Earlier this year, Prayer Alert readers were asked to pray for Hyeon-Soo Lim, the leader of the 3,000-member Light Korean Presbyterian Church in Toronto. After hundreds of humanitarian trips, he was detained last January for ‘intending to overthrow the North Korean government and set up a new religious state’. Detaining Christian foreigners is somewhat of a North Korean tradition, but accusing them of planning to set up a theocracy is new. We are sad to announce that North Korea has sentenced him to life in prison. According to the official Korean Central News Agency, state prosecutors argued for the death penalty against Lim in Wednesday’s 90-minute trial. The defence begged for mercy, pointing to Lim as a fellow-Korean and that he readily confessed to his crimes. The Canadian government has severed consular ties with North Korea, but Sweden has an embassy in Pyongyang and does some diplomatic work for Canada.
Over half of US state governors closed their state’s borders to Syrian refugees after the Paris terrorist attacks, but Christians are defying orders. Their faith tells them to open their doors to the stranger. In Georgia, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church has resettled a Syrian family, despite Gov Nathan Deal. The Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis defied Gov Mike Pence by welcoming a Syrian family last Monday. In Ohio, Westminster Presbyterian Church will accept up to three refugee families from Syria or elsewhere. The Refugee Services of Texas, an affiliate of several Christian refugee organisations, settled six Syrian refugees in Houston and expects to settle nine more soon, despite Gov Greg Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz, who proposed legislation that would allow governors to reject refugees deemed to be a security risk. The CEO of Refugee Services of Texas said, ‘We reassure all Texans that refugees are receiving a warm and compassionate welcome from staff and volunteers.’
Global: climate change summit reaches a deal
18 Dec 2015
After days of nonstop negotiations in Paris, nations united around a final document that is effectively a blueprint for how the world will tackle global warming. Everything from greenhouse gas targets to finance has been discussed. The document contains a number of unresolved items, which will need to be addressed in the future. Scientists have cautiously welcomed the text. An atmospheric consultant said at the time of the document’s preparation, ‘Perhaps some of the more ambitious options have not reached the final document, but the fact that these targets are being seriously discussed is hugely positive.’ See also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35084374
Burundi: violence ignited and exploding
18 Dec 2015
87 people were killed when violence broke out at three military sites in Burundi last Friday. Eight of the dead were security officers, and 49 people were captured. Residents who found a further 34 bodies in the street accused police of taking revenge. Unrest has hit Burundi since April with continued protests after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his decision to seek a third term in office following a disputed July election result. On Sunday the US government urged its citizens to leave Burundi immediately. African Union military observers are already on the ground assessing the situation. Hundreds have been killed since April, mostly in Bujumbura. ‘We can observe today in Burundi a clear manipulation of ethnicity by both the government and the opposition,’ the UN's special adviser on genocide told the BBC last week. Activists have gone into hiding, fearing attack. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-35083823
Israel: a typical day of violence
18 Dec 2015
One day’s edition of the Times of Israel reported that a 39-year-old West Bank resident with ‘nationalistic’ motives attacked an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem with a hammer in two separate attacks. Also, border police officers arrested a Palestinian woman who had planned to carry out a stabbing attack in Jerusalem with a screwdriver. The police, alerted by her suspicious behaviour, they stopped her for questioning. When they found the screwdriver, she admitted that she intended to carry out a stabbing attack. Palestinians have used screwdrivers in stabbing attacks several times in recent months. Abed el-Muhsen Hassuna, a car-ramming terrorist who injured fourteen people the previous day, lived in Hebron and possessed an Israeli ID card but was also a member of Hamas. Doctors are fighting to save the foot of a baby who was one of those hurt.
Sarmed Ozam, a 24-year-old Iraqi Chaldean Christian forced to flee Mosul by IS, has appealed to the Prince of Wales for help with his failed asylum application. The Home Office rejected his bid for safety and told him to ‘go to Baghdad’. Mr Ozam said, ‘I can't go back to Iraq, I will be killed there. If I go there I would be a number in the subtitles of the news, no one would care about another one on the list of killed people. I would be left dead in the street for the animals.’ At an Advent reception hosted by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Mr Ozam told Prince Charles how his family had left the besieged area after militants left them with nothing. He thinks that the heir to the throne believes his personal story was really important. 'Prince Charles promised to pray for me’, he said.
66 mission agency staff must leave UK
18 Dec 2015
One of the world’s largest mission agencies will lose 66 staff from its British office after UK Visas and Immigration officials removed its licence to sponsor visas. Following an inspection by officials, Operation Mobilisation can no longer bring in missionaries from outside the European Union to staff its UK office: non-European employees and volunteers must leave the UK within two months. Expectations and requirements on visa sponsors have increased dramatically in recent years, and unfortunately, as with many similar organisations, OM can’t keep up with those requirements quickly enough. They respect the decision, and will realign protocols and internal procedures to ensure they are in full compliance with current legislation; then they will reapply for their licence in twelve months’ time. Last year YWAM had 300+ missionaries and their families removed from Britain, and in 2014 Wycliffe Bible Translators had the same challenge.
Using Star Wars to spread the gospel
18 Dec 2015
As people flock to see the latest episode of Star Wars, The Force Awakens, churches are hosting Star Wars-themed Christmas services, making Star Wars-themed videos and dressing up as Star Wars characters. This is a good example of what the church was born to do: take what is culturally relevant and use it to talk about Jesus. All Hallows Church in London is led by self-professed Star Wars geek Rev Cris Rogers. It is home to a Jedi training school and has a monthly Star Wars-themed family service. He says, ‘The rebel alliance fought against the empire, and kids are asked how - as Christians – we can live in the world and challenge it.’ However ‘the force’ is not a good analogy because the Holy Spirit is a person, not a strange cosmic thing.