Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

Seyi Omooba had been given the lead role in the award-winning musical The Colour Purple, based on Alice Walker’s classic American novel. The casting was announced on the same day that Seyi went to Buckingham Palace with her father, Pastor Ade Omooba (Christian Concern’s co-founder), to receive his MBE. After the cast was announced, Seyi was criticised by another West End actor because she had cited the Bible in a Facebook post over four years earlier. As a result, she lost her leading role and was dropped from her agency. With help from the Christian Legal Centre, she is now launching a legal challenge against the theatre and the agency. The case raises the question of whether Christians can hold and express Biblical mainstream views in public - whether we can freely express opinions and interpretations of art, literature, and drama that are contrary to LGBT ideology.

On 16 November, between 10am and 3pm, a day of prayer for the churches and communities of rural Britain will be held at St James’s Church, Sutton, Macclesfield SK11 0DS. Prayer Alert intercessors are invited to join Hope for the Countryside in a time of worship, sharing, listening, and seeking the Lord for a fresh move of the Holy Spirit across the countryside and the nation. There will be no charge, and hot drinks and lunch will be provided. For more information click the ‘More’ button.

World Mental Health Day was 1 October. This year it was supported by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Every forty seconds, someone commits suicide. ‘40 seconds of action’ raises people’s awareness of the frequency of suicide, and the role that each of us can play to help prevent it. In the UK one in four adults will have mental health problems at some stage in their lifetime. For every suicide, there are twenty suicide attempts. These have an impact on families, friends, colleagues, communities and societies. Pray for a proactive church to support vulnerable people with mental health challenges wisely. 20% of the UK population will suffer from depression. Pray for more friends, neighbours, and relatives prepared to stand with the sufferers with compassion and support them through their crisis.

Two of the so-called ‘IS Beatles’ have been taken from a prison run by the Kurdish militia in northern Syria to a secure location controlled by the US. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are accused of being part of an IS cell which kidnapped and murdered Western hostages. The pair are from London, and Mr Trump described them as ‘the worst of the worst’. He said the decision to remove them from Syria had been taken ‘in case the Kurds or Turkey lose control’. The announcement came after the USA withdrew its forces from the region this week. See world article - Syria: praying into turmoil.

Philip de Grey-Warter, vicar of Fowey for 17 years, resigned from the Church of England and on 6 October started his own church in the town. The new church community, Anchor, will be run under the auspices of AMiE (Anglican Mission in England), a mission society established by GAFCON to multiply and strengthen healthy Anglican churches in England, assisting in evangelism and Biblical teaching. It intends to pioneer 25 AMiE churches by 2025. GAFCON is a global movement of conservative Anglican clergy who aim to restore the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion. Mr de Grey-Warter decided to leave the CofE when the House of Bishops allowed the baptism liturgy to be used for those who are transitioning gender. He denied that the new church is homophobic, and posted his story online . See also

This week, Quakers are describing their personal faith journeys. 'Quaker Stories’ is the theme of this year's Quaker Week. These stories will be shared on social media, using the hashtags #QuakerWeek and #QuakerStories. Alistair Fuller, of Quakers in Britain, said, ‘They are planting seeds of renewal for the world they love. Every year, we encourage Quakers to share what their faith means to them. This year we are telling the stories of how they live out their faith in the world, and how this can challenge, inspire and transform us.’ See

Having addressed the Conservative Party conference, Boris Johnson has also delivered new Brexit proposals to the EU. These included plans to replace the backstop, with Northern Ireland staying in the European single market for goods, but leaving the customs union - resulting in new customs checks. Mr Johnson has explained the proposals to MPs, and will update the House of Commons next week. Michael Gove said that the government had given ‘serious proposals’ to the EU; however, one EU spokesman has described them as ‘gravely concerning’, and other commentators are sceptical. The UK hopes to begin a period of intense negotiations, with the aim of reaching a final agreement at the EU summit on 17 October. Let us pray for God to drench European leaders with His strategies as they discuss their response to the latest Brexit plan.

Halloween is a great time to share the hope of Jesus with all those who come knocking at your door. Each ‘bag of hope’ from UCB and World Vision contains a full-colour, Bible-based booklet and activity sheet. Picture the scene. It is 31 October, the night is drawing in, and the doorbell rings. The Christians in the house know it will probably be trick-or-treaters, so they have two choices. They can pretend not to be in (dim the lights, quick!) or they could greet callers with a big smile and a brand new bag of hope. The bags are free and suitable for children aged 5 to 10. Praise God for the Christian input on that day with church light parties, and resources like the bags of hope.

‘If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ (Psalm 11:3) Beneath the turmoil and conflict in nation and church is a crumbling of the biblical foundations that have supported both through many centuries. As we teeter on the edge of an abyss, pray that believers will be able to see beyond the news and understand the time from the Lord’s perspective. Pray that He will call out a faithful remnant characterised by radical discipleship, loving fellowship, and humble service. Pray for rural believers to understand their calling to light beacons of prayer and make places of sanctuary. Britain’s green and pleasant land has a dark side which is getting darker. While overall crime rates are falling, drug crime is increasing in small towns and villages. According to NFU Mutual, rural crime hit a seven-year high in 2018, with farmers bearing the brunt. Pray to the Father to deliver us from evil, and for His peace to reign in the countryside.

1 October was ‘The International Day of Older Persons’, a day to remind people to stand against ageism and promote a society hospitable to all ages. Older people play a significant role in society as leaders, caretakers and custodians of tradition. They are also vulnerable, with many falling into poverty, becoming disabled, or facing discrimination. As health care improves, the number of older people is growing. Their needs are also growing, as are their contributions to the world. Louise Morse from Pilgrim’s Friends Society says that ageism is also a problem within churches where there is a pastor for younger people, a youth worker, but nothing to make reality of the ideas of older people. ‘If you think about it, God takes the whole of our lives to hone in us the attributes that older people have.’