Alpha in Kenya sees huge growth thanks to Compassion partnership

More than 15,000 Kenyan young people have undertaken the Alpha course, thanks to a unique partnership between Alpha and Compassion International. Compassion, which engages in anti-poverty and educational programmes through child sponsorship, partners with local evangelical churches in 26 countries around the world. It aims to offer children and young people a ‘holistic’ curriculum which includes their physical, spiritual, socio-emotional and intellectual development. Alpha's evangelistic programme, founded at Holy Trinity Brompton and based on talks on Christian basics and small group discussions over a meal, has been widely used in the UK and elsewhere. A Compassion report on its partnership with Alpha in Kenya says the Alpha Youth course helps young people address doubts about their faith in a supportive setting. Compassion Kenya Director, Joel Macharia, says: ‘It attempts to answer the questions and to resolve the conflicts between individual beliefs and sound biblical teachings that the individual takes personal responsibility for his or her beliefs and feelings.’

Praise:

God for successful partnership of Compassion with the Alpha course and the many seekers. (Ps.128:2)

Is China ready to send out missionaries?

The past decade has seen a groundswell of passion among Christians in China to pursue cross-cultural ministry. A corresponding wave of activity among outside organizations and churches has aimed at equipping China's church for this task. Much of this activity has focused on training individual workers and establishing the ‘highway’ by which they might make their way to countries neighbouring China and beyond. A closer look at the current movement suggests that, while these efforts are an important part of the overall equation, there are other, perhaps more fundamental, pieces that need to be put in place in order for a sustained sending effort to emerge. The growth of mature sending movement will take time. Some have suggested that internships with international agencies may be a wise intermediate step for equipping the future leaders of this movement.

Praise:

God for the opportunities available to equip workers and leaders in the field. (1Cor.3:9)

Bishop of London proposes new 'Bishop for Church Plants' role

The Bishop of London is planning to revive a century-old episcopal see to create a new 'Bishop for Church Plants'. The Right Rev Richard Chartres plans to bring back the See of Islington, which existed briefly from 1898 to 1923. There was only ever one Bishop of Islington, the Right Rev Charles Henry Turner, who was at the same time Rector of St Andrew Undershaft. The Church Times reports that the proposal is to be considered by the Dioceses Commission. The aim is to provide additional support for the burgeoning church planting movement. The London diocese is one of the most successful in the western world in terms of growth and diversity. Besides the leadership of Bishop Chartres, this can also be attributed to the phenomenally successful Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) group of churches and the Alpha evangelisation course that originated at HTB.

Pray:

for continued growth in Church planting, and also that it will be sustainable. (Ac.20:28)

Salvation Army uses viral dress to promote domestic violence campaign

A dress which went viral after viewers were split on its colours has become the focal point of the Salvation Army's campaign against domestic violence in South Africa. A photo was in the media last month in which some saw the colours white and gold and others saw blue and black. The Salvation Army's new poster features a similar dress worn by a bruised woman with the strapline 'Why is it so hard to see black and blue?'. Speaking about the advert, a spokesperson for the Salvation Army said: ‘The Salvation Army sees the devastating effects of domestic violence on women, men and children every day. We know that one in four women are victims of domestic violence in the UK: this innovative and powerful campaign by the Salvation Army highlights that domestic violence is often overlooked by society. We hope this image helps people to see the true impact of this crime.’

Pray:

for all victims of domestic violence and for those who work to help them. (Col.3:19)

Children in care failed by government, say MPs

Children in care ‘get a raw deal’ and the government is not doing enough to help them, MPs have said in a report. In particular the Department for Education shows ‘alarming reluctance to play an active role’ in improving the lot of these children, say the MPs. Poor local services are too often left to ‘fester’, says the report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee. A DfE spokesman said the report ‘purposefully’ ignored ‘very real progress’ made by government. The life chances of children in care were being transformed, said the spokesman. ‘It is a fact that vulnerable children are doing better than ever’. The Department for Education is best placed to lead improvements in the quality of care but is reluctant to take on this role, only intervening after Ofsted has failed a local authority service, say the MPs. ‘The department focussed on limiting its responsibility rather than maximising opportunities for children in care,’ said the committee's chairman, Margaret Hodge.

Pray:

that the government will increase its involvement in actively helping children in care. (Lev.25:18)

Christian printing company takes a stand for traditional marriage

A Christian printing company in the Republic of Ireland has become the latest business to take a stand for traditional marriage, based on firmly-held religious convictions. Beulah Print & Design declined to print invitations for a gay couple’s civil partnership ceremony. The incident comes after calls by the Council of Europe for member states to support the principle of reasonable accommodation. The owners of Beulah Print said that because of their Christian faith they could not print material for John Keirans and Jonathon Brennan’s civil partnership ceremony. A statement released by the company stressed that their decision was not a personal attack on the customers, whom they had happily served for four years, but was due to their opposition to same-sex marriage. It reads: ‘We, at Beulah Print, are Bible-believing Christians who are committed to standing by our conscience and God’s Word.’

