Displaying items by tag: Europe

Phil Togwell from Prayerspaces in Schools writes, ‘In the UK last year, more than 200,000 children and young people visited a creative prayer space in their school, and many of them tried praying for the first time in their lives. One 10-year-old wrote in the feedback book, ‘It was fun, and I now see God everywhere I look. God has spoken to me.’ Unless we become like little children ...

Schools are queuing to hear the message of Easter creatively told in an interactive, child-friendly way. Primary pupils in Doncaster - a town statistically at the bottom of the church attendance league table, at just 2% - have been discovering the amazing story of the death and resurrection of Jesus over the past seven years. Christians around the country have been taken by surprise at the openness to the Gospel now found in the teaching establishments of this northern metropolitan borough – geographically the largest outside London but with a population of only 300,000. For the eighth successive year a project known as ‘the Easter Journey’ is being offered to Key Stage 2 pupils, and Tuxford in Nottinghamshire is also now benefitting. 1,300 pupils from eight schools will experience the unique journey through five stages of the Easter story – Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Cross and the Resurrection.

Two devout evangelical Christians whose 10-year-old son is in intensive care with a brain tumour are in a High Court battle with doctors. Specialists want a judge to allow them to limit the treatment they provide to the youngster, saying the boy cannot recover and should be made as comfortable as possible without further ‘invasive’ procedures. The boy's parents, who are separated, disagree and say doctors should not limit treatment options. They ‘lavish’ the youngster with love, and play gospel music to him. The judge began considering evidence in the family division of a high court on Tuesday. Lawyers representing the boy's parents said life was ‘precarious and uncertain’, and people sometimes made unexpected recoveries. The parents believe there are things that could be done, but that doctors are giving up.

A man with multiple system atrophy wants to change the law to legalise assisted suicide for anyone with incurable illnesses. Iranian father-of-three Omid is crowdfunding a High Court bid to change the law on assisted suicide. Baroness Campbell, founder of ‘Not Dead Yet UK’, who also has spinal muscular atrophy, believes that the lives of the vulnerable must be protected and assisted suicide should remain illegal. She warned, ‘Changing the law would be a real threat to disabled people’. Omid is 54, his muscles and speech have deteriorated, and he is bed-bound. In 2015 he attempted suicide but failed. His condition is not terminal; he could live another 15+ years. He says that suicide is legal, but he cannot end his life without control in his arms and hands. The court case continues; judgment is expected before Easter.

Two women are killed every week in England and Wales by a current or former partner (Office of National Statistics, 2015). One in four women in England and Wales experience domestic violence in their lifetimes, and 8% will suffer domestic violence in any given year (Crime Survey of England and Wales). Domestic violence has a higher rate of repeat victimisation than any other crime (Home Office). Every minute police in the UK receive a domestic assistance call; police say that there are greater dangers in our nations from domestic violence than terrorism. Yet it remains a hidden danger. 1.8 million adults were victims of domestic abuse last year. Much violence can be due to addictions and mental health problems. We can pray for victims to have the courage to seek help, and for the perpetrators to receive help and deal with their anger in a healthy way. Pray for children who witness or are victims of violence.

Since its launch last December, Clergy Hosting has attracted eleven clergy to take up the challenge and to offer hospitality to destitute migrants and asylum-seekers. They know through conversations that there are many more clergy and lay people who want to open up their homes and provide this vitally needed welcome. They are hosting an information evening in London on 20 April where clergy who are already hosting guests will be sharing their experiences alongside those being supported by Clergy Housing. People who attend this or any other open evening will learn how the Housing Justice scheme works and be able to ask questions about it.

A new study on British cultural attitudes at the workplace has found that religion has become the butt of jokes. Workers who would never make sexist or racist jokes feel free to mock faith instead. The recently released ComRes study warned that as many as a million workers may have faced harassment, discrimination or bullying because of their religious beliefs, with some saying they're uncomfortable about mentioning they pray or go to church. James Orr, a fellow in theology, ethics and public life at Oxford University, wrote a report titled ‘Beyond Belief: Defending religious liberty through the British Bill of Rights,’ saying that such targeting is clearly a problem, but questions of humour are not clear-cut. If one is confident in one's belief, one should be able to accommodate and put up with a bit of mocking and humour.

This year Germany will have elections at the national and local state level. There is one decisive factor that we can pray into. It is the preamble of the Federal Constitution (referred to as the Basic Law of the German Federal Republic), which reads as follows, ‘In awareness of their responsibility to God and man, the German people have drawn up for themselves this constitution.’ Such a reference to ‘God’ by political leaders is very unusual in Europe. It originated in 1949, after the Nazi period. The Germans know what happens when politicians take responsibility for their work only ‘before man’. Also, once a month members of parliament from a cross-section of all parties meet at a prayer breakfast before the start of the parliamentary sitting. In this place of prayer they always have the example of the person Jesus of Nazareth before them. May Germany’s politicians powerfully meet Jesus in these meetings.

The safety of the Russian people depends upon President Putin’s response to the St Petersburg attack. If the President rounds up more Chechen activists or pounds what’s left of Syria’s cities, then he will only provoke another murderous attack on a train. Russia’s involvement in Syria’s war is one motive, the long-running conflict in Chechnya another. Whichever group may have been responsible, or whichever terror organisation inspired some lone individual, the response of Russia, many believe, is likely to be one of further repression and an appeal to nationalist sentiment. This has been the Putin way for as long as he has exercised power in his land. Pray that this event would not bring another twist to the cycle of violence in the region.

Following Theresa May’s invoking Article 50 this week, the Government has tabled a bill to remove EU law from the statute book. Ministers promise a smooth and stable transition, with legislation ending the supremacy of EU judges. Mrs May said the bill will make the UK an independent, sovereign nation. It will repeal the European Communities Act, which says EU law is superior to the UK's; remove the UK from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice; and transpose EU legislation into domestic UK law. Negotiations with the EU will include the importance of border controls, intelligence sharing, and the role of European courts in Britain's security. Although the EU's freedom of movement rules colour Britain's ability to police its borders, many are asking, ‘Will Britons be safe, at risk, or see their security largely unchanged once the UK exits from the EU?’ See