Olympics draw outreach teams

The’ Ultimate Gold outreach’ was a huge team effort in the extensive grounds of St. John’s Church Stratford where ‘Almost everyone on the teams led people to Christ.’ The outreach partnership brought together St John’s Church, Through Faith Mission, OAC Ministries (Open Air Campaigners) and a range of some twenty other East London churches providing something on offer for the constant number of people who used a public footway which runs through the church grounds. Throughout the afternoon and evening the Gospel message was preached by painting on sketch boards, singing, acts of creative object lessons, escapology, acrobats, dancers puppet shows, offering prayer in a prayer tent, taking ‘The God Test’, in which people were asked their views on either the existence of God or His nature, and a faith survey. There were many openings to have conversations about the Gospel, as both local people and visitors took the opportunity to sit and relax in the sunshine with free tea, coffee and cold drinks provided.’

Praise:

God for the 160 people who chose to follow Christ and the 60 who made re-commitments. Pray also for the team members who are busy preparing to assist St John’s Church during the Paralympics. (Php.2:10,11)

Fighting fit Forces heroes gunning for Olympic glory

Mandeville Hospital hosted a sporting event for wounded military personnel. In 2012 members of the Armed Forces wounded in action in Afghanistan and Iraq will represent their country once again in the London Paralympics. They all received help from Battle Back, a scheme which encourages recovering military personnel to take up sport. The Team GB Para Olympians includes discus thrower Private Derek Derenalagi who is still serving. In July 2007 his vehicle hit an improvised device in Afghanistan. He was pronounced dead in hospital at Camp Bastion, but later doctors found a pulse. Derek lost both legs in the incident and said that sport has been the best rehab possible for him. 'It doesn’t only help me physically but also mentally in taking away a lot of the negative thoughts from having such a horrific injury.’

Praise:

God for the competitors who embody the spirit of a ‘can do’ attitude to life – may they encourage those facing unexpected challenges physically, emotionally or spiritually. (Ecc.11:1)

The Church of England has published a new prayer for the Paralympic Games.

The prayer has been composed by the Liturgical Commission and added to a section of the Church's website that is designed to resource churches for their engagement during the 2012 Games. It is published in full below: A Prayer for the Paralympic Games

Pray:

Lord Jesus Christ, your love is more than gold, and the warmth of your welcome is a taste of heaven. We thank you for all involved in the London Paralympic Games; for the skill and bravery of athletes; for the wisdom and care of judges who ensure an equal chance for all; for the support and encouragement of coaches and teammates; and for the grace and kindness of volunteers who welcome all who come. We ask that as the champions of the world unite in the spirit of Paralympic competition you would grant us a vision of a world united in mutual respect and tolerance; united in fairness and encouragement; united in harmony and peace. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Paralympics: Athletes with learning disabilities to compete

It’s been 12 years since athletes with learning disabilities competed in The Paralympic games. This year British athletes with learning disabilities will compete in athletics, swimming and table tennis, and they may compete in more events in Rio 2016. National sports manager from Mencap said, ‘A learning disability is an unseen disability and can be more difficult to understand in a sporting environment. A learning disability affects the way someone's brain works. So in sport it might affect their ability to think strategically or in running it might be the way they pace themselves during a race.’ Paralympic swimmer Dan Pepper struggles to remember how many lengths he has done or which stroke he is doing, but said he has coping strategies to overcome the problem. He said, ‘I'm quite different to most other swimmers’ they like to be really rested but I like to swim quite hard before I race.’ For insights into understanding adults with special needs go to http://www.prospects.org.uk/

Pray:

for people to have a greater understanding of how to value and support people with learning disabilities so that they live their lives to the full. (Ecc.7:8)

First Paralympic opening night Community Festival at Stoke Mandeville

Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, is to host the world's first Paralympic opening night community festival. According to a news release, the event will feature adults and children of different abilities having fun together. The free event, from 6pm to 10 pm on Aug. 29 marks the opening of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Between three to five thousand people will experience huge inflatable games, opportunities to try Paralympic sports, a multi-sensory zone, art and craft activities, puppets and giant bubbles. The news release said the opening ceremony will be shown on a big screen, accompanied by a free barbeque. The organizers are the Aylesbury Churches Network, comprising 14 churches of different denominations. The group is also underwriting the costs and providing at least 200 volunteers on the night. The Aylesbury churches are working with More Than Gold, the agency helping churches use the Games to serve its communities and visitors.

