Supermarkets stock ‘Christian’ Easter eggs

An unlikely lobbying campaign led by bishops has paid off after Britain’s biggest supermarkets agreed to stock Easter eggs with a religious theme for the first time. Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and the Co-Op bowed to pressure after a three-year ‘pestering’ campaign by figures including the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu. Dr Sentamu used his Easter sermon in 2010 to voice alarm after research suggested that millions of children had no idea about the meaning of the main Christian festival. One poll even found that one in three children thought that it was the ‘Easter bunny’s birthday’. But now a range of fair trade eggs in which fluffy rabbits and chicks are replaced by three empty crosses is to go on sale in mainstream stores. The so-called ‘Real’ Easter eggs are made by The Meaningful Chocolate Company, a Christian fair trade group based in Manchester which donates its profits to charity.

Praise:

God for this initiative and pray for it to prosper, both spiritually and financially.

Uzbekistan: Overcoming government pressure

Uzbekistan’s law severely limits all religious activities it’s one of the most restrictive countries for religious freedom in Central Asia. But repression is not stopping a Barnabas-supported congregation from flourishing. Members have found ingenious ways to meet together while remaining under the radar of government spies, getting together in cafes, or sharing their faith while driving together. Their pastor was a Muslim extremist with links to the Taliban before becoming a Christian, and their congregation has grown from 10 to 120. Now it is too dangerous for the church to come together as one so they meet in 19 separate home and family groups across the region. Many, too fearful of police raids and fines to attend home groups, learned the importance of fellowship and now relish meeting in creative ways. Two were so strong in their faith, they were able to resist pressure from security service officers to spy on the church and pastor.

Praise:

God for the strength of faith he has given to his persecuted Church. May this and similar congregations continue to advance the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Is.32:19-20)

A quarter of Brits don’t know their neighbour’s name

Perhaps the Queen had an inkling of how bad things were when she used her historic speech to Parliament last month to call on the nation to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee by being a good neighbour. It turns out 13 million of us (or 26 per cent) don’t know the name of the person who lives next door, 22 per cent don’t know what they do for a living, 7 per cent have absolutely no idea who they are and 3 per cent feel threatened by them, according to new research by FindaProperty.com. But the days of borrowing a cup of sugar might not be completely behind us, as the survey reveals that a fifth of us (or 19 per cent) say they would actually like to have a better relationship with their neighbours. Knowing the person next door can improve security and quality of life. We all want to feel safe and comfortable in our homes and the strength of our relationships with the people who live nearby affect this.

Pray:

for neighbours to get to know each other and to be willing to reach out the hand of friendship. (Mt.7:12)

Police chaplain 'forced out after criticising gay marriage'

A police chaplain says he was forced out of his post after criticising the Government’s plans for gay marriage on his personal website, MPs have been told. Rev Brian Ross said he was summoned to a meeting with a senior officer and told that postings on his blog on the subject of marriage did not fit with the force’s equality and diversity policies. Campaigners against same-sex marriage claimed that the case was ‘just the start of things to come’. They said it backed up warnings that chaplains in hospitals, prisons and the armed forces as well as teachers and other public servants could be dismissed legally from their jobs if they take what they consider to be a stand on grounds of conscience over the issue. Ministers have repeatedly insisted that no one should be sacked from their job for voicing opposition to same-sex marriage and have built special ‘protections’ for clerics into the Government’s Marriage Bill.

Pray:

for Government to make their promises clear by acting to ensure no one should lose their job because of stating their point of view. (Jn.16:29)

One in three are voting with their wallet following tax revelations

Millions of Britons are using consumer power to boycott companies seen to be avoiding their fair share of UK tax, new research reveals. A ComRes survey about public perceptions around tax avoidance, commissioned by Christian Aid, found a third (34 per cent) of Britons say that they are currently boycotting the products or services of a company because it does not pay its fair share of tax in the UK. Almost half (45 per cent) say they are considering a boycott. Public outrage appears to be growing following recent revelations about the remarkably small amount of UK tax paid by some multinationals, the poll suggests. Two out of three (66 per cent) of Britons now believe tax avoidance to be morally wrong, up 10 percentage points from when people were asked the same question in August 2012. And a remarkable four out of five respondents (80 per cent) say that multinationals’ tax avoidance makes them feel angry.

