Former strip club is converted to worship centre

After giving his life to Jesus, strip club owner Aaron Bekkela felt compelled to sell the property to a church. He approached Dary Northrop, senior pastor of Timberline Church in Colorado. Bekkela and Northrop had established a friendship after Bekkela learned that the mother of one of the dancers and her prayer group at the church had been praying for him for years. Upon divesting himself of interests in the strip club, Bekkela visited the church and met Northrop to share his commitment to the Lord. Inspired by Bekkela's desire to move away from the industry, Northrop said he saw it as a great opportunity to plant a church in one of the most underserved areas of town. Bekkela invited Northrop and Timberline Pastor Rob Cowles to tour the club before it opened. When they entered a dressing room, Cowles was overcome with emotion upon seeing pictures of children of dancers on lockers. ‘It just broke me,’ Cowles said. ‘Before I even knew what I was saying, I said 'we really need to plant a church here and I need to lead it'.’ The 7,200-square-foot building is now home to a 200-seat worship centre.

Praise:

God for the way He works for the good of all who faithfully serve Him. (Ps.4:3)

Another Trumpet Call in two weeks

At the first Trumpet Call in October 2004, the team at the World Prayer Centre had no idea how many times God wanted us to blow the trumpet in the heart of the nation. After each Trumpet Call, their offices received amazing, inspirational testimonies of the experience of being with thousands of Christians praying together for their nation. People were healed, and had their faith restored again to go on believing God for impossible situations. On 4 July there will be another Trumpet Call in Birmingham, where God’s people have the opportunity to stand together at the INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE to SEEK THE FACE OF GOD that He would, in response to our repentance and prayers of faith, hear our cry, have mercy and pour out His Spirit on our land. Readers of Prayer Alert are invited to come, if they are able, and pray. There’s nothing more powerful than when saints pray and seek God’s Kingdom, standing in the gap for the lost. Watch the video

Pray:

that many will come and pray for our leaders and our land. (1Ti.2:1-3)

Christian MP to lead 50 rebel Conservatives

Christian MP Steve Baker warned his fellow MPs on Thursday that the current setup of the European Union will ultimately lead to Britain ‘surrendering our democracy’. He said, ahead of a proposed referendum on Britain's future membership of the EU, that he will lead a group of 50 rebel Conservative MPs calling for an exit from Europe if Prime Minister David Cameron fails to negotiate sufficient reforms. Mr Baker said he backed Mr Cameron's challenge to renegotiate the terms of Britain's membership, adding, ‘There are many subjects I care about extremely deeply, but the one thing that got me into politics was the treatment of the European Union constitution and, in due course, the Lisbon treaty. I am a sinner who has repented.’ Mr Baker added that the system of free movement needs to be looked at in more detail, citing the recent ‘inhumane’ example of one of his constituents being unable to source a visa for her mother to visit her. See also THE MILL GATHERING STATEMENT

Pray:

for more Christian MPs to bring their faith naturally into their public political conversations. (Ps.18:25)

Extremism orders could criminalise Christian teaching

Traditional Christian teaching could effectively be ‘criminalised’ in some settings under David Cameron’s plans for new anti-extremist banning orders, a top Anglican theologian and former parliamentary draftsman has warned. The Rev Dr Mike Ovey, a former lawyer and now principal of Oak Hill Theological College in London, a training school for Church of England clergy, said proposals for new ‘Extremism Disruption Orders’ could be a disaster area for people from all the mainstream religions and none. Mr Cameron and Theresa May have signalled that the new orders, planned as part of the Government’s Counter-Extremism Bill, would not curb the activities of radical Islamist clerics but the promotion of other views deemed to go against ‘British values’ even if it is non-violent and legal. Dr Ovey warned that unless the criteria are tightly defined, the orders could be used against almost anyone and would have chilling effect on preachers and even call into question the curriculum of colleges such as his.

Pray:

that there will be no laws passed that could interpret basic Christian tenets as offensive. (Ps.119:105)

God breaks through on a converted Welsh farm

We’ve grown used to stories of dazzling new churches with huge followings, global media ministries and where founders and leaders become worldwide celebrities. Roy Godwin and Dave Roberts tell a different story. No glittering palace of worship here, no global media empire and no megachurch congregation. Instead, this is the story of a converted farm, high up in the bleak but beautiful hills of west Wales, where God breaks through. The Grace Outpouring is a simple story of hospitality and prayer - where all are made welcome and aware of God’s presence. There’s no story of building a congregation or even a resident community. Instead, the core vision is a scattered prayer community - the Caleb Community - pouring the grace and power of God outward into the world, rather than inward, into a church. To read the wonderful story of A House of Prayer with the Father’s Heart, click the more button below.