Pray:

that the festival will bring a wonderful spirit of unity with those of different abilities sharing together. (Php.2:1-2)

Ellie Simmonds aims to inspire at London Games

Four years ago Ellie Simmonds burst into public consciousness amidst an eruption of tears which followed her historic 100m freestyle victory in Beijing. Great Britain's youngest-ever Paralympic champion at 13 went on to claim another gold in the 400m six days later and the teenager returned to the UK as the new superstar of her sport. Simmonds though is not someone who craves the limelight and she admits that her journey from China to London has not been an easy one. ‘I loved every moment of Beijing and when it finished I was on such a low,’ Simmonds told BBC Sport. It has also taken the swimmer time to adjust to her near celebrity status and frequently being stopped in the street by members of the public requesting photographs. ‘Sometimes you think 'can you just leave me alone' and I can become a bit agitated, but you just have to roll with it.’

Pray:

for all athletes that they would be an inspiration to other participants and to those who will watch. (2Cor.3:13)

Cameron is ‘looking to’ disestablish the Church

David Cameron’s plans to rewrite the definition of marriage would force the disestablishment of the Church of England, it has been warned. Revd George Pitcher’s warning came as he attacked Mr Cameron for considering proposals to make the extended Olympics shop opening hours on Sundays permanent. He criticised the Prime Minister’s ‘contempt for religion in general and the Church of England in particular’. Writing for the Daily Mail, Revd Pitcher accused Mr Cameron of being ‘entirely indifferent to the constitutional implications’ of redefining marriage. He added: ‘The state and its established church would have two entirely different definitions of an institution that lies at the heart of our society. And that’s constitutionally dangerous. ‘Instead of trying to carry the Church with him, Cameron instead tries to marginalise it. With the Queen as that Church’s Supreme Governor and also head of state, he’s obviously looking to disestablishment of the Church of England.’

Pray:

for a proper open and shared dialogue blessed by the wisdom that comes from God as these matters are discussed. (Pr.1:7)

Sean Stillman shares stories of biker mission

Pioneer minister Sean Stillman will be hitting the road next month to tell other Christians about his experience of mission on the margins. Stillman has spent the last 25 years on the road engaged in pioneering work with people he describes as removed from church culture. He rides a Harley and much of his work is among biker communities, where he operates in a missional and chaplaincy role. He also founded Zac's Place in Swansea. It started in the late Nineties when Sean hired a function room in a local bar every Sunday night to answer the deep spiritual questions his biker friends were putting to him. Now Zac's Place meets in its own venue in The Gospel Hall in George Street, Swansea and it has evolved into a ‘church for ragamuffins’ that also does outreach during the week, including a daily breakfast for the homeless, a weekly Bible study and an evening soup kitchen. Sean's tour will take him to Reading (10 September), Cambridge (11 September), Derby (12 September), Leeds (13 September), and Stoke (14 September).

Pray:

for Sean, his work, his tour and all those at Zac’s Place. (Isa.6:8)

Child sexting victims left suicidal

Three-quarters of girls who have sent explicit images to boys on their mobiles say the pictures were shared without their consent, a shock survey has found. The NSPCC warned yesterday that growing numbers of girls become distraught or even suicidal after regretting giving in to pressure to send explicit photos and videos of themselves. The practice known as sexting leaves many humiliated after the images are passed on to others in their school or even put up on social networking websites. The children’s charity said, however, that many girls see sexting as a normal part of growing up and are happy to perform on video and send the images to a boy. Two-thirds have no idea that sharing images of under-18s is technically illegal and that teenagers can be locked up for engaging in sexting. They need to understand that there could be serious consequences. Images put online may stay there forever and be seen by vast numbers of people

