Ecuador: earthquake and aftershocks
22 Apr 2016
Since Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake there have been 550+ aftershocks, including a 6.2 magnitude aftershock on Wednesday. Humanitarian aid has been pouring in, but distribution is slow. People wait for hours under tropical heat for water and food supplies, and looting is reported in some shops. The death toll is 500+ and could increase by hundreds. 4,000+ were injured. The number of missing could rise to 2,000. Thousands are homeless and vulnerable. Please pray for the organisations and charities who are sending supplies and preparing airlifts; for the sniffer dogs and mechanical diggers searching for survivors where the smell of rotting bodies fills the air; for those waiting for news of missing loved ones; for harmony between foreign nationals arriving at a scene of chaos where unity in direction and good communication is needed; for the survivors in damaged communities, with poor sanitation and broken infrastructure hampering relief efforts. Pray for the estimated 150,000 children affected by the disaster. See also:
Global Christian persecution
22 Apr 2016
This week, Christian media reported: –In Ethiopia the sons of a Christian woman embraced Christianity after witnessing their mother’s martyrdom for refusing to convert to Islam from Christianity. –In China the wife of a Christian pastor was buried alive by bulldozers as she protested against the demolition of her husband’s church. –A Syrian Christian woman who was killed by Muslim extremists because she refused to renounce her faith has been described as a ‘martyr’ by Pope Francis. –In Indonesia an elderly Christian woman was publicly whipped nearly thirty times for selling alcohol as the persecution of Christians continues to rise. –In Pakistan a Christian who stood up to Muslim drug dealers was murdered for his efforts, and in Syria more than twenty Christians were brutally killed by IS when the terror group captured a Syrian community that the government had recently liberated.
Afghanistan and Israel: renewed bombings
22 Apr 2016
A week after the Taliban said it was launching a ‘spring offensive’ of large-scale attacks, bomb and gun attacks hit Kabul killing 28 and injuring 329. After the assault was declared over, another blast rocked Kabul. Afghan MP Elay Ershad said, ‘Everyone is scared in this situation.’ Other similar attacks have been foiled by security forces, but preventing them completely is almost impossible. Explosives are easily available, and bomb-making skills are common. The ‘spring offensive’ is a propaganda war. Meanwhile in Israel 21 people were injured, two seriously, when a bomb exploded on a Jerusalem bus. Bus bombings were a feature of the second intifada which ended ten years ago. However, recently there has been a fresh wave of Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Bombings are perpetrated by extremist segments of society and armies and police are under increasing pressure to stamp it out. See also:
Conflict and Christianity in Azerbaijan
22 Apr 2016
It is twenty years since the end of Moscow’s domination over the Caucasus and Central Asia, but a bitter legacy of the Soviet era is ‘frozen conflicts’ that erupt for various reasons. For two weeks there has been a new wave of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has serious destabilising potential in the South Caucasus. Although the clashes between troops have temporarily halted with a truce, the death of dozens of soldiers and civilians from both sides has caused serious concern among neighbouring countries and regional and outside powers. Azerbaijan’s wealth comes from oil reserves, the trade in which is riddled with corruption. 0.2% of Azerbaijan is Christian, with government persecution increasing. But despite harassment the Church is growing. Pray for the government to build structures that produce lasting benefits for the nation, and pray they will accept Christian values. See also:
USA: summer at IHOP
22 Apr 2016
With summer around the corner, the International House of Prayer in Kansas is preparing formative events. There will be camps and conferences that prepare people for growth and renewal: –Children’s Signs and Wonders Camps for ages 3–12 where children are trained and released to be wholeheartedly devoted to God. –Teens Awakening Camps where teens learn about their identity in God, intimacy with Jesus, intercession and how to have a lasting impact for the kingdom of God. –A high school conference for young people who desire to live radical lives of devotion to Jesus, encounter His love and bring His power and presence to school campuses and local churches. –A three-week training programme for college students and campus ministry leaders aged 18 to 30, who desire to fuel prayer in their colleges. –A conference to equip and empower pastors, parents, and leaders to pursue God and enjoy prayer.
UNICEF reports that the number of children involved in ‘suicide’ attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger has risen from four in 2014 to forty-four in 2015. One in five suicide bombers was a child. Terrorists are deceiving children and forcing them to carry out deadly acts. Half of the attacks in Cameroon were done by children, one in eight in Chad, and one in seven in Nigeria. The primary group perpetuating these tragedies is Boko Haram. An African proverb notes that children are the reward of life. Jesus didn’t keep the children far away; he welcomed them closely. Tragically we cannot physically reach the children in these countries, but we can pray that children will cease being objects to be used and start being individuals to be loved.
Australia: Christian Lobby concerns
22 Apr 2016
An Australian Christian lobbyist in Victoria is calling on citizens to make contact with their Lower and Upper House parliamentarians as parliament prepares to debate a bill aimed at stopping post-24 week abortions. The Democratic Labour Party MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins, who introduced the bill last week (it will be debated in May) has made a similar call. With 42,000 signatures already collected in support of the bill, we can pray for even more people to let politicians know their views before the debate. This can be done by email, phone calls, letters, or by meeting their local MPs. Also in Victoria, the Australian Christian Lobby is asking the education minister James Merlino to investigate as a matter of urgency a schools programme which reportedly sexualises children. Parents are still coming to terms with the radical Safe Schools programme which tells children their gender is fluid. See:
Save the date - Trumpet Call 2016
19 Apr 2016
You are invited to our next national call to prayer, Trumpet Call 2016 to be held in the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, on 15 October 2016. This year the theme of the call is Jubilee.
The term Jubilee in the Old Testament was given to the last year of a 50 year period which God instituted for the Nation of Israel to maintain the spiritual, economic and social cohesion of the nation.
The principles of Jubilee are the foundation stones of the Christian faith today, namely, redemption, reconciliation, freedom, mercy and forgiveness, restoration and unity, and they are as important for any nation today as they were in Bible times.
Trumpet Call 2016 will see Churches, Christian Agencies and Prayer Ministries from across our nations standing together to see an increasing release of these great truths through His Church into and throughout 2017. Come and be one of the 3000 people to stand and pray that day.
Put the date in your diary/phone/ iPad and share with your friends. Please pray for us in the planning and funding of this event. We will release more details in the coming weeks.
Ian Cole on behalf of the WPC team.