Church on the Streets in Greece
A co-founder of Church on the Streets in Greece Malcolm Bradshaw is working with other Christians to feed the destitute in Athens. Unemployment in Greece has spiralled in the last year, with more than half of young people out of work. The things that were once considered basics are now luxuries, says the Rev Jimoh Adebayo. He and his church are helping to run a soup kitchen in central Athens that is feeding around 700 people each day. Church on the Street was set up four years ago to assist destitute migrants but after the country plunged into economic crisis, more and more Greeks are lining up for the free lunch. Malcolm Bradshaw, of the Anglican Church in Greece, a co-founder of the project, estimates that around a third of the recipients are Greek. ‘The situation is very dire,’ says Rev Jimoh, who pastors Faith Apostolos Ministries, a Pentecostal church in Athens.
Pray: for the Church as it reaches out into the community to help those in need. (2Cor.9:12)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.on.the.streets.in.greece/31303.htm
NIGERIA: President says Islamists won't stop godly worship
The president of Nigeria said: ‘The Church is one of the main targets’ of terrorist attacks by the radical Islamic group Boko Haram. ‘If the idea of Boko Haram is to stop Nigerians from worshipping God, they will not succeed,’ President Goodluck Jonathan told parishioners at a church in Nigeria's capital Sunday. Gunmen suspected of belonging to Boko Harem have attacked a Nigerian village in the last week. They rounded up men, women, and children and killed at least 15. The Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans has been urging the United States to label Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organization, a move that could hurt its funding and support. However, while US State Department is considering the request, so far, the Department hasn't decided if labelling the group that way is the most effective way to deal with them. Boko Haram is blamed for killing nearly 800 people in 2012 alone, according to the Associated Press.
Pray: that the prayers of God’s people will hold back those that worship other gods. (Ps.81:9)
More: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=42436&PN=1&TPN=1
Mali: Hope rises with international military intervention
Christians had enjoyed widespread freedoms in Malian society, including allowing foreign Christian missionaries into the country. But the situation dramatically changed with the 2012 capture of the northern part of the country by Tuareg separatist rebels and Islamist fighters. However, French troops have launched a military operation aiming at stopping the advance of Islamists from their bases in the north to the South. The French intervention started on Friday, Jan 11 with air strikes, and had enabled the Malian troops to regain control of the central town of Konna, occupied by Islamists the day before. Since then, French warplanes have been bombing Islamists’ positions in Timbuktu, Gao and elsewhere in the North. Military authorities said France would double its commitment of troops to the country to about 1,500. More than half of Mali has been controlled by rebel groups, some with links to al-Qaeda, since April 2012. Many of the displaced Christians are anxious because they don’t know whether some of their family members are alive or dead.
Pray: that the French intervention will not cause Malion citizens to suffer but rather allow Mali to return to peaceful cohabitation between various religious groups. (Eph.12:13-14)
More: http://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/english/country/otherafrica/article_2012420.html
Iran: Pastor Irani will not survive another five years in prison
Pastor Benham Irani is severely ill in jail in Iran – and he shouldn’t be in prison in the first place. As you read this, Pastor Irani is bleeding severely from acute stomach ulcers and colon complications, can barely walk and has problems with his vision. The brutal beatings he’s received from prison authorities and other inmates have resulted in horrific injuries, and he urgently needs medical help and of course our prayers.
Pray for God’s healing hand to be upon him and protect him from further harm. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.csw.org.uk/home.htm
