Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

St Mary's church, Pelham, Hertfordshire had most of the lead stolen from its roof on 15/16 June. The church dates back to the 1100s, and the stolen lead is valued at £220,000. Police have issued a warning to other churches in the area. Last month a church in Lincolnshire had twelve tons of lead roof sheets stolen. It was rolled up and thrown onto the grass below. The criminals were disturbed at about 3am and fled in two vehicles. The lead was marked with microdot markers that survive extreme heat, cannot be destroyed, and are easily detected with a UV torch. Metal crime incidents for the year ending March 2018 increased by 25%, and more metal thefts are reported every day. See

Twelve-year-old Matt Martinson truanted from school, experimented with drink and drugs, and spiralled into a life of crime. Petty offences escalated to drug dealing, burglary and armed robbery. He was jailed for 11 years following an armed raid on a post office in York. After serving nearly four years - during which time he drew alongside a prison chaplain and came to faith - he was released. After study and much commitment he was eventually ordained as a priest. Matt, now aged 44, explained, ‘I remember being in prison and hearing God say to me, “One day you will be a vicar”. I burst out laughing saying, “Didn’t you hear what the judge has sentenced me to?”’ He now ministers to people who are hurt and lost, reaching out to them with grace and telling them, ‘No matter what you may have done in the past, there is a loving God to turn to’.

Celtic Christianity once flourished in this nation. Spiritual wells were established and God’s Spirit flowed, bringing renewal and revival. The wells are still there today - underground, but blocked and covered over. World Horizons wants simultaneous groups to worship and pray at all the major spiritual wells of the past, asking God for the living water to rise up again! This is not just a UK event, it will be happening all over Europe. On Friday 21 June we will thank God for all his wonderful works over 2000 years. The next day we can ask him to send new life to these places again today - reopening ancient wells as Isaac did. On 23 June, ask him to send revival to the whole of Europe! Can you gather a group to worship and pray at a spiritual well near you? Was there a saint or powerful preacher like Wesley, or a monastery? If you feel called to take part please contact

A message from Prayer for Scotland: ‘"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation - and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18,19b). While we await the outcome of the process to elect a new leader of the Conservative party who will be our next Prime Minister, the Brexit debate has died down. However, the fundamental issues have not disappeared and will be faced again very soon. As a country we are completely divided - as we have been since the referendum 3 years ago. While the Scripture text is about the reconciliation of sinful man with God through the Cross, we, the Church, God's 'ambassadors on earth', are also called to reconcile individuals and groups who have serious disagreements with each other. Prayer can bring supernatural power to bear on a situation that seems impossible to solve. With God, nothing is impossible.'

People with disabilities come from many walks of life; they can be businessmen and women, professionals, manual workers or pastors; they struggle and need counsel; many are children at risk. People with disabilities need the gospel. Neglecting to evangelise these individuals means neglecting 1/7 of the global population. The church must be revitalised, not only to minister to, but also to equip, empower, and enable those with disabilities to engage fully in ministry and service. Current mission and church leadership must realise the reality that for the body of Christ to express itself fully in line with God’s design, the disabled must be involved as strategic ministry partners. Lausanne Global Classroom helps fulfil these goals, and seeks to inspire young leaders, established leaders, churches, organisations, and movements to understand the importance of disability concerns in all their ventures.

In what is believed to be a UK policing first, the Metropolitan Police Service has announced that new police constable recruits will be able to join the service in a part-time role from November. They will complete police training part-time, and hit the streets of London part-time.. The new scheme was born out of the Met’s celebrations to recognise the contribution of women to the service over the last 100 years. However, the opportunity is open to both men and women, and it is hoped it will help achieve the Commissioner’s long-term ambition of a police service in which men and women are equally represented. Part-time policing will give the flexibility to balance their work and family life.

Hospitals are meant to start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral. Government cancer strategies have always insisted that meeting that deadline is vital in order to ease patient anxiety, lower the risk of complications, and improve outcomes. It is impossible to tell exactly what impact waiting longer might have: much depends on the type of cancer and whether it is diagnosed at an advanced stage or not. Nearly three-quarters of services are failing to meet that deadline. The worst performer was the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust, which saw fewer than 61% of patients within 62 days. Bosses there said they had seen a larger surge in demand than in other services. Other trusts have also pointed to increased demand, with the biggest regional centres seeing the most complex cases that tend to take the longest time.

The New IRA claimed responsibility for a sophisticated high-powered bomb under the car of a police officer, who was lucky to escape with his life. The attempted attack, at a Belfast golf course, was the first carried out by the New IRA since journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead in April. The bomb contained a mercury tilt switch; any sudden movement triggers an explosion. The device would have exploded if it was not for the level terrain the car had travelled on. An IRA statement read, ‘We were unlucky this time but we only have to be lucky once’. Two cars linked to the bomb attack were set on fire in Belfast the following day. One of the vehicles had Dublin number plates. The conflict in Northern Ireland, which has killed thousands, has political and religious roots that are centuries old. Pray for God to remove ancient spiritual stubble and roots that are still producing hatred in the land (Malachi 4:1).

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) borrowing includes catalogue credit, store cards and retailers finance at the point of sale. New measures require retailers to present BNPL offers more clearly, give adequate explanations of costs and negative consequences; and prompt people when the 0% interest period expires to allow them to repay the full balance before incurring charges. Debt charity StepChange welcomes the modest changes, but doubts whether they will fully achieve their objective. It would like to see a closer look at the use of discounts and incentives, and would like to see continued scrutiny in this area, to ensure consumers are protected against poor practice. Citizens Advice said, ‘The new rules won’t stop people being hit by unexpected costs on unpaid amounts. To protect people better, the FCA should only allow firms to charge interest once the promotional period ends.’

Theresa May’s announcement of resignation as leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June led to many candidates setting out their stalls to succeed her. In mid-June there will be successive rounds of voting with the losing candidate being removed after each ballot until only two remain. The final two will then be voted on by the entire Conservative Party membership. The cautious and sometimes ambiguous relationship Christians should have with power and authority is most apparent in Jesus’ words, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ There is a God-ordained place for earthly rulers, but their authority comes under God’s ultimate rule. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 ; we are to pray for them. We don’t know who will win the Conservative leadership election, but we could consider:- Who are they leading? What is their vision for society? What is their vision based on? Do they have the character for leadership and how have they demonstrated this?