Scottish police drop charges against Christian street preacher

A former LA deputy sheriff arrested while street preaching in Scotland has been told by police he will no longer face charges. Tony Miano was arrested in Dundee after a member of the public complained he had been using ‘homophobic language’. He was on a weeklong street-preaching mission in the city in January with evangelist Josh Williamson when he was arrested under hate-crime legislation. (See Prayer Alert 2.2014). The Christian Legal Centre, which represented him, said he was held by police for 24 hours and that they refused to watch video footage of his street preaching. Mr Miano, 50, said it ‘took months’ for the prosecutors to watch the footage. ‘When the prosecutors finally managed to get the video footage off my camera they could plainly see that the accuser had made allegations about my speech that were simply untrue,’ he said.

Praise:

God for the results of the police investigation with common sense prevailing. (Mk.13:10)

Indonesia: Bibles delivered to village by new airplane funded by volunteers

According to the press release, Wycliffe Associates, a global organisation that involves people in the acceleration of Bible translation around the world, earlier this year, 32,000 pounds of Ketengban Scriptures were delivered to the people via the Pilatus PC-6 aircraft funded by Wycliffe Associates volunteers. New Testaments were also delivered to their neighbours in Lik villages - the first Scriptures ever in their heart language. Andrew and Anne Sims, members of the translation team, were caught off guard as they entered the Ketengban village in Indonesia. They had come to check on the progress of the Old Testament translation, yet hundreds of people greeted them as a celebration broke out. Off to the side, eight boys covered in white mud from head to toe stood expressionless and silent, never moving.

Praise:

God for the work of volunteers who make this possible. (Mt.19:20)

More Than Gold prayer points for the Commonwealth Games

We give thanks for the Queen's Baton Relay and the many churches across Scotland who gave away Penny Gospels, shortbread medals and balloons, painted faces, served lunches and teas to demonstrate hospitality to thousands. Now More Than Gold 2014 invites us all to participate in prayer for events throughout the games:- the performance of Chariot, Luke’s Gospel; Fit for the King Holiday lubs; Holidays at Home for the elderly; Community Festivals; youth Cafes' Sports Quizzes; and give thanks for the hundreds of volunteers making this possible. 150,000+ bottles of water, Penny Gospels and other resources will be given away. Give thanks for the thousands of opportunities people will have to encounter the goodness of God throughout the games. Pray for Games Pastors and Police caring for visitors. Prayer request boxes will available for visitors and the requests will be prayed for by the Flourish team. Pray that many will ask for prayer and see God move as a result.

Pray:

that all Christian events will be well attended, and springs of living water will flow through God's people into the public they are serving. (Jn.7:38)

NATO Summit takes place in Wales on 4-5 September

This will be the first NATO Summit in the United Kingdom since 1990. Approximately 60 world leaders will be addressing issues of security from fragile states, piracy, terrorism and cyber-attacks against NATO countries, focusing on the situation in Afghanistan, the Russia-Ukraine crisis and Nato's future role. Europe Minister David Lidington said there was a need for Nato to strengthen its ability to respond quickly to threats, and to ‘deter further aggression from Russia’. Bringing the summit to Wales will shine the global spotlight on this corner of the UK and Wales could see its biggest protests in a generation. Already StopWar ae inviting people from across the nations to participate in a weekend march, a Counter Summit, week-long peace camps and protests on the summit's opening day. Their invitation states. See-: http://stopwar.org.uk/events/protest-the-nato-summit#.U8uS4_ ldW3M

Pray:

for the world leaders attending as they prepare their agendas and policing strategies for this event and that are in the process of being formulated. (Pr.9:1-2)

Britain’s youth fighting in Syria

Last month two men from Cardiff and one from Aberdeen featured in an online recruitment video by Isis urging western Muslims to join the fighting with the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria. On Monday Theresa May warned the Home Secretary of the impact on families when loved ones join fighting. 400+ people from the UK have travelled to Iraq and Syria and a new campaign, Families Against Stress and Trauma (FAST) was launched this week urging people to stop their relatives from travelling to join wars. Mrs May said, ‘This campaign addresses one of the most significant issues facing communities up and down Britain – the extremely damaging effect of young people choosing to travel to Syria and Iraq.’ Mrs May added, 'I am clear, in relation to people who are going to Syria and returning as terrorists. The Government will take action.’

