Update on revival spreading throughout Egypt
16 Nov 2012During the first weekend in Oct, 10,000 young people gathered in the desert 60 miles north of Cairo to sing, pray and worship the Lord. (See Prayer Alert 43-2012) The youth gathering was followed up with an even larger event at the same location - on Oct 25-28 ‘Count It Right’ Christian rally which drew 45,000 people. Included in the numbers reported by a Christian leader are: • 25,000 - estimated number of people who gave their lives to Jesus: • 8,000 - cards filled out by people who requested follow-up visits by churches: • 2-3 million - estimated number of people who followed the rally on two Christian satellite channels: • 1,000 - children participating in a special programme prepared for them: • 5,000 - people attending a one-day parallel festival on Oct. 25 in the Coptic Orthodox Cave Church: • 6,000 - people attending another similar gathering from different churches on Oct 28 in Assiut, a city located six hours south of Cairo. ‘Big numbers, but most important of all, a great harvest!' Source: via email. See also ‘More’ link.
Praise: God for the work of the Holy Spirit among the Egyptian people. (2Cor.13:14)
More: http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5138667adad5222600bae0e66&id=80671a63ac&e=947657d957#mctoc1
Untold Titanic story - John Harper
20 Apr 2012John Harper boarded the Titanic with his six-year-old daughter Nana bound for Chicago where he'd been invited to preach for three months. When the ship began to sink Harper made sure his daughter was placed into one of the lifeboats. He then began what would be the last evangelistic work of his young life. As the freezing waters began to fill the ship Harper was heard shouting, ‘Let the women, children and the unsaved into the lifeboats.’ Survivors reported that Harper took off his own life jacket and gave it to a man who said he was not saved. ‘Don't worry about me,’ he said, ‘I’m not going, down I'm going up!’ While 1,500 drowned or froze to death Harper swam from one passenger to another pleading with them to accept Christ. Harper's last convert was asked, ‘Are you saved? No,’ the man replied. Harper then shouted ‘ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ The man drifted away on the waves. A few minutes later the current brought the two men back together. Harper repeated his question with his dying breath, then slipped under the waves for the last time. Then and there the man decided to turn his life over to Christ.
Praise: God for the preservation and re-telling of John Harper’s story. (Mt.10:39-41)
More: http://www.sonserver.com/archive/titanic.htm
Unprecedented growth in 2011
18 Jun 2012Open doors have reported this week that in 2011 lives have been changed, communities transformed and hope restored as never before in North Korea and the Middle East. Over 3 million Christians received Bibles and Christian literature, over 263,500 received Bible training and 172,000 benefitted from development projects. Despite decades of persecution, the church in North Korea continues to survive underground with an estimated 200,000 – 400,000 believers. Iran now has the highest rate of Muslims converting to Christianity in the Middle East. Literally millions of Muslims in the Middle East have encountered the Gospel message in recent years via satellite TV and the Internet. During the short window of time of no checks at the Libyan border with Egypt, more Bibles reached Libya than in the previous 42 years. In Syria, Open Doors distributed as much as possible while it was still safe to travel.
Praise: the LORD for his unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. (Ps.107:8-9)
More: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/pray/prayer-updates/2012/06-June/Serving-christians-worldwide
University volunteers leave for Mongolia
02 Aug 2010
The Catholic University of Korea has sent a 90-strong staff-student medical team to treat people in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. The team, which includes students majoring in various fields such as internal medicine, obstetrics, paediatrics and radiology, will provide medical and social services from July 25 until Aug. 4. The team will also build or repair houses, and offer educational activities for poor people in regions near the capital. During a July 24 departure ceremony, University President Father Johan Pahk Yeong-sik encouraged participants to take the opportunity to think deeply about sharing their lives and practicing the school’s ideals of truth, love and service. ‘The service you will provide will be a fundamental indicator to assist you in choosing your way in life,’ Father Pahk counselled. The university has, since 1997, dispatched similar teams to ‘Third World’ locations during summer vacation each year. That year, the school first sent a team to Papua New Guinea. Praise: God for this initiative and pray that many will be blessed. (1Cor.12:5) More: http://www.ucanews.com/2010/07/28/university-volunteers-leave-for-mongolia/
Unity for Pentecost week of prayer
01 Jun 2012Across the UK Christians have united for a week of prayer. On Saturday thousands worshipped and prayed at Leyton Orient Stadium on the outskirts of the Olympic site to worship Jesus, prophesy over the nation, declare Jesus as Lord of the London Olympics and pray for all aspects of the Games. At Ashton Gate Stadium thousands gathered to pray into all spheres of society. Churches Together in Greater Bristol spoke for the nation when they said, ‘Today is a real coming together to arise and share in an event of worship, repentance for our city and to declare that we intend to put things right through united prayer and working together.’ Across the British Isles on Pentecost Sunday many believers from different Christian traditions united in towns and cities to lift up the name of Jesus Christ. Many joined the millions across the globe as they united for the Global Day of Prayer on the 27th.
Praise: God for the ever-increasing sound of His children declaring His praise and purposes across our land.(Ps.133)
More: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12050116.htm
A church in the Ukraine that Soviet authorities once seized for use as a ‘monument of communism’ will once again be a place for Christian worship after renovations removed a neo-classical façade erected to disguise its nature, reports Catholic News Agency. ‘The church does not look like a place of worship. It wears a mask, as it were. It is in disguise. We want to take away this mask,’ Fr Grzegorz Romanowicz, the Franciscan Capuchin provincial in the Ukraine, told the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. ‘Until now, many people do not even recognize the building as a church from the outside.’ Since 1949 the church was used as a library, a boxing hall and offices. Soviet authorities erected the façade in 1949 to hide the building’s origin as a church. That façade is set to be removed later in February.
Praise: God for this transformation from secular to Christian use. God is restoring His Church. (2Cor.3:11)
More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15465.html
UK: New online library for evangelism
05 Jul 2012A new online library has been launched for people interested in evangelism and new forms of church, which will provide them with free access to research papers and theses. The website, SCOLER (The Sheffield Centre Online Library of Evangelism Research) is a joint initiative between the Church Army’s team of researchers at The Sheffield Centre and the Churches Group for Evangelisation. The purpose of the library is to make deeper thinking around evangelism and new forms of church available to people who want to study further, and to demonstrate this level of learning to the wider church. Each thesis, at either MA or PhD level, has its own webpage giving details of who wrote it, which college validated it, the full abstract and a free PDF to download.
Praise: God for this initiative and pray that this tool will increase and equip the saints for evangelism. (Eph.4:12)
More: http://www.churcharmy.org.uk/pub/nc/News/News2012/20120607scoler.aspx
UK touched by world events
06 Apr 2011
Those posting prayers at www.sayoneforme.org the Church of England's web-based prayer service for Lent, are valuing happiness for the world and others more than money - analysis of the first 300 prayers reveals. Just two per cent of prayers have brought money-worries before God, whereas 19 per cent have prayed for the world (over a third of them for Japan), 14 per cent for healing for others, 10 per cent for family, and nine per cent for spiritual development. The Bishop of Dudley, the Rt Revd David Walker, said: ‘It is beautiful to see people pray for the people and the world around them - and they quite naturally see beyond the realms of their own needs. ’People across the country are having the opportunity to share with God their hopes and concerns, anonymously, in the form of a prayer posted at www.sayoneforme.org until Good Friday. Praise:God for this prayer opportunity and for all those that use it. (1Ki.8:45) More: http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2011/03/praying-nation-touched-by-world-events-and-needs-of-others.aspx