Pray:

for God in His mercy to draw more of his people into worship and repentance, and for Him to pour out more of His love and power across our nation. (1Ki.8:57)

Reports of child abuse rise sharply

The number of recorded sexual offences against children in England and Wales has risen by a third, the NSPCC says. There were 31,000 offences recorded in the year up to April 2014, up 8,500 on the previous year. Figures compiled by the charity show that 85 offences were recorded by police every day, with significant rises in Scotland and Northern Ireland also. A spokesman said high-profile cases had ‘played a contributory factor’ in encouraging people to come forward. Jon Brown, from the NSPCC's sexual abuse programme, told BBC Radio 4's Today that cases in Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford and elsewhere had helped prompt children, young people and adults to speak about abuse that is either happening to them or has happened to them. Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) lead for child protection, said police now looked upon child abuse very differently but the latest figures could be still only be the tip of the iceberg.

Pray:

for the victims who have endured an agonising wait of many years before telling anyone.(Job 36:16)

Christians’ big worry is climate change

A new ComRes poll commissioned by Tearfund asked practising Christians in the UK to identify the main social and political issues they believe the world will have to face over the next ten years. They said it would be climate change or the environment. Next came social justice, then secularism, migration and poverty. The research was released just before a mass lobby of Parliament on Wednesday calling on parliamentarians to tackle climate change. Campaigners want MPs to support a climate change agreement aimed at limiting temperature rises to two per cent of pre-industrial levels, and to work towards ending pollution from coal in the UK.

Pray:

for UK Christians to continue to draw attention to the environment as a justice issue. (Gen.1:26)

Romania: prime minister’s prosecution?

Romania's parliament has refused to lift prime minister Victor Ponta's immunity from prosecution after he was questioned by Romania's powerful DNA anti-corruption agency last Friday on suspicion of forgery, tax evasion and money laundering. Mr Ponta, who has come under pressure to resign, said he would stay on to prevent a protracted political crisis. Anti-corruption officials are looking at his work between 2007 and 2011. Parliament is dominated by Mr Ponta's centre-left coalition so Tuesday's vote to block prosecution was unsurprising. It is alleged that Mr Ponta used forged invoices from a law firm, Sova and Associates, to buy two luxury apartments and a Mitsubishi Lancer car. The Social Democrat prime minister, in office since 2012, has denied any wrongdoing and says his government will survive a no-confidence vote in parliament due on Friday 19 June. President Klaus Iohannis said he regretted that parliament was obstructing justice and acting as a shield for the prime minister ‘in contempt’ of the Romanian population.

Pray:

for the DNA to succeed in removing corruption from former government ministers, media moguls, judges and prosecutors who are all under investigation. (Ps.30:10)

Turkey: Man attacks church with Molotov cocktail

A man attacked a church in the Kadıköy district of İstanbul with a Molotov cocktail on Tuesday, setting the building's door on fire. In a video purporting to show the attack, the man is seen shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is great) and ‘Revenge will be taken for Al-Aqsa Mosque’ as he throws a bomb at the Aya Triada Orthodox Church in the Bahariye area of Kadıköy. The door of the church caught fire, but the blaze was extinguished shortly after the attack. The man was detained by police. A recent report by the Gatestone Institute stated, ‘Churches in Turkey on the verge of extinction’ as cathedrals are having Qu’ran recitations and being turned into museums. See also

Pray:

for the protection of Christianity and the Christian minority in Turkey, where Christianity has a long history and many Christian apostles and saints were born, including Paul of Tarsus. (Ps.18:6)

New South Wales: Secularists discredit religious education

Scripture books promoting ‘dangerous’ messages about sex and male power are being used in NSW public schools according to a parent-run lobby group Fairness in Religions in Schools (FIRIS). FIRIS targeted the publication ‘Teen Sex By the Book’ and its companion manuals, produced by Australia's biggest evangelical Christian school curriculum publisher. FIRIS claims the book describes homosexuality as ‘misplaced sexual desire’ and warns that girls wearing short skirts and low-cut tops might tempt their Christian brothers to lust. The battle to remove Christianity from public school curricula is not a new one. A spokesman for the Anglican Church said Christian Special Religious Education (SRE), an optional course, teaches what the Scriptures say about the forgiveness of sins, hope for life after death and wisdom for living now. SRE teachers teach children to honour their parents and love their neighbour. One Sydney Christian leader asked, ‘What is wrong with Christians teaching the children of parents who select Christian SRE that we believe monogamy is God's good purpose, and that sex is best reserved for marriage?’

