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Church of England vicar who handed out £10 notes to his West Yorkshire congregation and asked them to invest it to help raise cash, has had his prayers answered. The Rev Richard Steel distributed £550 last November in the hope of raising money for repairs at St John's Church in Kirkheaton, near Huddersfield. Members of the church had used the cash to raise about £10,000, meaning the work could now go ahead, said Mr Steel. ‘It's inspired people. It's just taken off fantastically,’ he said. While almost £500,000 has already been raised over the past seven years towards repairs at St John's, Mr Steel said he decided to give his congregation a new challenge to find the remaining cash. Inspiration came from the parable of the talents, in which Jesus tells the story of a man who entrusts money to his servants, he said.
Praise: God for the response to this challenge and for the result. (Mt.25:14-30)
More: http://www.theway.co.uk/feature.php?id=9154&this=Vicar_raises_10,000_by_giving_550_pounds
Uzbekistan’s law severely limits all religious activities it’s one of the most restrictive countries for religious freedom in Central Asia. But repression is not stopping a Barnabas-supported congregation from flourishing. Members have found ingenious ways to meet together while remaining under the radar of government spies, getting together in cafes, or sharing their faith while driving together. Their pastor was a Muslim extremist with links to the Taliban before becoming a Christian, and their congregation has grown from 10 to 120. Now it is too dangerous for the church to come together as one so they meet in 19 separate home and family groups across the region. Many, too fearful of police raids and fines to attend home groups, learned the importance of fellowship and now relish meeting in creative ways. Two were so strong in their faith, they were able to resist pressure from security service officers to spy on the church and pastor.
Praise: God for the strength of faith he has given to his persecuted Church. May this and similar congregations continue to advance the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Is.32:19-20)
More: http://barnabasfund.org/US/Barnabas-Aid-magazine/
16-year-old Caleb Hanson has been banned from all branches of the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library system for six months for proselytizing. According to a letter to his parents from North Columbus Public Library, Caleb repeatedly asked patrons about their religious faith and offered biblical advice. After several warnings ‘not to do it’ Caleb began talking to people outside the library. Caleb’s parents, Tim and Elizabeth Hanson, are in Columbus on furlough from mission work and living with Elizabeth's parents who are retired missionaries. Caleb is home-schooled and is the youngest of four children. Last year he had a real encounter with the Lord and he wants to witness for Christ. Ordinarily he is shy but he began asking to be dropped off at stores and other locations to share his faith. Caleb's library card has been blocked, and if he returns to the library he'll be criminally trespassing. Praise God for New Life In Jesus Christ. Praise: God and pray Caleb will take the ban in his stride, as he matures in wisdom and spiritual discernment. (Ac.2:17-21)
An atheist organization that sought to celebrate Independence Day by flying banners promoting atheism all across the United States ran into a major snag - most of the pilots working for the advertising company refused to fly the banners. USA Today reports that 4 out of 5 pilots working for Fly Signs Aerial Advertising refused to participate in the campaign, which involved banners saying, ‘God-less America,’ and ‘Atheism is patriotic.’ Only 17 of the company's 85 pilots agreed to participate. USA Today quotes one of the pilots, Red Calvert, saying, ‘I respect our country and I respect our churches and we've got enough problems in our country without stirring up some more. If those people want to do something they believe in, fine, just don't include me.’ The $23,000 campaign is a project of the group American Atheists.
Praise: God for this stand by the majority of pilots respecting the traditions and faith of their nation. (Is.26:2)
More: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pilots-refuse-to-fly-independence-day-atheist-banners
Boston Night of Worship 2011 will be held at the Agganis Arena on Sunday, October 9 at 6 p.m., and will feature 60+ worship leaders and a 100-strong choir. United Night of Worship (UNOW) is a worship movement where thousands of people locally and across the world gather in desperation to pursue the one true and living God, Jesus Christ. It began in 2007 when a missionary from Malawi was instructed by the Holy Spirit during a 21-day fast to rally as many worship leaders as possible from Boston to stand united on one stage ‘declaring the Lordship of Jesus over the city' - A gathering which started with 30 worship leaders united on one stage across cultural, denominational and social lines, and has exploded into a fiery worship movement igniting spiritual hunger, passion and united desperation for Jesus and His manifest presence. It is evident that something new is happening spiritually all over New England.
