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Watchman Team international Europe have forwarded the following prayer request, ‘We would like to mention two ‘Heavy Metal’ music festivals this summer in Germany. ‘Wacken Open Air’ takes place from July 28th to August 4th in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein (northern Germany) with an estimated 75,000 visitors from all over the world, and ‘Summerbreeze’ takes place in Dinkelsbuehl in Franken (southern Germany) from August 15th to 17th with about 30,000 visitors. Please pray for the Spirit’s protection and power for the Christians who will be witnessing at these events – that many young people will be drawn out of darkness into the light. Extra copies of the ‘Metal-Bible’ are being printed for distribution to visitors who are drawn to hear the gospel message.
Pray: that God will powerfully anoint all who are called to share the gospel at these events. Pray for successful printing and timely delivery of all evangelistic material. (Ps.134:3)
Europe is dependent on a well-oiled working relationship between France and Germany. However the chemistry between François Hollande and Angela Merkel is poor. Merkel offended Hollande by refusing to meet him in Berlin when he was a candidate in the French presidential election. He took his revenge by inviting the SPD chief to the Elysée Palace, where only heads of state are normally welcomed. There is much that has yet to come out into the open between the two of them. Politically they are divided on how to solve the European crisis. Merkel believes this can be achieved by strict budget control, debt reduction, liberalization of the labour market (with minimal state interference), and the reform of the social system. Hollande holds the opposite opinion. The economy should first be revived with state investment, before looking for savings and reform – a more palatable recipe. In the past, Berlin and Paris agreed a policy in advance and then presented a united approach. This is not happening and Germany appears to be standing alone.
Pray: for reconciliation between the two leaders at a personal level. (Psalm 133) and wisdom for an agreed basis of budget control. (Job 12:.13)
Last weekend 300 people from 23 nations gathered on the banks of the river Maine in Frankfurt, Germany for Euro-gathering. In amongst the exciting times of prayer, worship and community were sessions of amazing teaching from members of the 24-7 family from around the world. The title of the prayer gathering this year was Aufstehen: (German Vb) Auf+ste.hen. To stand up. To rise (arise). To get up. Ian Nicholson the European Director of 24-7 Prayer said, ‘Our confidence is not in banks, governments or the job market but in the Father who shaped Europe; what He did in the past He can do again. We are a people of faith and hope. 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ro.15:13) There was a sense of ' Hope is on the rise! Stand up and fix your eyes on Him. The vision is Jesus!’
Pray: for more European countries to experience God’s power as the Holy Spirit flows through God’s people interceding. (2 Ch.7:14)
The following is translated from the German publication -‘Call of the Watchman’. ‘For almost 20 years around the 5th of May organisations helping handicapped people stage various public activities across Germany highlighting their work. In law and the Bible all men are considered equal. In real life there are many hurdles to overcome. But everyone is made in God’s image – including the handicapped! In my work in the social sector and in my private life I hear statements like, ‘it would have been better had they not survived’ The ‘problem’ is not the handicap but rather how others deal with it. Handicapped people have rights; however they have had to fight for many years for an equal place in society. Today in Germany we use the word ‘inclusion’. Much has been achieved - but we still have a long way to go to overcome all the hurdles. Let us repent of negative thoughts and talk about handicapped people and those decisions in politics and medicine that deny them quality of life.’