Pray:

that young Britons would think about the destructive impact on their families that travelling to Syria would cause, pray also for governments in the west to ensure borders are secure against returning terrorists. (Ps.85:8)

Ireland confronts past treatment of unmarried mothers

The Republic of Ireland is to investigate the homes for children born outside marriage and their mothers, run by religious institutions for most of the last century. It follows concerns over the deaths of almost 800 children at a convent-run mother-and-baby home in Galway over several decades and controversy about whether they were given proper burials. Mairead Enright of the Faculty of Law at the University of Kent said the inquiry could help to create a new Ireland in which the attitudes of shame and exclusion could never again be fostered. ‘There are plenty of people in Ireland not much older than me who remember girls who were sitting next to them in school who weren't there the next day because they'd got pregnant and they'd been shipped off somewhere,’ she said. ‘It has had influence on families, on how parents raised their daughters, on how women were perceived.’

Pray:

for all those affected by these issues and that the enquiry will bring a measure of healing to the people of Ireland. (Ps.147:3)

Abortion at 39 weeks prompts outrage from British politicians

A woman who had an abortion at 39 weeks has prompted outrage from British politicians. The women in question allegedly terminated her pregnancy just days before her due date as her unborn child was considered at risk of being disabled. ‘I do not understand how we can have a law which allows the life of a baby with a disability to be ended at full term,’ Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group, has commented. ‘It is a graphic illustration of society's inconsistency on disability. After birth we work hard to ensure equality, but before birth we have laws to prevent the disabled taking their first breath.’ MP Rob Flello added: ‘We have a Jekyll and Hyde approach to disability. On one hand the entire country can be united in praise of Paralympians. On the other we can permit the abortion of children at nine months simply for the crime of having a disability.’

Pray:

for better guidance and a greater respect for potentially disabled children in the days before birth. (Jer.1:5)

Fears of Islamophobia gave activists free rein in Birmingham schools

A scathing report has prompted a call for a rethink of schools oversight as MP threatens to name council officials who took no action. A group of fundamentalist ‘activists’, mostly men of Pakistani origin, infiltrated the management of at least ten schools in Birmingham, sometimes breaking the law in order to introduce Muslim worship and sex segregation, according to a highly critical report. Their activities were unimpeded by council officials who were fearful of allegations of Islamphobia, and who forced ousted teachers to sign gagging clauses rather than treat their complaints seriously as whistleblowers, Ian Kershaw, the authority's independent adviser, concluded. Sir Albert Bore, leader of the city's Labour-run council, apologised on Friday to the people of Birmingham ‘for the way the actions of a few, including some within the council, have undermined the great reputation of our city’.

Pray:

for all local authorities to learn from this report that trying to be politically correct is not always the best way to exercise authority. (Eph.5:15)

High Court to decide whether Boris Johnson acted improperly

This week, a High Court judge considered whether fresh evidence from the Mayor of London’s office shows that Boris Johnson personally ordered Transport for London to ban a bus advert by Christian charity Core Issues Trust (CIT), and whether he did so for an improper purpose during his re-election campaign in 2012. Mrs Justice Lang upheld the ban on the CIT slogan, ‘Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!’ at the original High Court hearing. (See also Prayer Alert 05-2014) Following the decision, CIT submitted a Freedom of Information request which revealed emails suggesting the Mayor had personally instructed TFL to ban the adverts. One email from the Mayor’s Director of Communications at the time, Guto Harri, states that the Mayor personally ordered the Christian advertisement to be pulled. CIT took the case to the Court of Appeal which sent it back to Mrs Justice Lang to consider the new email evidence which she had not seen at the first hearing.