Pray:

that the public awareness of tax avoidance and other corporate greed will lead to changes. (Lk.12:15)

Payday lenders told to improve by OFT

Payday loan firms have been told to change their behaviour after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) found evidence of ‘widespread irresponsible lending’. The OFT is giving the biggest 50 firms 12 weeks to change their practices, or they risk losing their licences. It also plans to refer the market to the Competition Commission, after it found ‘deep-rooted’ problems in how payday loan companies compete. In response, the loans industry said it was already changing its operations. The Government has also announced plans to ‘weed out rogue lenders’ and place further controls on the way they are allowed to advertise. In addition, it said the high rates of interest charged by payday lenders could make the consequences of irresponsible lending ‘particularly acute’. (See also Prayer Alert 50-2012)

Pray:

that the OFT’s pressure and the Government's move to exert controls will restrict irresponsible lending. (Pr.28:25)

Child sex abuse: New policy and new inquiry

An overhaul of how police and prosecutors in England and Wales deal with alleged sexual offences against children is expected to be announced in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer told the BBC there was an ‘overcautious’ approach with victims. He said the focus was too much on whether the victim was telling the truth and not enough on the suspect. Describing this as a ‘watershed moment,’ Mr Starmer said we need to ‘clear the decks of a raft of existing guidelines’. A Scottish parliamentary inquiry into child sex exploitation and prostitution has also been launched, amid claims the problem may be far worse than thought. h ttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-21669 726 Holyrood's petitions committee is looking into the issue following the concerns from children's charity Barnardo's. MSPs will consider whether current measures and guidelines are doing enough to tackle exploitation.

Pray:

that the authorities will bring measures and guidelines that will control this problem. (1Cor.6:18)

UK 'fares badly in European health league table'

The UK is lagging behind progress by similar countries on many indicators for ill-health, research suggests. Health data over 20 years was compared with figures from 18 other countries in the research published in the Lancet. Although average life expectancy has risen by four years since 1990, it says the UK needs to increase its strategies for tackling preventable problems such as heart disease and stroke. The UK had a high burden of smoking-related illnesses, and greater priority should be given to reducing lung disease. There was also a large rise in the number of recorded deaths related to Alzheimer's Disease. (See also Prayer Alert 08-2013) Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he has a plan to address the lag. Many deaths happen because the NHS is not good enough at preventing people getting sick or because treatment does not rival that seen elsewhere in Europe, says Mr Hunt who is responsible for health policy in England.

Pray:

for our health care authorities that they would be granted wisdom and skills to meet the needs of their patients. (Ez.34:2b)

NHS watchdog to tackle malnutrition in hospitals

The Department of Health is acting after reports that over 1,000 people have starved to death in NHS hospitals in the past four years. The Sunday Express said figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that for every patient who dies from malnutrition, four more have dehydration mentioned on their death certificate. In 2011, 43 patients starved to death and 291 died in a state of severe malnutrition, the newspaper said, while the number of patients discharged from hospital suffering from malnutrition doubled to 5,558. A Department of Health spokeswoman said: ‘Every NHS patient should expect to be looked after properly in hospital. It is completely unacceptable if patients go hungry or are malnourished. They have increased the number of unannounced inspections by the care watchdog to tackle the issue. We are also investing £100m on IT so that nurses can spend more time with patients, not paperwork’.