Pray:

for our young people to have a greater appreciation of the issues involved in sexting and the wisdom and confidence to refuse to become involved. (Ps.41:9)

Tough employment outlook faces young people

Young people finishing school, college or university this summer are facing the toughest outlook since 1994, according to a Trades Union Congress (TUC) analysis. The TUC report, published last week, looks at both employment and education trends over the last 20 years, shows that the proportion of young people in full-time education has nearly doubled from 24 per cent in 1992 to 41 per cent in 2012. Despite this surge in education, the proportion of young people who are neither working nor studying full-time today remains close to record levels at 20.4 per cent, the highest level since October 1994. The TUC is concerned that with 488,000 16-24 year olds currently out of work for at least six months - a figure that is rising even as overall unemployment falls - the country risks losing a generation of young people to unemployment and under-achievement before their careers have even begun.

Pray:

for young people as they face the challenges of work and the toughest economic climate for nearly 20 years. (Eph.2:10)

Nederland: Al-Qaeda planning attack in The Hague

Al-Qaeda has reportedly recruited two Somali men in Pakistan to carry out a suicide attack in The Hague. According to the Pakistani weekly Friday Times, al-Qaeda has recruited two Somali students in the Pakistani city of Karachi. The terrorist organisation trained them in the use of weapons and explosives and reportedly ordered them to carry out an attack in The Hague, similar to the shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai in 2008. The Friday Times reports that the two Somalis would travel to Europe ‘as Christians’ with stolen Spanish passports. A Dutch intelligence source told the daily De Telegraaf that the threat is ‘serious'. A spokesperson for the Dutch embassy in Pakistan told the Friday Times that they take all these threats very seriously. ‘We are working closely with our Pakistani counterparts to eliminate such threats.’

Pray:

that God would confuse the enemy and bind those who are threatening violence. (Ps.7:9)

Poland: Reconciliation walk

Descendents of Nazi SS officers, together with Holocaust survivors and their offspring completed a week-long march across Poland and through the sites of former Nazi death camps today. The symbolic march began at Auschwitz, near Krakow, in southern Poland on Monday and ends on Friday 31st at Treblinka, 65 miles north-east of the capital Warsaw. At the opening ceremony one of the descendents of a Nazi SS officer asked for forgiveness for her grandfather, an electrician who installed the electrified barbed wire fence at Auschwitz-Birkenau and wired the camp's gas chambers. Other descendants spoke at the opening ceremony in an effort to try to begin to rectify the unspeakable bitterness that divides the two peoples. Lia Shemtov, an Israel member of Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu, together with hundreds of people from Israel, Poland and Germany, will attend the final ceremonies.

Pray:

According to the words of St Francis that where there is hatred, let there be love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light’ where there is sadness, joy. Amen (Col.1:19-22)

Mali: Lawlessness and persecution

‘I ask Algerian authorities to find a solution to save my life.’ Was the video plea sent this week to the Algerian government by a hostage in North Mali. He was identified as an employee from the Algerian consulate in Mali's northern city of Gao. See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gTuDO4SNV XXjPhKm1b5XKueL1MQ?docId=CNG.a761e4e7f96f4b5911c444241d635c3 d.231 Last week Jihadists cut off the hand of a thief in accordance with the new Islamic law in Mali. See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianoce an/mali/9464244/Islamist-extremists-cut-off-thiefs-hand-in-n orthern-Mali.html Persecution Watch reported the strict sharia law is victimising Christians, women and other vulnerable groups. A Christian leader who fled from northern Mali said, ‘all the Christians have left Timbuktu because of the Sharia law and the presence of people linked with Al-Qaeda.’

