The results of a Salvation Army survey suggest it may not be such a happy New Year for some Brits after all. A Populus survey of more than 2,000 adults for the charity found that 15% of people, particularly younger respondents and divorcees, feel less able to cope with problems over Christmas. Seventy-five per cent of respondents said they planned to spend Christmas with family, although nearly a third of 18 to 24-year-olds (30%) said they would like to spend Christmas with friends. The results of the survey suggest, however, that after the Christmas decorations have been packed away for another year, some people will struggle to find something to cheer about. A fifth of respondents said they were dreading the New Year. When asked why, 11% cited money worries, 7% loneliness, and 12% concerns about the future in general.

Pray: that those who struggle with worries, loneliness and concerns about the future will find their hope in Christ. (Ro.15:13)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/a.fifth.of.britons.dreading.the.new.year/29076.htm

The Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration held at York Minster last week was a special service to celebrate 200 years of Church schools led by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu . The Christian Churches were the first to provide mass education in England and Wales, and the National Society was established to provide schools for poor children. These schools were to teach basic skills and also to provide for the moral and spiritual welfare of the children. There are now over 4,600 Church of England primary schools and more than 220 secondary schools in England and Wales educating approximately 1 million children. The Society also became the first organization to train teachers. The Revd Jan Ainsworth, General Secretary of the National Society said ‘Education for children in this country should also allow them to understand something of what the Christian faith offers and to use that as they find their own way through life.’

Pray: for Church schools, their staff and children; also for the National Society. (Ex.18:20)

More: http://www.archbishopofyork.org/articles.php/2080/a-celebration-at-the-minster-to-mark-200-years-of-church-schools

Andrew Johnston, Christian Solidarity Worldwide's advocacy director is cycling the length of Britain to raise money for Christians in Egypt. Andrew set off from John O' Groats on Sunday and will be working his way 888 miles south to Land's End where he hopes to arrive by August 31st. Funds raised will go towards the ‘No Way Out’ campaign supporting the church in Egypt. He will pass Manchester on Friday before stopping over at the Greenbelt Festival at the Cheltenham Racecourse this weekend. For decades Christians in Egypt have faced discrimination and violence, he hopes to raise £1,000 to support Egyptian Christians through prayer, solidarity and action. Over 15,000 people have already supported the campaign by signing a petition urging the UK and US Governments and the European Union to do what they can to bring an end to religiously-motivated violence. According to CSW there have been at least 20 attacks on religious minorities since the January revolution.

Pray: for Andrew's stamina and protection and for minorities to be treated equally in the new Egypt. (Pr.29:14)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/888mile.cycle.to.raise.money.for.egyptian.christians/28480.htm

One in three people could not pay their rent or mortgage for more than a month if they lost their job, new figures from the housing and homelessness charity Shelter have revealed. The research reveals families with children are in the most precarious situation: 43 per cent could not pay for their home for more than a month, and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) could not meet their payments at all. Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of Shelter said: "These figures paint an alarming picture of a nation where the buffer between having a home and potentially becoming homeless is a single paycheque. "Millions are living on the edge of a crisis, only secure in their homes for a matter of weeks. At the same time, support for people who have lost their homes is being stripped away - it’s easy to see why every fifteen minutes, another family in England finds themselves homeless."

Pray: for a more robust economy that allows for greater security in the tenure of homes.. (Lev.25:35)

More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18305

More than 75,000 children in Britain will wake up on Christmas Day without a home, warns the housing and homelessness charity Shelter as spending on homelessness falls. Shelter is highlighting the figures to raise awareness of the increasing numbers of homeless families in Britain this Christmas and is particularly concerned about the number of families forced to live in bed and breakfast accommodation, which has increased by 57 per cent in the last 12 months. This can mean parents and children living together in one room, with limited cooking or laundry facilities in conditions that are often appalling. This year more than 3,000 children will spend Christmas Day living in this way, says Shelter. In Dec 2011, Shelter helped more than 1,000 people facing homelessness during the festive period. This Christmas, the number of people with nowhere else to turn is expected to be even higher. The main triggers for homelessness include relationship breakdowns, job losses and landlords ending rental tenancies.

Pray: for all those who will be homeless this Christmas that God through His people will be their Provider. (Tit.3:14)

More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17368

If an alien happened to land its UFO in the car park of your local Tesco sometime in the next few weeks and popped in for something to eat, would it have any idea if it was asked, why the shelves were stacked high with chocolate eggs? This is obviously a ridiculous scenario, but how about if you asked the same question to any children who happened to be in the supermarket being dragged round by their parents? Would they be able to tell you the answer? Last year Travelodge ran a survey to find this out. It found that 53% of the children surveyed didn’t know the meaning of Easter and one-quarter thought that it is about celebrating the Easter bunny’s birthday. Easter like most other annual festivals has turned into an excuse for the retailers to sell as much as they can to us with little interest in the meaning behind it. (See Prayer Alert 10-2013)

Pray: that the gospel message will be creatively adopted to market Easter eggs, etc. (Ps.145:18)

More: http://godandpoliticsuk.org/author/godandpoliticsuk/

The Christian Enquiry Agency is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a new poster and postcard campaign. The organisation provides free and confidential information about the Christian faith. Its campaign is inviting people to take a look at the website Christianity.org.uk and offers them a free colour magazine-style Gospel of Luke. The postcards ask the question 'At what moment in your life did you feel most fully alive?' On the reverse is the challenge: 'It's time you found out what Jesus said about life in his own words.' People can add their details and send the postcard to a freepost address or  use the QR code to ask for a Gospel. It is hoped the 50,000 postcards placed in cinema foyers around the country will make their way into the hands of people unlikely to set foot in a church.

Pray: that this initiative will lead to many people discovering Jesus and new life. (Ac.20:24)

More: http://www.christiantoday.comarticle50000.postcards.invite.cinemagoers.to.explore.christian.faith/31960.htm

Recent surveys yet again paint a gloomy picture of how little many people know about Christmas and the birth of Jesus. According to polls, 51 per cent of people now say that the birth of Jesus is irrelevant to their Christmas. Just 12 per cent of adults know the nativity story in any depth; and 36 per cent of children do not know whose birthday is being celebrated during the festival. It makes it all the more important therefore that Churches and Christians do what they can to get the real message out. Leading Christian groups, including the Church of England, Traidcraft, the Methodist Church, the Bible Society, and the Evangelical Alliance are coming together and putting their weight behind Christmas starts with Christ because they recognise something needs to be done. We should expect to be seeing quite a lot of this logo and the accompanying adverts in the run up to Christmas.

Pray: for the true story and meaning of Christmas to be widely told this year so that many more people may learn about Jesus. (Jn.3:16-17)

More: http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2013/09/14/36-of-children-don%e2%80%99t-know-whose-birthday-is-celebrated-at-christmas-time-for-an-advertising-campaign/