UN: Wives of ambassadors petition Syria's First Lady
The wives of the British and German ambassadors to the United Nations have written an open letter to the wife of Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad, asking her to call for peace in her country. In the unusual move Sheila Lyall Grant, wife of British ambassador Sir Mark Lyall Grant and Huberta Voss Wittig, wife of German ambassador Peter Wittig, made the letter into a short video and posted it on YouTube, urging women all over the world to sign a change.org petition strongly encouraging Asma al-Assad ‘stand up for peace - for the sake of your people’. ‘We are asking Asma Assad to take a risk and to say openly, ‘stop the bloodshed, stop it right now,’ Lyall Grant and Vos Wittig said.
Pray: pray this may go viral and that the voice of millions will be heard and acted upon for the sake of the Syrian people. (Ps.9:16: 11:7)
More: http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16210802
Syria: Church training continues despite turmoil
Last Friday marked the start of Easter for Christians across the Middle East; tens of thousands of Christians have fled Homs to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. ‘We are following events in Syria very, very closely. We have personnel in Syria and we continue to pray for them’ said Arab World Ministries’ Christine McLaren. ‘Christians are suffering more than many in Syria because they felt a degree of sympathy with the al-Assad regime. The relative freedom to gather and worship that they enjoyed under al-Assad leaves them with mixed feelings about any change of leader.’ She added, ‘ People are afraid because Christians have felt a measure of protection greater than other Christians in the Middle East, but being aligned with the regime has now made them vulnerable to attack and identified them as enemies of the people.' Across the Middle East, Christians have been targeted throughout their ‘Holy Days’ seasons.
Pray: for the Christian workers resourcing and equipping the church, and may God do miraculous feats amongst this generation - pray for the extension of God’s kingdom throughout the Middle East. (Mt.16:18)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.training.continues.in.syria.despite.turmoil/29670.htm
Secretary supports increased church role in schooling
Education Secretary Michael Gove has said that he will ensure that the Church of England plays a greater role in the provision of schooling. He told the House of Commons yesterday (April 16) that ‘we praise and cherish the role of the Church of England in making sure children have an outstanding and inclusive education’. He ‘looked forward to working with Bishop John Pritchard to extend the role of the Church in the provision of schools.’ He also praised the Church for ‘driving in the first instance’ the provision of education. His remarks have been interpreted to signal his backing for new Church of England schools, and may provide some reassurance to those who have questioned whether Mr Gove’s support for faith schools was ebbing. The Church currently supplies education to more than a million children, and is involved in 4,800 schools. The review discussed the viability of opening new academies, adding to the 154 academies it currently has.
Pray: that the Church will be able to take up the additional requirements for education in the UK. (Ps.34:11)
Anglican leaders to meet over homosexual bishops crisis
A high-powered group of traditionalist Anglican church leaders are to gather in London to address a growing ‘crisis’ over openly homosexual bishops. They want to restore ‘orthodox’ values to the worldwide Anglican Communion and outlaw liberal church leaders who have rejected traditional teaching. They will meet for the first time since more than 200 bishops boycotted an official summit for Anglican leaders in 2008 in protest at the presence of bishops from the US Episcopal Church, which had consecrated the first openly homosexual Anglican bishop. The decision by the leaders to hold talks in Britain is likely to increase tensions between the traditionalists and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who will this year step down amid criticism he has failed to heal divisions over sexuality. The gathering of 200 clergy and laity will be led by Dr Peter Jensen, the Archbishop of Sydney, who is General Secretary of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans.
Pray: that the discussions at this gathering, led by the Holy Sprit, will bring unity and not added dissension. (Jn.17:22)
