Displaying items by tag: Global

Home is a place where everyone can flourish: somewhere we can belong, feel safe, and grow. Millions of people, forced to flee their homes because of years of conflict, are having to raise their families in cramped conditions in refugee camps, lacking the basic essentials. Life is a struggle to survive. Pray for people like Tamam who used to live a quiet and comfortable life in Northern Syria, with her loving husband and children. Then IS occupied the area; no electricity or running water, crops and animals died. Her husband was killed, and they joined around 1 million Syrians living in makeshift settlements in the middle of a slum in Lebanon. Pray for the mission agencies bringing relief in dangerous situations, and for the network of churches attempting to support displaced people.

In South Asia, a fourteen-year-old boy lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital after a massive hemorrhage in his brain. The cause? He was spending too much time on a violent online game. Sadly, his case is not an isolated incident. With the pandemic restricting access to the outdoors, the youth in our 10/40 Window countries are lured on to the internet. Window International Network has launched a massive social media prayer campaign to intercede for our 10/40 youth. Pray for an end to online gaming, violent games and pornography. Pray for the success of the planned mini presentations to educate youth to use their time online mainly for educative and creative purposes.

Pray for the IJM Kenya team opening an office in Mombasa in March to address child sex trafficking along the coast. This is a key time for building partnerships and relationships with local government, police, prosecutors, judges and community members. Pray that this would be the start of greater protection for children and more accountability for Kenya’s perpetrators. Pray for the arrest of a suspected perpetrator of online sexual exploitation in the Philippines, who has been evading custody for some time. Pray she is arrested soon, for a just trial, and that this accountability would prevent her from abusing children in the future. Pray also for the upcoming Make #SlaveFree Normal Campaign, that it would highlight the issue of slavery in supply chains and inspire people in their consumer habits. Pray that more people would join to Make #SlaveFree Normal and sign up to receive the video series that raises awareness of trafficking and slavery.

A battle between the EU and UK reveals the ugly truth about vaccine nationalism that is appearing across the globe. The UN General Assembly showed unity as global deaths approached a million last year. They said, ‘When a vaccine is developed, the world's most vulnerable should be first in line.’ The vaccines are here and solidarity between the nations has disappeared entirely. The EU has secured enough doses to cover its population three times. Canada has purchased enough to cover a population four times its size. The UK has agreements with vaccine suppliers, and did not expect the EU to disrupt the fulfillment of these contracts. However, the EU almost invoked a Brexit deal clause to prevent the UK from receiving vaccines from Europe. While stocks are limited governments will put their own populations first. Pray for pharmaceutical companies to share their ‘know how’ with poor countries to enable them to produce their own vaccinations.

In the USA a powerful storm sent waves crashing into sea walls and caused flooding in coastal communities from New Jersey to Maine. In Australia bushfires have forced thousands to flee Covid-19 lockdowns in an ‘unprecedented situation'. By 3 February the fire had destroyed 71 homes and injured six firefighters. In addition to the dangerous blazes, tropical storms churning off the coast could help to contain fires. Also widespread record-breaking snow pummelled northeast America, shattering centuries-old records, and is expected to spawn another whopper next week. Pray for God to watch over all who have lost their homes and businesses to the Australian fires. May they be able to achieve social distancing in relief shelters. Pray for God to give peace to people experiencing travel disruption, particularly those in stranded vehicles. Pray for aid and help to reach isolated rural communities, particularly those with power cuts.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised Canada for massively over-ordering supplies of the coronavirus vaccine, hindering the rollout of jabs to the world’s poorest nations. He said the North American country had in the pipeline more than five times what it needed for the size of its population. The archbishop highlighted surplus stocks as one of the main obstacles to a global vaccination campaign, along with misinformation and logistical challenges. His comments came after the head of the United Nations urged the world to act with far greater solidarity to ensure vaccines are available and affordable in all countries. Meanwhile, Oxfam claims that ‘the increase in wealth of the world’s top ten billionaires during the pandemic is more than enough both to pay for a Covid-19 vaccine for everyone on the planet and to reverse the rise in poverty caused by coronavirus’. See

Open Doors reports Christian persecution at a record high globally. The number of Christians murdered for their faith rose 60% in 2020. 340 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution through Islamic or communist oppression or Hindu nationalism. Even the pandemic has been used as an excuse by extremists and governments as a justification in several places. Indian local governments use pressure on Christians to withhold food and medical care. Over 115,000 incidents have been documented. In Nigeria Boko Haram attack Christian villages and take food and medical supplies. Pray for an end to the extra persecution because of Covid. New data show that China is using Facebook, Zoom, and Apple to threaten and censor Christians. There are 100 million Christians in China; the regime is using technology to watch their every move. When they go into church they are subject to facial recognition; their online searches are examined, and massive surveillance systems are monitoring religious practice.

Nations face a resurgence of infections. May God bring comfort to those who have lost loved ones, giving them His peace that surpasses all understanding in 2021. Evolving and alarming headlines fuel worldwide uncertainty and rampant fear. Pray for the media to report facts and refrain from declaring their opinions loosely based on truths. Pray for the immunisation programmes to bring peace of mind as well as protection from the pandemic. May God inspire churches across the nations as they speak and bring hope to their congregations and communities. Pray also for the scientists to be anointed by God with wise skillful intervention to avoid further Covid mutations. May He give supernatural strength of spirit, mind and body to those working tirelessly to care for the sick, and miraculously work healing through them. Pray for all who have had ‘normal life’ replaced with quarantines, lockdowns and border closures.

Matthew Skirton is from the UK but has spent many years in Moldova. He says that mission agencies have noticed a decline in Christians engaging in cross-cultural, overseas mission. Less than 1% of Christians around the world are actively involved in global missions, something termed the ‘Mission Gap’. Has the Church - in some quarters - moved away from the core belief that followers of Christ are all called to go to the ends of the earth, to every people group, to witness and make disciples? Local mission continues - mums and tots groups, food banks, Alpha and online Christmas carol services. During lockdown the move to online church has seen a surge in people connecting with Jesus’ message. Fewer Christians are taking the leap abroad to where there is little chance of the people hearing the Gospel. A Turkish-speaking pastor in London whose services used to attract fifty people now livestreams to over 1,600 Turkish-speakers from his church.

Wealthy countries should be well-covered with vaccines by the first half of 2021, but low-income countries will still be waiting. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said that vaccine access is a huge challenge for low- and middle-income countries. Even when people in high-income countries have access to adequate vaccinations, if Covid is still circulating in poorer countries we will not see an end to the pandemic. Oxfam said, ‘What we want to see AstraZeneca and Oxford do now is to commit to an open licence so more vaccine manufacturers can get on board. We think really the power is in their hands to end this epidemic by the end of 2021.’ Both MSF and Oxfam say that both price and supply challenges can be overcome if we look at more systemic issues of patents. We need to open up intellectual property, including patents, so any manufacturer around the world could produce successful products without fearing sanctions.