AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* TECHNOLOGY SAVES CHURCH THAT CANNOT AFFORD THEIR OWN MINISTER

* DIVORCE RATE IN AUSTRALIA FALLS

* RUDD TELLS WHY HE BELIEVES THERE IS A GOD

* 30 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD

* PARLIAMENTARY VOTES

———————————————–

TECHNOLOGY SAVES CHURCH THAT CANNOT AFFORD THEIR OWN MINISTER

The future for many small rural churches has been unveiled at the tiny town of Beeac. A direct internet link with a large city church and a shared morning worship service. New 3G technology and a communal ambition enabled the Glen Waverley Uniting Church to transmit its 11am family service onto a large screen in Beeac in an experiment that has sparked the interest and hopes of many country churches.”It’s very exciting,” one Beeac parishioner said. “We hope it will strengthen relations between country and city. We’ve already met some lovely people from Glen Waverley. Although we are small in number, we can be stimulated by a strong, vibrant city congregation.” Beeac, 20 minutes’ drive north of Colac in Victoria, is typical of many small rural towns with shrinking economies and congregations and a shortage of clergy.The 1862 bluestone building where the Uniting Church congregation of about 20 meets is the town’s oldest building and last remaining church. The Catholics suspended services a few months ago and the Anglican church is now a private home. But it has an active congregation that refuses to see the church as “God’s waiting room”, a declining community of the elderly. Though they expect they will never again be able to find or afford their own minister, they see no reason why they cannot thrive and continue to be important to their community. Glen Waverley Uniting church has a congregation of about 1000 and holds five services each weekend. If all goes well, it will “adopt” eight country churches and share one service a month with each. The transmission is only one-way now because of bandwidth capability, but it is planned to be two way in the future. Meanwhile, Beeac parishioners will talk to the city worship team before the service so local concerns are included. Meanwhile in Beeac, fortnightly services will continue, one from Glen Waverley and one run by the congregation’s lay people, as they have done for years. Inspite of the declining congregation there are grounds for optimism. Houses are being built and enrolments are rising at the local school. There are also a couple of young families in the congregation. