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Two Christian street preachers have been cleared of all charges after they were arrested in Basildon and Hereford respectively. Rob Hughes was arrested in Basildon on 4 September 2014 after a confrontation with a member of the public who wrongly accused him of using homophobic and offensive language. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, Rob was arrested, interviewed by police and held in custody for 11 hours. A DNA sample was taken as well as his fingerprints and a mug shot. He has now received £2,500 and a contribution towards his legal fees for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and breach of his human rights in an out-of-court settlement. On 23 April 2015, after preaching once a week for eleven years in Hereford streets, Andrew Geuter was arrested following false accusations of homophobic comments. After five hours in jail he was released on conditional bail. The police later said they would not take further action due to insufficient evidence.
Doctors can’t explain what happened, but one Texas family is sure it was the hand of God that brought their son back to life. 17-year-old Zack Clements is a strong, healthy and outgoing high school athlete who plays football at a Life Academy. Then last week he suddenly collapsed while running in a PE class. He was rushed to hospital where doctors worked to revive him. He was without a heartbeat for 20 minutes. Doctors finally got a pulse and then airlifted him to a children’s hospital where he woke up a few days later in the intensive care unit. His recovery is hard to believe, but even more amazing is that he says he saw Jesus when his heart stopped beating. His mother, Teresa Clements, says that although it may be a medical mystery, she has accepted that her son came back to life as a direct result of Jesus’ intervention. To watch a video of his story on Fox News click the ‘more’ button below.
The Church of England is celebrating the appointment of two of the nation's most influential Christians, one lay and one ordained, to key posts in the new Parliament. Caroline Spelman, a patron of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and MP for Meriden in the West Midlands, has been appointed Second Church Estates Commissioner, succeeding Sir Tony Baldry. Her role will be to represent and answer questions on behalf of the Church Commissioners in the House of Commons. Also a leading evangelical - David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham - has been appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury as convenor of the 26 bishops in the House of Lords, known as the Lords Spiritual. Spelman said: 'I am honoured to be asked to undertake this role as the Church is important for the future of our country and I want to help it navigate the challenges of the modern world with the support of our parliamentarians.'
God is using Hazara Herald Ministries to draw Afghans and Iranians to the LORD. While their special focus is on the people of Hazaras, through the years Hazara Herald Ministries has been used of God among all the people of Afghanistan. Afghan Christian Television programmes are being used very powerfully by God's grace. Viewers can see and hear how people from all ethnic groups including Pashtoons, Hazaras, Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Turkomans are giving their lives to Christ on the live shows. Missionaries are coming back to England and telling amazing testimonies of God working among the Afghans through this and other global ministries. At the moment they are asking God for more technicians to help design Christian websites.
A new law to tackle human trafficking, with better protection for its victims and tougher penalties for those convicted of the crime, has been backed by the Scottish Parliament. Holyrood supported the general principles of the legislation, which creates a specific offence of human trafficking for the first time and increases the maximum penalty for offenders to life imprisonment. The Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill was brought forward by the Scottish Government to strengthen existing criminal law against the practice, enhance the status of victims, and boost support for them. Under the proposals, prosecutors will be given guidance from the Lord Advocate setting out a presumption against prosecution of victims in cases where trafficked people have been forced into committing crime. The legislation will also commit Scottish ministers to publishing and updating a human trafficking strategy. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said, 'We intend to make Scotland a hostile place for traffickers and those who exploit others, and to better identify and support potential and confirmed victims.'
As darkness fell in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a ‘woman of the night’, wandering aimlessly, noticed a large crowd forming on the outskirts of the city and went to investigate. People were slowly filling up an empty field where a large, white screen had been erected. 'What is this all about?' she wondered. There seemed to be a buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air. She knew she should begin looking for her next customer, but something was drawing her to stay. She lingered a few more minutes, then sat down among the crowd. A movie began that was like no other she had seen: the JESUS Film. She learned about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, and that he reached out with healing hands to the last, the least, and the lost. On bended knee, she wept over her sins. When the invitation was given, she stood up to receive Jesus as her Saviour and Lord.
The Church in North Africa is growing, most notably in Algeria. Mustapha Krim, pastor and former president of the Protestant Church of Algeria, reports, ‘The Church started out very small. In the beginning we saw very little growth, but then the growth became like a rolling snowball, growing bigger and bigger. Now, there are zeros at the end of the growth numbers.’ He said growth followed the 1990’s persecution. Then Christian radio broadcasts and screening the Jesus film started. ‘The media is the most important tool for bringing people to Christ. I give thanks to the Lord because every day new people are saved. People in the north are less opposed to Christians than in the south. Even in our part of the country, people sometimes call me to insult me. That is part of being Christian. But even when we are mistreated or insulted we end up winning the confidence and respect of the people.’
On 22 April Pastor Lee Stoneking stood in front of the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York City to address the problem of violence taking place around the world in the name of religious ideology. Stoneking did just that, but first he shared his story of resurrection. He had suffered a massive heart attack and paramedics tried to revive him but he was declared dead and put into the ambulance as a corpse. After being clinically dead for 45 minutes, Stoneking’s heart started to beat. The paramedics and doctors were amazed by this miracle. A doctor discovered his DNA had been altered to strip heart disease from his genetic makeup. ‘You have defied all laws of medical science,’ he told Stoneking. Stoneking replied, ‘I didn’t but I know the one who did. His name is Jesus.’ In his UN address he went on to preach the gospel. His UN speech is on YouTube and has been viewed 3 million times.
The current head of the National Institutes of Health, Francis S Collins, told a CNN news reporter that he came to faith after he set out to disprove God. ‘I had always assumed that faith was based on purely emotional and irrational arguments and was astounded to discover that one could build a very strong case for the plausibility of God. My earlier atheist’s assertion that "I know there is no God" emerged as the least defensible.’ Collins' work gave him a spectacular view into the magnificence, order and finely-tuned perfection of the DNA molecule, God’s software for every living thing. He also reported to the National Geographic, ‘At the most fundamental level, it’s a miracle that there’s a universe at all.’
Muslims in Egypt have donated money towards the building of a Coptic church in Al Manufiyya, north of Cairo, signalling another step towards solidarity in a country previously divided along sectarian lines. Coptic Orthodox Bishop Benyamin, of the Diocese of Al Manufiyya, began a collection of donations for the church, which will be dedicated to the Virgin Mary. According to Fides news agency, a number of Islamic leaders in the area encouraged local Muslims to contribute, a suggestion that was taken up most eagerly by young people and children. Pleased with the success of the initiative, Bishop Benyamin has urged other communities to follow suit, and said there is a message to learn from the way that Christians and Muslims are working together. Though Egypt has in the past been plagued by sectarian violence, members of both faiths have been making a concerted effort to unite in the wake of brutality perpetuated by Islamic State in the Middle Eastern region.