Turkey: Education should facilitate freedom of religion or belief
Many in Turkey see an urgent need to reform primary and secondary school education to facilitate freedom of religion or belief. This is because aspects of the school system play a role in fuelling a type of nationalism behind intolerant attitudes, violent attacks and possibly even murders experienced by vulnerable groups. Key problems identified by members of various religious communities include compulsory Religious Culture and Knowledge of Ethics (RCKE) school classes, strict limits on exemption from such classes, discrimination against those seeking exemption, and misleading information in textbooks on the History of Turkish Republican Reforms and Atatürkism. An overdue first step would be to implement an October 2007 European Court of Human Rights judgment to legally enable all parents to exempt their children from RCKE classes. Implementing respect for everyone's freedom of religion or belief in school education will contribute to Turkey flourishing as a truly pluralistic democratic society.
Pray: that those who have authority over the educational establishment will be granted wisdom to reform and to remove intolerant attitudes. (Pr.13:14)
India: Two families see God’s power
Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries Bhavi and Dipan are the pastors of two growing churches in South Asia. They have seen God’s power in the lives of many people in their congregations. Giri suffered from ongoing kidney stone problems. After six operations failed to cure him Giri didn’t know what to do. It was then that Giri heard about the church where Pastor Bhavi served. He approached with great hope, and after Pastor Bhavi and the other believers prayed, the Lord healed Giri. With great joy and thankfulness Meenu and his wife received an equally powerful miracle in their lives. After years of marriage they had no children. But when they heard of Jesus’ loving power from a Bible college student, they had new hope! They went to visit Pastor Dipan, who prayed with them and the Lord blessed them with a baby boy. Like Giri’s family, Meenu and his wife now serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Praise: God for His miraculous power that brings life to those who believe. (Dan.2:2-3)
India: Two families see God’s power
Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries Bhavi and Dipan are the pastors of two growing churches in South Asia. They have seen God’s power in the lives of many people in their congregations. Giri suffered from ongoing kidney stone problems. After six operations failed to cure him Giri didn’t know what to do. It was then that Giri heard about the church where Pastor Bhavi served. He approached with great hope, and after Pastor Bhavi and the other believers prayed, the Lord healed Giri. With great joy and thankfulness Meenu and his wife received an equally powerful miracle in their lives. After years of marriage they had no children. But when they heard of Jesus’ loving power from a Bible college student, they had new hope! They went to visit Pastor Dipan, who prayed with them and the Lord blessed them with a baby boy. Like Giri’s family, Meenu and his wife now serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Praise: God for His miraculous power that brings life to those who believe. (Dan.2:2-3)
CTBI launches social networking site
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has marked the start of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with the launch of a new social networking site. CT Connect is a free website for local Churches Together groups to access CTBI’s online resources. CTBI hopes the website will facilitate groups sharing resources for worship and spirituality and publicising events. More importantly, they want to see groups use the website to interact and discuss current issues locally, nationally and internationally. CTBI General Secretary, the Rev Bob Fyffe said: ‘It’s about building an on-line community. Significantly, it will allow Christians at a local level to engage directly with each other and with the many organisations in the ecumenical family.’ Praise: God for this initiative and pray that interaction via CT Connect will be a blessing to God’s Church. (Ph.1:1-2)
