God is changing His Church
Suzanne Ferrett, head of Passion for the Nation, writes, ‘God is changing the face of His Church across this land. He is changing us in the hidden place so that we will reflect His glory in the visible place. We declare this is a season when He is calling His people into His presence, to know His heart, His ways and His desires, that a fresh revelation of the power of prayer will come to His people, and that the shifts and the changes He desires will be released within us and through us. Pray that as the Holy Spirit moves across His people in this day, we will change individually and corporately, that we will emerge from this season, carrying His heartbeat and the anointing which comes through time spent with Him, cleansed by the fire of God’s Spirit, pure in heart, spirit and soul.’ For the full text of her message, click on the ‘More’ button.
Europe: coronavirus islands
Saaremaa island, off the coast of Estonia, has been labelled by locals as ‘corona island’ after becoming a hotspot for the virus and being placed into strict quarantine. The first Covid-19 cases on Saaremaa began in March, after a sports event was held there with a team from Italy. Now health officials estimate that half of the island's population have contracted the virus. An overcrowded refugee camp on Chios had reports of an Iraqi asylum seeker dying after being cleared of having coronavirus. This caused riots and widespread damage by fire, leaving hundreds of people homeless. Many still believe she died of Covid-19. Sicily’s health services are stretched because of coronavirus, and 156 migrants on a German rescue ship were refused entry to its western coast. They had to be transferred to another vessel and quarantined.
EU summit: members’ solidarity tested
EU leaders met electronically on 23 April to begin tentatively to unlock the nations’ businesses as the immediate health crisis eases. Restarting Europe’s economy has led to divisive debates over grants: ultimately, how should the wealthier north help out the harder-hit south? The argument over solidarity has become a bitter one, with some favouring ‘coronabonds’ or ‘Eurobonds’ and others preferring grants or a 1.5 trillion recovery fund. Let us pray that all decisions made will successfully help those most in need. May the next steps include a huge increase in the EU budget, so that every member state overcomes the crisis together, leaving no nation behind carrying heavy unmanageable debts. Observers note that EU institutions have struggled to get leaders to put aside their national interests.
UNICEF response to pandemic
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children goes far beyond any health risks. Across Europe and Central Asia, everyday services essential for their safety and well-being - from ante-natal care and home visits for new parents, to child protection and education - are grinding to a halt as entire populations go into lockdown. For millions of children and their families, this is a time of anxiety and uncertainty. For those children who were vulnerable before this crisis, the pandemic heightens the risks they already face, particularly children from the poorest families, children with disabilities, those from ethnic minorities and refugee and migrant children - especially unaccompanied children, separated from their families. Now that schools are closed and home-based quarantine has become the ‘new normal’, parents have become frontline responders to the pandemic, needing comprehensive support to safeguard their children’s health, wellbeing and development.