Praise: God for His presence in Boston and across the world. (Jn.4:23)
More: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=9396
Some 4,224 students from US and Canadian colleges pledged themselves to long-term missionary service at the close of Urbana 12 on New Year’s Eve, twice as many as the last Student Missionary Conference in 2009. The conference broke records making this the most responsive student conference for foreign missions since the end of World War II. Tom Lin, Urbana Director for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship said ‘They are ready to make commitments and respond to global challenges.’ Dubbed the ‘Justice Generation’ by leaders here, they say today's students tend to see compassionate ministries as a way into the gospel, not as a result of the gospel the way their grandparents did in the 1960's and 70's. They want to build relationships and create community in which unbelievers can discover Christ as Lord and Saviour. Besides the 4000 that made long-term commitments, 8,815 also ticked boxes saying they will go on short or mid-term missions.
Praise: God for the anointing of so many in making commitments to serve. (Dt.6:13)
More: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2013/s13010003.htm
An American evangelical pastor is ‘thanking God’ that he and two others have been released after they were kidnapped in Egypt last week. Reverend Micheel Louis, 61, and 39-year-old Lissa Alphonse, both Boston-area residents, had been kidnapped from a bus on Friday, July 13, along with their guide, Haytham Ragab. The kidnapping took place on a Sinai Desert road by a Bedouin who was demanding the release of his uncle from prison. His uncle had reportedly been detained by Egyptian police on suspicion of drug possession. However, after three days of negotiations, Abu-Masuh released the prisoners to security officials near the northern Sinai city of el-Arish. ‘We are a people of mercy and the hostages don't have anything to do with this,’ Abu-Masuh said in published statements, monitored by BosNewsLife last Friday. Pastor Louis' Presbyterian Church in the U.S. city of Boston takes a trip to Israel every year.
Praise: God for the release of Pastor Michael Louise and the other two people and pray that his testimony will have spoken to his captors. (Mk.6:11)
More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/22681-us-pastor-thanking-god-after-kidnapping-ends-in-egypt
CNS News reports that 63 members of the House and four senators (both Republican and Democrat), members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, have filed an amicus brief to defend the National Day of Prayer. Jordan Sekulow, attorney at the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) which is representing the congressmen, was quoted as saying the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment protects the National Day of Prayer because it is not the call of, or for, a specific religion, it is not mandated, and there are no punishments for not participating. ‘That goes back to, what I think the First Amendment is about, which is an establishment of a religion in the United States. That means you don't say that it is, for instance, the Baptist Day of Prayer, just the National Day of Prayer,’ Sekulow said. Praise: God for this move to establish prayer to be central to the US government. (Heb.13.7) More: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=8040
Afro–Brazilian–Spiritism is the largest growing religion in Uruguay. However recently there has been a revival of Christianity and the number of evangelicals is growing in the midst of an epidemic of divorce, suicide and abortion. Last year a young woman imprisoned for drug trafficking found freedom in Christ behind bars. She was recently released with her two-year-old daughter and is attending a church north of Fray Bentos. This is thanks to the work of Rev Gonzalo and Leticia Soria and their team at La Trinidad church who do weekly visits to the local prison. ‘Baptism in a prison was a unique experience,’ Gonzalo said. ‘A dozen inmates accompanied Johana and her daughter and applauded as they were baptised.’ Now released, Johana and her daughter remain in faith.
Praise: God for the international work of prison ministries and ask for his continued protection over those who find Jesus in dark places. Pray also for more of God’s powerful Holy Spirit to fall across Uruguay. (Is.9:2)
The extraordinary story of a Uruguayan doctor who says she prayed for a baby and miraculously he came back to life. Dr. Marta Martínez a respected doctor from Montevideo, Uruguay said, ‘a baby boy had come to the hospital in a very bad condition, with malnutrition, dehydration and septicaemia. There appeared to be nothing we could do for him. While I was present, watching him at the moment of the death, I thought: It is better for him to die’. At that moment, I felt God speaking to me saying: He has the right to live. So, immediately, I put my hand over him, and started to pray and thank God he was 'resurrected' - he came back to life! It was an amazing miracle. I have also seen other healings and I believe in divine healing because, first of all, it is written in the Bible, and secondly I have seen others healed in a miraculous way and have also experienced it in my own body'..
Praise: God for His gift of miracles and the power of the Holy Spirit. (Mt.7:11)
More: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12040116.htm