Can this be true? Two million Indonesian Muslims find Jesus each year

Some startling facts are causing quite a stir among the Muslim population in Indonesia, amid all the news about Islam's gains around the world. In Indonesia - the most populous Muslim nation - 2 million Muslims are converting to Christianity per year. That's one new convert every 15 seconds. At this rate, Indonesia will be mostly Christian by 2035. Some Muslims are so alarmed they've created a video on YouTube to alert other Muslims to this menace and are trying to raise $2 million to start a TV station aimed at Muslim youth to keep them in Islam. Read the full story via the ‘More’ link.

Praise:

God for the results of this video and pray that it will lead to even better results. (1Th.2:1)

France foils jihadist attack on Paris Church

Top security officials in France say they've arrested an Islamic jihadist in Paris who was planning an attack on at least one church. In a press conference on Wednesday, the country's interior minister says the suspect - whose name has not been released yet - is a 24-year-old Algerian computer science student. He was arrested on Sunday after he shot himself by accident and called for an ambulance. That is when police found an arsenal of weapons and notes about potential targets in his car. Documents proved without any ambiguity that the individual was preparing an imminent attack against one or two churches. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manuel Valls reminded French citizens that the country was facing an unprecedented terrorist threat, saying ‘Terrorists are targeting France to divide us and our response must be to protect citizens and rally together as we face terrorism’. See also article 1 in the Europe section.

Praise:

God for the foiling of the jihadist attack and the other possible threats. (Pr.6:16-19)

Senior C of E clergy attack 'immorality' of right-to-buy scheme

Senior Church of England clergy are attacking the ‘immorality’ of forcing housing associations to sell homes to tenants. The Bishop of Manchester David Walker who is passionate about social housing, condemned the Conservatives after David Cameron pledged to extend the right-to-buy to more than 1.3 million tenants of housing associations. The Conservative pledge to extend home ownership to thousands more social housing tenants, which is at the heart of the party's manifesto, has already prompted angry reactions from housing associations and there has even been a threat of a legal challenge under Europe's human rights legislation. Bishop Walker described the plans on Twitter as the ‘most blatant transfer of charity assets to private ownership since Henry VIII sold off the monasteries.’ He also said on Twitter that the plans were ‘economic nonsense’ and immoral.

Pray:

for the Conservatives to consider the moral implications of their proposal and whether or not a more measured approach would be better. (Pr.8:12)

Fourth attempt to redefine marriage at Stormont

The Northern Ireland Assembly is to vote on redefining marriage at the end of the month, despite similar proposals having already been rejected three times in the last three years. Four MLAs have tabled a motion calling for marriage to be brought in for same-sex couples. The Christian Institute has warned that the motion also seeks to limit the free speech of Christians who object to the redefinition of marriage. A spokesman said, ‘the motion last year claimed to support ‘freedom of religion’ but this has now been deleted. It looks like they only want to allow free speech within church services. But a Christian’s faith must apply to every area of life. We can’t section off Christ’s teaching from our daily activities.' The motion will be debated on 27 April. MLAs have defeated three similar attempts to introduce gay marriage, in 2012, 2013 and again last year. In April 2014, MLAs voted 51 to 43 against redefining marriage. See also the statement from 'The Mill Gathering'in last week's Prayer Alert.

Pray:

for the upcoming vote, that the Holy Sprit will guide MLAs in this matter. (Pr.3:5-6)

Post Office 'failings' over cash shortfall investigations

The Post Office failed to find out why large cash shortfalls occurred at sub-post offices before starting civil and criminal proceedings against sub-postmasters, according to a report by forensic accountants. The report looked into complaints by sub-postmasters of unfair sackings and wrongful convictions caused by flaws in control systems. Concerns were raised by MPs in 2012. The Post Office vehemently denies the report's conclusions. The report also revealed that the Post Office had refused to hand over documents which the accountants felt they needed to investigate properly. A number of MPs raised concerns that dozens of sub-postmasters had been faced with unexpected demands to pay large shortfalls - and been sacked, sued or prosecuted for theft when they could not pay. Alan Bates, chairman of the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance, has previously said problems with the computer system were reported since its introduction more than a decade ago.

Pray:

for the Post Office to cooperate more fully with the forensic accountants so that this serious matter can be resolved and recompense made where appropriate. (Ps.106:3)

Sharp rise in number of schoolgirls with emotional issues

Teenage years could never be described as an easy ride emotionally, but according to new research, it would seem that, for girls at least, early adolescence is getting increasingly difficult. According to new research emotional problems are increasing, with a 55 per cent rise between 2009 and 2014. This is compared to other mental health and behavioural difficulties, which didn’t see a significant change. It has been suggested that increasing pressure on girls to perform academically, coupled with anxiety over body image ‘amplified by social media’, could be reasons behind the rise. The research, conducted by University College London and the Anna Freud Centre, compared the mental health of 1,683 11 to 13-year-old boys and girls in 2009 with the same number of pupils in 2014. Dr Elian Fink, lead author of the report, warned that ‘more effective interventions’ were needed in order to address the issue, including increasing provision of mental health services for young people. See also the statement from 'The Mill Gathering' in last week's Prayer Alert.

