Syrian mother gives birth amid bombs
12 Mar 2020
Haya was nine months pregnant when she fled from IS soldiers with her family and miraculously reached a hospital just as she went into labour. Fighting was fierce and staff were caring for the wounded as she gave birth. Then bombing increased and everyone had to leave the hospital. Haya couldn’t move. Her temperature was dropping fast; she told the nurses she was dying, and asked them to give her baby to her husband and leave her behind. Not long afterwards she felt a very warm hand touching her, moving her down the stairs, and a voice said, ‘Do not be afraid: I am the Lord Jesus Christ, and I am by your side.’ Upon arriving at the exit doors, she felt a surge of energy and was able to flee the bombing. She is now safe with her family and baby, and says on that day there were two new births: her baby and herself, as she became a strong believer in Christ.
A heart-warming story
12 Mar 2020
Spring comes late to Nanai country in the Russian Far East. Ice on the river is three feet thick, after winter temperatures of 40o below zero. Anton, Timur and Misha were sent by Wycliffe Russia to Siberia to learn about the Nanai people and their language. When they arrived at a village, they were welcomed by a leader who was a Christian. His mother, however, was not a Christian and she did not approve. The Bible translators demonstrated a Nanai audio dictionary to a small group, including the disapproving mother. She was not a believer, but she was passionate about her language and was surprised to find that Anton and his friends shared her passion; so she accepted them and became their friend. After hours discussing the language using Bible stories, the conversations turned to God. The leader’s mother listened intently, no longer disapproving. Because these visitors were interested in her language, she was now interested in their God. See also the world article on Tajikistan.
Coronavirus prayer needs
12 Mar 2020
Coronavirus is now a pandemic. Our government is taking various measures to reduce social contact and contain those infected. Newspaper editors are urged to avoid spreading panic. Jesus told his disciples, ‘I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes’. Jesus told his disciples to focus their lives upon the Kingdom of God and Kingdom values. Pray for Christians to set an example of putting fear in its rightful place. Continue to pray for the protection of the elderly and those with existing health conditions, asking God to provide solutions amid the challenges they may have with hospital appointments and prompting wise choices as they assess their involvement in community activities. The government's Cobra committee is co-ordinating the nation’s response to coronavirus. May God be with each minister, civil servant and official in this committee; may they neither over-react nor make erroneous choices.
GPs dissatisfied and stressed
12 Mar 2020
Just 1 in 4 UK GPs are satisfied with the time they can give to patients. Appointment times are among the shortest of eleven high-income countries surveyed by the Health Foundation, painting a picture of high stress and low job satisfaction among the 1,000 GPs who were polled. Only France has lower levels of overall satisfaction with practising medicine, and only Sweden reported higher levels of stress. 60% find their job 'extremely' or 'very' stressful, and 49% plan to reduce their weekly hours in the next three years. They also reported significantly shorter appointment lengths than their international colleagues (11 minutes, compared with a 19-minute average in other countries). Despite a 2015 target for 5,000 additional GPs by 2020, the number of qualified permanent full-time GPs in the UK has fallen.
Legal challenge over NI abortion laws
12 Mar 2020
Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis has been warned by campaign group Right to Life that if the government introduces abortion that surpasses what is legally required, the group will take legal action. The current proposals would allow abortions on demand for any reason up to either 22 or 24 weeks, but abortions for disabilities, including Down's syndrome and cleft lip, would be available up to birth. A poll has shown that 58% of Sinn Féin voters and 54% of DUP voters want their country’s new abortion laws to allow a termination only when the mother’s life is at risk. Only 5% of all voters support introducing abortion through the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, as outlined in the proposed framework.
Budget with an eye on coronavirus
12 Mar 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered his first Budget in the House of Commons on 11 March. Parts of it appear to have been written at the last minute as coronavirus spreads across the nation. His spending plans include a £5bn emergency response to support the NHS and other public services with statutory sick pay for all who choose to self-isolate, even if they don't have virus symptoms. Benefit claimants will be able to claim sick pay on day one, not after a week, and there is a £500m hardship fund allocated to help vulnerable people. To try to save businesses from liquidation, firms with fewer than 250 staff will be refunded for sick pay payments for two weeks, and small firms will be able to access ‘business interruption’ loans of up to £1.2m. Business rates will be abolished for firms in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors with a rateable value of less than £51,000.
Prayer for 15 March
12 Mar 2020
The Archbishop of Canterbury suggests the following items for prayer on Sunday 15 March in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer: a) For the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing people to faith in Christ. b) For equality of opportunity, and for the Church to represent fully the rich diversity of the communities it serves. c) For the work on climate change, particularly in the light of the CofE’s commitment at General Synod to go net zero in carbon emissions by 2030. d) For us to grow the youth presence and ministry in the Church. e) For those who are deprived and marginalised, and for a continued Church presence in areas where financial challenges are felt most keenly. Please also pray for wisdom for all who are preparing for the 2020 Lambeth Conference, which episcopal brothers and sisters from all over the world are due to attend. See also
What’s love got to do with public life?
12 Mar 2020
Christian Concern’s ‘Stand and Speak’ series running up to Easter wants Christians to put the love of Jesus at the heart of society. We often think politics, laws, and public policy are untouched by concepts like love. It would be a stretch to describe love as the primary characteristic shown by MPs, civil servants, or judges as they go about their work. But the connection between these parts of society and love is stronger than we often recognise. Jesus said we should love God with all that we have and love our neighbour as ourselves. He himself drew attention to love as the principle underlying all of the law of Moses. It is Christ-shaped love that we aspire to. We long to be like him, willing to give up our own comfort to see others do well. That is why we sometimes say things that no one else will say - not for the sake of being controversial but because love demands it, that we speak truth to power, in love.