Displaying items by tag: Praise

Volunteer chaplain Paul Song has shared the gospel with inmates at Brixton prison since 1998. Many have become Christians. Last year, after a Muslim imam was appointed head chaplain, Pastor Song came under frightening opposition. Islamic militants attacked his classes and physically assaulted and abused him because of his faith. ‘My classes were often disrupted. At times inmates openly spoke in the chapel in support of IS and suicide bombers. There was nothing I could do about it. They spoke with such hatred of Britain that it was frightening.’ The imam said that the Christian material used by the pastor (and by churches throughout the world) was ‘too radical’, and called the pastor’s Christian views ‘extreme.’ He was dismissed, but a petition to reinstate him was signed by over 40,000 people. His case was reviewed and he has been reinstated.

Volunteer chaplain Paul Song has shared the gospel with inmates at Brixton prison since 1998. Many have become Christians. Last year, after a Muslim imam was appointed head chaplain, Pastor Song came under frightening opposition. Islamic militants attacked his classes and physically assaulted and abused him because of his faith. ‘My classes were often disrupted. At times inmates openly spoke in the chapel in support of IS and suicide bombers. There was nothing I could do about it. They spoke with such hatred of Britain that it was frightening.’ The imam said that the Christian material used by the pastor (and by churches throughout the world) was ‘too radical’, and called the pastor’s Christian views ‘extreme.’ He was dismissed, but a petition to reinstate him was signed by over 40,000 people. His case was reviewed and he has been reinstated.

Calls for buffer zones to be introduced outside abortion clinics to stop patients being harassed have been rejected by the Home Secretary, who said that protest-free areas around clinics ‘would not be a proportionate response’. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his decision was a ‘shocking failure to protect women’ and should be reversed. Be Here For Me, a campaign group which opposed the ban, welcomed the commonsense decision which would mean ‘women could continue to be offered much needed help and support’. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said they were ‘delighted’ by the decision: ‘This is a massive victory for common sense, democracy and above all for the hundreds of vulnerable women who are saved from the horror of abortion at the very gates of the abortion clinic.'

‘See, as your Jesus was beaten and killed, so have we killed your pastor now. His body is in a ditch in the forest. Find him and bury him!’ Militants had tied up the Christian pastor and beaten him until he had bloody wounds all over his body. They made him crawl up a mountain, still beating him with their sticks to force him forwards. When Tilak took his last breath, they sent for the village doctor to confirm his death and then threw his body in a ditch. There was no way he could have survived. The Christians from Tilak’s village found his body and brought it home. Laying him in a hut and paying their last respects they did not expect him to start to move and open his eyes. Tilak was alive! Some of his attackers were present when he came back to life. They must have been the most shocked of all.

HOPE are delighted by the number of churches using Mission Academy Live with their young people, and they are excited by the opportunity to recruit and train 60 more young evangelists in the coming year. Mission Academy Live, in ten innovative video-based sessions, aims to empower young people as missional disciples within a small group context. With a focus on peer-to-peer evangelism, each session provides an understanding of today's contemporary context, with teaching, discussion, and testimony, all leading to a practical response. Through accountable relationships, this first-of-its-kind evangelism and discipleship tool encourages young people to be intentional, authentic, united, and obedient to the call and command of Christ to ‘go,and make disciples’.

Kofi was eight years old when his mother introduced him to a nice man who told them he would take Kofi to live with him and enrol him in school, giving him the future his mother couldn’t give him. It was all a lie. For two years, Kofi was a slave to a boatmaster on Lake Volta in east Ghana. He woke at dawn to dive deep into the lake, holding his breath as he used his small fingers to untangle the nets caught on underwater tree stumps. He knew some boys drowned doing this. One day a strange boat pulled near. He knew it was different from others he’d been on when someone handed him a lifejacket to ensure he was safe. The boat was filled with police and IJM workers. Pray that IJM fulfils its plan to ‘eliminate the slave trade everywhere’.

In July 2013 you were asked to pray for measures to be taken to end Wonga-style loans, after the Archbishop of Canterbury boldly stated he would tackle the scourge of high-cost payday lending and work towards expanding credit unions. On 30 August Wonga, the payday lender with extortionate interest rates, collapsed into administration after it was brought down by a welter of compensation claims. On 1 September the Guardian reported, ‘Credit unions on the rise’. Credit unions, not-for-profit cooperatives, are owned and controlled by their members and traditionally specialise in loans and savings for the less well-off. In a credit union, members pay in small sums to their account and can then access loans. Justin Welby’s prophetic statement that he would ‘compete’ Wonga out of existence appears to becoming a reality as loansharking is shrinking. See

A few weeks ago you were asked to pray for laws to be passed to stop companies producing online internet games that look more like gambling. Other European countries already have far stricter rules in place to protect children from racking up huge gaming bills. Belgium and the Netherlands consider some in-game spending as gambling and have made them illegal. Last December a teenager accidentally spent his mother's entire monthly wage on line because her debit card was registered to his PlayStation account. But from December, a new icon will appear on video games boxes, warning parents of the potential for extra purchases, in a bid to avoid similar instances.

Jean du Rand’s father leads a vibrant church, and there were Afrikaans Baptist pastors on his mother’s side; but in 2010, while a member and songwriter in a successful South African band, and still in his teens, he became involved in alcohol and drugs. He didn’t find the happiness that this lifestyle was supposed to bring, and during a university lecture he experienced God’s presence. The Holy Spirit said, ‘You know Jean, I have plans for your life. You can come with Me now and leave this place, or you can come in five years. I’m going to use you either way, and it’s up to you how much pain you want to traverse.’ Jean chose ‘now’. He is now about to release some Afrikaans worship songs ‘with a difference’. You can hear one of his songs on Youtube:

Four Christians in the eastern state of Jharkhand, in prison since May on charges of forced conversion, have been released. Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC) said their troubles began when the father of one of the believers said they had attempted to physically force him to convert to Christianity. Police had said that Somaru Manjhi's daughter, Sumanti, was to be married on 30 May. The 65-year-old man said he was beaten with a bamboo stick by Sumanti, her fiancé Rupash, and two Christian missionaries after he opposed his daughter's desire for a Christian wedding. VOMC said, ‘We are pleased to report that after investigation, the four falsely accused Christians have been released from police custody. However, while praising God for their release, we remain mindful of their need for God's help and protection as they return to their communities and families.’