Pray:

for better recognition of this problem and for more effective intervention where required. (Pr.29:2)

Police report sharp rise in religious and race hate crimes in London

Anti-Muslim sentiment is widely considered to have increased in the UK, particularly with the rise of IS and following the January Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris. Race and religious hate crime have increased by more than a quarter in the past year, a new report from London's police force has found. Statistics released by the Metropolitan Police Service compare offences reported between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015 with those reported in the previous financial year. They reveal that these crimes, have risen by 25.7 per cent in the capital. The Met has attributed this rise to an increase in awareness of and willingness to report hate crime, as well as the support of more than 500 specialist investigators.

Pray:

against the rise of religious and hate crimes. (Ec.8:12)

Church to tackle bullying and harassment

The Methodist Council has pledged to tackle issues of bullying and harassment within the Church. The move is a response to concerns raised about the vulnerability of churches to destructive patterns of behaviour and affirms the desire for the Church to be a safe and inclusive community for all. ‘It is uncomfortable and difficult to admit that bullying and harassment do sometimes occur in our churches,’ said Tony Tidey, Connexional Wellbeing Adviser. ‘But the decision made today, and the recommendations that will be made to the Conference in July, are something to be proud of. By clearly stating our commitment to addressing this issue, we are calling everyone in our churches to a standard of behaviour that should reflect our calling as Christians to treat one another with dignity and respect at all times.’ Council members affirmed that bullying and harassment were always unacceptable and that dealing well with these issues in a church context is vitally important. See also the statement from 'The Mill Gathering 'in last week's Prayer Alert.

Pray:

that the Church will take up the challenge of addressing the issue of bullying and harassment within the Church. (Col.1:21)

Justin Welby: 'Islamic State is deeply evil'

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, described Islamic State (IS) as ‘deeply evil’, after news broke on Sunday that 30 Christians had been killed by the jihadist group in Libya. The Archbishop travelled to Egypt on Saturday to meet with religious and political leaders in the country, and express his condolences for the murder of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya in February. While he was there IS released another of its propaganda videos, purporting to show around 15 Ethiopians being beheaded, and another group of the same size being fatally shot in the head. In the video the victims are referred to as ‘worshippers of the cross belonging to the hostile Ethiopian church’. Country authorities have said that they were likely to have been migrants travelling through Libya in the hope of reaching Europe.

Pray:

for all believers who are being persecuted that God will protect them from the evil of IS. (Ps.71:4)

Europe: A call to ‘RiseUp-now ’

From May 14 to16, in Wiesbaden, Germany, International Prayer Connect will hold a prayer conference for Europe for prayer leaders based on the fact that Europe is the first port of call for millions of immigrants coming from the Arab world. This conference will be the third in a succession of similar prayer gatherings where God’s people have sought His face for Europe. The first was in 2013 in the UK. Many representatives of Arabic churches attended. In 2014 Germany held a similar conference and later that year 35 prayer leaders from 15 European countries organised the 2015 conference that is to be not only for the Arabs living in Europe, but for all Christians to unite and seek God's face in a season when many believe He is calling His church to rise up and stand in prayer for Europe in a time of significant security threats and economic cracks that are beginning to happen across nations. For more info See Also

Pray:

for Churches to ‘Rise Up’ in their God given authority - expecting a divine visitation in Europe (Is.60:1-3)

Thousands protest government corruption across Hungary

Thousands of people have gathered in 50 cities across Hungary to protest what many say is an erosion of democratic freedoms and government corruption. Sunday’s (19 April) demonstrations came after the European Commission suspended payments to Hungary over suspected corruption and irregularities in the awarding of tenders. ‘Listening to my heart I would make them resign and call an early election,’ a woman told Euronews. ‘For me, anybody else would be better than them, They have no shame.’ Euronews correspondent Attilla Magyar filed the following report from Budapest: ‘The last months have seen several demonstrations against corruption and the actions of Orbán’s government. The most recent protest demonstration was sparked by the recent disagreement between the European Union and the Hungarian government. The organisers have promised more demonstrations.’

Pray:

that the government will take notice of these protests and act against corruption. (Is.1:4)

South Africa: A call for prayer amid ‘tit-for-tat’ measures

South African President Jacob Zuma called churches to lead the nation in praying for peace and friendship following xenophobic violence in Durban, Johannesburg and other parts of the country. ‘The majority of South Africans believe in peace, unity and friendship and have nothing to do with the sporadic incidents of violence that have taken place,’ Zuma said. South Africa has faced a backlash from the rest of the continent over the violence against immigrants. SA vehicles were pelted with stones in Mozambique, SA companies are being threatened with closure in Nigeria, there have been protests at various SA embassies across the continent and several SA musicians have been forced to cancel concerts abroad. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the immigrants are asylum seekers forced to leave their countries due to war and persecution. President Zuma will travel across the country next week to preach anti-xenophobia messages as he attempts to bring an end to attacks against foreign nationals.

