI’s online resources. CTBI hopes the website will facilitate groups sharing resources for worship and spirituality and publicising events. More importantly, they want to see groups use the website to interact and discuss current issues locally, nationally and internationally. CTBI General Secretary, the Rev Bob Fyffe said: ‘It’s about building an on-line community. Significantly, it will allow Christians at a local level to engage directly with each other and with the many organisations in the ecumenical family.’ Praise: God for this initiative and pray that interaction via CT Connect will be a blessing to God’s Church. (Ph.1:1-2)
Afghanistan: The fight against fear
For British troops in Afghanistan - and soldiers everywhere - the first battle to win is with themselves, writes Captain Doug Beattie of 1 Royal Irish Regiment who won the Military Cross for bravery in Afghanistan. He told Channel 4 News, ‘You won't hear soldiers talk about it. Fear is a taboo subject, a word suggesting weakness or worse, what they once would have called a lack of moral fibre. Troops skirt around it, deploying phrases like ‘that was a close one’ or ‘that wasn't fun’ to mask the reality of what they are feeling. But the question is not whether soldiers feel fear - for they do - but how they react to it. It can be a powerful motivator, allowing you to do things you never thought you were capable of. But fear can also be mentally and physically debilitating preventing men from carrying out the actions needed for survival.’ Pray: for God to meet with soldiers separated from family in an alien culture, facing threats of death and injury. (Joel 2:32) More: http://www.channel4.com/news/afghanistan-the-fight-against-fear
Iraq: Many killed in suicide bombing
A suicide bomber rammed an ambulance packed with explosives into a security headquarters in central Iraq, killing 13 people. Firaz al-Dulaimi, a hospital doctor, said a further 64 people were wounded in the attack, which targeted an office of the Force Protection Service, the agency responsible for securing Iraq’s government buildings. The attack occurred at around 10:00 am on Wednesday in the middle of a restive ethnically-mixed city north of Baghdad called Baquba, and came a day after a suicide bomber killed 50 people at a police recruitment centre in the central city of Tikrit. Baquba is the capital of Diyala province, which was an Al-Qaeda stronghold as recently as 2008. While violence has dropped off dramatically both in Diyala and nationwide since then, the province remains one of Iraq's least secure. Pray: for reconciliation to be achieved in all the various areas of conflict; and for God’s people to be used in the spiritual and physical rebuilding of the country. (Jer.24:6)
Lebanon: Saudi Arabia no longer mediating
Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia has ceased being a mediator in Lebanon’s political crisis. This decision means a key US ally won't be involved in efforts to ease tensions in a dangerous situation. Many fear the political crisis could lead to street protests and violence that have been the scourge of Lebanon for years, including the1975-1990 civil war and sectarian battles between Sunnis and Shiites in 2008. According to Lebanon's current power-sharing system, the President must be a Christian Maronite, the Prime Minister a Sunni and the parliament speaker a Shiite. Each faith makes up about a third of Lebanon's population of 4 million. Lebanon’s political crisis stems from a UN court investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. The Iranian and Syrian sponsored Shiite group, accused of being behind the assignation deny any role in Hariri's killing. They also caused the collapse of Lebanon's Western-backed government last week. See Observers say, ‘the undeniable reality is that the Iranian-sponsored Shia Islamist movement is the strongest force in the country and will remain.’ Pray: that a peaceful co-existence will be established and maintained in Lebanon. (Da.2:21-22) More: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=204313