Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

‘I have been a doctor for forty years working in a broken system. Endless demands with inadequate resources have been costly. But will striking work? Does Jesus want me to strike? I’m conflicted. Philippians says, ‘Don’t look out only for your own interests, take an interest in others, too with the same attitude of Christ.’ If I strike someone else will cover. They’ll be taken from routine work, making the queue of suffering grow. Nevertheless, when all is said and done, the NHS is not playing fair; they expect everything and erode my salary by stealth. The BMA says a strike in August will show the government we mean business. Colossians says I should think I work for you Lord, not them. Do I really have to trust you to meet my needs? Or must I agree with BMA’s next strike over pay and conditions?’

The Co-op has warned some communities could become ‘no-go’ areas for shops due to crime hitting record levels, increasing by over 1/3rd in the past year. There were about 1,000 shoplifting and anti-social behaviour incidents every day in the past six months. A Freedom of Information request revealed 71% of serious retail crime had not received a police response. Many police forces do not prioritise retail crime. The Co-op has called for an ‘urgent change’, and for all forces to target repeat and prolific offenders in cities where organised criminal gangs operate - it could be described as looting. Criminals come in with bags, sacks or clothing which can conceal hundreds of pounds’ worth of stock - coffee, meat, spirits; others clamber over the kiosk and just tip products into their bags. They know the police don't have the resources or can't attend quickly enough.

Christian Aid have cut ties with Barclays over the bank’s investments in oil and gas industries. The bank is known to be one of Europe’s leading funders of fossil fuels. Sarah Edwards from Just Money Movement said, ‘I think charities, companies, churches, and individuals are all having to think now more about what our money is doing, and the kind of world that our money is shaping. I think that's a really positive step. And we're really pleased that Christian Aid have done this. Money shapes the kind of world we want to see. Banks don’t just sit on our money when it is in a current or savings account, they invest it, they lend it, and use it in different ways. Some of those ways we might not be happy with.’ Barclays said it will set an ambition to become net zero by 2050, as addressing climate change is an urgent and complex challenge.

Residents of St Ives have raised £1m to buy Edward Hain Memorial hospital after the NHS closed it. They feared it would be sold to developers to provide holiday flats. It will be a new hub for health and wellness, providing accessible and (wherever possible) free services to residents of St Ives and west Cornwall. Charities and health groups will provide support for people with conditions such as Parkinson’s, dementia and offer wellbeing and preventive services like food quality awareness, yoga and exercise. The League of Friends decided to try to buy it, so fundraising events including music gigs, balls, coffee mornings, afternoon tea and golf competitions were held. 92-year-old Enid, who was a nurse there in the 1950s, did a sponsored walk to help save the building. Fundraising will continue to pay off a £400,000 mortgage that helped them reach the target, plus the renovations and upgrades that are needed.

The polls say politicians are incompetent, and people are losing hope that they will fix the issues besetting us. Politicians tend to look to the next day's headlines, seeking quick fixes that will boost poll ratings rather than setting out sound strategies that may not reveal benefits immediately. We've all heard of the acronym NIMBY, but perhaps the blight of political leadership is NIMTO: Not in My Term of Office. We can pray for God to raise up a generation of leaders for such a time as this - men and women who are not affected by ‘NIMTO’-ism, people prepared to look at the details and discuss the complexity and costs, people who are able to sell the long term benefits to a population that is losing faith in everything.

The fire that fell on Pentecost was Holy Spirit fire. We can ask Father God to pour His Holy fire over us today, so that Jesus has complete lordship over all His churches. Father God, please raise up ministers who have gone through your Spirit’s cleansing fire. Refine them as gold is refined, purify them as silver is purified, and may all they do glorify You. Father God, bring about Your purposes for all your people, create a church that resists temptations of good ideas or worldly wisdom and chooses to call on you for the vast wisdom and strength You promise to all who ask in Jesus’s name. May we reflect the unity of Your Spirit according to Jesus’s prayer, ‘The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one’ (John 17:22-23).

The following is for our economy, elections, and transformation. Proverbs 11:14 says that where there is no wise, intelligent, guidance, the people go off-course like a ship without a helm. But with wise and godly counsellors there is victory. We pray wise and Godly counsel for all those making policy decisions at this time, whether in Parliament, the Bank of England, the Health Service or any sphere of influence in our land; for those deciding whether to stand down in the next general election, and also those of God’s people considering standing for the first time; and over the London mayoral elections in 2024. We decree and declare that success is found by those who welcome Godly counsel. Lord God, we ask that across this nation, from the corridors of power to families struggling with issues of finance, children or marriage, the cry for Godly wisdom and advice will arise; and as that cry rises Godly advisors, carrying revelatory wisdom will be positioned in every section of society.

Christian churches and charities say the government’s Illegal Migration Bill is ‘senselessly cruel’ and will have a ‘devastating impact’ on lives. Almost 300 civil society groups and charities have signed a statement expressing concern over the Bill which will now become law after ministers overruled a series of House of Lords challenges. The bill will make claiming asylum in the UK via irregular routes illegal and pushes forward the plan to deport asylum seekers to third countries, including the planned Rwanda partnership. It turns our country’s back on people seeking safety, blocking them from protection, support, and justice, at a time that they need it most. It risks breaching international human rights treaties such as the Refugee Convention, while shielding the Government from accountability. The Government admits it cannot confirm if the act is compatible with our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says unclear pricing could hamper people's ability to compare products, and has told supermarkets to make their pricing clearer to help shoppers find the best deals. Retailers should make the necessary changes or risk facing enforcement action. The watchdog also called on the Government to bring in reforms to tighten the law. Under current rules, most products should be priced per unit either by kilogram or by litre. But the CMA found examples of retailers using grams and millilitres. In some instances, the same type of product, such as liquid laundry detergent, was priced per unit using different metrics, making it hard for shoppers to compare prices on a like-for-like basis. Pray for these changes to help those who cannot travel to large stores or shop online, so they must rely on higher-priced convenience stores.

The Diocese of St Albans has reported, ‘We have been informed of the resignation of Canon Mike Pilavachi from his employment at Soul Survivor Watford, and want to stress that a safeguarding investigation will continue in line with House of Bishops guidance. We will continue to listen to and offer support to those who come forward.’ The joint investigation is being run by the diocese  and the National Safeguarding Team, independently of Soul Survivor. The Church Times reported Matt Redman speaking of ‘harmful behaviour by church leadership’ and in Premier Christian News Matt said he spent years healing from his time at Soul Survivor. The Telegraph reported the Church’s abuse investigation as ‘toothless’, with no power to punish preachers. There are a number of current abuse scandals leaving a trail of destruction across the church.