English and French bishops took part in a 'Welcome Refugee' day of action in Calais, while other UK church leaders returned from meeting thousands fleeing conflict on the Greek-Macedonian border. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Southwark and the Anglican Bishop of Dover joined the Bishop of Arras and 2,000 supporters from England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and other countries in Calais. With winter looming for the camp's inhabitants, the leaders issued a joint statement encouraging people of all faiths to help. A participant at the day of action said she saw only one water source in the camp and eight portaloos, adding that the place was disorganised and ungoverned. Other than a small understaffed centre there are no official structures in place, and the limited number of volunteers ‘struggle to cope’ with the job of sorting and distributing donations. Anglican priest Rev Tim Clapton said the refugees found the Christian delegation an encouragement.
Gospel singer on X Factor
24 Sep 2015
A Gospel singer from Camden, London, has made it through to the next stages of the televised X Factor competition. Over the weekend Jennifer Phillips, 49, made it through the Boot Camp phase of the show. When she performed Mary Mary's Shackles,her rendition of the classic got the whole crowd up on their feet, including the judges - with the exception of Simon Cowell. Lyrics of the gospel song include ‘Been through the fire and the rain. Bound in every kind of way. But God has broken every chain.’ The final episode will be aired before Christmas and the winner will release their own original track. The next show will be aired this weekend on ITV. Another church-inspired group, BEKLN, is also doing well. The five members met in the London Community Gospel Choir, and have been praised on the show for the harmonies they have been delivering.
A 25-year-old man was shot in the leg in Belfast on 14 September. Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan said, ‘This attack must be condemned by everyone. Those who carried it out are not doing it in the name of the local community who have rejected these groups. There is no justification for these attacks.’ Meanwhile, over half a kilo of Semtex, two handguns, 200+ rounds of ammunition and two detonators were discovered on the Ballymurphy Road in a terrorist activity investigation. A 45-year-old man was charged on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, Irish Catholic and Protestant leaders united to urge politicians to take a ‘critical opportunity’ to restore hope, saying that a plan was needed to rebuild trust and advance the work of reconciliation. See also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-34321179
The Archbishop of Canterbury, who said last weekend, ‘Jesus was a refugee’, will give a home to a family of Syrian refugees in a cottage at his London residence. A spokeswoman said, ‘There are refugees here who are desperate for sanctuary from war-torn places, and the Archbishop wants to make a difference.’ He has also criticised David Cameron's plans to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees, saying the action was a ‘very slim response’ that is ‘going to have to rise over the next five years’. Earlier this month Pope Francis announced that the Vatican would house two refugee families, and called on Roman Catholic organisations to take in families and displaced individuals. The UK Green Party leader said that we hold 12% of the EU economy and should host a fair proportion of the two million refugees - urging the government to host 240,000 displaced Syrians.
Russia is preparing to establish a military airbase in Belarus, fuelling concerns over potential threats to Poland and the Baltic states. The decision is the latest example of Moscow’s determination to assert its influence beyond Russia’s borders and rebuild its military capacities, which were eroded after the collapse of the Soviet Union. By giving permission to open a Russian airbase in Belarus, the official authorities help increase offensive capabilities of Putin's Russia by pitting Belarus against other countries in the region and the Euro-Atlantic community as a whole. Also the illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea by Russia demonstrates the Kremlin's readiness to use its foreign military bases against the countries that allowed them to open them in their territory. For two years Nato members have complained about increasingly assertive Russian behaviour along Nato’s borders in eastern Europe. See also: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d0ae3166-5f84-11e5-9846-de406ccb37f2.html#axzz3mYII0zRS
EU: Migrant people pipeline and quota plan
24 Sep 2015
EU leaders will relocate 120,000 migrants across the continent, even though Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary voted against a mandatory quota scheme. Pray for the toxic atmosphere around the quota system to be replaced by policies the EU countries can implement to help each other, rather than blaming each other. Pray for those leaders angry that their governments were outvoted on the issue of relocating refugees. As EU leaders are in disarray over what to do next, chaos on the ground has changed to an orderly means of transporting migrants from country to country. Migrants are travelling from Turkey to Austria, passing through Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary through what has become a relatively efficient people's pipeline from southern into central and on to northern Europe, but this is no long-term solution to Europe's migration conundrum.
Leila’s testimonial
24 Sep 2015
‘I was born in Bethlehem. I’m one of 200,000 Palestinians living in Bethlehem. As a child I used to go to Jerusalem, to the Holy Sepulchre church, a special place for us Christians, and I swam in the sea in Tel Aviv. Things changed with the Intifada War. Curfews and bombs. Then they built the wall and now I need permission to go into Israel. I’ve been living with this division - and I don’t want my children to live the same way. I had never met an Israeli, only soldiers with guns. Then I went on a young adults’ trip with an organisation called Musalaha and had the chance to meet Israelis and even become friends with them. I still meet with them and we talk about reconciliation and how to accept each other. I hope for a peaceful solution, and I believe in the power of One I know.’
Church engaging with Rugby World Cup
24 Sep 2015
The Rugby World Cup, the world’s third largest sporting event, is now in full flow, and churches across the land are engaging with their communities in themed rugby events. A global prayer wave started last Friday, the day before the World Cup began. Participating churches across the nations prayed at 8.00 pm local time, creating a prayer wave of people gathered in groups to cover the event in prayer. It was tracked online via an interactive world map on the Engage 2015 website allowing people to see the progress and contribute to a global community of prayers for the Rugby World Cup 2015. Across the UK churches have been organising rugby-themed prayer groups and church services, community festivals, family hosting for overseas visitors, screening the matches in church buildings, hosting guest events, and much more.