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Alexey Ledyaev, the leader of the international Christian movement ‘New Generation’ revealed his reasons for blogging, something that was never allowed in the dark days of the Soviet Union. He said, ‘Some watch sermons - some don’t. Some read books - some don’t, the future is internet.’ Pastor and journalist Ledyaev leads a 5,000-strong non-denominational church in Riga, Latvia that he founded in 1989 after emigrating from Kazakhstan. He notes the main aim for the media and every journalist is to get to the truth, ‘which will help someone live’. ‘People are different now. Yesterday the biggest sin was smoking in school toilets, now this age group indulge in drugs and sex. Divorce was once a great sin, but now it’s nothing to many. Yesterday abortion was a horrible blasphemy over human life, but it is a usual thing now. Church must be more effective and modern today.’
Pray: for more Christian wordsmiths and innovators to utilise the internet across the nations as they address standards of immorality in open and frank discussions. (Ro.10:14)
A young Kyrgyz girl is forced to work in a sewing workshop after being tortured by her parents in Kyrgyzstan because she converted to Christianity, well-informed investigators said on Tuesday, December 18. The troubles began when the girl ‘accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour’ during a church meeting despite opposition towards Christians in this heavily Islamic nation. When her parents found out about her decision, they were very upset and took her home to their village where she was soon mistreated. They wanted her to recant and renounce her faith in Christ, so they began to beat her systematically till she lost consciousness. Yet the girl did not give in said Open Doors, which is in close contact with local believers. They then started pulling her hair and put her face against the stove, burning her face. In spite of this, she remained faithful, the group claimed.
Pray: for those who are persecuted for their belief, to be protected from those wishing them harm. (Ps.71:13)
More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/25344-kygyzstan-girl-burned-for-faith-in-christ
Two and a half years have passed since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia, but the initial flood of recognitions has slowed to a trickle. The country is in limbo. What do Mauritania, Swaziland, Somalia, Djibouti and Vanuatu have in common? Not a lot, but they are the only countries that have recognised Kosovo as a sovereign state this year. Kosovo is supported by the United States and the EU heavyweights, but with it’s path to UN membership firmly barred by Russia and China on the Security Council, and with a clear majority of countries having decided, for now, not to offer it recognition. Serbia wants to get into the EU, and many worry that a protracted struggle over Kosovo will annoy Britain, France and Germany. Kosovo wants to be a normal country, that can apply for UN membership. Pray: that Kosovo will at last be recognised and that Russia and China would withdraw their objections. (Ps.37:3-4)
More: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/europe/2010/07/19/important-week-kosovo
The Kazakh government continues to put pressure on foreign missionaries attempting to obtain visas to stay in the country. The Kazakh Church is prepared for matters to get worse. ‘Foreign involvement for the purpose of missionary work in Kazakhstan becomes increasingly difficult to happen,’ confirms Eric Mock, vice president of Ministry Operations for Slavic Gospel Association. Norwegian news network Forum 18 conveys a number of instances in which the Kazakh government has denied visas to foreign missionaries of various minority faiths. A missionary visa, as it is, lasts only 180 days and cannot be renewed. Mock says there is some fear that the visas will become even more restrictive. With clear contempt toward the presence of evangelical Christian missionaries as well as missionaries fof other minority faiths, the Church needs to prepare for any change. Pray: that God would lift the spirit of fear from the Kazakh government over ‘non-traditional’ denominations. (Ac.10:34-35)
Human rights groups in Kazakhstan are expressing concern over a document from the ruling parliamentary party that attacks ‘non-traditional faiths’ in the country. The groups believe the document is setting the stage for another attempt by the Kazakh parliament to change the existing law on religion. The document accuses several religious groups - including some Protestant Christian churches - of ‘being financed by Western countries.’ The document adds that tens of thousands of Kazakh citizens are members of such groups and ‘need help.’ A spokesman for the ruling Nur Otan party claims that the document was stopped before issuance, and that the researcher responsible for the religion section had ‘been sacked.’ These reports show yet again that the religious freedom so hard-won in former Soviet lands is tenuous at best, and that the opponents of evangelical churches are not giving up in their efforts to suppress the Gospel. Pray: regularly for Kazakh churches, asking the Lord to protect and sustain them in the midst of determined opposition. (Rev.3:8).
