There are more slaves today than any time in history. When we stay silent, they remain hidden. America’s Congress is under pressure to cut foreign aid spending, which includes programmes that free slaves. The International Justice Mission (IJM) in America are encouraging people to mobilise their communities to make a stand in the fight for justice via a 100 Postcard Challenge. It is a way for Americans to get involved in the fight for freedom on behalf of children, women and men living in slavery around the world. The challenge involves asking 100 people to sign an IJM's Abolition Postcard and send it to their member of Congress. The idea is that if enough members of Congress realise that people in their state care about abolishing modern-day slavery, and see a growing anti-slavery movement in their state, they will get behind the voices crying out for justice and financially support programmes that free slaves.

Migrant aid workers in Calais are being intimidated and harassed by French police, with Britons singled out in some cases, according to a report submitted to France’s independent human rights watchdog. Four aid associations on the northern French port, including the British group Help Refugees, published a report detailing 600 incidents against volunteers between November 2017 and July 2018, citing 33 testimonies, 37 incidents of physical violence, including police pushing aid workers to the ground, confiscating phones and forcing people away from food distribution points. Other incidents include repeated identity checks and ‘stop and search’, arbitrary parking fines, threats, and insults. British volunteers were singled out and prevented from giving out food and water.  Those with British passports or British vehicles were barred entry to an area near Dunkirk to distribute meals to the homeless refugees and migrants. Calais' sprawling ‘Jungle’ camp was razed in 2016 but hundreds have returned, with the figures officially at 350 to 400 people.

M4Europe believe that church planting is God’s initiative and that it’s Christ himself who builds His church. Therefore the authority of the Bible is essential for the content and message of M4. They believe church planting has to be done through prayer, worship and discipleship to Jesus Christ and that God‘s presence and action in a Christian’s life and ministry is more important than strategies, plans and methods. They are church planting, training and coaching across Norway, the Czech Republic, Romania and Estonia and we can pray for the leadership team from these countries,  Øivind Augland, Jirí Unger, Theo Bunescu and Craig Hamer. May they and their teams know God’s anointing as they walk His paths to multiply churches across the nations.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) called on Britain’s NHS to update its policy regarding fertility service coverage, alleging ‘current policy discriminates against transgender people.’ The EHRC wrote a pre-action letter to the NHS pressuring Britain’s health care system to change ‘outdated’ fertility policies, saying that policies should cover the cost of egg-freezing procedures for transgenders because many become infertile as a result of hormone treatments. The transgender and LGBT communities applauded the EHRC objections, ‘We welcome this challenge from the EHRC,’ said Stonewall’s director of campaigns. ‘We know the government are committed to improving health and social care provision for all LGBT people, and addressing barriers to fertility support would be a positive step forward in this process.’ On August 1 Stonewall tweeted, ‘The government consultation on reforming the outdated Gender Recognition Act has launched. We want the voices of trans people and allies heard loud and clear. Find out more #ComeOutForTransEquality in the #GRA consultation

Ruth Davidson - who is the leader of the Scottish Conservatives - has been speaking out following the comments by Boris Johnson about the Burka. The Christian MSP suggested we should defend the right of Muslim women to wear the burka in the same way we defend the right of Christians to wear a cross. She was speaking after the former foreign secretary compared the burka to a letter box and women who wear it to look like bank robbers. Theresa May asked him to apologise. With no apology forthcoming, founder and president of the Conservative Muslim Forum Lord Sheikh said the party should take ‘severe action’ against Mr Johnson. On the other hand, Christian, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said there was no need for Mr Johnson to apologise and an imam who has previously criticised the burka said Mr Johnson should not ‘apologise for telling the truth’. The debate continues.

Pupils at two leading Roman Catholic schools, Ampleforth and Downside, were subjected to appalling sexual abuse over 40 years, a report says. The schools ‘prioritised monks and their own reputations over the protection of children’. Both institutions attempted to cover up the allegations but ten individuals, including monks, have been convicted or cautioned for abuse.

‘Prospects’ groups are based on two main principles. Firstly, that all people should have an opportunity to hear the Christian message including those with learning disabilities, and secondly, all people are capable of responding to the Christian message because it is a matter of belief and trust, not intellect and ability. In the UK one in fifty people have learning disabilities and Prospects seeks to befriend such people, explain the Christian message in a relevant way, and provide a sympathetic environment where people can grow in their understanding and respond to the message. Prospects meetings can be held in church halls, for meeting-centred ministry, or in the home of a helper, or a residential home for friendship-centred ministry. Helpers make home visits, take people out, provide transport and above all engage in personal discipleship in a way that people with special needs can respond to.

More than 5,000 potential modern slaves were referred for help last year but the CPS only prosecuted 239 suspects, a small fraction of potential cases flagged to authorities. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was committed to improving its response to forced labour and sexual and criminal exploitation after MPs warned that a national strategy had ‘yet to result in coherent action’. Alison Saunders, the outgoing director of public prosecutions, said, ‘Modern slavery has a devastating, lasting impact on its victims. There is no place in our society for those who enslave others, whether for work, sexual or criminal exploitation or domestic servitude. Referrals to the CPS from police and agencies rose by a third and prosecutors said the increase was part of a ‘dedicated drive to clamp down on slavery-related crime’.

God spoke to us, used us to pray for others and healed some of us during this first week of New Wine 2018.  Ben Williamson from Christchurch Woking said, 'I prayed for someone whose hands had no movement or feeling and both were healed and restored while I prayed. It was awesome to see God's power at work so clearly in front of my own eyes.' Steve said, ‘I want to praise God and thank New Wine for providing a ‘thin place’ where I have felt the healing power of the Spirit. Six months of kidney and back pain gone completely, I feel so liberated.’ Sanna said, ‘I came here, widowed 10 months ago, broken-hearted and missing my other half and best friend. To my surprise, my venue was all about restoration. I have been so blessed and I’m so very happy that I picked up the courage to come here with my teenagers.’

In 2016 you prayed for Nurse Sarah Kuteh who was dismissed from her job after talking to patients about her Christian faith and giving a Bible to one patient. After dismissing her, Darent Valley Hospital reported Sarah to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), questioning her 'fitness to practise'. For nearly two years the NMC has held a series of hearings to determine whether Sarah would continue to be able to practise as a nurse. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the NMC panel unanimously ruled that Sarah was fully 'fit to practise' and revoked all restrictions on her nursing practice.