Global: small island states and COP25
05 Dec 2019
The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is an intergovernmental organisation of low-lying coastal and small island countries, many of which are put at risk by climate change. As COP 25 enters its second week, AOSIS warns, ‘We are mired in a planetary emergency of existential proportion. We have breached 60% of the 15 planetary tipping-points. The impacts are real and current for people living on small islands. The entire atoll of Tuvalu is at risk of flooding from sea-level rise by 2050. Even greater segments of other small island states are at risk much earlier than previously projected. Our schools, ports, hospitals, centuries-old monuments, sacred sites, and other critical infrastructure are at risk of inundation and destruction.’
Samoa: measles crisis
05 Dec 2019
An exceptional measles epidemic in Samoa is attributed to a decision in 2018 to suspend a vaccination programme after two infants died following vaccination. UNICEF has now sent Samoa 110,500 vaccines, and the government has issued extreme measures to secure ‘public safety’ as the crisis worsens. No vehicle is permitted on the road unless it belongs to an exempt service from the public sector or is being used to seek medical assistance from a medical facility. All inter-island travel between Upolu and Savaii is prohibited, except to get medical assistance. Everyone must stay at home to await the vaccination units being mobilised for the MMR vaccination plan. Public sector services exempt from closure include hospitals, morgues, fire and emergency services, police, search and rescue, and security. But people continue to avoid vaccinations, even as the country is shut down under strict emergency laws, in part due to high-profile foreign interference.
Iran: 200+ killed, hundreds arrested
05 Dec 2019
Iran's president Hassan Rouhani has called for the release of unarmed and innocent people arrested during the two weeks of protests in over 100 cities and towns after a 300% fuel price increase. The protests have now turned political as young and working-class protesters demand that religious leaders step down. Iran's leaders, blaming 'thugs' linked to the USA, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, have urged the country's judiciary to mete out harsh sentences to those involved in the demonstrations. Amnesty International reported at least 208 deaths on 2 December. Demonstrations and deaths have continued since then. Amnesty says that families of victims were threatened and warned not to speak to the media or hold funeral services. It added that the death toll is evidence that Iran's security forces went on a horrific killing spree, and urged the international community to help ensure accountability. See
Georgia: anti-corruption activism
05 Dec 2019
When the ruling party, Georgian Dream, backtracked on a promise to transition to a fully proportional parliamentary system before the 2020 elections, thousands of citizens protested, demanding a progressive electoral reform. But such protesters face smear campaigns and accusations of bias - typical of the intimidation tactics used in such situations. This also happened recently in Brazil. Those who denounce corruption and human rights abuses are often the target of disinformation campaigns, with their reports and findings dismissed as ‘fake news’. Anti-corruption activism relies strongly on trust in independent media. The use of social media and the impact of fake news is a real threat for the work of organisations like Transparency International (TI). But fake news is not always easy to detect and spreads rapidly. What can be done? In Georgia, for example, coordinated accusations against TI through anonymous Facebook posts were recently detected, labelled and debunked by another civil society group.
South Africa: Eritrean family denied asylum
05 Dec 2019
In July Filmon, an Eritrean victim of anti-Christian persecution, applied for political asylum via Port Elizabeth (PE). The Department of Home Affairs told him to return after a month. Despite a court order for the department to reopen its Cape Town office, people like Filmon have to make repeated trips to PE. When he finally had a hearing on 9 October, the official concluded he was a genuine victim of religious persecution - but in November his application was refused, and despite being assisted by an experienced lawyer he got a permit for only one month. His wife Sharon, a medical doctor, who fled from their Marxist-governed country ahead of her husband, was also refused asylum. Filmon has been advised to pay a bribe, as the only way to be successful, but as a matter of principle he does not wish to do this. He now has to go to PE for the fifth time, unless God intervenes.
Dr Jason Hubbard, IPC’s Executive Co-ordinator has written this short devotional booklet which takes us through the greatest love story of all time, when God’s own Son shed his garments of glory to become Bethlehem’s lamb.
It’s a 39 page booklet that will bring a fresh perspective on the Christmas Story and enrich, challenge and teach us more about the significance of the feasts, the history and the message of Hope for all mankind that Jesus brought.
It’s a compelling read.