Pray: for Germany's legal framework to support handicapped people effectively and promote their ‘inclusion’ (Gen.1:27)
More: http://www.waechterruf.de/
Chancellor Angela Merkel praised what she described as 'the bravery' of a Danish cartoonist who caricatured the prophet Mohammed at an award ceremony honouring his achievements for freedom of speech. Praising illustrator Kurt Westergaard, she said '(he) has had to fear for his life since the publication of the cartoons in 2005.' Merkel emphasized that media freedom is an important element of rights in Europe. 'It does not matter if we think his cartoons are tasteful or not, if we think they are necessary and helping or not'. The question, she said, was, 'Is he allowed to do this? Yes, he is.' There have been at least three attempted attacks on the 75-year-old Westergaard or his Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, since he and 11 other artists angered Muslims around the world by creating the cartoons four years ago. Muslim protesters have burned Danish and other Western embassies. Pray: that Muslim sensitivities in non-Muslim countries be more attuned and less radical to local customs and conventions. (Ps.35:4-6)
The International Gideons are known for distributing free pocket Bibles - mostly at schools, hospitals, hotels and medical practices. They were forbidden to distribute any more Bibles at public schools in Berlin by the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs. A letter from the Berlin Senate Department of Education, Youth and Science, clearly requires the distribution of Christian Bibles to stop reasoning from an administrative regulation of 2011 which implies that on state property ‘Advertising of ideological religious or political nature’ is prohibited. Responding to the Senate’s letter Wendel, the chairman of Gideons in Germany, points out that the pocket Bibles don’t contain any ‘advertising for churches, clubs, or the International Gideon Federation’. Furthermore, the ministerial conference earlier recognized these Bibles as school materials. Wendel asked the Education Senator to reconsider and to withdraw his decision.
Pray: that the Education Senator will reconsider in light of earlier decisions and give approval. (Ro.12:2)
German officials launched searches on extreme Islamist groups last Thursday, raiding homes and mosques across the country. The raids resulted in a ban on one Islamist organization, and prompted authorities to open investigations on two others. Authorities say these groups threaten Germany’s security with their adherence to Islamic sharia law and advocation of violence. ‘Such an understanding of Islam has no place in Germany,’ said German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich. The Salafist organization Millatu Ibrahim was outlawed because it calls on Muslims to rise up against Germany’s ‘constitutional order,’ Friedrich said. The Dawaffm and dwr are being investigated to determine whether evidence exists to outlaw them as well. Friedrich said a ‘comprehensive collection of evidence’ had been seized, including laptops, videos, cellphones and other items. This evidence is to be evaluated over the coming days to determine if the two organizations in question should be banned.
Pray: that the authorities will be given wisdom and discernment to handle extremists of all persuasion. (Dt.4:6)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have hammered out a common position on the euro debt crisis. A statement by the French president's office said agreement had been reached after seven hours of talks in Berlin. It comes ahead of a crunch meeting of eurozone leaders to resolve the Greek debt crisis and prevent further contagion to other eurozone economies. Details of the deal have not yet been released. Policymakers are set to discuss a range of measures at the meeting later today, including a new loan package to Greece and the role of private investors in
any debt restructuring. Reports suggest a new tax on banks will also be debated. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cautioned against over optimism.
Pray: for the discussions taking place that God would overrule and grant His wisdom. (Is.64:4)
The Wunderlich children have been taken from their parents because of the decision to homeschool. German social services officials have raided the home of a family and abducted their children on the sole grounds that the parents were exercising their right to home-school. The armed raid occurred on the morning of 29 August. The team of 20 SS personnel, police officers and special agents approached the home with a battering ram after Judge Koenig, a Darmstadt family court judge, authorized force ‘against the children” since the children had “adopted the parents’ opinions.’ The four children, ages 7-14, were all forcibly removed and taken to unknown locations, leaving the parents devastated. Home School Legal Defence Association obtained the court documents authorizing the seizure. The documents reveal that the only legal grounds for action against the family was their decision to home-school. There were no allegations of abuse or neglect, nor any concern that the children were receiving inadequate education.
Pray: for homeschool families that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights will be upheld. (Pr.31:9)
Germany's Roman Catholics are to be denied the right to Holy Communion or religious burial if they stop paying a special church tax. A German bishops' decree which has just come into force says anyone failing to pay 8% of their annual income tax will no longer be considered a Catholic. The bishops have been alarmed by the increasing number of German Catholics leaving the Church in recent years. They say such a step should be seen as a serious act against the community. All Germans who are officially registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews pay a religious tax of 8-9% of their annual income tax. The levy was introduced in the 19th Century in compensation for the nationalisation of religious property. Catholics make up around 30% of Germany's population but the number of congregants leaving the church swelled to 181,000 in 2010, with the increase blamed on revelations of sexual abuse by German priests.
Pray: for the Catholic Church that it will not deny rights to those who cannot afford these taxes.