Heads of eleven Evangelical churches have asked people not to give or take bribes and oppose corruption the main inner enemy of Ukraine, reports The Christian Telegraph in reference to the Institute for Religious Freedom. ‘Losses from corruption are huge. The sin of theft cruelly destroys our nation. The experience of other countries has shown that all good changes in a person’s life or the life of the whole nation begin with changes in the worldview,’ said the appeal made by the Alliance of Evangelical Protestant Churches of Ukraine. The heads of the of Evangelical churches noted the importance of healthy spiritual guide-lines, which the Bible contains. All officials should remember ‘the oath of civil servants, and, what is more important, the responsibility before the Almighty Creator and Lord.’ the ministers called on the government to make transparent reformation of ‘courts, local governments and other important components of the state.’
Europe and UK: Christianity to decline by 2050
09 Apr 2015
A new report by the Pew Research Centre said, ‘The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching faiths. Over the next four decades Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion if current trends continue. By 2050, Christianity is set to decline further in the UK and Europe. 25% of all Christians lived in Europe in 2010. By 2050 this is set to drop to 15.6 % and Africa will have the most Christians. In 2010, 24% of the world's Christians lived in sub-Saharan Africa by 2050 it will exceed 38% according to Pew. Europe’s ‘absolute number’ of Christians will fall from 553 million in 2010 to 454 million in 2050.
Another migrant tragedy, 400 people died
16 Apr 2015
Four hundred migrants drowned in the Mediterranean in the latest migrant tragedy taking place inside the European borders. On Monday, the Italian navy said that it managed to rescue 144 people. Survivors said the boat was carrying about 550 people who wanted to enter the European Union through Italy. The survivors were brought to a southern Italian port on Tuesday morning, the International Organization for Migration and the charity Save the Children reported. Most of the migrants were sub-Saharan Africans. ‘There were 400 victims in this shipwreck, which occurred 24 hours after their vessel left the Libyan coast,’ Save the Children said in a statement, citing survivors. ‘There were several young males, probably minors, among the victims’ and also children among those rescued'. IOM spokesman in Italy, Flavio Di Giacomo, told AFP that the Italian authorities are ‘continuing to investigate in order to understand how the shipwreck happened.’
Thousands of people have gathered in 50 cities across Hungary to protest what many say is an erosion of democratic freedoms and government corruption. Sunday’s (19 April) demonstrations came after the European Commission suspended payments to Hungary over suspected corruption and irregularities in the awarding of tenders. ‘Listening to my heart I would make them resign and call an early election,’ a woman told Euronews. ‘For me, anybody else would be better than them, They have no shame.’ Euronews correspondent Attilla Magyar filed the following report from Budapest: ‘The last months have seen several demonstrations against corruption and the actions of Orbán’s government. The most recent protest demonstration was sparked by the recent disagreement between the European Union and the Hungarian government. The organisers have promised more demonstrations.’
Europe: A call to ‘Rise Up-now ’
23 Apr 2015
From May 14 to16, in Wiesbaden, Germany, International Prayer Connect will hold a prayer conference for Europe for prayer leaders based on the fact that Europe is the first port of call for millions of immigrants coming from the Arab world. This conference will be the third in a succession of similar prayer gatherings where God’s people have sought His face for Europe. The first was in 2013 in the UK. Many representatives of Arabic churches attended. In 2014 Germany held a similar conference and later that year 35 prayer leaders from 15 European countries organised the 2015 conference that is to be not only for the Arabs living in Europe, but for all Christians to unite and seek God's face in a season when many believe He is calling His church to rise up and stand in prayer for Europe in a time of significant security threats and economic cracks that are beginning to happen across nations. For more info please visit, www.riseup-now.com
The Albanian opposition condemned voting ‘irregularities’ in Sunday’s local elections, which were a test of the Balkan country's fragile democracy. The first official results to elect mayors and councillors in 61 municipalities were not expected until Monday, but the opposition Democratic Party quickly cried foul after polling stations closed. ‘There have been irregularities and manipulations, as well as pressure and threats against voters from the right,’ senior PD lawmaker Edi Paloka said in a statement, while also claiming a clear win for his party. Since the fall of communism Albanian elections have been marred by violence and accusations of fraud from all sides. ‘More than the results, the real importance of these elections are the values of democracy which must triumph,’ said parliamentary speaker Ilir Meta. Albania is extremely poor and only obtained EU candidate status last year in a move to fight against corruption and organised crime.
In a somewhat geographically and culturally challenging development, the first-ever European Games began on 13 June in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is usually identified as a Central Asian country, but the European Union considers it to be in what it calls its ‘European Neighbourhood’ – what others in the world would call ‘our backyard’. This might be shorthand for ‘an area close enough to us that what happens there affects our peace and stability’ - Ukraine is another country in the ‘Neighbourhood’. Just days ahead of the Games, on Tuesday, Amnesty International was ordered to leave Azerbaijan after it launched a report, ‘Azerbaijan - the Repression Games’ in which it highlighted human rights abuses in the country. But what about rights to freedom of religion or belief in Azerbaijan, and, more generally, across Central Asia? The Games and the surrounding publicity offer a reason to take a closer look at the region.
Christianity is increasingly marginalised by a hostile media and public mood. Christian morality and belief in the uniqueness of Jesus are labelled ‘intolerant’. Government regulations make it increasingly difficult to minister in the public arena. Many believe serious persecution is not far off. Pray that believers may recognise and address the decline of Christianity in the public sphere. Pray that they may recover confidence in the gospel and boldness and passion to share it - lovingly and unapologetically - with the majority who have little concept of its content. See also THE MILL STATEMENT at www.wpc.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Mill-Statement-Apr-2015.pdf