Displaying items by tag: Praise

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.

There's been another win for the Christian Legal Centre as Hatun Tash was awarded £10,000 and given an apology by the Met Police over two arrests that took place at Speakers' Corner, the home of free speech. The evangelist frequently witnesses to Muslims and in July 2021 was brutally stabbed, with no one yet charged. The apology concerns two other incidents, when Hatun was arrested despite her peaceful behaviour. Her story was covered in the Times on October 21st See

The UN and humanitarians have delivered aid to more people in the retaken areas, reaching 13.4 million people across Ukraine since the end of February. Despite the escalation of hostilities and challenges of helping millions of Ukrainians prepare for winter, Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown pledged that aid will not stop.

Boko Haram abducted 276 Christian girls from Chibok School in 2014. Girls were whipped and forced into marriage. Some experienced mock executions for refusing to become Muslims. Yana and Rejoice, now young women with children of their own, were among the captives and were recently recovered with their children by the Nigerian Army. Yana Pogu has four children, two boys and twin girls. Rejoice Sanki has two children. They are undergoing medical examinations before being passed over to the care of the Borno government.

Naser Navard Goltapeh, 61 years old, has served nearly five years in Evin prison for ‘acting against national security with the intention to overthrow the regime’. Having been told on 17 October that he had been pardoned, he has now returned home. His ‘crime’ was running a house church. His conviction was a result of his alleged links to churches and Christian groups outside Iran. His requests for a retrial were rejected four times by the authorities. Evin prison is notorious for abuse and torture of prisoners. He was kept in solitary confinement for two months undergoing gruelling interrogation. Fariba Dalir was set free the following day. She had been sentenced to five years in prison for establishing an evangelical Christian house church. Their release comes in the midst of widespread anti-government protests. It is not known if their release is linked to the fire at the prison on 15 October.

Sarfraz wanted to reach Punjabis for Jesus. He worked stuffing balls of moist earth into moulds to make bricks. The gruelling work is done only by Christians, a religious minority discriminated against, doing menial work that nobody else wants. Extreme poverty means even children work in the brickyards. After work, Sarfraz shared the gospel door to door to convert the lost. He launched a church in his house, then rented a building to found a new denomination. He quit the brickfields and worked double shifts as a security guard to pay the teachers at the school he started. ‘We started small. Now we have great churches in different areas’, he says. ‘The children at our school are lucky. Children are our future. If we give them education, they will know who Jesus is. If they live the Bible, then they can understand what is written in the Bible. It is very special.’

Only four years ago, PAK7 international had a staff of three people, one in the UK and two in Pakistan. It is incredible to see what God has done. In 2022, through partners in Pakistan, they had 30 people working with them; by 6 October there were 19 more. While three of last year’s interns moved on to new pastures, all 22 of the media school graduates are starting their internship programme and joining eight small production teams, ready to learn and grow. Internship is excellent training for young Christian media professionals, and is now giving a voice to young Christians in Pakistan. They have an incredible opportunity to make great programmes which will change the lives of generations of young viewers. Today’s growth is vital for them as they step up production of high-quality Christian shows for their channel.

Kintsugi Hope is a Christian charity making a difference to people’s mental wellbeing. 'Kintsugi' is a Japanese technique for repairing pottery with seams of gold. The word means 'golden joinery'. This repair makes the object more beautiful, unique indeed: Instead of hiding scars it makes a feature of them. Kintsugi Hope wants mental and emotional health to be understood in supportive communities where people grow and flourish,  and is warning churches and Christian organisations about the danger of employee burnout. Faith groups are especially susceptible to burnout: because people are highly motivated working for God, more pressure is put on them. Kintsugi Hope is offering employers training on the problem. Also the World Health Organisation has published its first ever mental health guidance to employers to help them avoid employee burnout, and a new NHS scheme will provide therapists for the workplace.

‘Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.’ (Isaiah 1:17) In Colombia, churches are playing a key role in welcoming and supporting the millions of refugees who have fled political and economic turmoil in Venezuela. Churches are able to reach out to remote communities where local authorities and humanitarian organisations are not working and build trusting relationships with refugees. With support from Tearfund, churches are providing quality services and activities, including trauma healing groups for women who have experienced violence. ‘It is the first support that I found here in Colombia for migrants like us’, says Julie, a Venezuelan refugee who attends a trauma healing group. ‘When I arrived at the church, I found peace that I previously did not have. When I got to the church, I saw that it was like my family.’

A huge consignment of life-saving personal protective equipment (PPE), shipped to Tanzania through medical.gives, is being deployed to protect health workers from a deadly new Ebola threat. The consignment was welcomed by health minister Ummy Mwalimu and presented by Mags Gaynor, a representative of the Irish government, which donated the equipment. The handover came days after Tanzania was put on alert and health surveillance was stepped up when neighbouring Uganda confirmed 35 infections and seven deaths from a strain of Ebola for which there is no vaccine or drug treatment. Medical masks, gloves, scrubs and other items are being issued to health staff working in areas of Tanzania deemed at the highest risk of an Ebola outbreak. PPE is also being issued to staff helping to combat Covid-19. Fifty million PPE pieces, worth £25 million, have been donated to Christian hospitals in east and southern Africa by the Irish government.