Religious communities in various parts of Belarus have faced visits, threats and warnings for holding meetings of worship which officials regard as illegal. On one Sunday in January, officials visited three Pentecostal services in separate villages. Pastor Vasili Raptsevich – who led worship in a church-owned house in a village in Brest Region for about ten disabled church members - was summoned to the police station. There he was told that he had violated the law by conducting a religious service away from its legal address without permission. Police threatened him with court proceedings and threatened to strip his Pentecostal church of state registration. In February, police in the capital Minsk - among them masked riot police - launched a mass raid on a cultural meeting being held in a Pentecostal pastor's home. 34 participants were taken to a police station, but were released two hours later without any explanation and without any official record being drawn up.

Pray: that God’s Church will be protected from persecution. (Ro.8:35)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15611.html

A young Catholic layman, who turned his home in a western Belarus village into a shelter for homeless people with a prayer room, is being accused of leading an unregistered religious organisation, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Aleksei Shchedrov - who says he has helped about 100 local people since December 2011 - is being investigated on criminal charges under Article 193-1, and faces a maximum possible sentence of two years' imprisonment. Shchedrov denies the authorities' accusation of founding an unregistered religious organisation. ‘I am a Christian and I started to help those who are in need,’ he insisted to Forum 18 on 24 June from the village of Aleksandrovka, Grodno [Hrodna] Region. ‘I give them food, a bed, a bath and clothes and I pray together with them. But this is no religious organisation, just charity.’ Local police launched the criminal investigation against the 28-year-old Shchedrov following raids on the shelter in February and April.

Pray: for Shchedrov that the authorities will release him and allow him to continue to care for those in need. (Rom.12:13)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue20209.html

An online petition was launched to repeal the amendment of Belarus criminal code, that allots two years of imprisonment for religious activity without registration, reports Christian megaportal InVictory.org. The author of the petition is Alexey Shein, co-chair of the Belarus Christian Democracy party. The goal is to collect 5,000 signatures. In his appeal, Mr Shein notes that, since 2006, 18 people have been convicted under this law. ‘There are hundreds of Christian communities and ministries that work without registration in Belarus. A lot of organizations tried to register but they were denied. At the same time, the right to freedom of association means the right to found free associations,’ underlined the author.

Pray: for a huge response to the petition and that the authorities will reconsider their amendment. (Je.1:19)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15362.html

A new European Commission funded report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says that an average of one person in six has to pay bribes to access services in the Western Balkans and that the problem, despite the best efforts of both the EU and western Balkan governments, is as bad as it ever was. An official from the European Commission’s bureau for enlargement in the Balkans said that, ‘corruption and the rule of law are at the heart of the current enlargement process,’ and the ‘challenge is enormous,’ but fighting corruption was ‘make or break’ for the Balkan nations aspirations towards EU membership. Only 1.5% report bribery. Over half do not report payoffs because either it was perceived as ‘pointless’ as ‘nobody will care’ or because it was deemed ‘common practice’. Of the few that did make a report on paying a bribe, in a quarter of cases no action at all was taken.

Pray: that God would expose corruption here and wherever it occurs that His light will expose the darkness. (Job.12:22)

More: http://www.neurope.eu/articles/Balkan-Bribes/106541.php

A Christian couple who were fined because of their ‘marrieds only’ policy for double rooms at their guest house in Cornwall have won permission to take their case to the Supreme Court. Earlier this year the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict that Peter and Hazelmary Bull had breached equality legislation and discriminated against Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy after refusing them a double room due to their ‘marrieds only’ policy for double rooms. Mr Hall and Mr Preddy were awarded a total of £3,600 in damages. Now the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, has decided to hear their case, and may overturn the decision of the Court of Appeal. Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: ‘This case is one of many where the judiciary have severely restricted freedom of religion in favour of homosexual rights.’