Pray:

that Boris Johnson and all those in authority that they will be open and honest in all their public action. (Pr.22:21)

Ukraine: Evangelicals persecuted

The recovered bodies and flight recorders of Malaysia Flight 17 have been turned over to the proper authorities, but the propaganda wars continue. Ukrainian government officials blame Russia for a complicit role in the shooting down of the commercial flight, while Russia blames Ukraine. This unusual war in Eastern Ukraine is also having other consequences: the evangelical community is being targeted. President of Russian Ministries Sergey Rakhuba says, ‘They believe that evangelical churches are their enemies. In one of the towns, they even raised the Orthodox flag and said they would fight any heretic, any protestant, anyone who represents any western immoral values.’ Many evangelicals have been attacked, including four men who were killed a few weeks ago. Rakhuba says a childhood friend was targeted on Monday when Russian Separatists stopped his car in Donetsk. Fortunately, Ukrainian forces trying to regain control of Donetsk began engaging the separatists and Rakhuba’s friend was able to get away.

Pray:

for the ongoing political situation in the Ukraine with it’s blame culture leading to conflict and persecution.

Ukraine/Russia: Western values are at risk

To understand why Vladimir Putin is willing to take the kinds of risks that produced the destruction of a civilian airliner, and why the US and its allies should see his power play as an effort to alter not just the arc of Ukraine but all of Europe it is necessary to look at the tale of two countries. Poland, integrated into Western economy and grew twice as fast as Ukraine. Many think this contrast scared Mr. Putin particularly when Ukraine, emulating Poland, began to pivot westward earlier this year. To allow the Ukrainian turn to happen would have been the end of any near-term dreams of rebuilding a Russian empire. The goal of re-creating a Russian sphere of influence collided head-on with the spread of a Westernized EU model for Europe seeping toward Russia's doorstep. Mr. Putin faced a historic choice: swim with the tide or try to turn it. He chose the latter.

Pray:

that the long-term outcome of last week’s air disaster and its repercussions will bring about an end to a divided Ukraine. (Job.12:23)

Israel: Public and political figures push for further military action.

The media in Israel have gone on a war footing, with retired military men dominating the airwaves and corresponding sympathetic coverage in print. Dissenting voices have largely been pushed to the pages of Haaretz and online. Within the government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has found support - albeit temporary. Last week he was under intense pressure from the right wing of his coalition, particularly Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, to launch the current ground invasion. He sacked Danny Danon, his deputy defence minister, because of his vocal criticism. There have been no major opinion polls yet on the war, but dozens of interviews over the past two weeks suggest the public is broadly supportive, a sympathetic shift that is unsurprising in a country with mandatory conscription for most of its citizens. Younger Jewish Israelis are increasingly right-wing and hold negative views of Palestinians. The shift was more evident with anti-war demonstrators shouted down and attacked.

Pray:

for the government as they discuss and plan long-term strategies. (Pr.8:14-16)

International: Protests supporting Gaza

Hundreds of thousands of people marched, waved flags, raised placards and wore PLO t-shirts to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians last weekend. From Australia to France, from India to England, thousands rallied to support Palestinians and protest against Israeli military action in Gaza in marches and sit-ins. In Aberdeen and Glasgow demonstrations and marches were organised by Scottish Friends of Palestine, the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop the War Coalition. In England Stop the War Coalition organised campaigns or transport to campaigns in Batley, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Coventry, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Frome, High Wycombe, Keighley, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford and Rochdale. The demonstrations in High Wycombe illustrate the speed and strength of these campaigns - their protest was Buckinghamshire's largest ever peace protest. Within 24 hours of going live their Facebook page grew to 1100 followers. See also and Here

Pray:

that as opinions are forcefully voiced in the coming days and weeks, there will be no violent backlashes in towns and cities across the nations. (1Tim.2:1-4 & Is.32:17-18)

