Evangelistic army brings Jesus to World Cup
BRAZIL - It's another match day in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and thousands of fans have arrived to support their teams in the World Cup. The government reports 600,000 foreign tourists visited Brazil this month. Many come from Muslim countries like Algeria and Iran, where they may have never heard about Jesus. It's a unique opportunity to help them to hear the Gospel message. That's why churches and ministries including Brazil's Bible Society and Youth With A Mission (YWAM) have deployed a small army of evangelists to the streets and parks of the city. They're enthusiastically greeting soccer fans and sharing the good news of salvation. 100,000 copies of the Bible with individual covers for each host city of the World Cup have been printed and distributed. One fan, who had just experienced a personal tragedy, found a sympathetic listener in Vaneide, a personal evangelist. ‘This man had lost his wife in a fire and became blind,’ she recalled. ‘He stopped and talked with me for half an hour. I told him about Jesus and suddenly he said, 'Now I understand the way to the truth!' And at that moment he gave his life to Jesus.'
New green technology could create thousands of jobs in northern England
Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) could create thousands of jobs across Yorkshire, the Humber and the Tees Valley, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Carbon Capture Storage Association (CCSA) announced last Friday. They argue that the concentration of coal and gas-fired power stations, energy-intensive industries and proximity to a significant carbon dioxide storage capacity located deep under the North Sea makes the area well placed to benefit from CCS technology. CCS would enable both power stations and heavy industry to reduce their carbon emissions and could also help maintain the UK’s coal industry. TUC assistant general secretary Paul Novak said, ‘This is exactly the kind of technology needed to rebalance our economy and generate strong and sustainable growth outside London and the South East.’ Despite the clear benefits of CCS technology, it has yet to be fully embraced by the government who must put in place an enduring policy to bring forward additional power and industrial CCS projects in the UK.
Salvation Army uses sport to help the vulnerable
The Salvation Army is 149 not out - and is using sport to help vulnerable people suffering from addiction problems and homelessness. The Salvation Army, which last week celebrated 149 years since it was founded by General William Booth, believes sport is a powerful tool in helping people recover from addiction problems and homelessness. The organisation has a number of programmes to get people involved in sport, including Partnership Trophy, a football tournament for homeless men and women, summer camps, weekly football matches, hill walking, badminton, tennis and many more. Captain Nick Coke, a Salvation Army minister, is working with people of all ages and backgrounds in east London, teaching them key life skills though sport. He explained: ‘Sport gives confidence, tackles stress, helps in treatment of people with addiction problems, and brings people into their community as well as keeping them healthy. We support them to get back on their feet and help them stay there; sport is a perfect tool for doing this.’
General Synod vote in favour of women bishops likely to succeed this time
This week, beginning on Friday 11 July, the Church of England’s General Synod will be meeting in York. This is always an occasion for the media to highlight debates or decisions which are seen to be controversial or eye-catching. The main item on the agenda is the legislation to consecrate women bishops, which was narrowly defeated at the last Synod meeting in November 2012. This time it is expected to be passed, mainly because of a great deal of behind-the-scenes consultation with those who were opposed on principle, to improve the wording. Tom Sutcliffe (Diocese of Southwark) said, ‘The Measure which is before us this month makes much better provision for most of those who don't believe women can or should be bishops and priests. . . If this Measure were to fail, I think it would be a total disaster.’
