M&S backtracks on banning �Christ�

The words �Christ� and �Jesus Christ� have been removed from a list of banned offensive terms by Marks & Spencer. The u-turn follows an online barrage of comments after it emerged, Sunday 1 March that the the terms had been banned. Customers who had previously tried to include them in greetings with online purchases of flowers were prevented from completing their orders, with an on-screen notification, reading: 'Sorry, there's something in your message we can't write.' The policy emerged this weekend when Geraldine Stockford, a pastor�s wife from Christ Church Teddington, was blocked from ordering a �35 bouquet of spring flowers as a gift. The message Geraldine had tried to enter ran: �Thank you for your care and practical help for Margaret in her last days. With love from her church family, Christ Church Teddington. �

Praise:

God for the change of mind by M&S. (Ps.94:8)

Egypt's Christian martyrs are witnessing to the nation

Undaunted by the slaughter of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya, the director of the Bible Society of Egypt saw a golden gospel opportunity. �We must have a Scripture tract ready to distribute to the nation as soon as possible,� Ramez Atallah told his staff the evening an IS-linked group released its gruesome propaganda video. The world stopped for a moment on hearing the news of 21 Coptic Christians, murdered by IS on the shores of a beach in Tripoli. Coptic Christians don�t get much attention on the world stage, but this was different. The pictures of those orange-clad men on the beach surfaced everywhere, the stories of their lives gaining more attention every day. Less than 36 hours later, the booklet �Two Rows by the Sea� was sent to the printer. One week later, 1.65 million copies have been distributed in the Bible Society�s largest campaign ever.

Praise:

God for the powerful response to this horrific crime.

Hundreds of babies are now being born clinically obese in the UK

Hundreds of babies are being born clinically obese every year - including some weighing more than a stone. As many as 1,403 newborns have been classified as obese since 2011, according to shocking figures from a series of Freedom of Information requests. At just one trust nearly 400 babies born in the last four years weighed 9lb 15oz or more - the marker for an obese baby. Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said that although some mothers suffer from medical conditions, which increase the size of the baby, most just overeat. 'Women have to understand that they have to keep themselves in shape due to the huge responsibility they have of producing the next generation. Successive governments have not really addressed the obesity problem. It starts at conception and sometimes even before then. If we get it wrong, it's a vicious circle and it will just go on and on and on.'

Pray:

for the Government, health educators, families and mothers-to-be to recognise the implications of obesity and to take steps to avoid it. (Pr.23:20-21)

Jail terms proposed for those who 'neglect' sex abuse victims

Teachers, councillors and social workers in England and Wales who fail to protect children could face up to five years in jail under new proposals. The new measures, being unveiled by the prime minister, would see the crime of �wilful neglect� extended to cover children's social care and education. There would also be unlimited fines for individuals and organisations shown to have let children down, and police will now prioritise sexual exploitation as a �national threat�. This means such abuse will be treated in a similar way to serious and organised crime, with police forces, chief constables and police and crime commissioners having a duty to collaborate in order to protect children. The government's proposals - also to include a national helpline being set up to enable professionals to report bad practice - are a response to child abuse scandals including those in Rotherham and Oxfordshire.

Pray:

that the punishments proposed for those involved in this crimes will act as a deterrent. (Ps.12:7)

Nick Clegg: Having faith must be the most wonderful thing

In an exclusive extended interview, Nick Clegg has told Premier he thinks it must be the most wonderful thing to have a faith and would embrace it if it came his way. The Deputy Prime Minister has been speaking ahead of the election and touched upon his personal faith journey, his time in the coalition government and the role of Church in society and politics. Mr Clegg, who's been labelled an atheist in the media, said he felt uncomfortable with the title and remains open to religion. �I now accompany Miriam [his wife] and the children, and do so with great joy, to Mass pretty much every weekend,� he explained. �I sometimes think it must be the most wonderful thing to be infused with faith. It's not something that's happened to me, it's not happened to me yet. I would embrace it.�

Pray:

that the Holy Spirit will reveal himself to Nick and all our leaders enabling them to really embrace the faith. (1Tim.2:1-4)

Under fire Christian school fights back on BBC Radio 4

A threatened Christian school has defended itself on BBC Radio 4, saying a critical Ofsted report �contradicts� clear evidence. The Durham Free School is set to be closed after Education Secretary Nicky Morgan restated that its funding would be withdrawn. However, the leader of the governors at the school, John Denning, said the Ofsted report which led to the funding decision �contradicts a whole raft of evidence�. He also addressed accusations of bullying at the school, saying pupils who had been targeted elsewhere are happy at The Durham Free School. Answering questions on Friday�s Today programme, Denning said the school was taking legal advice. He commented that parts of the schools� watchdog�s critical report were �inaccurate� and �just plain wrong�. The flagship BBC radio programme also heard from parents who praised the school, with one saying the school was a �lifeline� for her child.

