Scotland's Destiny Church has begun fundraising for £150,000 to enable them to take legal action against Edinburgh Council, believing the case will have ramifications for the UK Church. It stems from the recent cancellation of a booking made at the city's Usher Hall for the church’s annual SURGE conference with Gavin Calver and Larry Stockstill. The cancellation came after the venue said it had received complaints linked to comments Mr Stockstill had previously made. He is a preacher, author, and pastors' mentor who runs a church-planting network. According to the Times, Stockstill has described same-sex relationships as ‘offensive’, ‘repulsive’, and ‘deeply grievous’. See Destiny Church, a thriving Pentecostal network focusing on evangelism and social action with congregations across Scotland, has been criticised by the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Russia: Christians and new laws
05 Mar 2020
Security agencies are using ‘Yarovaya Law’ to impose harsh restrictions on evangelical Christians to tackle ‘extremist’ activities. The law demands permits to enable meeting outside registered religious buildings - outlawing house churches and prayer meetings. The law gives security agencies access to private phone conversations and text messages. There are few Protestants who have not been impacted by the law. A Moscow pastor with a congregation of 50 who are interrupted most Sundays by police said, ‘Authorities dressed as civilians knock on our door, asking to come in and “pray”. If we refuse they film us turning them away and use the footage against us. If we let them in they take pictures inside the church to identify ways that we are violating the law and must pay fines for “illegal missionary activity”’. Meanwhile President Putin’s revised constitution wants gay marriage to be forbidden. It will be put to a public vote. See
EU facing new migrant crisis
05 Mar 2020
A migrant crisis on the Turkey/Greece border is entwined with Idlib, the last stronghold of Syrian rebels backed by Turkey. Russia supports Syria and intends eradicating rebels from Idlib. When 34 Turkish soldiers died in Russian airstrikes, Turkey withdrew from an agreement to prevent refugees from crossing Turkey’s borders with Greece and Bulgaria, so by 5 March 25,000 refugees and migrants had gathered on the Greek border, seeking to cross into Europe. But they faced Greek troops repelling them with tear gas and water cannons on the land border and denying landing permission at the coast. EU leaders voiced unwavering solidarity with Greece, pledging to deploy urgent border guard reinforcements on land and at sea, and to disburse immediately some €350 million in aid, sending a message to the EU's 440 million citizens that they will prevent a new wave of arrivals at a time when the continent is struggling to prevent a coronavirus epidemic. See
40 days of prayer and fasting
05 Mar 2020
Dr Jason Hubbard writes, ‘Before Jesus ever performed a miracle, or preached a gospel, the Spirit of God drove Him into the wilderness to fast. He came out of that fast in the power of the Holy Spirit. Before there was an original Jesus movement, there was an original Jesus Fast. In 2020 Christians are being called to respond to Lou Engle’s call to a global 40-day-fast to see a world-wide manifestation of Jesus the Evangelist. The late Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade) believed that the power of fasting as it relates to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord has given us to destroy the strongholds of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world’. See
Global day of prayer to end coronavirus
05 Mar 2020
A coalition of Christians across denominational lines has united to pray for an end to the coronavirus. Cindy Jacobs says, ‘We believe strongly that since this is a worldwide issue, it is going to take the whole Church to cry out together for the mercy and healing power of God to contain it.’ Church leaders stood united to fast and pray on 3 March to petition the Sovereign Lord for His mercy. Let us continue to knock on Heaven’s door, praying Psalm 91 over families and nations, binding fear, knowing that God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Pray for wisdom for our leaders and safety for emergency responders working to protect people and prevent the virus spreading. Pray for Christians to have a calm courage to share the Word effectively through this time of crisis. For the prayer petition click the ‘More’ button.
Nigeria: Catholics march against violence
05 Mar 2020
On 1 March, despite heavy rain, many Catholics took a stand against a surge of Islamist extremist violence. The faithful marched the streets of Abuja against the rising wave of insecurity and killings in every part of Nigeria. They carried placards demanding a better and safer society. Some have reported that the numbers of protesters were in their thousands. The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference slammed the government for not doing enough to bring those behind these crimes to book. He said, ‘May we once again remind all the arms of government in Nigeria and all whose responsibility it is to protect Nigerians that without security there can be no peace.’
Global: liberation of women and girls
05 Mar 2020
March is International Women's History month. Women are two thirds of the world’s poorest citizens. Nearly two-thirds of illiterate people are women. Globally women are paid less than men. A cultural preference for male babies has led to 30 million deaths of unborn or baby girls in India and China and fuels trafficking women as brides or sex slaves. God looks on the heart: what do we look at when choosing leaders? Pray for more women and men to be recognised, equipped, and released into service based on their giftedness and godliness. Pray for more humble, Christ-like models. Prideful ‘hierarchy’ and ‘angry feminism’ destroy the unity that God designed and desires. Pray that Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist, and tribal people groups will see amazing unity in the Body of Christ between men and women that causes them to turn to Jesus.
USA: tornado devastation
05 Mar 2020
Two 175 mph tornado storms touched down in Tennessee killing 24 people, sending 150+ to hospital, leaving tens of thousands of families and businesses without power, and collapsing hundreds of structures. Let us pray for the hundreds of families assessing the damage and tragedy, dealing with heartache, and facing a future of hardship. Pray for adequate aid and provisions to be made available for the many displaced people in shelters. The state’s governor has asked the White House for federal assistance. Donald Trump tweeted that the government is standing with Tennessee and monitoring the situation. Ask God to continue to strengthen the scores of people helping families who lost their homes in the storms. Complete strangers have been picking up debris and helping families go through the rubble. See