NHS cuts planned
23 Sep 2016
The BBC has seen draft plans which propose ward closures, cuts in bed numbers and changes to A&E and GP care in 44 areas. The plans, which are due to be signed off next month, are being drawn up by local health and social care leaders. Many remain unpublished even though up to 20% of beds may be closed. The role of community hospitals is being questioned, and the number of mental health inpatient sites could be reduced. There have been no consultations on the plans so far. NHS England needs to find £22bn in efficiency savings by 2020-21 while improving patient care at the same time. Pray for the think tanks which need to make ‘fundamental changes’. Pray for openness to public and political scrutiny, which so far has been lacking. In the past there has been reluctance from political leaders to address the way things are organised in the NHS.
Prayer and action for peace and justice
23 Sep 2016
On Monday Hinde Street Methodist Church in London opened a life-sized copy of a border control point of the separation barrier between Israel and Palestine. Visitors walked through a checkpoint accompanied by photography, sound, testimony and eyewitness accounts. It is one of many events taking place in churches around the country as part of World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel organised by the World Council of Churches. It is described as a week of advocacy and action supporting ‘an end to occupation’. While peace between Israelis and Palestinians is something Christians are actively praying for, resources provided in support of the week are biased against Israel and fail to present Israel’s position on why the security barrier is needed. Also this week, on Wednesday, the UN held the International Day of Peace. Its purpose is to recognise those working to end conflict and promote peace and positive change.
Scottish Brexit and trade
23 Sep 2016
Michael Russell, the Scottish minister negotiating with the UK Government ahead of Brexit, has said he hopes to win the argument on staying in the single market. In a joint statement with Mr Davis, the UK Brexit minister, he said, ‘While we clearly come from very different standpoints, we both recognise that a good working relationship is vital.’ Meanwhile The Economist reported, ‘The grittiest part of the Brexit negotiations will be over trade. Brexiteers correctly argue there’s no need for a trade deal to trade, but without a comprehensive free-trade deal with the EU, British exporters could face tariffs and non-tariff barriers, where it currently faces neither.’ We can pray for our nations to be aligned and connected for trade according to God’s design, purpose and blessing, and for ministers and civil servants to carry God’s vision and plans. We can pray life and blessing over all key trading links, old and new, and for doors which God desires to open to be supernaturally opened. See also:
Christian comeback is coming
23 Sep 2016
US theologian Brian McLaren is not alone when he says, ‘Things are only now getting bad enough that Christian faith finally has a chance of getting significantly better.’ In the US and the UK most forms of Western Christian faith are shrinking, with church movement but not church growth. However, McLaren suggests that if the Church could rediscover its call to unconditional love and service rather than focusing on a set of unquestionable beliefs, its future could be not decline but a new era of powerful renaissance. While organised religion is in decline, he sees a potential for ‘organising religion’ to take its place. He describes this as ‘missional migration’, which flows from a reaction against a Church which has been oppressive and genocidal, rooted in a conception of God as being violent and judgmental. Such heritage turns many away from the Church, offering nothing for those who identify as ‘spiritual but not religious’.
Britain’s opportunity for a new role
23 Sep 2016
The following is from a message by Clifford Hill and David Noakes: ‘God has mercifully given Britain the chance of deliverance from an EU marriage, and opportunities to forge a new role in the world under His blessing. This could be a powerful witness to the nations of the rewards available to all who seek a right relationship with God and are prepared to love and obey Him. There are many who are fearful of the future because they lack understanding of the word of God and lack faith in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are many churchgoers who share that fear because they too have never really learned to recognise the word of the Lord as sheep recognise the voice of their own shepherd. But God is loving and merciful and has a word for those who have been anxious about the future since the vote to leave the EU.’ To read and prayerfully weigh a prophecy from David Noakes, click the ‘More’ button.
Life-jacket graveyard
23 Sep 2016
A migrant charity took over Parliament Square for the day earlier this week with a 'life-jacket graveyard'. Around 2,500 life-jackets were laid out across the site usually reserved for military memorials in an all-day protest urging the UK to do more to help those fleeing war-torn countries by giving them a home here. It was organised by the International Rescue Commission, whose president is David Miliband. However some criticised the 'misjudged' display, saying it will encourage more people to risk their lives in dangerous crossings to Europe. It came as a UN migration summit began in New York, with 193 countries approving a new document aimed at providing a more 'humane and co-ordinated' response to the refugee crisis. Also, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme reported that many of the life-jackets, adult and child sizes, were fake, and would cause the wearer to drown not float.
An east Belfast initiative with ties to the UDA (Ulster Defence Association) paramilitary group is moving towards official recognition. A review by the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland found that the Resolve project is making a ‘useful contribution in a fragmented community’ while delivering value for a very small amount of money. It is believed to be the first such initiative linked to the paramilitary group. Run on an annual budget of just £37,000, it has only two staff members, supported by a small group of volunteers. Its main activities include mediating neighbourhood disputes and offering non-violent solutions, helping people under paramilitary threat, and tackling antisocial behaviour. A Police Service neighbourhood Inspector said that while he would be happy to refer cases to Resolve, he is unable to do so while it remains unaccredited.
This week, Hungary, which has during the past year come under pressure for its handling of Europe’s mass migration crisis, has become the first government to open an office specifically to address the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Europe. ‘Today, Christianity has become the most persecuted religion, where four out of five people killed for religious reasons are Christians’ said Hungary’s Minister for Human Capacities, Zoltan Balog. 200 million Christians live in areas where they are discriminated against. The move sets a precedent on the international stage. It comes after Hungary’s right-wing conservative Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, drew criticism in the EU by saying Europe should focus on helping Christians, before helping millions of Islamic people coming into Europe. ‘If we really want to help, we should help where the real problem is. We should first help the Christian people before Islamic people’, Orban said.