Myanmar: cyclones, camps, and conversions
Cyclone Mocha tore through Myanmar last week with 175 mph winds, making it the strongest cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean. It ripped trees and crushed homes, killing dozens and doing the most damage in fragile Rohingya refugee camps. Pray for the million displaced Rohingya people in these camps who are trying to rebuild their destroyed communities while suffocating in a cloud of fear of the ruling military junta and genocidal attacks. The dominant religions in these camps are Buddhism and Islam, but they both fail to provide lasting comfort for the fearful. Yet there is good news. The Church in Myanmar is growing, and the Gospel is spreading through faithful believers and Christian radio. 83.4% of the population are in unreached people groups.
Global: Tearfund action in Paris
Next week Tearfund staff and campaigners from communities most affected by plastic pollution will be in Paris for the second round of negotiations on a UN global plastics treaty. The talks - known as INC-2 (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee) - will run from 29 May to 2 June and mark a significant moment in a rubbish campaign. Tearfund is asking Christians to pray for the negotiations. Recent research showed that across the world 218 million people (equivalent to the populations of the UK, France and Germany combined) are at risk of flooding made worse by plastic pollution. At the talks, Tearfund will be calling for an ambitious and binding treaty that fully addresses plastic pollution and the impact it has on people living in poverty. It believes every person God created has value and should have the opportunity to live a full life, free of rubbish
Israel: threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque from Muslims?
Bassam Tawil, a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East writes, ‘If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters, not peaceful Jewish visitors, are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque. Israeli authorities have clarified that the route of the “flag parade” absolutely does not include entry into any mosque. Such assurances have not stopped Palestinians and other Muslims from spreading fake news and libels against Jews. Iran's terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also used the celebrations in Jerusalem to spread the libel that Jews are planning to “desecrate” al-Aqsa Mosque. As far as Hamas and other Palestinians are concerned, the very presence of Jews at their holy site and in Israel is a “provocation”. Terror groups are repeating the lie that the mosque is in danger.’
Network plants 10,000 churches
Mission Board’s Send, North America’s largest church planting network, has announced that Southern Baptist churches have planted over 10,000 new churches since 2010. In 2022 alone, over 47,000 churches worked together to plant 745 new churches. They focus on the quality of the churches planted and are grateful that the survivability rate remains strong.