Pray:

for response to this issue that will ensure it becomes a tragedy of the past. (Ps.8:4)

Bulgaria marches against poverty and corruption

Tens of thousands of people have protested across Bulgaria against poverty and corruption. The latest demonstrations came despite the resignation of the government and promises of early elections. (See Prayer Alert 08-2013) The protests followed earlier massive demonstrations with people shouting ‘Mafia, Mafia’, amid outrage over rising electricity prices by as much as 13 percent in what is the European Union's poorest member state. Protesters blamed foreign companies as well as high level corruption. It gradually grew into a civil unrest challenging the established order. Two weeks ago, clashes between police and protesters left two dozen people injured and prompted Prime Minister Boiko Borisov's centre-right cabinet to quit. He has since been hospitalised with high blood pressure. The government's resignation cleared the way for early elections, to be held on May 12. Yet, Bulgarians have expressed their frustration with politics and what they see as unfulfilled promises of EU membership. The Balkan nation joined the 27-nation block in 2007.

Pray:

for the people of Bulgaria as they go through this transition of seeing non-corrupt and just government will be elected. (1Ch.21:12)

Moldova government falls in confidence vote

Moldova's pro-Europe government has fallen to a confidence vote brought on by scandal and bitter feuds within Prime Minister Vlad Filat's ruling coalition. The vote on Tuesday is likely to lead to new elections and raises questions over whether a new government will continue the drive towards the European Union (EU) or seek closer relations with Russia. ‘This is a blow to Moldova and its citizens who dream of integration into the European Union,’ Filat said. ‘After the resignation of the government, it cannot be excluded that there will be changes to the direction the country takes.’ The three-party Alliance for European Integration ousted the communists in 2009. It has worked since then to break with the Soviet past and integrate into mainstream Europe. The communists seized the opportunity to call a no-confidence vote amid a backdrop of corruption as Filat fell out publicly with other coalition leaders who called for his resignation.

Pray:

for the government of Moldova and that the confidence vote on Tuesday would bring stability. (Pr.29:4)

NIGERIA: Boko Haram victims recount woes

An official and others wept in Abuja after listening to the pastor of All Saints Church recount how 17 Christians were killed for refusing to renounce Jesus Christ. People also heard from Deborah Shetima whose husband was butchered last April, that her two children (7and 9 years-old) were abducted, then Boko Haram returned three months later and killed her third child. The Minister said, ‘If we have become a nation that does not put value on human lives then we are really in a bad place. Listening to these women and seeing what they have to carry alone one feels a sense of abandonment for them. They are invisible to the rest of us - that worries me. We must figure out who we really are; and what have we become as a people and as a nation.’ Also church leaders in NE Nigeria are saying Christians are scared to leave their homes after 8pm and too afraid of Islamic extremist attacks to attend church services. See: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2013/s13030003.htm

Pray:

for an end to bombings, killings and abductions, provisions for widows and orphans without a source of livelihood and for desperate communities to know hope, peace and restoration. (Is.54:5; Pr.2:12)

Turkey: Stealthy transformation

Images of proposed new Turkish Airlines uniforms were leaked online, and in Turkey where seemingly trifling matters can become bitter contests over identity, the leaked proposals are eliciting passionate reactions from the secular and the pious. Some mocked them as reminiscent of the Islamic 16th century dress code. Others called them a transparent effort to please the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party. The party’s decade-long run in power has wrought changes in the traditionally secular culture - Islamic head scarves in public and on college campuses and restrictions on alcohol in certain places. According to a sociologist at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, many believe a certain lifestyle is being imposed on all institutions in Turkey. Turkish Airlines is 50% owned by the government, whose leader is either accused by his opponents of being a strict Islamist or a latter-day sultan for his accrual of power. While Turkey is a Muslim country, it prides itself of a secular government.

