Mongolia: Jesus and the final frontiers
Amid the rugged beauty and fascinating culture of Mongolia, there is a spiritual awakening taking place. People there are coming to Christ because people have prayed, worked and given to make Him known in a place where Communism once forbade the practice of religion. ‘Today,’ writes Wayne Pederson, President of Reach Beyond ‘there are about 40,000 believers worshipping in some 600 churches across the country. That’s the good news. The challenge is that the 40,000 believers represent only about 1.2 percent of the nation’s population.’ The project’s future goal is to work with local believers to put a Christian radio station in each of Mongolia’s 21 provinces, blanketing the nation with gospel broadcasts
British Citizen Award for CMS mission partner Ann-Marie Wilson
In recognition of her work researching and campaigning against female genital mutilation (FGM), 28 Too Many founder and executive director Dr Ann-Marie Wilson has been awarded a British Citizen Award. Ann-Marie, who is a CMS mission partner, is one of 28 people chosen from hundreds of nominations to receive the new awards, celebrating the selfless and often vital work they do for others. Each of them was presented with a medal at a ceremony in Westminster , 29 January. Ann-Marie first came across FGM whilst working in a refugee camp in Sudan in 2005 where she met survivors of this harmful practice. After hearing their heart-rending stories and learning more about FGM, Ann-Marie was shocked that so many people did not know about this widespread practice affecting over 140 million girls and women worldwide and which has devastating consequences.
Children taken from born-again couple accused of being in a cult
Born-again Christians whose adopted children have been taken into care say they are being persecuted for their religious beliefs by social workers. In one case, parents say social workers accused them of causing emotional abuse with their strict parenting methods, which included smacking a child’s hand and punishing children for swearing by putting soap on their lips. They claim they were described as ‘cult’ members by social workers despite their church following the Alpha Course, the dominant strand of evangelism in Britain, followed by 20m people worldwide, including the adventurer Bear Grylls. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the campaign group Christian Concern, said: ‘We are seeing a worrying trend whereby Christian parents are being treated with suspicion because of their faith’.
Adults with learning disabilities let down
People with learning disabilities, admitted to hospitals for assessment and treatment, have been badly let down by the government. More than two years after since its response to the abuse of patients at the Winterbourne View hospital, the government has failed to meet its core commitment to move people out of mental health hospitals and into the community by June 2014. In a joint statement, the charities Mencap and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, said a report by the National Audit Office that there are still 2,600 inpatients in mental health hospitals in England showed ‘abject failure’ to tackle the issue. Ministers agreed in 2012 that any inpatients with a learning disability or challenging behaviour would be better off cared for in the community, not locked in an institution as if they were prisoners. Pray for legislative options to give people with learning disabilities and their families a stronger voice and more rights.
