Displaying items by tag: Praise

A London-based nurse has been convicted of trafficking five Nigerian women into Germany to work as prostitutes after subjecting them to ‘voodoo’ rituals. Josephine Lyamu forced them to swear oaths to hand over money to her during ‘juju’ ceremonies. Praise God for the successful prosecution. The women had been psychologically manipulated and financially exploited, as well as sexually abused. This is the first conviction under the Modern Slavery Act, passed in 2015. See also the IJM prayer requests in the ‘World’ section.

The Trumpet Call day was framed in worship to Jesus - The Lamb who has conquered - and included deep times of humbling, confession and repentance after RT Kendall spoke and again after Malcolm Duncan had spoken.  The promise contained in 2 Chronicles 7:14 invites us to continue to come to our heavenly Father on an ongoing basis for ourselves, for the Church and for our nations, in humility and confession in order that we might see a continuation of the turning from our wicked ways.  The WPC team have had many encouraging feedback comments. One Church leader said it had completely turned around his ministry, another said ‘awesome is an overused word but it truly was awesome’. The team has also been very encouraged by feedback on evangelistic events happening at the same time and the week after and by conversations about prayer and mission whilst recognising that there is a hard road ahead of us.

‘It is a miracle that there have been no reported injuries caused by the massive fire which has been tearing through Saddleworth moorland in Greater Manchester’, said Rev Chris Viney from St James Millbrook. ‘We could see the fire coming down the hillside, towards the top end of the village. It must have been very, very scary for the people who live in the houses near to where the fire was.’ He believes God has been protecting his community, even though dozens of people needed to be evacuated from their homes. (They have now returned home). The associate minister said that the church gathered together to pray through the night. ‘God was at work because it could have been so much worse than it was.’ Sleeping bags, roll mats, food and drink are stockpiled at the church in the event displaced families or emergency service members need them.

Puna Baptist Church put on a family fun day for families affected by the volcano. One church member wrote on facebook, ‘Puna Baptist Church held a Family Fun Day for the people of Puna. It was a day to just forget about the volcano and have some family fun. It certainly lived up to its name! We had close to 500 people. I was at the registration desk and loved seeing the children’s eyes light up as I told them about all of the things they could do! We were so busy! What a blessing to everyone! I love my church!’ Free hygiene kits were offered by the church and a doctor and a counsellor were also on site. The church members have also been providing a clothes washing service which they've asked members to pray for. Their website reads,’Pray for the Laundry Voucher Ministry to be an effective opportunity to share Jesus with the Puna community’.

Puna Baptist Church put on a family fun day for families affected by the volcano. One church member wrote on facebook, ‘Puna Baptist Church held a Family Fun Day for the people of Puna. It was a day to just forget about the volcano and have some family fun. It certainly lived up to its name! We had close to 500 people. I was at the registration desk and loved seeing the children’s eyes light up as I told them about all of the things they could do! We were so busy! What a blessing to everyone! I love my church!’ Free hygiene kits were offered by the church and a doctor and a counsellor were also on site. The church members have also been providing a clothes washing service which they've asked members to pray for. Their website reads,’Pray for the Laundry Voucher Ministry to be an effective opportunity to share Jesus with the Puna community’.

The Salvation Army has been praised for its support for members of the emergency services who responded to a fire at the Glasgow School of Art, in a building which had been undergoing a multi-million-pound restoration project. Volunteers prepared hot rolls and Irn Bru drinks for police officers and firefighters who were called to the landmark Mackintosh Building on the night of 15 June. The fire service’s chief officer, Alasdair Hay, praised the ‘warm-hearted’ response of both the Salvation Army and emergency crews. The Salvation Army rarely receives the recognition it deserves as it works with children and families, the homeless, the elderly, and those in poverty. It influences social policy and is involved in removing modern slavery and domestic abuse.

In Algeria, friends asked for prayer after their church in Aïn Turk was closed by the local authorities. After seven months, the authorities finally reopened the church. In Turkey, Pastor Ramazan Arkan leads two congregations in Antalya, just 12 miles from where Paul and Barnabas planted a church in New Testament times. His growing church is reaching out to many young seekers in this city of two million people. Iran is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian, yet thousands of underground Iranian believers are practising their faith in secret. For those with no-one to talk to about Jesus, SAT-7’s satellite Christian broadcasting has become not just a television channel, but also a virtual pastor, church, community and friend.

Luis Tejada is Panama’s record goal-scorer. He grew up in some of the toughest neighbourhoods of Panama City, learning to fight for his dreams in an environment in which kicking a ball well was one of the few ways out. ‘I have lots of friends who are now in prison, others who have died. The truth is, I don’t know what would have become of me if I hadn’t become a footballer. For this reason, I thank God that He grabbed me in time and took control of me.’ Read his story by clicking the ‘More’ button.

The World Cup,from 14 June to 15 July, provides an amazing opportunity for Christians to reach sports people in their local areas through putting on events like a sports quiz or a five-a-side tournament. Christians in Sport have partnered with Scripture Union to provide resources to be used in sports clubs, churches or schools. They have also created a short film, ‘The Greatest Event in the World’, to show at events or share on social media. The film looks at the wonder of the World Cup and compares it to what is an even greater story - that of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

You recently prayed for a change in visa rules regarding trained medical staff because they were not working in the best interests of NHS patients. The Home Office has now decided that foreign doctors and nurses will be excluded from the government's visa cap. This will be a huge relief for NHS trusts across the country, which have been really struggling to fill their doctor and nurse vacancies. Some believe that Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s latest move could indicate a new direction for immigration policy post-Brexit.