Sudan/S. Sudan
Announcing: "Unite in prayer for Sudan / South Sudan from 19 to 21 October 2012". Take some time during these 3 days, wherever you are, to unite in prayer for Sudan/South Sudan. Prayer hub for this initiative in Khartoum. May it spread to believers in many different places in Sudan & South Sudan to many other nations.
April's tragedy: outpouring of emotion for missing five-year-old
The people of Machynlleth came together to remember April at an emotional church service last Sunday. The parish priest, the Reverend Kathleen Rogers, vowed that ‘evil will never win over the good in people’ as she praised the extraordinary love and resilience the community had shown in the face of deep despair. The Bishop of Bangor, the Right Reverend Andy John, praised the ‘extraordinary’ determination of the community. ‘You have touched the hearts of people across the world,’ he told the packed church and the hundreds gathered outside listening on loudspeakers. The congregation stood arm in arm and grasped their children's hands. Silent tears streamed down many faces. Superintendent Ian John said police remained ‘totally focused and committed to finding April’. The family and friends of the missing Welsh five-year-old April Jones have been urged to accept that their ‘sweet and innocent little girl’ is never coming home. Mr Bridger, who knew April’s family, has been charged with murder.
Pray: for April’s family and that police will find her body so that she can have a proper funeral. (Jn.10:28)
More: http://www.watoday.com.au/world/aprils-tragedy-outpouring-of-emotion-for-missing-fiveyearold-20121008-277w9.html
'First Supper' to launch new Centre for Living Christianity
The newly formed Centre for Living Christianity, dubbed CLiC for short, was launched in Edinburgh last weekend with an informal social event reflecting what it calls its ‘relaxed but thoughtful’ approach to exploring religious faith in a sceptical age. Those attending heard about the vision and plans for the new initiative, which describes itself as ‘exploring faith at the crossroads.’ The event's name is a counterpoint to the famous 'Last Supper' that Jesus Christ shared with his friends and followers the night before he faced trial and death, and the meal Christians share to participate in his risen life. ‘CLiC is for those interested in exploring how to live out Christianity in the modern world, in a way which is thoughtful and faithful,’ says the Rev Donald Reid. ‘It is about how to understand Christianity from the margins of a society which is both diversely spiritual and secular.’
Pray: for the CLiC initiative and that it may encourage and support many as they seek to live a Christian life. (Lk.9:23)
More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17109
Married couples 'will be in the minority by 2050’
Married couples will be in the minority in little more than a generation, a new report has claimed. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) found marriage was increasingly the preserve of the middle and upper classes, while only about 50 per cent of new parents on low incomes were married this rose to nearly 80 per cent for couples earning £21,000 By 2050, families headed by married couples will be in the minority, according to the think tank set up by Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary. The CSJ criticised the Government’s ‘failure’ to do more to tackle family breakdown, saying it was ‘deeply dismayed by the lack of progress’ since the Coalition was formed in 2010. Tim Loughton, until recently Minister for Children, said ‘the Government needs to get family policy back on track and ‘rediscover’ its commitment to family stability. ‘We fail to do so at our peril, socially and economically.’
Pray: for the ‘family’ as a unit and for the Government to provide much stronger support for families. (Pr.18:22)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9593369/Married-couples-will-be-in-the-minority-by-2050.html
