Tory MPs targeted by US gay marriage campaigners
Tory strategists have held meetings with US lobbying experts ahead of a drive to try to win hesitant Conservative MPs around to supporting gay marriage. It is understood that senior Tories met a group of lobbying experts, who have worked with the US campaign group ‘Freedom to Marry’, ahead of a renewed charm offensive within the party. ‘From what we know, the battle that there is, is really to try to convince Conservatives,’ said Benjamin Cohen, co-founder of the Coalition For Equal Marriage, which campaigns in support of same-sex unions. ‘We are working with them to try to determine the best way of presenting the argument to conservative backbenchers.’ The drive is expected to focus less on arguments about equality and rights and more about gay marriage as something which could be ‘good for society’. David Cameron has repeatedly stressed his determination to bring in same-sex marriage by 2015.
Pray: for an honest debate that addresses people’s concerns rather than one that tries to bully people into submission. (1Pe.3:15)
Joel Edwards to challenge Labour Party on poverty
A special church service with a focus on poverty will be taking place at the start of the Labour Party's annual conference. Joel Edwards, leader of the Micah Challenge anti-poverty movement, will challenge Labour MPs and conference delegates to commit to ending poverty. The Christian movement is mobilising the church worldwide to hold governments accountable to the Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty by 2015. Edwards will tell the Labour Conference delegates about The Jesus Agenda, which examines Jesus' mission statement and calls upon Christians to become advocates of the poor and vulnerable. The service takes place at St Ann's Church, Manchester, on 30 September and is being organised by the Christian Socialist Movement. It is a traditional and well-attended gathering point for Christians from all around the country to be a prophetic voice and pray for the Labour Party.
Pray: that the message that Joel will bring will be heard and accepted widely by the delegates. (1Cor.1:18)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/joel.edwards.to.challenge.labour.party.on.poverty/30669.htm
Hope and Fusion help churches build on Olympics success
Share Jesus International, Hope and Fusion will be touring the UK this autumn to help churches stay at the heart of their communities. The Time of Our Lives tour is heading to Weymouth Prayer-house and New Covenant Church on 17 October, with more dates to be announced. It has been a bumper summer for the UK, with the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics and Paralympics. The events saw thousands of Christians get stuck in to serve their local communities with free family events, festivals and live screenings. The tour will give churches advice on how they can create a 'rhythm of mission' throughout the year using key seasons in the church calendar. The organisations will share simple steps for engagement with some of the big national events on the horizon, including the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Hope 2014, Pentecost Festivals 2013 and 2014, and the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
Pray: that the Hope and Fusion tour will encourage the Church to link mission and community activities to large national events. (Gen.28:3)
German Catholics lose church rights for unpaid tax
Germany's Roman Catholics are to be denied the right to Holy Communion or religious burial if they stop paying a special church tax. A German bishops' decree which has just come into force says anyone failing to pay 8% of their annual income tax will no longer be considered a Catholic. The bishops have been alarmed by the increasing number of German Catholics leaving the Church in recent years. They say such a step should be seen as a serious act against the community. All Germans who are officially registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews pay a religious tax of 8-9% of their annual income tax. The levy was introduced in the 19th Century in compensation for the nationalisation of religious property. Catholics make up around 30% of Germany's population but the number of congregants leaving the church swelled to 181,000 in 2010, with the increase blamed on revelations of sexual abuse by German priests.
Pray: for the Catholic Church that it will not deny rights to those who cannot afford these taxes.
