A court in China has upheld the sentences against booksellers Chang Yuchun, 53, and his wife, Li Chenhui, 44, for 'inciting subversion of state power'. They each face a seven-year jail term and must both pay fines of 250,000 yuan (approximately £29,700). A local source said this is not the first case of religious booksellers being given a jail sentence, but seven years plus a hefty fine is rare. In recent months, authorities have clamped down further on the distribution of Christian resources including audio Bible players and a Bible app.
Zambian village believed for more - and got it
15 Dec 2021
The villagers of Lihukwa used to fish the local rivers, but this barely provided them with enough food or income to survive. Families went hungry, there was no school or hospital, and accessing essential supplies was challenging. Pastor Teddy Chinyama visited the village and began offering Bible study. Then, as he got to know the villagers, he taught them how to use the land God had given them and trained them in growing a variety of crops. They began to hope for a better life, and transformation began. They successfully petitioned the local council to set up a health clinic and support the construction of a new school. New projects are springing up all the time. The villagers now grow their own food and sell vegetables at the market. People are now able to afford what they need, and hunger is a thing of the past.
Last month the head teachers’ association confirmed many schools were moving their nativity plays online due to Covid concerns. But recently Boris Johnson said the move to Plan B Covid restrictions does not mean schools and churches should cancel nativity plays. He said, ‘We don’t want kids to be taken out of school before the end of term, we don’t want nativity plays to be cancelled. We think that it is OK to keep going with Christmas parties, but everybody should exercise due caution, have ventilation, wash your hands, get a test before you go - give everybody else confidence they are going to be meeting somebody who is not contagious.’
Omicron variant: things to pray for
15 Dec 2021
Downing Street intended to hold a Christmas party this year, but following the renewal of compulsory mask wearing and restricted numbers allowed in venues it was cancelled. Pray that managers and leaders of councils, commerce and industry will also take practical precautions when considering Christmas celebrations. Sajid Javid warns Omicron is spreading at a rate ‘that we've never seen before’. Pray for peace and safety to flow through our streets and for health and hope to be in our homes. A new target to give all eligible adults booster jabs by 1 January at hundreds more sites across the country means the PM and NHS are appealing for volunteers to help run these vaccination centres. They need tens of thousands of trained vaccinators and stewards to achieve the accelerated booster rollout. Pray for an exceptional number of qualified medics and helpers to be established on sites quickly.
Our government: things to pray for
15 Dec 2021
Boris Johnson won the biggest Conservative majority since Margaret Thatcher. His popularity among Conservative MPs marked the end of Tory Brexit rebellions. Now many believe his popularity and authority is waning. When the Commons voted on new Covid regulations on 14 December, Boris was forced to rely on opposition votes to get his plans through. The Conservative party has become rebellious toward their leader. Pray for God to break the stronghold of rebellion in politics. Pray for Boris to make wise decisions that are heaven-sent, uniting the government and meeting the needs of the nation as it faces Omicron. The chancellor has raised concerns about the medium-term costs of handling the pandemic in a ‘Covid O’ meeting of senior ministers this week. Several billion pounds have been allocated to cover vaccines, boosters, and therapeutic drugs costs until April. Ask God to give prudent strategies to the chancellor which cover unforeseen Covid costs while avoiding raising taxes.
Safety trials are underway for a Cambridge-led vaccine that could be used as a booster targeting Covid variants which threaten future coronavirus pandemics. The first volunteer received the vaccine on 14 December through a needle-free ‘injection’ - a blast of air that delivers it into the skin. This offers a possible future alternative to people who fear needle-based jabs. If it is successful it could be scaled up and manufactured as a powder to boost global vaccination efforts, particularly in low and middle-income countries. As new variants emerge there is a need for newer technologies. It’s vital that science continues to develop new generation vaccines. Pray for this new trial to lead the way for vaccines that will prime the immune system to respond with broader, stronger protection. The vaccine trial will follow up volunteers for about a year to ensure it is safe.
Covid shadow over NHS and care homes
15 Dec 2021
Many Covid patients admitted to hospital are unvaccinated and then ask for the vaccine on arrival, when it is too late. Hospitals are treating unprecedented numbers of sick people at the start of what could be the toughest winter in NHS history. One doctor said, ‘The recent volume of patients is higher than ever before. Everyone wants to give their best, but sometimes that is just not possible’. The treatment backlog caused by Covid has made things worse, and there are more mental health issues and alcohol abuse due to the current constraints. See There are currently no restrictions on the number of visitors allowed to care homes, but the government has confirmed it is considering restricting visits to homes to three named people over Christmas as a consequence of the uncertainty caused by the Omicron variant. Pray for the shadow of trauma, fear, and uncertainty caused by Covid to be lifted.
Atheism, wokeism and conversion therapy
15 Dec 2021
Atheism assumes various disguises, including wokeism – politically correct views on gender, race, sexuality etc. It comes in the wake of secular humanism and challenges Judeo-Christian principles in our culture. An example of wokery is Church of England’s Jayne Ozanne calling for a ban on ‘hate prayer’, asking the government to ban consensual prayer that helps same-sex people abstain from sex. It’s a reminder of Jesus’ warning that there will come a time when believers will betray one another (Matthew 10:21). See Meanwhile 1,700 church leaders and pastoral workers warned the Government over the conversion therapy ban and say they will continue to proclaim Jesus Christ’s lordship even if it means going to prison TalkRadio discussions on 'conversion therapy' turned into a rant about Christianity - a sad reminder of how far this culture is from discovering Jesus and his pattern for our lives. The Government’s consultation on conversion therapy ends on 4 February.