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Numbers visiting foodbanks have almost tripled in a year, according to Christian food crisis charity the Trussell Trust. At more than 350,000, the number was around 100,000 more than anticipated, the trust said. The rise is the biggest since the charity started its work in 2000. Foodbanks provide emergency aid for people who cannot feed themselves or their families. They are run by churches and community groups and rely on donations from local people. Clients are given three days worth of nutritionally balanced non-perishable food. According to the trust, the rising cost of living, static incomes, changes to benefits, underemployment and unemployment have meant increasing numbers of people in the UK have hit a crisis that forces them to go hungry. The rise in usage predates April’s welfare reforms, which could see numbers increase further in 2013-14. While the number of foodbanks has been rising – the Trussell Trust launches three new ones every week – established foodbanks are also seeing a dramatic rise in the number of their clients.
Pray: that the needs of those who are hungry will be met by the generosity of those that support the Foodbanks. (2Cor.9:11)
More: http://www.methodistrecorder.co.uk/mrhlines.htm
‘Rather than legislating for an abrupt end to life, we need to find better ways to help care for the dying’, an MP has said as he led a debate on palliative care in Parliament. David Burrowes MP was joined in the debate last week by around 20 MPs. He quoted Dame Cicely Saunders, the founder of the modern hospice movement, who said: ‘You matter because you are you, and you matter to the last moment of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.’ The MP’s comments come in the wake of a controversial report from Lord Falconer which advocated assisted suicide in England and Wales. Glenda Jackson MP said it was ‘paramount that our society turn its face away from what could become legalised murder, and argue and press the case for increased funding, increased support for palliative care and, most markedly, support for hospices’.
Pray: for a Government backed support for quality palliative care so often left to the work of charities to maintain. (Ps116:15)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/video-focus-on-care-not-assisted-suicide-say-mps/
Local councils are flying the flag for Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism to mark days in those faiths’ calendars, but church groups have faced opposition simply for placing posters in public libraries. The plethora of causes supported by local councils was revealed in a new survey for The Sunday Telegraph. See this must read report: It shows that as well as flying the homosexual rainbow flag at least once a year, Brighton and Hove Council also hoist the Transgender Pride flag on Transgender Day in November. In Brighton last year a Sunday school teacher was told she couldn’t put up a poster at her local library to advertise a church children’s event because it ‘promoted religion’. The survey also revealed that councils are showing endorsement for such diverse occasions as Rastafarian days, the Tibetan Independence Day and the winter and summer solstices, while a Druid flag is hoisted by a Leicestershire council. Pray: that as Christians we are given divine strength and guidance to fight back against marginalisation. (Ro.10:14) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/councils-happy-to-fly-the-flag-for-islam-and-hinduism/
The first nationwide survey of all the churches, chapels and meeting houses in the UK, was last Monday. The National Churches Trust Survey 2010 includes buildings of every Christian denomination, of all ages and conditions, and aims to understand how they are maintained, repaired, funded and used by their local communities. The survey hopes to create a national picture of the current status of places of worship. It will remain online until mid-June. All churches, chapels and meeting houses in the UK are being encouraged to complete the survey which offers guidance, tips and technical support to help participants. Andrew Edwards, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said: ‘A single, national survey will make a considerable difference to our understanding of church buildings across the UK. These buildings are important, not just as places of worship but also as centres of local life. This survey is seeking to capture the contribution they make to our heritage and our communities’.
Pray: for this survey that it will allow the people of the Church to better care for and use the physical buildings that we use as places of worship. (1Ch.28:10)
Some of the world's biggest companies are in the running for an award that none of them actually wants. This Friday, two will be singled out as the biggest offenders of the year for ‘contempt for the environment and human rights’. Six have made the short-list – one voted for by the public, the others by the organisers of the Public Eye awards, Greenpeace and the Swiss economic justice group the Berne Declaration. Barclays Capital is described as ‘arguably the fastest-growing food speculator worldwide’ and ‘contributing to sharp rises and falls that cause hunger and poverty.’ Samsung is cited for allegedly failing to protect factory workers from banned and highly toxic substances. The Swiss agrochemical giant Syngenta is short-listed for selling Paraquat, banned in Europe, in the developing world. Whatever the outcome, it is unlikely any of the firms will show up to claim their award. Please use the ‘More’ link to read about the other companies short-listed.
