Prosecution of Pro-Life protesters dropped
23 Oct 2010
Two pro-life protesters are celebrating after hearing that they will not be facing a criminal prosecution for a silent vigil outside an abortion clinic. The two Christian protesters, Andy Stephenson, 35, and Katherine Sloane, 19, were arrested twice by police in Brighton this summer for standing outside the BPAS clinic in silent protest with a banner showing an early aborted child. The police asked them to take down their banner but on both occasions they were arrested after they refused. Mr Stephenson tried to explain to the police that they had a lawful right to protest. On the second occasion they were held for fourteen hours at Brighton police station and questioned under caution. Today they heard that the threatened criminal prosecution against them had been dropped. Mr Stephenson said: ‘We are very pleased that the right decision has been made. We have to ask why we were held in a police station for fourteen hours and why our banners were confiscated. We will continue to campaign to highlight the dangers of abortion and the killings that happen at these clinics.’ Praise: God and ask Him to show His people many other peaceful ways to demonstrate against ungodly laws. (Ps.139:13)
Priestly vocations on the rise
19 Nov 2010
This September saw the numbers entering English seminaries to become Catholic priests at their highest level in a decade. Fifty-six men began the journey towards priesthood this year. ‘The number of people responding to the call of Christ to be priests has been rising slowly but surely, and may rise further as people respond to the visit of Pope Benedict.’ said the Chairman of the Vocations Directors of England and Wales. Many dioceses and religious orders now run discernment groups for young men and women where all vocations are discussed. Such groups encourage lay, religious and priestly vocations. The director of the National Office of Vocation said, ‘When everybody in the Church takes seriously Newman’s insight that ‘God has created me to do him some definite service,’ then a greater number discover their call to the priesthood and religious life.’ Praise: God for all those who hear Christ's calling to join His church and follow His paths for their lives. (Mt.4:19)
Prayers raise man from the dead
09 Jul 2010
An audience of 120 doctors from 50 countries sat in stunned silence as a renowned heart doctor produced evidence of how, after he had prayed for a patient who had died and was being prepared for the morgue, was brought back to life after prayer. Dr. Chauncey W. Crandall, who serves at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic, Florida, made his dramatic presentation which stunned his audience of fellow medical professionals. In his powerful testimony he produced dramatic evidence that was shown on the screen and since made publicly available. ‘We had a fifty-three year old man who came to the emergency room with a massive heart attack and his heart had stopped,’ he said. ‘The medical people had worked on him for over forty minutes in the emergency room and then declared him dead’. Dr Crandall was called to evaluate the patient. The Holy Spirit told him to ‘turn around and pray for that man.' When the Holy Spirit talks to you, you have to respond. Praise: God for this demonstration of the Spirit’s power. (1Cor.2:4) More: http://www.prayerforum.org/news/global/man-raised-from-dead/
Prayer vigil shuts down brothel
20 Sep 2012Elyse knew she needed to do something. Her world was turned upside down by a DVD she watched on human trafficking. Together with two Operation Mobilisation team mates, she jumped into the car and headed to a brothel 10 minutes away. ‘Our plan that night was just to go out and pray,’ explains Elyse. ‘But we soon realized it was more serious than we knew and we decided to come back every single night.’ Thus began a month of prayer, with a small group posted across the street from the brothel each night, praying for those inside. A month after praying began, the signs were removed, a notice was put on the door and the brothel was shut down. The team couldn’t believe it at first; they continued to pray another night before actually reading the sign on the door that confirmed it.
Praise: God for how He speaks to us and teaches us how to pray. (1Pet.4:11)
More: http://www.lhfministries.com/4/post/2012/08/prayer-vigil-shuts-down-uk-brothel.html
Prayer Spaces in Schools'
12 Jan 2012‘Prayer Spaces In Schools’ are enabling children to explore faith and spirituality in a safe, creative and interactive way. In the UK, prayer spaces are spreading fast. Schools and youth workers say these creative, prayer/reflective spaces provide simple effective ways to communicate and to welcome young people into experiences of Christian faith. Teachers say prayer spaces fit well with different curriculum areas - R.E. and Citizenship being the most obvious but not the only ones. There were 6 prayer spaces in 2008, 12 in 2009, 48 in 2010 and 92 in 2011. There are others known about but not officially recorded. A Conference in London promoting Prayer Spaces in Schools attracted 110 teachers, schools and youth workers; and there were training events in Aberdeen and Belfast that helped speed up the spread of prayer spaces in Scotland and Ireland.
Praise: God for the growing number of prayer spaces being hosted in schools, and may He continue to anoint organisers as they develop new resources in 20212 (Ps.8:2)
More: http://www.prayerspacesinschools.com/news/item/reflecting-on-2011-looking-into-2012
Prayer road-show to criss cross UK
06 Dec 2012The organisers of the National Day of Prayer have announced plans for a prayer road-show to visit towns and cities across the UK. The road-show is the follow-up to the day of prayer for the nation which brought 30,000 Christians to Wembley Stadium in September. Organisers hope to engage with some of the people who were at Wembley and many more who couldn't make it on the day but have a heart to pray for the nation. Churches are being invited to sign up to host one of the stops on the road-show, which is being run in conjunction with United Christian Broadcasters and the Neighbourhood Prayer Network. 'You came to Wembley and now we would like to come to you,' said road-show organisers. 'Let's work together to reach this Nation for Jesus.' If you want the road-show to come to your town, register at ndopwembley.com/roadshow/
Praise: God for the organisers of the road-show and for many churches to respond to the invitation to host the show. (Mk.16:15 )
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/prayer.roadshow.to.criss.cross.uk/31125.htm
Christian leaders from all over the British Isles gathered at Wembley Stadium for a day of prayer and vision setting. The Carry the Torch meeting was organised by Global Day of Prayer (GDOP) London as it pushes ahead with plans to fill the entire stadium with Christians for a day of prayer in 2012. The 1,000 leaders at the stadium on Saturday included GDOP London Convener, Dr Jonathan Oloyede, the Bishop of Barking, the Rt Rev David Hawkins, More than Gold CEO, Dave Willson, Senior Minister of Cornerstone Christian Centre, Hugh Osgood, and the grandson of Billy Graham, Will Graham. Dr Oloyede spoke of his vision to see Christians uniting in prayer across the British Isles, and the nations transformed and taking the Gospel to the world again. He said he was inspired to serve God in Britain because of the example set by the British missionaries who pioneered his native Nigeria.
Praise: God for His vision placed in the hearts of those that gathered. (2Cor.12:1)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/prayer.for.nation.draws.1000.christians.to.wembley/28646.htm
Praise Bus & Prayer Rally
04 Aug 2012The atmosphere was ‘electric’ as the Praise Bus rolled into London last week, says one of the people behind the historic project. The open top double decker left Land’s End on 19 May and traversed the nation ahead of the Olympic torch, travelling more than 8,500 miles through England, Scotland and Wales and playing host to over a hundred musicians and singers who filled the air with Christian-inspired music. An estimated million people saw the Praise Bus during its 65-day journey. Also, a 70-day prayer relay ended its journey in Westminster last Thursday, having accompanied the Olympic torch to 70 towns and cities as it criss-crossed the nation. In each location, church leaders exchanged a prayer baton containing prayers and a specially written prayer of blessing. The final stop was the Emmanuel Centre, a stone’s throw away from the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey where a prayer session was hosted by Christian groups serving in Parliament.
Praise: God for the diversity and unity of the Christian witness of the Church across the British Isles.
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/national.prayer.relay.ends.in.westminster/30357.htm