Evangelical Alliance Italy is distributing aid and Bibles to tens of thousands of North African refugees who have fled to Lampedusa, an Italian island 75 miles from the Tunisian coast. The island is struggling to cope with the influx of migrants and many of the 20,000 migrants estimated to have arrived in Italy in the last few months have been relocated - but there are around 6,000 still on the small island, many of them Tunisian. Teams of volunteers have been sent by the Evangelical Alliance Italy to work alongside local authorities in facilitating the relationship between the refugee community and the local people. The volunteers will also distribute aid, including Bibles and other Gospel literature, and witness to the refugees of the love of Christ in appropriate ways. The alliance is appealing for prayers for the thousands of migrants who face an ‘uncertain future.’ An estimated 50,000+ migrants will come to the shores of Italy. Pray: for the Church to be strengthened as she steps into opportunities to give humanitarian aid and share God’s provision. (Mt.4:19) More: http://www.christianpost.com/news/bibles-aid-being-distributed-to-n-african-refugees-49794/
More than 50 aftershocks struck northern Italy overnight as thousands slept in tents or out in the open fearing to return to their homes a day after 16 people lost their lives and more than 300 were injured by a powerful earthquake. The aftershocks rattled the nerves of the 14,000 people who have been left homeless by the earthquake which hit Emilia-Romagna on Tuesday and a previous one which battered the area on May 20th. Experts said aftershocks could continue for days or even weeks, compounding the fear and uncertainty of the tens of thousands of people affected by the natural disaster in a triangle between the cities of Bologna, Ferrara and Modena. Many residents said they could understand why centuries-old buildings collapsed but modern buildings should have withstood the quake. There are suspicions that some were shoddily built with cheap materials. The government called for an investigation into why the damage to modern structures was so extensive.
Pray: for rapid responses from those with expertise and proven skills to meet the needs of all those affected by this disaster. (Ps.40:1,2)
Amnesty International is urging the authorities in Italy and the European Union to protect the human rights of thousands of migrants from Tunisia arriving on the Italian mainland and the island of Lampedusa. More than 4,000 people have arrived in Italy in recent days following political unrest in their country. There have previously been many reports of asylum-seekers rights being abused in Italy following their arrival from countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Nicola Duckworth, Amnesty International’s Europe Programme Director, said: ‘While we recognise the challenges of dealing with very large and mixed migration flows, the relevant authorities must ensure that previous instances of asylum-seekers rights being abused are not repeated. No one should be forcibly expelled to a place where they face serious human rights abuses, or without adequate consideration of their circumstances and needs for protection. Any decision to detain a person should be considered individually.’ Pray: for all those displaced by the unrest in Tunisia and across the Middle East. (Ps.12:7)
taly is stepping up sea and air patrols following the deaths of hundreds of migrants sailing in overcrowded boats from North Africa. Prime Minister Enrico Letta said an ‘air and naval package’ would start on Monday south of Sicily. On Friday at least 33 people died when their boat capsized between Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa. Earlier on Friday, at least 500 other migrants travelling in separate boats were rescued in coastguard operations near the Italian island of Sicily. A week earlier, more than 350 migrants died in another shipwreck off Lampedusa. Italy has previously called for EU help in dealing with the thousands of desperate migrants who wash up on its beaches every year. Many are families fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East who hope for a better life in Europe. But the recent loss of life has led to further calls for EU action.
Pray: that the authorities will take action to safeguard the needs of migrants on unsafe boats.
Catholicism stopped being the state religion in Italy in 1984 The Italian government is appealing to the European Court of Human Rights to overturn a ban on classroom crucifixes. The case against crucifixes was brought by a woman who argued that her children had a right to a secular education under Italy's constitution. Last year the court agreed with the mother, saying parents should be able to bring up children as they saw fit. Her victory caused uproar in Italy, where 90% of the population describe themselves as Christian. Italy started its appeal against the court's ruling - which was widely interpreted as interference in the country's culture, history and religion - on Wednesday. If the government loses, it would mean that all religious artefacts in classrooms across the European Union could be outlawed. A government minister said the ruling was ‘shameful’ while Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said the crucifix was a ‘symbol of our tradition’, and not a mark of Catholicism. Pray: that secularism is countered in this important case. (Ps.31:23)