Pray:

for God to pour out his mercy on the countless villages, cities and towns in Northern Mali living in fear; pray also for His intervention in the different power dynamics, affiliations, ideologies and motivations that are rising in Mali. (Ps.56:3)

Mali: Humanitarian crisis

Armed conflict and food shortages have driven 400,000+ from their homes after April’s coup d'état left a government once considered a model of African democracy in shambles. Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist groups controlling an expanse the size of France are implementing a strict and destructive version of Sharia law. The international community said the situation is ‘a potential threat to international peace and security’. See: http://thinkafricapress.com/mali/rethinking-intervention-nor thern-mali-gao-timbuktu-kidal-azawad Valerie Amos the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator is visiting the area to assess this ongoing humanitarian need and draw attention to the severe food and nutrition crisis affecting people in Mali, including 175,000 children at risk of severe malnutrition. During her meetings with Government officials and humanitarian partners Ms. Amos is exploring ways to strengthen humanitarian operations and improve access to the north of the country. She will also call for urgent funding to scale up operations in the south, where the majority of people suffering the effects of the food and nutrition crisis live.

Pray:

for God in His mercy to enable wise and effective distribution of food and medical aid to every area in need at this time. (Ps.57:1)

Iran: Facing death in Prison

Jailed Iranian pastor Behnam Irani is ‘already facing death’ after being denied proper medical care promised by prison officials. An update on his condition from a council member of the pastor's Church of Iran said he was suffering in jail and his situation was getting worse. Irani, who is in his 40s, was arrested in 2011 for 'acting against the interests of national security’ but several persecution watch groups said the real reason was his preaching the Gospel and leading Iranians to Christ. After being severely beaten in Prison and being found several times unconscious in his cell when visited, a hospital examination discovered a bleeding ulcer. Officials claimed he would be provided with more care – but so far that hasn't happened. A recent update reported he had a blood infection and may need surgery to remove part of his intestines which are the source of infection. However despite earlier promises nothing has been done. There is more of Behnam’s tragic story at http://presenttruthmn.com/behnam-irani/

Pray:

for Pastor Behnam’s complete healing and releasse for God’s peace and comfort to be with him, his family, and all in Iranian prisons for their faith. (Ps.59:4)

South Africa: Bishop brokered mine meeting

Bishop Jo Seoka, the president of the South African Council of Churches brokered a meeting between Lonmin executives and striking miners following the death of 34 miners when police opened fire on them at a protest meeting for better pay and conditions. The Bishop also sent an open letter to President Jacob Zuma demanding an inquiry into the killing of the miners. Bishop Seoka chairs a Foundation that monitors corporate social responsibility which said ‘the way in which mines in the North West presented themselves often differed from the way communities see them. Communities in the area say that mines' corporate social responsibility programmes are 'lies' that make promises when they enter a community but often do not deliver,’ Seoka added, ‘The majority of the projects are done to satisfy their public image and they rarely consult with workers on what they actually need.’ The foundation warned that lack of education, training and employment opportunities in the province could trigger further unrest.

Pray:

the investigation into the shootings would impartially establish responsibilities for the incident within the police force, government and Lonmin. Pray also for justice and fair working conditions for the miners and their families. (Pr.12:6-7 & 11-12)

Pakistan: Christian boy’s mutilated body found

With the hysteria over the arrest of a Christian girl with Down’s syndrome on a charge of blasphemy (See Prayer Alert 34-2012) the body of 11-year-old Samuel Yaqoob was found in Punjab province with his lips and nose cut off, his stomach removed and his legs mutilated. The body was badly burned and relatives identified the corpse from a distinctive mark on the boy’s forehead. Yaqoob, a resident of the Christian Colony of Faisalabad, was last seen on August 20 going to a local market. His remains were found on the last day of Ramadan. Detectives are investigating whether accusations of blasphemy had previously been filed against the minor. When a Christian group is suspected of transgressing the blasphemy laws, the consequences can be brutal, reports the World Public Forum NGO.

Pray:

for God to comfort the families and communities touched by this tragedy and for a change in Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. (Ps.123)