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Christian development agencies are urging the Government not to divert aid money to peacekeeping operations. The plans were unveiled this week by Prime Minister David Cameron who is under pressure to save the Armed Forces from further spending cuts. However, charities are warning that the move could jeopardise stability in regions benefitting from British aid. Justin Byworth, Chief Executive of World Vision UK, said: “The Prime Minister's correct that security and peace are essential, but long-term stability is about far more than peacekeeping. "In reality, it’s a complex mix which includes nutrition, health, education, and protecting vulnerable children, which all help to prevent conflict and empower people to cope with challenging circumstances. “Spending on peacekeeping from the aid pot is already limited by international standards. We’d be concerned if this statement means these standards are being challenged.” Christian Aid warned that linking aid to military spending in fragile states could put aid workers on the ground at risk.
Pray: for legislation to be revised so that Christians can serve their communities as Christians – not in a way that forces them to ‘leave their faith at the door'. (Pr.31:9)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/dont.use.aid.money.for.peacekeeping.pm.told/31697.htm
Anti-poverty campaigners delivered a copy of the Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol to George Osborne. Alan Pinch, a Quaker, Stephen Pennells, a Roman Catholic, and Graham Martin, an Anglican, are all supporters of Church Action on Poverty. They fear that Britain may be returning to the levels of poverty and contempt for the poor described by Dickens in A Christmas Carol. The trio cycled to the Chancellor's constituency office in Knutsford where they dropped off the festive classic. The 20-mile journey started at Manchester's Albert Square Christmas Market and stopped along the way so that members of the public could sign a statement to the Chancellor. Pinch said: ‘Chancellor Osborne is at severe risk of turning into a modern day Scrooge, and we want to add our voices to the many calls for him to change track.’
Pray: that the message behind this topical one will be taken seriously and encourage the Chancellor to change track. (Ecc.8:1)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/dont.be.a.scrooge.christians.tell.chancellor/31213.htm
One in 10 emergency calls to police are categorised as domestic violence related, rising in some areas to a fifth of all 999 alerts. The figures, obtained following freedom of information requests, have prompted fresh demands for a long-term strategy to tackle Britain's 'hidden crime.' Home Office data reveals that more than a million British women a year experience domestic violence, although experts believe the vast majority of incidents remain unreported. However, domestic violence conviction rates in the five years to 2011 stood at just 6.5% of incidents reported to police. Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said: 'Last year the domestic violence rate was twice as high as the burglary rate. Two women every week are killed at the hands of their abuser in England and Wales, yet it still isn't given enough priority to keep people safe.' Cooper is currently consulting on ways to better protect women, saying too much complacency surrounds the issue.
Pray: for all those affected by domestic abuse and for measures to be taken to reduce the level of such abuse. (Col.3:19)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/24/domestic-violence-emergency-calls-data
Doctors will stop providing non-urgent care on the 21st June in the first industrial action by the profession for nearly 40 years. The move comes after a majority of doctors voted in favour of action in a British Medical Association ballot of 104,000 members over pension changes. Emergency care would still take place as doctors did not want to put patients at risk. By targeting non-urgent care, elective operations such as knee and hip replacements will be cancelled. Doctors are among the best paid public sector employees - and as such they also have the most lucrative pensions. The average hospital consultant retiring today will enjoy a pension of £48,000 a year and a lump sum of over £140,000. Among public sector pensions being paid out, doctors account for two thirds of the top 1% of pay outs.
Pray: for no patient safety to be compromised on the 21st June.(Ps.41:1)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18254499
Britain’s largest abortion provider is set to go to the High Court in a bid to allow women to abort their pregnancies whilst at home. BPAS, formerly the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, is seeking to change the interpretation of the law so that women in the first nine weeks of their pregnancy can take the second set of drugs necessary to induce an early medical abortion whilst at home, rather than under clinical supervision. The proposal has alarmed critics who believe that this would trivialise the procedure and ignore the dangers. A spokesman for the pro-life charity Life said: ‘Clearly BPAS’ intention is to increase access to abortion yet further, by making it little more than a pill-popping exercise'. Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said: ‘Abortion is an appalling ordeal for women, as well as the killing of an unborn child. BPAS is trivialising abortion and jeopardising women’s welfare.’
