Ethiopia: at least 500 Christians slaughtered
03 Sep 2020
An Ethiopian Christian leader called for an international inquiry into over 500 Christians killed since the end of June - including pregnant women, children and whole families. The coordinated slaughter was by the Muslim Oromo ethnic group who are members of Qeerroo (meaning bachelors), a male youth movement. In door-to-door attacks, they arrived in cars and, armed with guns, machetes, swords and spears, sought out and slaughtered Christians. Children were forced to witness their parents being brutally murdered with machetes. Some militants held lists of Christians and were helped by local authorities, often run by Muslims, to find individuals, particularly those actively involved in supporting the Church. Oromo ethnic Christians were also targeted. One was beheaded for refusing to deny his faith by tearing off the thread around his neck (worn as a sign of his baptism).
Iran: legal system an obstacle to MeToo justice
03 Sep 2020
While an increasing number of rape and sexual assault victims are speaking out in Iran, the legal code often prevents justice and puts some victims at risk of punishment. The #MeToo movement has finally emerged among Iranians, sending shockwaves across Persian language social media. Over the past week many women and men have come forward to talk about their experiences of rape and sexual assault by dozens of high-profile figures in the country. Although the official media remain indifferent to the stories, they have stirred public uproar to the point that the police in Tehran arrested a well-known bookshop owner accused of rape by several women. No one can doubt the bravery and courage of individuals who break the taboos and talk about their personal experiences of sexual harassment in a country where patriarchal values are reproduced and reinforced by the state.
Lebanon: mental health of survivors
03 Sep 2020
Lebanon faces a humanitarian emergency following the 4 August blast in Beirut port, and the psychological effects will not end once the dust settles, said Dr Ahmed Hankir, a psychiatrist. Some of the initial reactions to traumatic events include sadness, agitation, dissociation, and survivor’s guilt. While most ongoing reactions are normal responses to the incident, residents are being told that seeking help from a mental health professional is advised should they persist for more than a month after the blast. Help should also be immediately sought if someone is having severe reactions, such as suicidal ideas. Mental health services are expensive in Lebanon, but several organisations are providing services for individuals affected by the blast either at a reduced price or free. Pray for God’s strength and wisdom to pour through NGOs raising awareness around mental health, for those manning suicide prevention helplines and walk-in clinics.
Egypt: women struggling to survive pandemic
03 Sep 2020
Maria, an Egyptian widow, was in tears when telling a local ministry leader that she had lost her job as a housecleaner due to coronavirus lockdown. She supports seven family members, including a daughter with two infants who is separated from her drug-addicted husband and a married son with two children who has lost his job and home due to coronavirus. She sold her kitchen appliances to meet their basic needs. Many widowed women in Egypt have lost their jobs to the pandemic and have no other sources of income, as the government has also suspended disbursement of pensions due to the crowds gathering at offices. Most widows are without a fixed monthly income or a fixed pension. Some have coronavirus, and some have lost a family member to it. Christian Aid has created WhatsApp groups for women and children and supports them spiritually by making prayer times and sharing sermons and songs.
USA: Trump unpopular with military
03 Sep 2020
A poll shows a continued decline in active-duty service members’ views of President Donald Trump and a slight but significant preference for former vice president Joe Biden in the upcoming November election. The results, collected before the political conventions earlier this month, appear to undercut claims from the president that his support among military members is strong thanks to big defence budget increases in recent years and promised moves to draw down troops from overseas conflict zones. But active-duty troops and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) have seen a steady drop in troops’ opinion of the commander-in-chief since his election four years ago. The dipping popularity among troops - considered by Republican Party leaders to be part of the base of Trump’s support - could prove problematic for him, as there is significant disagreement among active-duty respondents about several recent controversial presidential policy statements.
Prayers for the bibleless - 21 Day Prayer Series
03 Sep 2020
As you read this, God is transforming lives through Bible translation... and not just in foreign lands. Every day, people like you are experiencing God's power as they actively pray for the projects they support. This is your invitation to share in the experience through our 21-day prayer community.
The Story of God
Experience God's Love first-hand through the power of His Word. Each day, you'll receive great ideas for listening to and reflecting upon Scripture.
His Word
Discover creative ways to apply the message of each day's passage as you pray for the Bibleless.
Pray for the Bibleless
Engage with a dedicated community as you faithfully pray for those who still wait to hear of God's love for them.
‘The Return 10 Day Prayer Plan’ Download
03 Sep 2020
The Return 10 Day Prayer Plan has been produced by 10Days.net and theReturn.org as part of the 10 Days of Prayer taking place between September 19 and 28th 2020.
HOW TO USE THIS PRAYER PLAN
Every day we start with a Prayer of Adoration. Why do we pray this way?
It’s been said that “A picture is worth a thousand words.” When we are able to “taste and see” God (PSALM 34:8), our hearts are alive because we can both receive love from Him and give love to Him.
IN ADORATION WE:
- Praise His character.
- Acknowledge His attributes.
- Describe His beauty.
- Worship Him as Savior.
In the Father’s redemptive plan, it is His intention for Jesus, “the image of the invisible God” (COLOSSIANS 1:15), to be seen, known, and worshipped by every tribe and tongue throughout the nations of the earth. Praying the Bible and worshiping Jesus for who He is, joins the prayer and worship in Heaven (REVELATION 4) that continually adores Jesus in this way.
REPENTANCE is our acknowledgment that we are not where He is, but want to turn
from our ways to align with Him.
INTERCESSION is agreement with what God has promised to do.
Why do we anchor our prayer and intercession in the Bible?
- The Bible is God’s language, the language of His heart, the language of Heaven.
- The Bible is positive in nature and encouraging to our spirit and renewing to our minds.
- The Bible is faith-filled and has no doubt or unbelief.
- The Bible creates unity in God’s people as we pray and worship from it.
MEDITATION focuses on our ‘take away
Greetings!
We are pleased to bring you IPC Connections for September 2020.
There has been a sensing among prayer leaders around the world of a significant corporate calling to identificational repentance for our nations. We have been led simultaneously to draw the Church together to pray concertedly in the spirit of ‘If my people…’ (2 Chron 7:14) for the healing and renewing of each of our lands. This has culminated in a number of online events and initiatives that are taking place over the next 2 months. Some of these are detailed in this edition of IPC Connections.
With this calling to repentance in mind, we are grateful to IPC’s Senior Advisor and co-founding member, Brian Mills for his editorial article this month, entitled: ‘Preparing for his Return!’ The article relates the times that we are in to 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 and reminds us of the significance of repentant prayer and reconciliation and why this is an important place to begin - if we are genuinely and earnestly seeking the renewal and transformation of our nations.
We would invite all of our partner networks to join us for the first of these united prayer events, which will be a World Prayer Together call on Saturday, September 19th, at 1200 UTC, (5 am PT, 8 am ET, 3 pm Jerusalem time). See the article below for more info and visit our website to join the call www.worldprayertogether.com.
The Covid-19 pandemic has now affected 25 million people worldwide. We bring you up to date information on this along with prayer points and links to various resources. A number of countries are facing challenges at this time; we are highlighting the situation in North Korea and praying earnestly for a breakthrough and for ‘one unified Korea’.
International Prayer Connections is produced and distributed freely each month to inform God's praying people around the world. We are grateful to those who have given generously to enable this to happen and continue to need such support for this and our other transformational prayer initiatives. If you would like to make a gift towards our costs by giving through our funding arm, the Transformation Prayer Foundation, we would appreciate it. Please click here.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us in mobilising and informing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.
May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.
Wishing you His continued blessings,
Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator
John D Robb – Chairman
International Prayer Connect