World: Persecuted Church - Silent for the gospel
For Christians who wanted to speak up for the Persecuted Church but didn’t know what to say Release International is running a sponsored silence. Christians in the UK and Ireland will be staying silent in solidarity with Christians silenced for their faith around the world on Nov 25th. Funds raised by the initiative will support victims of persecution like Asia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row in Pakistan for blasphemy. Chinese Christian lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has been repeatedly arrested, imprisoned and tortured by the authorities and is back behind bars; Iranian pastor Behnam Irani, arrested while leading a Bible study, and severely beaten in jail. There is widespread concern over his deteriorating health. 17-year-old Eva Abdullah from Tanzania, who has been jailed for two years after being accused of desecrating the Koran and Eritrean evangelist Mussie Ezaz, who was arrested in 2007 and is in prison in the capital Asmara.
Pray: that these actions will speak louder than words - raising funds and awareness of the Persecuted Church. (Ps.119:156,157)
UK doctors forgo treatment
Thousands of practicing doctors in the UK have drinking problems and suffer from depression, several recent studies reported. They continue to treat patients because of a ‘culture of invincibility’ and ‘presenteeism,’ as well as a fear of exposure. A GMC report found that 98 per cent of 1,384 doctors who had underlying health concerns over the past five years were diagnosed with alcohol and substance abuse or mental health issues. While there is no evidence to suggest that ill doctors have harmed patients in their care, the study argued it is likely that they provide a ‘less good service.’ Dr Max Henderson from King’s College London’s Institute for Psychiatry said, ‘Doctors feel ashamed of being unwell and they don’t deal with illness well, they find it hard to exchange the doctor role for the patient role.’
Pray: for doctors suffering burnout, stress, and work-related pressures to find appropriate paths of treatment. (Pr.3:13-17)
More: http://rt.com/news/uk-work-henderson-health-157/
Climate change march
Christians will join a Campaign Against Climate Change march in London on 1 Dec that starts at the US Embassy. The US consistently rejects the Kyoto protocol and is still the biggest immediate barrier to effective internationally coordinated action on climate. The march finishes at the Houses of Parliament. Christians, Ecology Link and Operation Noah will be joining together ahead of the start of the march for an ecumenical worship service at Grosvenor Chapel. Global climate change is having a devastating impact on the lives of people around the world. In the UK Christian Aid is lobbying the Government to give the poorest people a voice in climate negotiations. They ask us to support their partners by bringing the issues to God in prayer. See: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/resources/churches/prayer/climate-change.aspx
Pray: that this march will motivate governments to take further positive actions. (Eph.2:10)
More: http://www.campaigncc.org/
Universities receive Saudi funds
Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has been the largest source of donations from Islamic states and royal families to British universities, much of which has been to the study of Islam, the Middle East and Arabic literature. A large share of this money has been used towards establishing Islamic study centres. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal donated £8 million to Cambridge and Edinburgh respectively for this purpose. Over recent years Oxford received Saudi support of £2 million to the Ashmolean Museum and £1 million to the Middle East Centre. There are many other donors. Oxford’s £75 million Islamic Studies Centre was supported by 12 Muslim countries. Sultan Qaboos bin Said, of Oman gave £3.1 million to Cambridge to fund two posts, including a chair of Arabic. The Saïd Business School at Oxford University was set up by a Syrian-Saudi businessman, with a £23 million donation.
Pray: for Universities to be able to tap a variety of lucrative sponsors without abandoning established national syllabus and ethos.
More: http://www.arabnews.com/british-universities-receive-saudi-funds
Reality of austerity
As part of 'Living Wage Week' the Northern TUC will be holding a conference on 'Wages, Poverty and Pay Day Loans - the reality of austerity' on Friday Nov 9th showing how austerity measures have depressed wages and increased the squeeze on living standards and hardship for people in low wage jobs. Facts revealed include * The majority of children living in poverty are in households where at least one person is in work * £6 billion each year is spent in benefits and tax credits to top up the wages of low paid employees * Over 90% of new housing benefit claims are from people in work * If the national minimum wage had increased in line with top earners, it would be more than £19 per hour today.
Pray: for God to give the Government, unions and others in positions of authority His wisdom as they face social and economic problems. (Is.58:10-12)
More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17329
15th Nov Police elections
Elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will take place next Thursday across England and Wales. They are described as the biggest policing shake-up for 50 years. For the first time ever an individual will be responsible for setting police budgets and strategic priorities. A Police and Crime panel sitting alongside the elected Commissioner would make sure that their decisions, including the sacking of a chief constable, were not taken ‘maliciously or capriciously’. New York famously managed to halve crime by adopting zero-tolerance policing when Mayor Rudy Giuliani asked his Police Chief to focus on small crimes, sending a message of order being restored. In the UK Ray Mallon, a former Police Officer, helped cut crime in Middlesbrough when he was Mayor.