Iraq: Christians told ‘convert or die’

By 1 pm last Friday almost every Christian in Mosul had heard the message that they had until noon on Saturday to leave the city. Men, women and children piled into neighbours’ cars. Some begged for rides to the city limits and hoped to get taxis to the nearest Christian villages. They took nothing more than the clothes on their backs. The order from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) came after Christia ns decided not to attend a meeting that ISIS had arranged for Thursday night to discuss their status. They were too afraid to go. Since Saddam Hussein was ousted, Mosul's Christians have one of the oldest communities of its kind in the world, has seen their numbers dwindle from over 30,000 to just a few thousand. However, once ISIS swept into the city in early June there were reports that the remaining Christians had fled. Friday's edict was probably the real end. While a few may still find a way to stay in secret, the community will be gone.

Pray:

for the Christians displaced from Mosul as they attempt to resettle in regions where there is more tolerance for Christians. (Jer.29:11) Pray for all experiencing persecution by ISIS, may the Lord answer their prayers and protect them. (Ps.20:1)

Australia: More compassion needed for asylum seekers

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia has urged the government and opposition to revise immigration policy, particularly offshore detention. A motion moved by the Synod recognises ‘the moral complexities of the task’ but says asylum seekers should not be called ‘illegal’, should not be detained for more than three months and women and children should not be placed in detention facilities. The Synod urged the Government to work with regional neighbours and the UNHCR to develop a compassionate and workable regional response to refugees and asylum seekers and to develop immigration policies that are more just and compassionate. The Rev Peter Lin, whose parish includes the largest number of asylum seekers in Sydney said, ‘We come into contact with frightened, traumatised yet relieved people. Whatever we think about how they arrived, they are among us, hurting, vulnerable and powerless in many ways.'

Pray:

for refugees in Australian detention centres and communities to receive appropriate care and healing from their trauma, confusion, sadness and pain. (Ps.10:12)

Nigeria: Christians mourn 150 killed including pastor

Christians in north-eastern Nigeria are mourning an evangelical pastor and at least 150 others. Attacks began on July 14 when Boko Haram attacked Dille village, killing Pastor Taiwo Dokun of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and 44 other villagers. The whereabouts of the late pastor's wife and their three children remained unknown. The family could have been abducted by the insurgents who took away many of the residents of the town. The pastor’s family members have not called any one' a church member told reporters, without revealing his name. The pastor’s residence was completely razed by the insurgents. Other homes and shops were also torched, forcing villagers to flee the area into nearby hills. Soon after the violence spread to other areas in and more than 100 people were killed. Militants were seen hoisting their black and white flag over the north-eastern town of Damboa. Hundreds are fleeing Askira Uba after receiving letters from Boko Haram threatening to attack and take over their villages. Nine villages are on the run.

Pray:

for the families living in fear to know God’s comfort. Pray for protection for Christians living in heavily Muslim populated areas.(Ps.40:1-2) Pray for the government and military to eradicate terrorism. (Ex.15:6)

Afghanistan: The war widows

Marzia grew up under the Taliban and was not allowed to go to school. She was a carpet weaver. Her husband, also an illiterate weaver, joined the army but was killed in 2010. They had two children. ‘For the 40-day mourning period I stayed with my in-laws then I moved to my parents' house. I can’t live on my own, I don't have a job. People think when a woman becomes a widow she becomes loose and immoral. They think we are like a pot with no lid, uncovered and ready to do anything. I can’t remarry because my in-laws might take my children away. My son is six. I've admitted him to school. I want him to fulfil his father's dreams. Whenever he went on duty he said, ‘If anything happens to me, don't let my son be illiterate. I want him to become an engineer or a doctor.’

Pray:

for the war widows struggling to find food and raise their children, particularly after NATO leave the country later this year. Pray for the NGO’s to be effective in touching the lives of the vulnerable. (Ja.1:27)