Pray:

that the faith and convictions of Beulah’s owners will continue to hold firm. (1Thes.1:5a)

Getting married before having children boosts chances of staying together

Couples who get married before having children are over 70 per cent more likely to stay together than those who do so after marriage new research claims. Meanwhile those who start a family but never marry are almost three times as likely to split up before their children are in their mid-teens, the study by the Marriage Foundation think-tank concludes. It claims that other factors often linked to family stability, such as parents’ ages when they have children or their level of education, have only a ‘marginal’, if any, effect on their chances of staying together. Sir Paul Coleridge, the former High Court family judge who set up the foundation in 2012, said the study showed that it is a ‘myth’ that cohabitation is as stable as marriage. The group is pressing for political parties to adopt policies specifically promoting marriage in their manifestos ahead of the General Election in May.

Pray:

for each political party to recognise the importance of marriage in family life and to build it into their manifestos. (Heb.13:4)

Massive rise in church volunteering

Volunteering through UK churches has increased by nearly 17% over the past two years, according to the third biennial National Church and Social Action Survey. Figures indicate that 1.1 to 1.4 million volunteers participated in church-based social action in the UK in 2014, benefiting 'millions' of people through various initiatives. The survey’s revealed that UK churches have increased the average number of volunteer hours on social action to 114.8m per annum. This is an increase of 16.8% compared with two years earlier and 59.4% compared with four years ago. The research found UK churches have also increased the average number of staff hours on social action by 18.8% in two years. In addition to volunteering, church members also finance the vast majority of initiatives, according to the study, with UK churches increasing their spending on social action to approximately £393m in 2014.

Pray:

that there will be many more volunteers ready to follow Christ’s example as the servant King. (Jud.5:9)

Immigration stories horrify parliamentary group

the Use of Immigration Detention in the UK said that current Home Office guidance - which said that detention should be used sparingly - was ineffective, and was not being followed. The Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather, who chaired the inquiry, said: ‘We believe the problems that beset our immigration occur quite simply because we detain far too many people unnecessarily, and for far too long. The current system is expensive, ineffective, and unjust.’ A new parliamentary inquiry has called for a 28-day cap on the time that anyone can be held in immigration detention in the UK, to end the indefinite holding of migrants and asylum-seekers.

Pray:

for Parliament to look seriously at the detention system for migrants and asylum-seekers in order to improve it for all parties. (Lev.19:33-34)

Hungary: Court to probe ‘Islamic State’ crackdown on Christians

Hungary's foreign minister says his country has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the ‘brutal actions’ committed against Christians by the Islamic State group. Minister Péter Szijjártó said it was crucial for the Netherlands-based ICC to ‘prosecute the perpetrators’ of the anti-Christian violence ‘with rigour’. Islamic State militants have been beheading Christians, including at least 21 Egyptian Copts last month in Libya, after they refused to abandon their faith in Jesus Christ. Szijjártó's remarks came while concerns remained on Tuesday, 3 March, over more than 200 Christians abducted in Syria last week, the latest in a series of known kidnappings by the group. The minister said he spoke this week of Hungary's concerns about the crackdown on Christians during a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said his nation needs new, tougher rules allowing for the detention and expulsion of illegal migrants, otherwise Hungary would ‘turn into a refugee camp.’

Pray:

that the International Criminal Court’s investigations will find ways to stop anti-Christian violence. (Ps.7:9)

Ukraine: Arms withdrawal on both sides nearly complete, Kiev says

Both Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels have pulled back most of their heavy artillery from the front line in accordance with a February ceasefire deal, Ukraine’s president said late Monday, amid reports of fresh clashes in the east. However Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko told a state broadcaster that some heavy weaponry remains in place at the airport in the rebel-held city of Donetsk. World leaders hope the withdrawal of heavy weapons as agreed at high-level peace talks last month will help bring a definitive end to the conflict, which the UN estimates has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced almost 1.8 million. The pullback is being overseen by hundreds of monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which has in the past cited a lack of cooperation on both sides. Poroshenko said in his interview that exchanges of artillery and rocket fire have largely stopped along the 485-kilometre (300-mile) front.

Pray:

that the apparent successful withdrawal of both sides in the conflict will stand firm. (Matt.5:9)

South Africa: Helping world’s traumatised children

Across the nations children are becoming traumatised through street violence, wars, domestic violence, kidnapping, child labour and trafficking. See the six Prayer Alert articles below. In South Africa the Petra Institute near White River, Mpumalanga, have developed a children’s ministry designed specifically to help traumatised children through the medium of play. It’s called the Walking with Wounded Children Course. The institute’s play therapy training model can be applied to any country or culture. To date the Institute has trained more than 13,000 people throughout Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Far East. Back in South Africa Petra recently presented their course in Modimolle (Nylstroom) to fifteen participants, eleven of whom were staff from an orphanage. After training the participants put their new skills to practice with non-competitive games that overcomes age, colour and gender differences. Children became relaxed and uninhibited and shared their emotions which is hugely therapeutic.