Pray:

that the evidence against Durham school will be reconsidered and lead to wise decisions. (Ps.37:30)

Churches urged to get tech-savvy to tackle self-harming

Churches and youth workers are being encouraged to get up to speed with social media and the internet to support those who are self-harming. A new poll, commissioned in the run up to Self-Harm Awareness Day, has shed light on the number of 11-21 year olds exposed to online self-harm images. Organised by ChildLine, SelfharmUK, YoungMinds and YouthNet, the research found that over half of 11-14 year olds have either self-harmed themselves or know someone who has self-harmed, whilst eight out of every ten 18-21 year olds say they have self-harmed or know someone who has self-harmed. Speaking on Premier's News Hour, Rachel Welch called on those in churches to do more to understand what's happening so they can make a difference. She said: �They're all engaging with social media so it's critically important that youth workers and other people from within the church are using those same places. It's important we go to where the young people are.�

Pray:

for youth workers and churches in particular to meet the challenge of addressing this problem. (1Co.6:19-20)

Oxfordshire grooming victims may have totalled 373 children

As many as 373 children may have been targeted for sex by gangs of men in Oxfordshire in the last 16 years, a serious case review found. The investigation came after a sadistic sex gang of seven men were jailed in 2013 for abusing six girls in Oxford, between 2004 and 2012. Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council made �many errors� in that case and could have acted sooner. A victim of the gang said the issue had been �swept under the carpet�. Of the 373 cases, the council said about 50 victims were boys. Speaking at a press conference, the chair of Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (OSCB) Maggie Blyth said: �What happened to the victims is deeply disturbing. It is shocking that these children were subjected to such appalling sexual exploitation for so long.�

Pray:

for all that is hidden in Oxfordshire and other areas to be exposed. Pray for all the children that have been abused and damaged by this exploitation. (Ps.140:4)

One in five Dutch doctors would help physically healthy patients die

Almost one in five Dutch doctors would consider helping someone die even if they had no physical problems but were �tired of living�, according to one of the most comprehensive academic studies of such attitudes. The research, in which almost 1,500 GPs, geriatric care doctors and clinical specialists answered a detailed, anonymous survey, also found that 2% of them said they had taken part in such euthanasia or assisted suicide without medical grounds for a patient who was suffering, even though this is prohibited under Dutch law. The paper, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, also found that 40% of the doctors said it was conceivable they would help someone in the early stages of dementia to die, while 3% had done so. Just over a third said they might also be willing to assist people with a psychiatric disease who wished to end their life.

Pray:

that doctors will not take these steps in breaking Dutch law and also God�s law. (Ps.19:7)

Discrimination against Christians �ignored� across Europe

Discrimination against Christians is being �ignored� by governments and courts, MPs from across Europe have warned in the wake of a string of cases involving the rights of British workers to wear crosses or discuss their beliefs. The parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe has issued a formal declaration urging states to recognise the principle of �reasonable accommodation� for the beliefs of traditionalist Christians on issues such as homosexuality for the first time. The first test of the new call will come as early as this week with the opening of an employment tribunal case involving a London nursery worker who claims she was dismissed for telling a lesbian colleague her beliefs on same-sex marriage. She also alleges that she was asked to act against her beliefs by reading stories about same-sex couples to children.

Pray:

that the Council of Europe�s principle of �reasonable accommodation� will be recognised by the employment tribunals across Europe. (Ps.119:126)

Iran: A problem of nuclear proportions

On Monday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, reminding them of Iran�s support for terrorist organisations and its stated goal to destroy the Jewish State. He asked the crowd to �imagine what Iran would do with nuclear weapons.� Shortly afterwards President Barack Obama disparaged his comments. On Tuesday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a much-anticipated speech to Congress regarding the Iranian nuclear deal. Again his comments revealed opposition to President Obama�s views. Meanwhile in Iran individuals in leadership positions are propagating poisonous agendas against the USA and Israel. An aide to Iran�s supreme leader vowed to 'raise the flag of Islam over the White House� and said that taking over Washington would be part of a 'resistance front' in revenge for the deaths of members of the militant group Hezbollah.� The USA is often mentioned in the same breath as Israel because of its financial and diplomatic support for the nation. See also

Pray:

international leaders will do enough to assure Israel�s future. Pray against the dangerous atmosphere being propagated by passionate clerics in Iran. (Ps.5:11)

Nigeria: Boko Haram beheadings echoes IS

The Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram released a video on Monday showing militants beheading two men. It�s their first online posting using the advanced graphics and editing techniques associated with IS. Past Boko Haram films have been cruder, often featuring a man identified as the leader Abubakar Shekau discussing local gripes. The latest one preaches �global jihad.� The footage will stoke concerns that Boko Haram, which evolved out of a clerical movement focused on north-east Nigeria, is expanding its scope and seeking inspiration from global militant networks including al-Qaida and IS. Nigeria�s president, Goodluck Jonathan, said �Boko Haram is allied to both al-Qaida and IS�, though it has not been confirmed by the militants who have killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds in a drive to carve out an Islamist state in Nigeria.

