Displaying items by tag: church

A leading Irish expert has called Church leaders to appoint a team of exorcists to cope with what he sees as a rising tide of evil in the country. While many believe exorcisms only happen in Hollywood blockbusters, exorcist Fr Pat Collins said he is besieged by desperate people seeking help to deal with what they believe to be demonic possession and evil activity. He is ‘baffled’ that Irish bishops are not taking more action to appoint priests to deal with everything from ghostly encounters, being pulled from their beds, and full-blown possession. ‘What I’m finding is people who in their own minds believe - rightly or wrongly - that they’re afflicted by evil spirits. In many cases it is wrongly, but when they turn to the Church we don’t know what to do, and often they are not helped.' He also said there was growing apostasy within the Church. 'As this has happened, there is increasing evidence of the malicious activity of the evil one.’

Twenty-six C of E bishops have reserved seats in the House of Lords, with the right to debate and vote on changes to the law. Recently the Archbishop of Canterbury led a debate on education, in which three other bishops spoke about values, schools, early years, further education, and skills. Bishops also spoke in debates on the autumn budget, and in response to Government statements on Zimbabwe, the social mobility commission, and terrorism. They asked questions about social housing in rural areas, and rough sleeping. In the House of Commons the second church estates commissioner answered questions from MPs on her bill to enable mothers to have equal status on marriage certificates, and on religious minorities in Egypt. Our bishops’ words have an influence on Westminster, so pray for God's Spirit to fill each one of them and spill out in all that they say and do.

The Christian mental health organisation Livability called for churches to be more honest about life's difficulties. A survey found that half of UK adults (26 million people) would feel uncomfortable or unsure about telling others if they experienced a mental health problem. The director of Livability said, ‘It's about creating communities where we talk about our well-being. There's a real need for us to start normalising the level of conversation that we have in our churches. There's a negative impact when we don't talk about these things.’ He encouraged churches to move away from criticism and adopt a culture of honesty, with leaders talking about their own emotional and mental well-being. The survey found that people aged between 16 and 24 are most likely to experience mental health issues. To be called a ‘snowflake’, implying that you are easily offended or hurt, is damaging to mental health.

A decision by the Scottish government to ban fracking has been welcomed by the Church of Scotland. Church leaders said the vast majority of congregations oppose this controversial practice. They have now called for more opportunities to exploit greener energy sources, like wind. Adrian Shaw, the Church of Scotland's climate change officer said the Church is against fracking ‘primarily because of a need to build a low carbon economy’, adding, ‘Continuing dependence on fossil fuels, coal, and gas delays a low-carbon economy.’ He also said that the Church believes in the potential for Scotland to be fully green. ‘Our resources for wind power, hydropower, and tidal power are enormous here.’

Pray for Canadian young people to experience a true move of God, calling them to faith. Cry out for the new edition of Youth Alpha which will be launching this autumn; may the Lord use this tool and many like it to encounter a generation. Intercede also for businesses which are dedicated to kingdom purposes to have favour, breakthrough and supernatural activity. May they have divine strategies for wisdom and timing. It is vital that the Church becomes more Christ-centred. Pray for this summer to be a season of restoration, health, relationships, unity and faith. May whatever has been worn down over the past season receive supernatural restoration. It is time to see signs and wonders following and confirming gospel preaching. Cry out for these powerful, supernatural confirmations to be released from heaven. May healings be as common in the Canadian Church as they were in Jesus' day and the Book of Acts.

Americans have become less likely to identify with an official or formal religion in recent decades, and nowhere is this more evident than in the dwindling percentage who identify with a specific Protestant denomination. In 2000, 50% of Americans identified with a specific denomination; by 2016 that figure had dropped to 30%. The result of the poll showed that ‘while many Americans remain religious in a broad sense and may continue to seek spiritual guidance and community experience, a formal structure in which to do so has become less important’.

The Scottish Episcopal Church has elected Rt Rev’d Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness, as Primus. Bishop Mark, 56, the youngest of the bishops, was consecrated in his current diocese in 2007. He said: ‘I am humbled by the confidence shown in me by my colleagues, and I will seek to serve the Church with love and strength. It has been 82 years since a Bishop of Moray became Primus, and I pray that I may be worthy of this trust. I will continue to serve in my beloved Highlands while I also step out into new and exciting journeys of faith in both Scotland and the wider international church.’ He takes up this role as a Primate within the Anglican Communion at a time when the General Synod of his Church has voted to permit same-sex marriage. That decision is expected to be on the agenda of the forthcoming Primates’ meeting in Canterbury, which he will attend. He is married to Jane, a teacher, and they have a son and two daughters.

We live in a stressful world. It is stressful to hear that British authorities are currently investigating 500 active terrorist plotters, 3,000 persons of interest, and 20,000 others with links to militancy. Security officials say the number of radicalised individuals has become unmanageable and the latest terrorist attacks in Great Britain are ‘just the tip of the iceberg, and it’s an enormous iceberg. Meanwhile a transgender man who stopped taking testosterone is now pregnant, and the CofE is to vote on creating a liturgy to celebrate sex changes (see article above). Are your stress levels increasing when you read the news? A new report indicates that those who attend church services may reduce their mortality risk by 55%. The remedy for stress is not found in our fallen culture but in our risen Lord.

Pentecost Sunday is when many celebrate both the power of the Spirit and the birthday of the Church. The Spirit’s power and the life of the Church are always intertwined. On the day of the Spirit’s spectacular arrival among the disciples, 120 Jesus-followers became a church of over 3,000 (over 2,500% growth in one day)! It is because Pentecost is the Church’s birthday that many congregations include church-belonging rituals (confirmations, first communions, baptisms and dedications) in their celebrations. When a congregation commits to celebrating Pentecost, they are declaring that ‘the church is God’s plan A for the world - and there’s no plan B.’ Our individual journeys matter, but they are always part of the larger story God is telling through the people gathering in His name. Pentecost is the birthplace of global missions.

From 25 May to 4 June individuals and churches around the nation will join in a global ‘wave of prayer’ for the ten days leading up to Pentecost. There is a rich variety of activities taking place, and it is exciting to see many ways in which we can engage with God in praying for our communities and nations. Below are some of the events for which we can intercede in advance:- Ask God that many will attend city-wide praise/prayer events, and that events being held in public locations will draw many shoppers into the God-filled space. Pray for prayer breakfasts to be filled with spiritual tastes of Kingdom. Pray that the 24/7 prayer chains organised by church communities will have all slots filled, creating a mighty canopy of prayer over their communities. May those setting up prayer rooms be blessed with God-inspired fresh ideas that draw people closer to Him.