Pray:

that Christian books will continue to be used by Christian parents and their teenagers. (Ps.20:2)

The Islamic State one year on - foreign fighters

Thousands of foreign fighters have travelled to Iraq and Syria in the year since Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) lightning sweep through the two territories. According to the most recent publicity available Tunisia has contributed the largest contingent, with some estimates putting the figure as high as 3,000.The foreign loyalists can expect to join fighting battalions, or even take up positions in the extremist group's extensive bureaucracy, which implements Islamic law and harvests taxes across its territory. Saudi Arabia - a country battling ISIL terrorism against Shia residents in its eastern province - is thought to be the second most prolific source of foreign fighters, with up to 2,500 people believed to have joined the fray in Iraq and Syria. ISIL will be more violent than ever in order to survive. Nearly a fifth of fighters are residents or nationals of western European countries, and an estimated 1,200 people have travelled from France alone.

Pray:

for foreign governments around the world who are expected to receive returnees who might plot attacks in their home nations. (Pr.29:11)

Islamic State one year on - consequence on communities

On 9 June 2014, IS militants invaded Mosul in Iraq. All residents who didn't conform to their brand of Islam had to convert, pay a high tax or be killed. 120,000 Christians and other minorities fled and for the first time in 1,600 years there were no church services held in the city. Many families were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs, as IS militants stripped them of their belongings as they fled. Mariam, a gynaecologist who is a Christian, had to flee Mosul as the city fell. Her house was confiscated by IS and marked with the letter 'N' for Nasrani - a word used by IS to refer to Christians. Her precious library was emptied onto the street. Secret footage obtained by the BBC showed what life had become for those who stayed. Open Doors has been working through local churches and partners to provide relief to these refugees. In the past twelve months they have helped some 80,000 with immediate needs of water, food, medicine, hygiene kits and mattresses. They also work with the children, many of whom are deeply traumatised by their experiences.

Pray:

for all NGOs working amongst the hurting and vulnerable communities. (Ex.2:27)

Sudan: A prayer request

Christians in Sudan request our prayers for Michael Yat (49) and Peter Yen Reith (36), two South Sudanese pastors on trial in Khartoum who had their latest hearing on 15 June. According to their lawyer, prosecutors failed to produce any new evidence, as officials from Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) repeated statements they had made earlier in the trial. The lawyer was also able to present his defence to the court. The next hearing was scheduled for Thursday 18 June. They were detained in Khartoum by the NISS on 14 December and 11 January respectively, charged with a range of criminal offences including crimes against the state which are punishable by death, a life sentence or lesser detention and confiscation of property.

Pray:

that they and their families will know the Lord's peace and protection and that all charges against them will be dropped. (Pr.21:15)

Gaza: Government is expected to resign

President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority told leaders of his political party on Tuesday that the government he formed a year ago after signing a reconciliation pact with the rival Hamas movement would resign within 24 hours, according to a senior Palestinian official and local news reports. The so-called consensus government, headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, has never been seen as effective, and it has been unable to assert itself in the Gaza Strip or meaningfully lead a reconstruction effort there after last summer’s devastating war between Hamas and Israel. It was unclear whether Mr Hamdallah, a former university president who was first tipped two years ago to lead a previous government, would be replaced or reappointed with a reshuffled cabinet. The move is an acknowledgment that the April 2014 pact between the West Bank-based Palestine Liberation Organisation and Hamas, the Islamist faction that dominates Gaza, has - like several before it - failed to bridge years of bitter schism.

Pray:

for the reconstruction of Gaza, and peace in the region. (Ps.11:7)

North Korea: News agency reports bad drought

State news agency KCNA said main rice-growing provinces have been badly affected and more than 30% of rice paddies were ‘parching up’. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are believed to have died during a widespread famine in the 1990s. This drought is unlikely to be as deadly because of recent agricultural reforms, correspondents say. The United Nations World Food Programme says North Korea regularly faces significant food shortages and currently about a third of children in the country are malnourished. North Korea's closed economy means it is likely to suffer more in the drought. It is unusual for North Korea to talk openly of its shortages, so the very appearance of the report in state media is significant. It indicates the situation is serious, and it may well indicate that North Korea wants outside help. The drought report coincides with the release of two South Korean prisoners from North Korean custody, which may underline the desire of the North to elicit sympathy and more tangible aid.

Pray:

for the government to seek aid for the farmers and communities facing ‘no water for rice today means no rice for bowls tomorrow.’ (Ps.10:12)