Pray: for those elected to be free to work independent of political agendas in the communities that they will be responsible for. (Ps.37:37,38)
More: http://www.policeelections.com/
Oil man called by God
Sometimes we wait the best part of a lifetime for God to lead us into a particular calling and sometimes He grabs the reins and puts everything into top gear. Justine Welby (soon to be Archbishop of Canterbury) began studying theology in 1989 after working 11 years for a French oil company. He has been a bishop for less than a year. His rise has been rapid and remarkable. He has the benefit of understanding commerce, and Mammon. He oversaw the parliamentary inquiry into banking standards and the Libor fixing scandal – earning respect from political circles. Things will change rapidly for him in his next position, no longer focusing his energies on a diocese and parliamentary enquiries. His future has become much more diverse and challenging.
Pray: for God to inspire and use Justin Welby's background to unite the Church of England on women bishops, gay marriage and the international Anglican communion. (Is.41:13,14)
More: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10033178.Justin_Welby__The_oil_man_called_by_God/
Schools: Opportunity for fresh expressions of Church
A booklet called ‘Thirst’ from Church Army reveals potential for more school-based fresh expressions of church. Thirst was founded by Sue Butler, who was surprised to find that although the local school was a Church of England primary, the social and cultural gap was too great for parents to join in with traditional forms of church. The reports back from Thirst have been positive, with leaders feeling it has made a tangible difference to the overall life of the school. Church of England primary schools are an ‘open goal’ for the Church as they tend to be receptive mission contexts for pioneering fresh expressions of church; however there is a challenge in finding pioneering leaders with the necessary links, resources and skills to make the most of the opportunities.
Praise: God for Christian mission work in schools – may every expression of faith grow and flourish. (Ps.34:11)
Schools: Opportunity for fresh expressions of Church
A booklet called ‘Thirst’ from Church Army reveals potential for more school-based fresh expressions of church. Thirst was founded by Sue Butler, who was surprised to find that although the local school was a Church of England primary, the social and cultural gap was too great for parents to join in with traditional forms of church. The reports back from Thirst have been positive, with leaders feeling it has made a tangible difference to the overall life of the school. Church of England primary schools are an ‘open goal’ for the Church as they tend to be receptive mission contexts for pioneering fresh expressions of church; however there is a challenge in finding pioneering leaders with the necessary links, resources and skills to make the most of the opportunities.
Praise: God for Christian mission work in schools – may every expression of faith grow and flourish. (Ps.34:11)
After winning a second White House term, US President Barack Obama aims to start direct, fast-track nuclear talks with Tehran as soon as December, even before his January swearing-in, on the assumption that Iran's window of opportunity is very narrow - just three months, debkafile's Washington sources disclose. White House go-betweens with the office of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Kahmenei warn that Iran's campaign for the June 14 presidential election gets going in March. After that, it is estimated in Washington that Khamenei, whose ill health keeps his working day short, will be fully absorbed in a struggle to purge Iran's political hierarchy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his clique. But Tehran would prefer nuclear diplomacy to be delayed for eight months until after that election. "We waited for the US election campaign to be over, so why shouldn't the Americans wait for ours?" a senior Iranian official asked rhetorically.
For now, the supreme leader is looking for a suitable candidate for the presidency. This time, the supreme leader is not expected to make the mistake of choosing a charismatic, ambitious and competent figure like Ahmadinejad, but rather one who is satisfied with acting as a representative titular figure and play second fiddle to Khamenei whose bureau will administer the executive branch of government. The supreme leader is believed in Washington to be weighing another alternative: having parliament abolish the post of president and transferring its power to the new post of prime minister, who would be chosen from among the 290 Majlis lawmakers...
The gap between Washington and Tehran is as wide as ever: Obama wants the talks to last no more than three months and end in an agreed settlement of the nuclear dispute, whereas the ayatollah prefers a low-key process to be dragged out past the eight-month period while also gaining more time for Iran's nuclear program to race forward. This tactic would additionally help Tehran erase yet another Israeli red line, the one set by Prime Ministry Binyamin Netanyahu in his UN September speech when he said that the spring or early summer of 2013 would be the critical date for Israel to act.
www.prophecynewswatch.com
Please be in prayer for what is happening inside Tehran politically, that radicalism will be overthrown and that there will be a negotiated settlement with the Iranians about their nuclear program that can be verified. This is such a dangerous situation between the Iranians and the Israelis that we need to focus our prayers on since it could lead to World War III!