Pray:

that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government will stand strong against pressure from those wanting a more Islamic government. (Jos.1:9)

Iran/Syria: Warnings from US & Gulf states

The United States and Saudi Arabia presented a united front to Iran and Syria. They have alerted Iran that patience over alleged nuclear ambitions is wearing thin and warned President Bashar al-Assad that they will boost support to rebels unless he steps down. While John Kerry was in Saudi Arabia on Monday he said, ‘The window of opportunity for a diplomatic solution cannot by definition remain open indefinitely. There is time to resolve the Iranian issue providing the Iranians are prepared to engage seriously on proposals. Talks will not go on for the sake of talks and cannot become an instrument for delay - making the situation more dangerous.’ The Saudi Foreign Minister, whose country shares concerns with other Gulf Arab states about increasing Iranian aggressiveness in the region, agreed. Also in a joint news conference Kerry and Saud told reporters that al-Assad had lost all claim to be Syria's legitimate leader.

Pray:

that more will be done to eliminate the ‘slaughter of innocents’ and unethical nuclear ambitions.(2Sa.22:3)

USA: Will aid Israel defence systems despite cuts

New US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel met with Ehud Barak for two hours on Tuesday, expressing strong support for Israeli missile and rocket defence systems despite fiscal uncertainty caused by across-the-board spending cuts. ‘Secretary Hagel is committed to working with members of Congress to ensure that there is no interruption of funding for Iron Dome, Arrow, and David's Sling rocket and missile defence systems,’ a US defence official said. During the talks, Barak stressed the importance of continuing to develop the special relations between the Israeli defence community and the Pentagon.

Pray:

that God will bless security issues facing the Middle East today, foremost among them, Iran. (2Sa.22:4)

Pakistan: Elections

Will Pakistan return to a moderate government or become a fanatical terrorist country? The election process starts March 15th but much campaigning is going on now. An interim government will be in place for one month before May elections. Pray a religious ‘pir’ will not be Prime Minister during this period (Jer.1:8-10). Pakistan’s home minister Rahman Malik confirmed the Taliban was behind last Sunday’s car bomb in Karachi killing 50+ people and injuring 140+. Many believe political parties have gone soft on terrorist organisations because terrorists help them win elections (forcing candidates to withdraw their candidature and providing security to their political masters.) A worrying aspect is that the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba (Taliban affiliated party) entered into a poll alliance with PML-N, whose leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is known to be close to the Taliban (they named him as a guarantor in recent negotiations).

Pray:

the run up to Pakistan’s elections will be peaceful. Pray deliverance for the innocent lives being destroyed and the failing economy. (2Ch.32:7)

Eritrea: Christians jailed for ‘illegal’ worship

There was uncertainty on Tuesday, March 5, about the situation of 125 Eritrean Christians who were ‘beaten and detained’ in western Eritrea as part of a new government campaign against Christians worshipping outside the state-backed churches. At least 85 were arrested in the last week, among them are 45 who were arrested February 27 for worshipping ‘outside the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran Churches'. An estimated 1,500 – 2,000 Christians remain detained for some years in prison facilities ranging from airless, hot, windowless metal shipping containers, to military prison camps. Christians are known to have died during their imprisonment. The crackdown began in 2002 when all churches except those belonging to the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran denominations were effectively banned. Independent evangelical and charismatic churches are particularly singled out. Government policies are aimed at religious groups who are ‘duped by foreigners’ seeking to distract from and to distort the true meaning of religion.

Pray:

against the harassment and detention in harsh conditions of thousands of members of registered and unregistered Christian groups. (Ps.18:16-19)

Egypt: Unrest

On Wednesday President Mohammed Morsi was reportedly considering handing over security in Port Said to the military as clashes between protesters and police escalated for a third consecitive day. Lawlessness and violence have wracked the city since January. Photos posted on social networking sites on Tuesday showed smoke rising from locations where protesters threw molotov cocktails on security buildings. The government's inability to regain control is a sign of how deeply divided Egypt has become in the two years since Hosni Mubarak’s regime was toppled. Mr Morsi's deliberations over declaring martial law in Port Said had echoes of Mubarak's decision during the 18-day uprising to order the military into the streets to restore security. The tenuous security situation has raised questions about Mr Morsi’s ability to forge ahead with new parliamentary elections scheduled to begin at the end of April.

Pray:

for Egypt’s political environment to be fair and inclusive. (Is.32:16)