Irish minister for children James Reilly was challenged on his knowledge of child poverty rates at a United Nations committee on Thursday. Addressing the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Dr Reilly said child poverty and family homelessness were the two most important children’s rights issues in Ireland. The minister is leading a delegation of senior civil servants and legal advisors, as Ireland is examined on its compliance with the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The state was last examined by the committee ten years ago. Norwegian commissioner Kirsten Sandberg said, ‘It is my understanding that the level of consistent child poverty last year in Ireland was one in nine.’ 330,000 people lost their jobs in the recession, which had an enormous impact on Irish society. A family escapes poverty when the head of the household has a job paying more than welfare.

Former football club chaplain Richard Gamble plans to build a national landmark made of bricks representing one million answered prayers. ‘The Wall’ would be the size of 62 semi-detached houses. The Royal Institute of British Architecture hopes to open a design competition in the summer. Mr Gamble wants the monument, with a Christian message, to be seen by thousands of passing drivers on a motorway. ‘I'm going to get Christians from all over the UK to buy a £10 brick and tell us what prayer God has answered for them. Then people driving past The Wall will be able to see that Jesus has answered a million prayers. Instinctively we remember big prayers that Jesus has answered, but Jesus is interested in the little things in life as well. I'm hoping and praying that we will have all the Church responding to this with an entire range of different answers to prayers.’

Last month the World Prayer Centre team issued a call to pray for protection on our nation, after a credible source reported that there were a series of five terrorist attacks scheduled to hit five key English cities. They were keen to stress that the call to prayer was not simply because of the prophetic word but also because the nation was particularly vulnerable to terrorist attack. Thankfully there were no attacks. Was that due to prayer or because nothing was ever going to happen? We can't say, but we need to continue to be vigilant. IS has supporters in many of our cities and towns. This is more than terrorism. We can pray for safe homes where children and families are protected; for schools, universities and churches to be protected; for our cities and regions to be safe from attack, crime and despair. Out of this protection we can then pray blessings. Isaiah 62:6 says, ‘Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent.’

Statistics published on Tuesday record the number of people attending Church of England services each week as below one million for the first time, reflecting a decline over recent decades of growing secularism, religious diversity, and ageing worshippers. Many believe the Anglican schism over sexuality marks the end of a global church. However the church is not surprised; recent trends have been anticipated and are being acted on. Justin Welby said, ‘The church has embarked on a radical reform and renewal programme intended to reverse declining numbers, partly by diverting funds away from small, struggling rural parishes to urban churches where the potential for growth is greatest.’ Several urban churches have shown remarkable growth in the past year, eg St Swithun’s in Bournemouth, established in 2014, now with weekly attendances of 500. The C of E is also developing ‘network churches’ that meet in cafés, pubs and other places outside consecrated buildings.