Pray:

for this ministry and all agencies working towards giving damaged children the opportunity to play, talk about their traumas and work through their hurt and pain so that healing can begin. (Ps.90:16-17)

Iraq: Israeli Arab slain by IS child

A new IS video shows a child executing an Israeli Arab man accused of spying for Israel. The child shot him in the head with a hand gun. ‘So we fight in Iraq and our eyes are on Jerusalem,’ said a voice in Arabic at the conclusion of the video released on YouTube. The video also contained a lengthy confession by the victim who identified himself as Mohammed Said Ismail Musallam from Jerusalem. The Israeli government is investigating the authenticity of the video. IS has long expressed enmity toward Israel, but this would mark the first time they have killed an Israeli citizen. The use of a child executioner adds a twist to a propaganda campaign employing shock tactics to attract potential recruits and frighten enemies. The video comes a week before Israel’s general elections, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has campaigned on a platform of protecting the country from Islamists.

Pray:

for God to comfort families of victims murdered by terrorists, and the rescue of children recruited into terror groups. Ask God to protect Israel from all who seek to destroy. (Ps.5:8 &11)

Syria: A lost generation

Children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition and diseases related to poor sanitation. With the breakdown of health systems there have been outbreaks of highly contagious diseases like measles and even polio. The lack of immunizations only adds to the dangers children face in a country at war. They are also extremely vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Many of the children have had no schooling for more than three years. The schools that do exist lack teachers. Many schools have been bombed and shut down. The horrific things children have witnessed and experienced have traumatized them with emotional scarring to last a lifetime. They are faced daily with nightmares and isolating behaviours that continue the cycle of damage.

Pray:

for protection, justice, healing and action for Syrian refugee children and swift justice for violators. (Ps.72:4)

USA/Vietnam: Working to combat child labour

A majority of countries have adopted legislation to prohibit or place restrictions on the employment of children, much of it guided by standards adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO). In spite of these efforts child labour continues to exist on a massive scale, in appalling conditions, particularly in the developing world. Progress has been slow,or even apparently non-existent because child labour is an immensely complex issue. In December an ILO project was approved to combat child labour in Vietnam, based on donations from the United States Department of Labour and the Government of Vietnam. The project will be implemented over five years in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang and other locations. It aims, among other things to, improve the monitoring and enforcement of laws and to raise awareness of child labour in Vietnam.

Pray:

for the prevention and reduction of child labour; also for education and training opportunities for the vulnerable.

China: Children kidnapped and sold

An illegal market in children has developed in China. Babies are being openly sold online. Police say many of the victims are from the estimated 20,000 children abducted each year - a crime with a devastating impact on separated children and parents. Thousands of Chinese parents have their children abducted every year. The Chinese government provides no figures but the US State Department estimates 20,000 children are abducted annually, that is 400 a week. Chinese state media suggested the true figure could be 200,000 per year. A baby boy can sell for £10,500, that’s double the price for a girl because there is a traditional preference for boys in Chinese culture. Boys carry on the family name and provide financial support for elderly parents. Once abducted the children are most often sold for adoption but some are forced to work as beggars for criminal gangs. The vast majority of those abducted are simply lost forever. To read the disturbing story of one father searching for his lost son click the ‘More’ button.

Pray:

that the authorities would step up the fight against child traffickers, particularly against online agencies. (Ps.69:27)

India: Children missing

Children who go missing in India are exploited and abused for various purposes - exported as camel jockeys in the Gulf countries or victims of body organ trade and even grotesque cannibalism as reported at Nithari village in Noida. There are large numbers of children running away from homes after dropping out of school or facing difficulties at home. They run to the glamorous big cities where they are exploited and employed in tea stalls, brothels, begging, etc. These children come from poorer families who do not have access to police services or whose reports are not taken seriously. When a child goes missing in India no offence is seen to be committed. Police generate awareness through the media and the police headquarters of each state has a missing person bureau, but nevertheless trafficking is the fastest growing means by which people are enslaved. Stop the Traffic reports it as the fastest growing international crime. See also

Pray:

for trafficking groups to be caught and for an end to drug cartels swapping from cargo to human beings for higher profits and lower risk. (Is.5:20)

Global: Campaign to end violence against children

UNICEF are once again drawing our attention to children in danger and renewing their call for an end to violence against children. Across the globe millions of children are in danger. Too many childhoods are broken by the trauma of violence. These children’s stories are hard to tell or listen to – so often we don’t. The violence feeds on our silence, allowing the suffering of children to continue and grow. UNICEF want 2015 to be the year of change and are calling on all UK political party leaders to commit to supporting a new global target to end violence against children everywhere. In September world leaders will agree new global goals that will guide the development of our planet for the next 15 years. UNICEF wants these goals to include a robust target to end violence against children, so that this becomes a priority for all countries.

Pray:

for politicians world-wide to join the charities working towards ending the epidemic of attacks, exploitation, abuse and murder of children on the streets, in communities, schools and homes across the nations. (Ps.68.5)