The Church is the biggest education provider in England, with an estimated one million children currently attending a faith school. In a recent ‘needs analysis’ report, the Church's education office warns that the increasingly elderly body of headteachers means there is a need to recruit new, strong leaders. The report said that many dioceses have become flexible around the requirement that headteachers need to be practising Christians, and can reference successful church school heads from other faiths or none at all who are able to maintain a clear vision for education. It warns of a risk to the Church's vision of education if enough teachers and school leaders with a deep understanding of and engagement with the Church of England cannot be deployed.
Russia: Need to talk with US military
02 Oct 2015
The US and Russian military will hold talks ‘as soon as possible’ to avoid clashing in Syria, top diplomats say. Russian aircraft carried out about twenty missions against the so-called Islamic State group on Wednesday. But the US expressed fears that the targets were non-IS opponents (see this week’s Syria article in World section). The strikes plunged the four-year-old civil war into a volatile new phase. Washington and Moscow are both aware of the risks of pressing ahead with rival, unco-ordinated air campaigns over Syria. To avoid an incident, last-minute decisions might have to be made by the forces on the scene. ‘There’s no time to raise it to a presidential level when two planes are closing at twenty miles a minute,’ said one US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The two countries need to carry out talks to explore ways to keep their militaries apart. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34408120
Romania: European Trumpet Call update
02 Oct 2015
Between 31 August and 4 September a European Trumpet Call was held in Timisoara, Romania. The gathering was a truly international one, with delegates from across Europe including a great UK representation. One of the UK delegates wrote on the World Prayer Centre site, ‘We were also blessed to have a team from the Pacific region who felt called to come and be with us. They have a mandate to thank Europe as their parent - the source of the gospel. We loved our Pacific friends’ holy protocols. At each meeting they would stand with their hands on their hearts to welcome in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, then hand the meeting over to Him. These were always holy moments, starting planning meetings and the main meetings in the presence of Jesus. We realised that welcoming Jesus as Lord, worshipping him and praising him was a key part of the Holy Spirit's leading.’ To read the full report click on the ‘more’ button below.
A worker from the region reports, ‘Last week I visited two groups of seekers and new believers who meet together to study scriptures. Everyone shared one thing they were thankful for that week. Each and every person in these groups told of God healing the sick, doing miracles and answering prayers supernaturally. I was amazed. In all my years on the field I have never heard of such a thing, and now we hear weekly of different groups seeing and experiencing God moving miraculously! God is doing wonderful things.’ Jesus said, ‘Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.’ We are in the middle of a week of prayer for Syria and Iraq. Pray that believers (new and old) will have the faith to go, proclaim God’s word, and pray the big faith prayers.
Christians in Israel are pleased to report that an agreement has been reached between the Israeli government and Christian schools that has enabled the schools to end their strike on 28 September. Last week we requested prayer on behalf of Christians in Israel concerned about the continued existence of Christian schools in the country after negotiations with the Israeli government over funding for the schools had reached an impasse. On Sunday an agreement was reached between the Secretariat of Christian Schools and the Education Ministry; the schools will receive a one-off payment of 50 million shekels immediately, as well as another 7.5 million shekels to be used for ‘fostering development’. The Secretariat said it regards the agreement as a provisional achievement and welcomed the decision to establish a committee to review the legal status of Christian schools, which they trust will lead to a long-term solution.
Watch and pray during desperate times
24 Sep 2015
Ian Cole the founder of World Prayer Centre shares some thoughts on the current signs that we are seeing around the world.
Millions on the move, wars and rumours of wars, desperate people fleeing from desperate people, killings in the name of religion, aborted baby parts being sold, environmental disasters, political leaders struggling to find answers, nations in uproar, car manufacturers cheating millions, financial instability increasing, good called evil and evil called good. At one time we could have been accused of exaggerating, not any longer.
So, how near are we to Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21? The answer is we do not know, but Jesus did tell us to watch, watch for the signs, and watch that you are not deceived. Watch and pray. We are encouraging each other here as a team and we want to encourage you to watch from a position of confidence and shalom (peace) in God our Father, Christ Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist wrote as he watched, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear" in fact he encourages us to "be still and know that God is God". (paraphrase Psalm 46 NIV)
So we watch, but we also warn. Watchmen are useless if they see the danger and stay quiet. The Christian message is that God loves every girl and boy including those in the womb and He loves every man and woman on the planet. Yes even those who plan, organise and carry out such evil things, even they are not outside God's mercy. However we have to warn that for those who deliberately live a Godless life, those who reject God's plan of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus, there are not only serious consequences in this life but also in the life to come. The truth is, as with an individual, so with a nation.
So as you watch, are you concerned about all you see and hear, are you fearful for your future, your children's future? In the midst of your storm take a moment or two, be still and speak to God. Tell Him your fears, tell Him your failings, tell Him your worries, He's big enough to cope with them. When the disciples were in the middle of the storm, fearing they would drown, it was Jesus who was in the boat with them that stilled the waves and stilled their hearts. Reach out to Him, He will do the same for you.
Are you new to prayer? Then check out this great resource that helps you to strat praying...
Robert Duncan of Middle East Concern reports: ‘This summer, arrests and interrogations have been unusually frequent. The exact numbers are difficult to give, but we know of twenty arrests in Kermanshah, Tehran, Shiraz and Karaj over July and August. The number could be much higher. Generally, house churches have been targeted; it is believed that a government agent was able to infiltrate several house churches and gather information about members and church leaders, which led to the arrests. It illustrates just how careful house churches need to be in accepting newcomers and that security is a big issue. When security forces raid a house church they do it quickly, without attracting attention. This summer, however, there were several examples of arrests being unnecessarily violent and witnessed by neighbours. Treatment during interrogation depends very much on the interrogator, but this summer there have been consistent reports of people being beaten.’
North Korea’s state media has released a proclamation condemning Voice of the Martyrs (VoM) for their balloon launches into North Korea this year. These brightly-coloured, helium-filled balloons either deliver Bibles in the North Korean language in electronic form or have scriptures printed on them. The balloons are released from outside North Korea’s borders. Prayers are whispered, then they are released across North Korean airspace, letting Christian brothers know that they are being supported and prayed for. Despite ongoing tensions between the two countries, VoM Korea say their work is not antagonistic, and they have never endangered citizens of either country. ‘As a Christian ministry we distribute Bibles because the Bible teaches us that all people are valuable and deserve to eat and live in peace; not because of their loyalty to a particular government, but because God created each one of us in His image’.