Pray:

against the spread of terror in Nigeria, and the cross-border raids into Cameroon, Chad and Niger. (Ps.3:7)

Syria: Update on situation in north-east

Last week you prayed into a developing situation in north-east Syria involving the abduction of Assyrian Christians by Daesh. We are pleased to report that nineteen hostages were released on 1 March. However an estimated 200+ are still being held. The nineteen released were taken to the Church of Our Lady in Hassaka. Most are men and all are over fifty years old. There is speculation that an Islamic court ordered their release after 'tax payments' were made on their behalf. In the days following the abductions all sources increased their initial estimates of how many fled and how many were seized. Most sources now agree the number of abductees is over two hundred. The Assyrian Church of the East reported that fifty-one families escaped � but in fact they failed to escape. The number of families who have fled is expected to reach 1,200. Church leaders have appealed to the international community to redouble efforts to stop the killing and systematic displacement of Christians, and to promote a peaceful settlement in the region.

Pray:

for those abducted to know the presence and protection of Jesus, and will be released soon. (Ps.41:2)

South Africa: Christian initiative to break debt cycle

A group of Christian leaders in the Eastern Free State town of Harrismith aim to help people get out of debt and into �a spacious financial space� through an innovative programme that will provide interest free loans and financial mentoring. It�s called Fruits of Righteousness Programme. The vision is to empower the Body of Christ and to bring freedom in the financial sphere. Debt is a huge problem affecting many people in South Africa. After apartheid ended the international development community promoted the microcredit model to bring new jobs, incomes, empowerment and dignity to the poorest black communities and townships. However, the microcredit model has inflicted untold damage on the South African society. Unemployment is high, many of the poorest were forced to repay their microloan by selling household assets, borrowing from friends and family or taking out new microloans to repay old ones. Many are in chronic poverty. See also

Pray:

for more programmes focusing on education and interest free loans to emerge across SA. (Pr.22:7-9)

Afghanistan: Women�s shelters - legacy of the West in Afghanistan

A young woman running away from her Afghan village and an arranged marriage is comparable to crossing a busy street blindfolded - there is a strong likelihood that she will be killed for bringing shame on her family. Over the last decade about 20 emergency women�s shelters have sprung up. They have cared for and protected several thousand women across Afghanistan from abuse or death at the hands of their relatives. As the shelters have grown, so has the opposition of powerful conservative imams and the Afghan government. They see shelters as Western assaults on Afghan culture. As the Western presence in Afghanistan dwindles this clash of ideas of the place of women means many gains women made after 2001 are at risk. Although the Taliban�s harsh restrictions on women alienated many Afghans, the idea that women must submit to men remains widely held.

Pray:

for the fragile network of safe houses and the women who staff them to be protected from restrictive legislation and attacks by local strongmen. Pray for the Afghan society in transition. (Pr.2:11,12)

Laos: Pastors in prison for praying for the sick

Five church leaders in Laos were imprisoned last week for being �illegal doctors� after they prayed for a sick woman who later died. They are currently in Savannakhet Provincial Prison serving a nine months sentence. They were also fined for emotional damages and forced to pay for funeral expenses. On the day the woman died, her family received permission from the village chief to hold a Christian burial ceremony on private property. (Christians are denied burial rights in village cemeteries). However the chief suddenly reversed his decision and banned the burial ceremony until the family recanted their Christian faith, which they refused to do. Laos is a landlocked country surrounded by Burma, the People's Republic of China, Vietnam and Thailand to the west. It is ruled by a Marxist and communist government. Its population was estimated to be around 6.8 million in July 2014 and 3.1% is Christian.

Pray:

for the persecuted Christians in Laos. Pray also for the gentle peace loving people of Laos not to conform to the anti-Christian bias in government, but instead be touched by the love of Christ. (Ps.119:86)

Global: Racism and equality

Following unrest in Ferguson in America when an unarmed black man was killed by a white police officer, an inquiry reported that black residents routinely have their constitutional rights violated through unjustified arrests, traffic stops and other actions carried out by a racially biased police department. But USA is not the only country that needs to crack down on racism. In France recently a mayor was in a racism row after a dead Roma baby was refused a cemetery place. The Telegraph reported this week that British Sikhs are often the silent victims of backlash against Islamic extremism. In Russia a report by two anti-discrimination organizations said there had been more than 200 cases of discriminatory behaviour linked to Russian soccer over two seasons, while English police are probing reports of soccer fans' racism on trains and in Switzerland UEFA has charged Feyenoord with racist behaviour by fans. See also

Pray:

against crimes motivated by prejudice against a person because of their ethnicity or race. (Lev.19:33)