Download ‘Re-kindling the Glory of Christmas Devotional’ HERE
GO 2020 Year of the Upper Room - Prayer Guide
29 Nov 2019
Global Outreach Day is a Global Missions Network that calls the Church worldwide to focus on praying and sharing the Gospel with the un-churched in the month of May each year.
This coming year, May 2020 the vision is to mobilise 100 million people in united prayer.
We are calling this initiative Go2020!
Already, Christians in 250,000 churches across 140 nations are part of this global outreach strategy to pray and witness towards the fulfilment of God's great commission.
GO 2020 - Year of the Upper Room – Preparing Hearts Prayer Guide
We in the IPC are helping to coordinate the international prayer mobilization for the GO 2020 initiative - with the aim of helping the various partnering prayer for mission projects to flow together.
The ‘Preparing Hearts’ prayer guide is a resource to help that process of integrated praying. It runs from 1st January to 9th February 2020. We trust that it will help up to 100 million people to focus their prayers on the harvest in a user-friendly way as we seek to see 1 billion saved for Christ in May 2020.
It is the first of nine 40-day prayer guides through the coming year that will focus on Go 2020 and other prayer initiatives for the unreached of our world.
To download the April 2020 Year of the Upper Room Prayer Guide - Click this Link
More info and sign up for GO2020 at: www.go2020.world/prayer
‘Calling the whole Body of Christ to prayer and action for a lost world ‘
Christians around the world soon will celebrate once again the awesome light of Christ that has penetrated and continues to shine in the darkness of human history. At the same time, hundreds of millions of people still have yet to see that light and receive the abundant and eternal life it makes possible. They are without hope and without God, living lives of desperation and meaninglessness.
After being arrested by His light and filled with His Spirit, the early church turned the world upside down. Following Jesus’ command, as a first step they stayed in Jerusalem and “joined constantly together in prayer”.
That culture of united prayer brought the empowering of the Holy Spirit and ignited remarkable spiritual breakthroughs as the Gospel began to spread throughout the then known world. This same pattern of prayer preceding evangelism has been a consistent pattern in all the great revivals and mission advances from then on through church history.
Now, tens of thousands of churches with hundreds of mission organizations and prayer movements are joining forces for an epic prayer and mission initiative unlike anything the world has known. It is called Go 2020. The goal is to reach one billion who are still unreached by Christ’s Good News. Together, by May 2020, we aim to mobilize 100 million Christians to pray for those in their communities that do not know the Lord as well as those across the seas that are part of unreached people groups.
No one organization or movement can accomplish such a staggering feat, but if we flow together like tributaries in one unstoppable river, this can be achieved! Getting God’s heart of love for the lost through prayer will lead to our sharing Jesus with them in the power and sensitivity of the Holy Spirit just as the early church experienced.
Would you and your church or ministry organization consider joining with millions of other Christ followers in such an awesome undertaking for His glory and so that everyone may encounter His great light?
Together, as we pray, mobilize, and trust the One who has all power, we can see the following happen by the end of May next year:
One billion people being reached with the Gospel and millions upon millions getting saved all over the world through May 2020.
Unreached people groups hearing the Gospel for the first time and planting new churches among them.
100 million Christians inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit to pray and share the Gospel with as many as possible in their own communities and to the ends of the earth.
50 million new believers integrated into existing and new churches.
Personal Prayer: Lord here I am, use me! I will pray for and share the Gospel with others who need to hear it. https://www.go2020.world/get-involved
A suggested five-fold strategy to mobilize believers for prayer and outreach is described in this four-minute video.
GO2020 video: https://vimeo.com/342384375
This brochure can also be used to give others the vision of Go 2020 (some translations are also available).
Further information and helpful resources can be found at www.go2020.world/prayer. Please have a look at these resources and share them with others in your unique network of relationships.
Imagine how God could use you, your friends, and colleagues to ignite a movement for Jesus in your city and beyond!
All through 2020, a series of 40-day prayer guides will help us pray daily for those still unreached and for the harvest to be brought in. Here is the link to that guide which we hope you will share with those in your network or organization.
Please let us know if you are willing to help with this mobilization process.
The fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commission is closer than we realize if we can join our prayers and efforts together to make Him known through Go 2020.
Click on this link to get helpful resources and information updates.
Yours in Christ,
Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator
John D Robb – Chairma
International Prayer Council and International Prayer Connect