Community lunches will take place all across Britain on 3 June in celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Churches are being encouraged to take the lead in their communities so that Big Jubilee Lunches start with a specially written Grace. The Grace has been seen by the Queen and reads - O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, we give you thanks for the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth; for her steadfast faith and for her royal service to this nation and all the peoples of the Commonwealth. Bless the food before us and the people beside us; may the sharing of this meal strengthen our communities, and nurture the bonds between us of friendship, hope and trust. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ who reigns as servant of all. Amen.

Pray: that many communities will use this opportunity to pray together on June 3rd (Ps.133:1)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/special.grace.for.diamond.jubilee.lunches/29900.htm

The SNP won a majority in the Scottish elections last Thursday; it’s the first time since devolution in 1999 that a majority government has been elected. First Minister Alex Salmond indicated during his campaign that he personally supports the idea of same-sex marriage, and within hours of the historic win the SNP majority government was being urged by a homosexual lobby group (Equality Network) to fundamentally redefine marriage. Daniel Donaldson of the charity said, ‘We hope and expect that a consultation will now proceed quickly.’ Critics are concerned about the implications for society and schools if marriage is redefined. The Guardian’s Michael White has expressed concern about same-sex marriage, saying that heterosexual marriage is distinct because it ‘is there to produce and raise children in a more or less stable environment’. The homosexual activist group, Stonewall, has already sent a teacher training pack to primary schools urging them to use story books pushing same-sex marriage.

Pray: for First Minister Alex Salmond, and that God will work through the SNP’s election manifesto, and Scottish Parliament’s law makers. (Ps.2:10-11)

More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/snp-govt-urged-to-make-gay-marriage-a-top-priority/

A girl is far more likely to become a teenage mum if she has a sister who has already become one, a new academic study shows. ‘The research says how important family is compared to institutions,’ says one of the researchers Professor Carol Propper. The ‘peer effect’ on girls aged 16 to 18, raised the chances of becoming a teenage mother from about one in five to two in five. The researchers, who conducted the study, said the effect was stronger when sisters were closer together in age, and also from poorer households. The study concluded that the ‘peer effect’ had a greater impact on teenage pregnancy than any education or advice they are given at school. ‘These findings provide strong evidence that the contagious effect of teen motherhood in siblings is larger than the general effect of being better educated. ‘This suggests that more policies aimed directly at decreasing teenage pregnancy may be needed in order to reduce teen births.’

Pray: for a better understanding of how to reach vulnerable girls to help them make better informed life choices. (Ex.18:20)

More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/sisters-of-teen-mums-more-likely-to-have-babies-young/

CARE in Northern Ireland was very pleased to see Sinn Fein overwhelmingly back a campaign to make buying sex a criminal offence at its Ard Fheis (Party Conference) on Saturday evening. Sinn Fein members voted to support the ‘Turn Off the Red Light Campaign’ - a coalition of organisations including political parties, Trade Unions, Christian Organisations and civil society groups seeking to criminalise the purchase of sexual services in the Republic of Ireland (http://www.turnofftheredlight.ie/). Its decision has made Sinn Fein the 67th organisation to join forces with the campaign. Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Sinn Fein’s spokesperson for Justice and Equality, said following the vote: ‘There are as many as 1000 women and girls for sale for sex in Ireland today. Prostitution is not a real choice for the vast majority of these women. The ‘Turn off the Red Light’ campaign argues that the most effective solution is to tackle the demand for paid sex that fuels prostitution and trafficking.’

Pray: that the campaign to tackle trafficking and prostitution would not just reduce the problem but stopping it. (Hos.5:4)

More: http://www.care.org.uk/public-affairs-news/sinn-fein-overwhelmingly-backs-the-turn-off-the-red-light-campaign

Online dating service Christian Connection has spent the last few months surveying thousands of single Christians on their experiences in the church. The decline in younger people attending church means many single Christians are struggling not only to find a life partner, but to figure out their place and worth in largely family-focused churches. Survey respondents reported difficulties in finding other single Christians in their church and turning to online dating as "a last resort". "There's such a pitiful lack of forums for meeting up with other single Christians," said one respondent. Another reported that "married with 2.4 kids" was the norm in their church. Many of the women responding to the survey reported fierce competition to bag the single Christian men in the church. In addition many single Christians feel "socially anxious" because of the pressure to be married. "This creates social anxiety for many single people in the church. 'Will I get married and fit in with the majority or not?'"

Pray: for churches to recognise the issues facing single people in their congregations and to work to support them. (Ps.103:5)

More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/single.christians.experience.anxiety/32169.htm

The NHS is facing a chronic shortage of family doctors after official figures showed some GPs were responsible for 9,000 patients. More than a million people were registered with a GP who served more than 3,000 patients, almost twice the average list size of 1,600. Dr Michael Dixon, chairman of the NHS Alliance, said it was a question of whether doctors were ‘able to cater as well for each patient with a list once they get much over 2,000 or 3,000’. He said shortages were already being seen in inner cities, but recruiting GPs had become a problem even in affluent rural areas such as his practice in Devon. England has 25,000 family doctors, but there are growing concerns that the NHS faces a retirement crisis. One in eight GPs is planning to retire within two years. The shortages have been exacerbated by the retirement of a generation of Asian GPs who came to Britain during the 1960s and 1970s.

Pray: that there would be an increase in those called to serve the people as medical doctors.

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8978509/Shortage-of-family-doctors-leaves-health-care-in-crisis.html

The bells of St Paul’s Cathedral rang out across the city of London on Monday, October 14, 2013, as people gathered in the portico and on the steps of the ancient place of worship to ‘Shine a light on Corruption’. According to a news release, the Vigil marked the start of the global EXPOSED Week of Action highlighting the effect of corruption on the world’s poorest people. Lord Leslie Griffiths, leading churchman and member of the House of Lords, laid down the challenge facing not just government and church but all people of faith and conscience. ‘Our job is to see that we overcome evil with good. We expose the evil for what it is and then set our targets for overcoming that evil. I believe that this campaign is part of an orchestrated effort on behalf of good-willed people around the world to see that we have the kind of world that God wants us to live in,’

Pray: that the hundreds of EXPOSED vigils globally will focus God’s light on corruption. (Mt.5:16)

More: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2013/s13100068.htm