Liechtenstein: Evangelism and outreach needed
01 Jul 2015
In Liechtenstein freedom of religion is guaranteed and the Catholic Church is effectively the State Church. The religious diversity breakdown is 69% Catholic, 7% Muslim, 14% Non-Religious, 0.7% Orthodox and 9% Protestant. Let us claim the scriptural promise in Philippians 2:10-11 for Liechtenstein! There does not appear to be much outreach by believers to members of the Muslim community, so let us seek the Lord for more labourers and an outpouring of His Spirit on this part of His vineyard. May they expand the work started thirty years ago.
Northern Ireland cannabis factory discovered
25 Jun 2015
Detectives in Dungiven discovered a cannabis factory worth £250,000 and arrested a 38-year-old woman. Some of the plants were four feet high. The owner of the property - who discovered the cannabis factory - said, ‘I’m shocked, I can’t believe it.’ Detective Chief Inspector, Colin Gillis, from Crime Operations Dept. said, ‘I would like the people involved in the use and supply of illegal drugs to know that Northern Ireland is not a safe environment for them to spread their misery and destroy people’s lives. When members of the public work along with police we see time and again that successes can be made against the drugs gangs and I would actively encourage anyone with any information about the use or supply of illegal drugs to contact police on 101 to enable us to continue taking these substances off our streets.’
An elderly evangelical Christian preacher suffering from cancer and diabetes would rather go to prison than withdraw a statement he made last year during a sermon in his north Belfast church where he called Islam ‘satanic.’ In an interview, an obdurate Pastor James McConnell, 78, who is facing a potential hate crime conviction, told the Belfast Telegraph that he is ready to serve his time in jail, unafraid to be locked up with sex offenders, hoodlums, and paramilitaries. ‘I have no regrets about what I said. I do not hate Muslims but I denounce Islam as a doctrine and I make no apologies for that. I will be pleading 'not guilty' when I stand in the dock in August.’
A British charity that provides assistance to Christians in predominantly Muslim countries hosted a training session in London on Tuesday to advise UK churches on protecting their premises and congregations against an attack by Islamic State militants. The Barnabas Fund, which says it offers ‘practical aid for the persecuted church’, invited fifty church leaders to participate in the half-day session at Westminster’s Central Hall. The charity’s international director, Patrick Sookhdeo, and police representatives were present to give advice. An email with the subject line ‘Protecting British churches from terrorist attack’ warns, ‘Given the dramatic growth of IS in the Middle East and the increased anti-Christian rhetoric and attacks from that group, plus the recently thwarted attempts to attack churches in Paris, the possibility of an IS attack on British churches cannot be discounted.’
15-year-old Lewis Brimble was recently told by the NHS that they had declined his application for Eculizumab, the only drug that could save his life. He said ‘I have had a rare kidney disease since I was nine years old which progressed into end stage renal failure. I spent two years on dialysis. When I was 11 Mum donated her kidney to me, and I slowly got back to being normal. Then after 15 months my disease came back, with damage to my transplanted kidney. Since then I have been deteriorating. Doctors said there is only one drug, Eculizumab, that can stop my disease from getting worse and forcing me to go back to a nightmare half-life on dialysis. But now, NHS England have rejected my application for the drug simply because it is ‘too expensive’.’
Queen 'could move out of Buckingham Palace'
25 Jun 2015
The Queen may have to move out of Buckingham Palace to allow maintenance work costing £150m to be carried out. It is one option being considered by the royal household, which says the palace needs new plumbing and wiring and has not been decorated since 1952. It comes as the Crown Estate, which owns property on behalf of the Queen, returned record profits of £285m to the taxpayer last year. The publication of the royal accounts can be an uncomfortable time for palace officials. Under scrutiny is the way the Royal Family spends public funds. The palace puts the cost of funding the royals at 56p per person in the UK. It's a figure Sir Alan Reid, the keeper of the Privy Purse described as excellent value for money. Royal sources reported significant amounts of asbestos needed to be removed from Buckingham Palace in a project described as a fundamental re-service.
Houses of Parliament are crumbling
25 Jun 2015
In 2012 MPs were first alerted to the fact that the Grade-1 listed building needs urgent repairs. A new report warns MPs that if they stay in the buildings whilst repairs are carried out it could take 32 years and cost £7 billion. The whole structure is crumbling. Built on London clay, it is slowly sliding towards the river. There are serious problems with the roof, walls are crumbling and the foundations are cracking. MPs are facing an option to move out while the work is done, which could take 10 years and cost £3 billion. This is the surveyors' favoured option. The sorry condition of Parliament could be seen as a metaphor of Britain's crumbling moral, spiritual, economic and political state. We have undermined family life through laws allowing abortion, easy divorce, and same-sex 'marriage' and sent our soldiers to fight in wars that had little or nothing to do with our national security. We have passed laws that favour the rich and deny justice to the poor.
The World Prayer Centre is inviting all Christian believers, churches, youth groups, intercessory groups, young and old to come and pray for our family of nations at what they believe is a significant time in our nations. You are invited to come for a National Day of Worship and Prayer at TRUMPET CALL 2015 at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on Saturday 4 July 2015. Ian Cole, Founder of World Prayer Centre said, ‘If we, as the Christian Church, do not stand together and pray on behalf of our nations and their future generations, who will? At TRUMPET CALL 2015, we will release a powerful trumpet blast over the British Isles and beyond into Europe - an alarm that will alert us to the dangers we face, while at the same time opening our eyes and to heed God’s spirit within us to the opportunities we have to live out our Christian faith in actions and prayer for our nations.’ There are car parks near the venue and many cafes, restaurants and shops nearby.