Pray:

for Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, State Security Minister David Mahlobo and Police Minister Nathi Nhleko as they spearhead the government’s response to the attacks. (1Tim.2:1)

Egypt: Record-length smuggling tunnel discovered

Tunnels are gates for terrorism and facilitate external terrorist support between Gaza and Sinai. On April 12 an Egyptian law was issued, maximising the penalty of digging tunnels linking Egypt’s border to any other state to 25 years. Also, using such tunnels or being aware of their existence without reporting them is punishable. The recent discovery of a 2.8 kilometre-long tunnel between Sinai and Gaza raised questions about the parties supporting digging operations, as such work requires expensive and advanced modern equipment, as well as an extensive labour force to dig either in rocks or loose land. The process takes four to five months, while the average cost of the required equipment would be 10 million Egyptian pounds. Most of the manufacturers of such equipment do not authorise sales except to states and major engineering and construction companies.

Pray:

against funding and development of all cross-border passageways used by terrorists. (Pr.19:21)

Yemen: Ramifications 1 - US to block Iranian arms shipments to Yemen

The USS Theodore Roosevelt and her escort ship, a guided-missile cruiser, are sailing towards the Arabian Sea. This massive ship carries F/A-18 fighter jets and will be a show of force in the region amid reports that a convoy of eight Iranian ships, possibly carrying arms for the Houthis, is heading toward Yemen. Western governments and Sunni Arab countries believe Houthis get their arms from Iran. Officials said it's too soon to speculate on what the Navy ships may do as the Iranian convoy approaches, including whether Iran would consent to a boarding request and what actions the Navy would take if its request was refused. The month-long Saudi air strikes targeting Houthi rebels stopped on Tuesday night and a new Saudi operation will focus on, initially, a political solution in Yemen and on counter-terrorism at home. See also

Pray:

that the vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe. Pray that a diplomatic solution will end this war with Yemenis talking to Yemenis.(Mt.5:9)

Yemen: Ramifications 2 - Pakistan rebuffs Saudi kingdom proposal

Pakistan’s Prime Minister rejected Saudi Arabia’s request to join its military campaign in Yemen. He believes ‘if the Saudis enter into a ground war in Yemen - with or without Pakistani forces - it will become a quagmire’. It is thought that the Egyptian experience in Yemen, 20,000 casualties in the 1960s fighting the same Zaydi tribes that back the Houthis, figures prominently in Pakistani thinking. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned that the Saudi attacks in Yemen could be a catalyst for a broader sectarian war. Meanwhile in Yemen Christians are routinely harassed and this latest crisis involving Saudi Arabia and Iran will only make it worse for Christians there. See also

Pray:

for an effective cease-fire so that negotiations can proceed and for God to protect innocent citizens.(Mt.26:52)

India: Christians living in fear

Police have failed to make an arrest six days after a church was attacked in the northern Indian city of Agra. St Mary’s Church was desecrated in the early hours of April 16 by suspected Hindu hardliners who broke open the church gates and destroyed two statues. Christians are living in fear of more attacks as Hindu hardliners continue to target Christian facilities in India. A statement released by the Archdiocese said, ‘Christian institutions are sitting ducks for these fringe elements who are targeting them to further their vested interest. This has spread fear among Christians and we feel very unsafe in our own motherland.’ The Archdiocese called on authorities to speed up their investigation and take punitive action to deter future attacks on Christian properties. Elsewhere, in Delhi, six churches have been attacked or vandalised since December last year. See also

Pray:

for the Christians in Agra who have always lived like a family with others but are now cautious and feel they have to tread carefully; for the Government and Church to unite against anti-social elements. (Ps.119:86)

Canada: Pro-life - an issue in election year

Anti-abortion movement ‘March For Life’ will demonstrate in Ottawa on 13 May. Support for the pro-life cause has grown from 19,000 to 25,000 in three years and it’s the largest annual protest in Canada. However abortion advocates are working hard in public debate. Pro-life views have been suppressed and derided in politics and on the eve of last year’s march Justin Trudeau declared that Liberal MPs would be forced to vote pro-abortion on any legislation. (Mr.Trudeau is the leader of the Liberal Party)The theme of this year’s march for ‘Let Life Win,’ a veiled reference to Trudeau’s ‘no choice but pro-choice’ edict. This is an election year in Canada. In the past pro-life organisations have encouraged pro-lifers to support pro-life candidates, not specific parties. Now, in response to Trudeau’s ongoing aggressive pro-abortion rhetoric, the organizers have launched a campaign called #No2Trudeau.

Pray:

for public pro-life debate to raise awareness of Canada’s complete lack of restrictions on abortion.(Jer.1:5)