While volunteering at our church’s free clothes closet, I interact with our visitors who struggle to put food on the table, pay rent or purchase basic needs. Although some of our shoppers allow their situations to define their lives, others share their stories of God’s grace. They express gratitude for our ministry and the ministries of others in our community. While volunteering recently, I met a woman who wasn’t just a recipient of our ministry. She volunteers to help others in need, sorting clothes, organising racks, and assisting shoppers. She admits she hasn’t always made the right choices but knows she can’t make it through life without her Saviour and Lord. She relies on our church’s hospitality while boldly sharing her stories of how God is working in her life.

The Trussell Trust needs people to raid cupboards for unwanted food to donate in the weeks before Christmas. Parcel costs have rocketed. Some food banks have seen the cost of a food parcel rise from £39 to £58. Many face a difficult winter with rising costs of heating and food. Food banks - many operating through churches - are expecting more demand than ever before, with volunteers giving out 1.3 million emergency food parcels over the next six months. The cost of providing vital food parcels to families in need has risen significantly as the cost-of-living crisis worsens. National Statistics data shows that the price of vital items usually included in the parcels has risen by 17% in a year. Lack of understanding contributes to food going to waste, or donations not being given. Trussell Trust have joined with Deliveroo takeaway service to ensure more donations get to the centres this Christmas.

Petrol bombs exploded at a Dover migrant centre causing 700 refugees to be transferred to Manston centre, a short-term holding facility for up to 1,600 people for 24 hours. But there were already 4,000 on the dangerously overcrowded site with some migrants threatening to self-harm and hunger strike and unrest spreading across the camp. Dozens of charities, sent an open letter to Ms Braverman (who had referred to the refugee crisis as an invasion) saying, ‘You refer to this country's proud history of offering sanctuary, so we ask you to make this happen with fair, kind and effective systems for refugees. Deal with the backlog in asylum cases, create safe routes, respect the UN convention on refugees, and give refugees a fair hearing, however they get here.’ The next day hundreds of migrants were moved to hotels  as the government was accused of presiding over a ‘shambles’. Meanwhile a group of migrants were reportedly mistakenly taken from Manston and stranded in central London, cold, hungry and without accommodation.

The Church of England has joined forces with Christian charity Youthscape to help parishes connect with young people. The £1.29m project is being rolled out to 450 churches across the country after being trialled in Blackburn, London and St Albans. ‘It's really a hopeful approach to engaging with young people in a parish, looking into strategies and confidence building,’ the Church of England's Vision and Strategy team said, ‘It's about working with the church leaders to help them develop what might be the right next steps in their context.’ Churches will have access to a five-session Youthscape training course to help volunteers and youth workers formulate plans to work with young people in their parishes. Sometimes it's the simplest things that don't require a lot of money but require you to look and have insight into how young people are living in the parish and look at where they might be able to engage with them.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has said the government is still committed to a manifesto pledge of building 300,000 homes every year by the mid-2020s. Former PM Liz Truss had cast doubt on the aim, saying she wanted to scrap ‘Stalinist’ housing targets. But Mr Gove - who returned to cabinet after Ms Truss's resignation said he wanted to build more homes, both for ownership and to rent, and that new developments should have the consent of local communities. He also warned meeting the target would be ‘difficult’ due to the economic circumstances. ‘We need to be straight with people: the cost of materials has increased because of the problems with global supply chains and also a very tight labour market means that the capacity to build those homes at the rate we want is constrained,’ he said.

Paedophiles, rapists, a murderer, and a neo-Nazi all managed to join the police due to a widespread failure to screen out dangerous and corrupt officers. Hundreds, if not thousands, of serving officers have criminal records, are linked to gangsters, or pose a risk to the public, watchdogs warned on November 1st. Analysis of personnel files found it was far too easy for misogynistic, corrupt, or predatory officers to join up and stay in uniform. They include Benjamin Hannam, a neo-Nazi who was recruited by Scotland Yard despite featuring in a recruitment video for a banned far-Right group two days before he applied. He became the first constable to be convicted of terror offences after an anonymous hacker told the Met that he was a member of National Action (white supremacists) and recruited others to a group that backed the murder of MP Jo Cox.

The latest interest rate rise by the Bank of England means its benchmark interest rates have hit 3% for the first time since 2008. The interest rate affects mortgages, repayments on credit card debt and the interest paid on savings accounts. They have been rising since December in an effort to curb the rate at which the cost of everyday goods and services are rising. This latest rise follows economic turmoil under Liz Truss, though things have calmed slightly since Rishi Sunak took over and promised to issue a plan to repair the nation's finances later this month, but tax rises and spending cuts are expected. The Bank of England’s outlook for the UK economy is a downturn lasting for two years and the unemployment rate will nearly double.

Rishi Sunak’s rise to Prime Minister was on the front pages of most of India’s newspapers. The Evangelical Alliance said his appointment would reflect Britain's religious diversity. ‘As a nation, we celebrate freedom of religion and belief and it's important that we're able to recognise different people's religious beliefs and how they practise it. We should be encouraged that people are free to practise different beliefs, but in the same way, that we should stand for the freedom to practise our own religion.’ There are calls for a period of a ‘quiet, stable government’ under Rishi Sunak. Christian Conservative MP John Glen who has known Mr Sunak since 2014, said he believes Sunak has the integrity, drive and intelligence to restore the UK's reputation after the political and financial turmoil of recent weeks.

Fighting and shelling continues in eastern and southern Ukraine, and strikes in other areas have caused additional destruction of civilian infrastructure and a large number of civilian deaths and injuries. The civilian toll has reached 14,000 confirmed deaths since the beginning of the war. Nearly 18 million people (40% of Ukraine’s population) need humanitarian assistance, and the situation is expected to deteriorate further in the winter months. As villages and towns are being liberated from Russian occupation in Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive, significant needs remain - and the Ukrainian advances may halt with the arrival of winter. Many communities still lack access to clean water, electricity, and mobile phone service. Many have limited food supplies. The clean-up and rebuilding effort will take some time. Pray for: The church and ministry networks across Ukraine and neighbouring countries who are mobilising to bring food, clothing, first aid and medicine; evacuation and temporary accommodation assistance; psychological and spiritual support; rebuilding damaged properties and preparing for winter.

Russia’s war waged against Ukraine has created devastating consequences for freedom of the press. Reporters have been killed and injured in the field and censorship not seen since the Soviet period’s massive disinformation. Five journalists and media workers died from gunfire during the first month of Russia’s offensive. The Russian military has targeted news sources in territories it occupies and bullies the local media to cooperate. The government has complete control of Russian news and extensive wartime censorship, blocking the media, and pursuing non-compliant journalists. Many are forced into exile. In 2021 Putin toughened the law, labelling the media as ‘foreign agents’. This information control does not stop at Russia’s borders. The Kremlin is imposing its version of the war on its neighbours, especially Belarus, where independent journalists have been persecuted since the 2020 controversial presidential election, and 20+ media workers languish in prison. (Globally 59 journalists were killed and 524 imprisoned this year).