Pray: for all companies to adopt an honest, open and moral approach to their work backed by high standards of corporate and personal integrity. (Pr.10:9)
Following the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is about to conclude an extremely challenging further savings exercise in order to correctly balance military forces with the finances available. This will involve some very difficult decisions affecting people’s careers and military capabilities. Key decisions are likely to have to be made on 25 January 2011 and 10 February 2011 by the Defence Board. Those charged with deciding the outcome include senior leaders in defence especially the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Permanent Under Secretary for Defence and Service Chiefs. The Prime Minister, addressing Parliament at the outset of the SDSR stated ‘We are the sixth largest economy in the world. Even after this review we expect to continue with the fourth largest military budget in the world’.
Pray: for wisdom that right decisions are reached for the benefit of the nation and our Service personnel (2Ch.7:14)
More:http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/PolicyStrategyandPlanning/SDSR/StrategicDefenceAndSecurity
Tackling corruption is not only the job of business leaders and politicians but also needs individual action, says evangelical leader Marijke Hoek. The Christian-led campaign against corruption is urging everyone to play their part in making the world a more just place. Hoek says that politics is not only for those working directly in government but for every citizen and that every person should be getting involved in what is happening in their communities, nations and the wider world. "What the co-operative enterprise or collective is capable of is probably most easily recognised in local politics that fosters a common life and pursues a common good - politics with a small 'p', if you wish. "It's community activism that recognises the fractures and flaws in society and their detrimental effect on its citizens."The welfare of our nation lies in the hearts and hands of us all," she says.
Pray: for each of us to accept personal responsibility for the society of which we are part.. (Mt.22:39)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/fighting.corruption.is.everyones.responsibility/33170.htm
Veteran civil rights campaigner and Baptist minister the Rev Jesse Jackson has urged Christians never to stop fighting for the poor - especially in this period of austerity. During a brief visit to the UK the Baptist minister, who founded the social change Rainbow PUSH coalition, said the church was compelled to challenge injustice. But citing his long record, which includes campaigning with Dr Martin Luther King, Mr Jackson said as long as Christians fought, they would inevitably secure victories that would make the world a fairer place. Mr Jackson was in the UK to speak at an event entitled A God of Justice, organised by Christian Aid in collaboration with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Church.co.uk. He was also a guest speaker at a Christian Aid supporters day and lobby of Parliament in support of the world's poor. He said he had seen 'tremendous changes' in his 50 years as a campaigner. Pray: for all Christians to rise to Rev Jackson's challenge to keep fighting for justice. (Dt.16:20)
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has changed the frequency with which figures are published concerning children born outside of wedlock. Critics say that the changes are part of continued efforts to marginalise marriage as an institution. Figures for children born to unmarried mothers and those born to parents in ‘legal partnerships’ will now be released on an annual, as opposed to quarterly, basis. An ONS spokesperson said that the adjustments were due to spending cuts. There are fears that changing the publication of data in this way will make it harder to demonstrate the benefits of marriage for children. Patricia Morgan, of the think-tank Civitas, said: ‘This is a way of crossing marriage out of the public consciousness. It has been done one step at a time. The evidence that marriage is better for families and children is overwhelming, but if you don’t have the evidence you can no longer prove it’.
Pray: that despite these changes marriage will not be sidelined but the truth will out. (Ps.103:2)
A support group for people in the sex industry fears the high cost of further education will tempt more students into pole dancing, escort work and prostitution to make ends meet. The warning comes from Beyond the Streets, formerly the National Christian Alliance on Prostitution, after research by the University of Kingston found that in 2010, a quarter of students knew someone who had worked in the sex industry to fund their studies, a staggering increase on 1990 when the figure was just 3%. In a separate study by the University of Leeds, a quarter of lap dancers were found to have a degree and a third of the women interviewed were doing lap dancing work to fund training in other professions. ‘It may look like easy money to the desperate eye, but what it really is, let's not be fooled, is luring students into prostitution,’ the group said.
Pray: that with the increasing cost of education pray that the financial pressures will not attract students into prostitution. (Mt.26:41)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/fears.more.students.being.lured.into.prostitution/33102.htm