Pray: that the High Court will recognise the importance of counselling at each stage in the path towards an abortion. (Ps.32:8)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/abortion-provider-wants-to-allow-diy-abortions-at-home/
Obtaining a divorce is now easier than getting a driving licence, a senior judge said yesterday. Sir Paul Coleridge said a cultural revolution has made it possible to end a marriage quickly with a basic form-filling exercise. He added that the stigma attached to divorce in the past has also disappeared. The judge – who presided over the bitterly-fought divorce of Sir Paul and Heather McCartney – blamed 50 years of relationship free-for-all for the spread of divorce on demand. He said the result was that 3.8million children were now left at the mercy of the courts because of the break-up of their parents. The judge, who sits in the High Court Family Division as Mr Justice Coleridge, has called repeatedly for legal reforms to clear up
the mess left by the decline of marriage. He has blamed youth crime, child abuse, drug addiction, binge drinking, truanting and bad behaviour in schools for the 'meltdown' of the family.
Pray: that the experience and wisdom of Mr Justice Coleridge will be heard and lead to reforms. (Jer.26:13a)
In a sermon to mark the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Tuesday, the Rev Bob Fyffe said the movement for unity had ‘transformed things for the better’. ‘It is this movement that has helped to overcome some deep-rooted enmities that have scared communities, transforming churches to be more open to each other.’ The task before believers, he said, was to be recognised as Christians by how well they had loved others. ‘To be divided as Christians is to offer poor witness to the world,’ he said. The call to Christian unity must be more than a dream. It is the living out of these high ideals that helps others see that faith can be a source of hope. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is held each year by the church worldwide from January 18 to 25. This year’s theme is ‘All things in common’.
Pray: for unity between denominations and that differences can be overcome for the sake of the Gospel. (1Co.1:10)
The Archbishop of York is inviting 120 young adults from across the north of England to Cranmer Hall for a residential conference on the 19th-20th September. It is hoped that all present will be encouraged and equipped by worshipping and praying together, sharing vision, skills, imagination, and energy - and by having the opportunity to hear some key speakers and take part in relevant and engaging seminars. Archbishop Sentamu will speak at the event on the subject of: ‘Is the Church really up for this?' There will also be contributions from Gavin Calver (National Director YFC) and Bishop Justin Welby (Bishop of Durham). The organisers pray that the Holy Spirit will use the event to direct those attending and equip them to share Christ wherever they are across the north of England. Attendance, accommodation, and food at the conference is free to those invited. If you would like to be invited please email Malcolm Macnaughton at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Pray: for a growing number of young people to take up the Gospel message and seek discipleship. (Php.2:3-4)
More: http://www.archbishopofyork.org/articles.php/2591/discipleship-in-the-north-of-england
An alliance of nine UK churches has expressed disappointment at the failure of nuclear weapons states to agree deadlines for actions on nuclear disarmament. While the churches welcomed progress made on discussions on the Middle East and a declaration by the UK on number of warheads, they were highly critical of the refusal of the nuclear powers to agree timeframes for future discussions at the end-May conference in New York. Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading, said, ‘Nuclear weapons are a legacy of the cold war era and have little relevance to the threats that we face today’. There is a growing recognition that having one set of rules for some nations, and a different set of rules for others is unsustainable. The nine churches' campaign, entitled Now is the Time, calls on the British Government to make a commitment to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons, creating a safer future for all. Pray: that world governments will work positively to remove all nuclear weapons in the near future. (Mi.4:3) More: http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.newsDetail&newsid=443
Christian Aid has expressed its disappointment after the Queen’s Speech failed to make mention of legislation on aid spending. The Government has pledged to raise the aid budget to 0.7 per cent of gross national income from 2013, but Christian Aid’s chief political adviser, Sol Oyuela, is concerned by the delay to legislating on the commitment. ‘We welcome the Government’s commitment to raising the aid budget to 0.7 per cent from 2013, but we are very disappointed that it has yet to live up to its pledge to legislate on this,’ she said. All three parties promised to make the 0.7 per cent aid commitment a legal obligation in their manifestos at the last election. It was also mentioned in the Coalition Agreement between the Tories and the Lib Dems.
Pray: that our government would keep its pledges and remember those who are needy. (Pr.14:21)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/disappointment.after.queens.speech.neglects.aid/29844.htm