Praise: God for this change of direction by the authorities to allow a right of appeal. Now may God over-rule. (Job.5:8)

More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/sexual-orientation/christian-bb-owners-win-right-to-appeal-to-supreme-court

By mid-November, Azerbaijan's parliament will have adopted stricter amendments for those who produce or distribute religious literature. Heftier fines and long prison sentences will now be the punishment for those who do not submit their religious literature to compulsory state censorship before producing or distributing it, according to Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. Prison sentences will be as long as five years, and fines will be as high as nine years' official minimum wages, reports Forum 18 News. The new restrictions come just months after an amendment made to Azerbaijan's Religion Law. In June, the nation invoked a requirement for all religious communities that 50 adults must state that they are founders in order for the group to apply for registration. The law tightens its grip around religious necks each time an amendment is added, keeping Azerbaijan in the top 25 Most Persecuted countries in the world.

Pray: that these restrictions would not hinder the spread of Christian materials and the Gospel. (2Th.3:1)

More: http://mnnonline.org/article/16434

Austria and Hungary are asking the EU to help them guard the Schengen border to the Balkans after an alleged increase in human trafficking. The issue will be discussed today (22 September) when interior ministers are likely to bin a proposal to give the EU commission a say in re-imposing border checks and on enlarging the border-less zone to Bulgaria and Romania. In a joint letter seen by EUobserver, the Austrian and Hungarian interior ministers are asking for ‘common action’ in securing the Hungarian-Serbian border which allows traffickers to bring Arab and Asian migrants into western Europe. ‘In Austria and in Hungary we have recently seen a significant increase in the number of interceptions of illegal migrants, most of them smuggled into the country. These people, above all citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Somalia, Iran and Iraq, are being smuggled into the European Union under inhuman conditions, most often in converted buses, lorries or cars,’ the letter reads.

Pray: for all those caught up in this trafficking problem to be set free. (Is.42:7)

More: http://euobserver.com/22/113679

According to a recent news report, one in six clergy in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) and six other denominations is either an atheist or agnostic, reports Christian Concern for our Nation. Klaas Hendrikse, who leads a PNK church in Gorinchem, wrote a book called Believing in a Non-Existent God which prompted the denomination to consider removing him. However, having found that his views were so widely shared amongst clergy in the denomination they decided not to single him out. He also stated that God is ‘a word for experience, or human experience’ and that Jesus may never have existed. Sytse de Jong, who is Deputy Mayor of Staphorst, said: ‘When we get people into the Church by throwing Jesus Christ out of the Church, then we lose the core of Christianity. Then we are not reforming the institutions and attitudes but the core of our messagthee.’

Pray: for leaders of the church in the Netherlands that God would bring life where there is death and renew their faith revealing Jesus as Lord. (Rom.10:9)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue13534.html

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban acknowledged anti-Semitism was on the rise in the country because of the economic crisis but said his government had a ‘zero-tolerance’ towards it. On Saturday the far-right Jobbik party – who regularly issue anti-Semitic statements and are Hungary’s trhird largest political force - held a protest against the Hungarian capital of Budapest hosting a World Jewish Congress meet ing where the Hungarian Prime Minister spoke. The WJC usually hosts its assembly in Jerusalem but chose Hungary this year to highlight what it says is growing anti-Semitism in Europe. Addressing the opening session, Mr Orban said, ‘Anti-Semitism is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.’ He said his government had a moral duty to declare zero tolerance on anti-Semitism. The president of the World Jewish Congress said Jews were wondering if they were safe in Hungary.

Pray: against the growth of Anti-semitisim in Europe, pray also for the Lord to protect all who are persecuted for their faith. (Ps.32:7-8)

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22423812

The European Union's anti-fraud body recovered a record €691 million last year, it said on Tuesday, but expressed concern that public bodies were getting more reluctant to tip it off for fear of damaging national reputations. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) - which monitors the use of EU funds and investigates wrongdoing within EU institutions - saw an increase in private tip-offs thanks to a new internet notification system, it said in its 2011 annual report. But information from EU institutions and member states was becoming more scarce, said OLAF's director-general. ‘This decrease in information from public authorities worries us,’ Giovanni Kessler told reporters. Many of the larger fraud cases concern EU Structural Funds, which pay for regional infrastructure projects and are overseen by member states. One such investigation, into the financing of road works in Italy, yielded €389 million in recovered EU funds last year.

Pray: against any actions leading to deceit and lies within our leaders. (Ps.32:2)

More: http://www.euractiv.com/justice/anti-fraud-chief-eu-countries-re-news-513716