Albania: Small church, big effect leading up to TiranaFest
Like many Eastern European nations, Albania prides itself on an atheistic worldview. When the Soviet Union was in its prime, inquiries into the existence of God or any higher being were quickly stamped out. Most young people in Albania grew up believing ‘there was no God.’ In 1967, the government closed all religious institutions, and Albania became the first atheistic state in Eastern Europe. Private religious practice wasn't allowed again until 1990, and with not even an underground church in sight, the Good News had to start from scratch in Albania. A mere two years ago, the government granted legal status to over 100 of the country's evangelical churches. A small but passionate group of believers in the nation's capital city want to change this societal outlook. Though the group may be small, their influence is mighty. On September 22, believers will gather in the city of Tirana for an evangelistic outreach called TiranaFest with Luis Palau.
Pray: that the church will be blessed and increase in numbers through this outreach. (Gen.1:22a)
B&B owners win right to appeal to Supreme Court
A Christian couple who were fined because of their ‘marrieds only’ policy for double rooms at their guest house in Cornwall have won permission to take their case to the Supreme Court. Earlier this year the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict that Peter and Hazelmary Bull had breached equality legislation and discriminated against Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy after refusing them a double room due to their ‘marrieds only’ policy for double rooms. Mr Hall and Mr Preddy were awarded a total of £3,600 in damages. Now the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, has decided to hear their case, and may overturn the decision of the Court of Appeal. Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: ‘This case is one of many where the judiciary have severely restricted freedom of religion in favour of homosexual rights.’
Praise: God for this change of direction by the authorities to allow a right of appeal. Now may God over-rule. (Job.5:8)
Sri Lanka: Mob violence against southern Christians
A senior pastor and his wife were ambushed and brutally beaten by a large mob, in one of several recent attacks on Christians in southern Sri Lanka. Release partners report that the Assemblies of God pastor and his wife were travelling back by motorbike from a friend's home in Matara district when they were set upon by about 40 men. The attackers beat and threatened to kill the couple unless they ceased their ministry in the Deniyaya area. The mob then dragged the couple back to the home they had just visited – interrogating the pastor's friends with threats and beating him again. Eventually, the pastor and his wife managed to escape and summon police protection. Despite their injuries, they decided not to go to hospital for fear of further attack. The mob is also reported to have threatened two Methodist church workers in Deniyaya on the same day, demanding that they too leave the area.
Pray: for God's peace to fill Christians in Sri Lanka. Pray specifically for Christians targeted in recent attacks. Pray that their ministries will grow and that their witness will draw many to Christ. (Ps.7:9)
Holland: God returns to the city
It doesn’t happen often that church planting makes the headlines of secular newspapers, but on 31 July 2012 Dutch newspaper Het Parool opened with ‘God returns to the city’. The article reports that 1,500 citizens of Amsterdam joined so-called ‘new churches’, and that 10 more of these churches are planned for the next three years. Since three Reformed churches joined hands in re-evangelizing the city, new church groups are popping up everywhere. This adds to the already blooming immigrant and free Evangelical churches in the Bijlmer area of the Dutch capital. The Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics reports that 17 percent of the inhabitants of Amsterdam see themselves as part of the Christian tradition. The Church in the Netherlands is still in decline, but not as marked as in the past. Church planting provides a new stream of life in the cities.
Pray: for the ongoing growth and new life of the Church in Amsterdam. (Gen.17:2)
