Christians praying for England's drought-hit farmers
A wet weekend has done little to allay the fears of farmers in drought-stricken parts of England. The Government declared parts of East Anglia and the Midlands to be in a state of drought last Friday after England and Wales experienced their driest spring on record. Graham Thompson, Chair of the East Anglia District of the Methodist Church, said ‘A great many farmers are irrigating their crops and there is great anxiety that there may not be sufficient water for the usual period of irrigation later in the growth cycle,’ He said Methodist ministers in East Anglia were offering their support to the farming community and praying with Christians involved in farming. ‘It would not be quite right to say that we are 'praying for rain' but we are asking God to guide our farmers as they seek to make the best use of the resources they have.’ Pray: for those affected by this drought both in the UK and around the world. (Ps.147:8) More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.praying.for.englands.droughthit.farmers/28150.htm
Gambling set to rise; stakes doubled on slot machines
Churches fear that problem gambling is set to rise after the government announced plans to relax rules on the number of fruit machines in arcades and double the stakes from £1 to £2. Two draft Statutory Instruments were submitted to Parliament on 7 June. These measures would increase the maximum stake for category B3 gaming machines (a type of fruit machine) and raise the cap on the maximum number of such machines at adult gaming centres and bingo halls. The Evangelical Alliance, the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the Salvation Army, Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs and CARE have expressed concern at the Government's plans. The church groups are shocked and disappointed that the coalition government has made these proposals which will further liberalise the law. They are calling on the government not to implement this irresponsible rise when research into the potential effects has not been done. (See Prayer Alert 07-2011)
Pray: for the government to have wisdom over the problems that gambling excesses cause. (Dt.32:29)
More: http://www.eauk.org/media/gambling-set-to-rise-with-stakes-doubled-on-fruit-slot-machines.cfm
Churches helping to control alcohol problem in Moldova
In February of 2011, the World Health Organization dubbed Moldova the world's leading nation in per-person alcohol consumption, reports Mission Network News. Reports show that the average Moldovan consumes 18.22 litres of alcohol annually--three times more than the average of 6.1 litres. Other former Soviet nations on the list of heavy alcohol consumption included Russia, Ukraine, Estonia and Belarus. In Moldova, there is a special provision in the government budget for treatment of alcohol, but that government provision is not enough and churches are stepping forward to help alcohol abusers as well. Slavic Gospel Association reports that its affiliated evangelical churches are deeply grieved at the level of alcohol abuse in their communities. In response to the crisis, many SGA churches have begun Bible-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation ministries, which SGA partners help support when possible. These programmes not only provide care for overcoming the addiction, but they provide the life-changing Truth of the Gospel message as well. Pray: that the work of the Church programmes will have a significant effect among those in need. (Ro.12:21)
Churches helping to control alcohol problem in Moldova
In February of 2011, the World Health Organization dubbed Moldova the world's leading nation in per-person alcohol consumption, reports Mission Network News. Reports show that the average Moldovan consumes 18.22 litres of alcohol annually--three times more than the average of 6.1 litres. Other former Soviet nations on the list of heavy alcohol consumption included Russia, Ukraine, Estonia and Belarus. In Moldova, there is a special provision in the government budget for treatment of alcohol, but that government provision is not enough and churches are stepping forward to help alcohol abusers as well. Slavic Gospel Association reports that its affiliated evangelical churches are deeply grieved at the level of alcohol abuse in their communities. In response to the crisis, many SGA churches have begun Bible-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation ministries, which SGA partners help support when possible. These programmes not only provide care for overcoming the addiction, but they provide the life-changing Truth of the Gospel message as well. Pray: that the work of the Church programmes will have a significant effect among those in need. (Ro.12:21)
