Prayer for steelworkers
Revd Peter Vickers, a chaplain working at a Tata Steel site where 900 jobs are being axed, is asking Christians to pray for those facing uncertainty, saying, ‘You've got fear of what is going to happen; you've got people feeling anger because others should have done something to stop the situation; then there's the whole worry about their future. Pray for those on the journey of uncertainty - the number given is 900 but that doesn't mean that 900 will walk away without a job. Pray that they can keep a calm head as they look for other employment. Pray also for the emotional ripple effect that Scunthorpe itself will feel. Pray for those with power to make decisions; there are an awful lot of people feeling powerless, and they need to know that those people will use their power wisely.’
Germany: anti-migrant protests and violence
Every Monday evening thousands gather in front of Dresden’s Opera House carrying German flags and singing nationalist songs. One protester said he fears German traditions are being eroded by Muslims. Elsewhere violent attacks and hate speeches are exploding against asylum seekers. Der Spiegel reported a threefold increase in attacks compared to the same period last year. Last Friday night about a thousand people demonstrated in Heidenau against an expected arrival of refugees. The police intervened with tear gas grenades. The refugees are creating a kind of German martial law, where it has been necessary to use schools, gymnasiums and campsites as temporary accommodation centres. The attacks against refugee centres in Germany are so strong that Google deleted a map showing their locations, fearing hate crimes. On Wednesday a converted Christian migrant in a refugee centre was severely beaten up by an Afghan man, who declared that his conversion to Christianity was ‘a sin’.
Hungary: Prime Minister Orban calls on EU to change immigration policies
Viktor Orban urged European leaders to change their immigration policies and involve voters in a debate about the continent's future; otherwise they face a political crisis. Hungary built a steel fence along its borders with Serbia and Croatia that was meant to turn migrants back from Europe, not divert them along a different path to Germany. Orban articulated his party's hard line against the tide of immigrants on state television. He said that European leaders had no mandate to let hundreds of thousands of migrants enter the EU with little or no control and destabilise Europe, saying, ‘We need to start the debate about the future of our continent honestly, without the muzzle of political correctness, without pretence, talking straight. The further migrants travel from their troubled countries, the more difficult it will be for them to return. They must remain in their region and humane conditions must be created for them there.’
Record number of Bibles given out in 2014
Last year saw the highest number of Bibles ever distributed globally by bible societies. Nearly 34 million Bibles were handed out, a 6% rise on 2013; that’s 428.2 million Scriptures distributed. The figure includes full Bibles, Testaments, Gospels and other smaller scripture items. The Americas have reported the highest rates of distribution, with 341.5 million Scriptures, including 14.4 million full Bibles. Brazil gave out more than any other country - 7.6 million full Bibles; it is thought that this was boosted by the many thousands distributed during the FIFA World Cup. Cuba gave away 1.5 million - more than double the total distributed in 2010. The Bible Society reported that more than five times the number of Testaments were distributed in Syria in 2014 as before the conflict began, in 2010.
