Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

Chronic food poverty exists in Britain, even in rural communities, exacerbated by higher food, transport, and fuel costs. Research shows that these additional costs average £3,000 per year – the ‘premium’ for living in rural areas. Pray for churches both to help and speak up for those without sufficient income to feed themselves or their families (see endhungeruk.org). Village primary schools are often at the heart of their communities, but many face closure due to falling numbers. A Church of England summit took place in November to consider how to deal with this problem, especially as it affects the CofE’s 2,000 rural schools. Pray that the solutions proposed will be effective in securing a future for village schools and in providing focuses for community life.

Part of a declaration by Passion for the Nation: ‘Father, We thank You for the call on the UK to display Your righteousness and justice. We praise You for our heritage of godly justice, and we decree, this is a time for a reawakening of Kingdom values within our justice system. May the God-given sovereignty and order of governmental authority for this nation, judicial and legislative, be restored for the United Kingdom. In the Name of Jesus, we speak godly design over every aspect of the Brexit settlement in relation to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, Criminal Justice , Civil Law and Legal Services and for Heaven’s schedule in every aspect of the transitional period, so that no plan of man or of the enemy will alter either Your timing or Your purpose.’

On 1 December, to mark World AIDS Day, Margaret Sentamu, wife of the Archbishop of York, joined NHS staff from York’s sexual health services and charity Yorkshire MESMAC to highlight the importance of taking a HIV test.  Demonstrating how simple it can be, Margaret took a finger prick test where the result can be given within twenty minutes. She said: ‘It’s important to raise awareness - not just for one day, but all year round - of the importance of getting tested. There have been fantastic advances in medication which means people can now live a completely normal life, particularly when they get an early diagnosis.’ Margaret recalled the devastating impact of losing family and friends to AIDS in her home country of Uganda. While the HIV epidemic is slowing in the UK, nearly half of people who test positive are finding out they have HIV very late, meaning that it virus may already have damaged their health permanently. Over 100,000 people live with HIV, and around a quarter of them don’t know they’re HIV positive.

‘As believers in Almighty God we have the authority to call for divine order in the Government, in Brexit, in the economy, and in every section of society. This is a “Daniel” moment when God's people can come before Him, crying out for His mercy and forgiveness as we confess our sins as a nation and call for His will to be done, in these crucial days. On 30 November Christians across Scotland and the nations will be united in prayer for the Prime Minister, Cabinet, MPs, Scottish First Minister, her Cabinet, and MSPs. We are praying for wisdom, clarity and unity. We can add our voices on that day, and in the coming days pray for our MPs by name. We must avoid being influenced by anger, fear, confusion, criticism or division, and instead lift our eyes to the One with all the answers, confident that as we do so it's not our battle, it's His battle!’

Representatives from the Roman Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and the Church of Ireland met in Belfast on 22 November to discuss the Brexit challenges and pray. In a joint statement, they said that relations between people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and between the Republic and the UK, had 'improved and deepened over the past thirty years’, and that the message of Jesus to 'love your neighbour' was guiding their response to Brexit. They added. 'We pray at this time that the tensions which the Brexit negotiations entail will not be allowed to undermine the good relationships and mutual understanding which are so important for us to work together for the common good.' They pleaded with people in positions of leadership to ‘keep the debate around Brexit civil, to speak with grace, and to weigh their words carefully’.

Many Iranian families settled in London after fleeing the former Shah and later fleeing his overthrower, Ayatollah Khomeini. 2001 brought fresh asylum movements of Farsi-speaking refugees, from Western Europe and Eurasia. Now there is a new wave of asylum seekers. In November, 78 of the 100+ refugees rescued in the English Channel were Iranian families. They were rescued by UK and French border force vessels from unsafe dinghies, or when entering the port of Dover on stolen French fishing boats. Some have been apprehended clambering up Folkestone’s rocks. The Home Office said, ‘We have stepped up deployments of our coastal patrol vessels along the south-east coast. However, this is not an issue that can be resolved by maritime resources alone.’ Iranian migrants in northern France said that they are determined to take whatever risks necessary to enter Britain. See 

The Archbishop of Canterbury has set out his vision for the next once-in-a-decade meeting of the bishops of the Anglican Communion, in 2020. He said, ‘The world needs the good news of Jesus Christ; it needs to see it in our actions, envy it in our love together, and hear it in confident proclamation of the good news of Jesus.’ He acknowledged the ongoing disagreements over sexuality and the interpretation of Scripture. ‘We have very important differences, but we must show that we respect each other as sisters and brothers in Christ, and that we learn to disagree in a way that demonstrates that we love and value each other. Whatever views we come with, we come to be under the authority of Scripture, and inspired by the Spirit.’ He is currently sending invitations to every active bishop (and spouse) in the Anglican Communion.

Rev David Robertson, former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, said new guidance on transgenderism sent to Scottish schools is 'harmful and totalitarian'. The document, 'Supporting Transgender Young People', was partly funded by the Scottish government and created in partnership with LGBT Youth Scotland and the Scottish Trans Alliance. It says that teachers should not inform parents of a child's desire to change gender unless the child agrees, and allow children to use whichever toilet and changing room facilities they prefer, adding, ‘If parents voice concerns about their child sharing toilets and/or changing rooms with a trans learner, they should be reminded of the school's ethos of inclusion, equality and respect'. The guidance also recommends gender-neutral dress code options and allowing students to compete in sports according to their gender identity.

The Government proposes to entirely remove fault from divorce law and replace it with a notification system. This would mean one spouse could end their marriage, whenever they wanted, by notifying the court and after a short period of time receive the final divorce decree, amounting to ‘no reason’ divorce. Fault sets out the high aspiration for marriage as a lifelong union. Many believe removing it would increase divorce rates, fundamentally change what marriage means, and increase the number of children living in broken families. Care (Christian Action Research and Education) is concerned that these proposals could fundamentally change what marriage means, leading to unstable situations where individual autonomy is prioritised in the law above children or the marriage. With this in mind Care has produced a short briefing paper with suggested points to make in responding to the consultation using an online form: see ‘More’ for further details. Submissions must be made before 10 December.

Church treasurer Chris Harvey was shocked when quoted over £4,000 for her mother’s funeral, even though people could walk to the church. The £2bn funeral services sector now faces a major investigation. The Competition and Markets Authority said it has ‘serious concerns’ about above-inflation price rises. Cremation fees have risen by 84% since 2008. Chris had considered using the same funeral director they used when her father died years earlier, but the business had now become part of the Dignity chain, and she was shocked at their quotation. A church treasurer herself, she knew that relatively little of that money went to the church. She found another funeral director, saved £1,400, and donated the savings to the hospice where her mother died. People arranging a funeral could save £1,000+ by shopping around, but distressed families usually don’t do so.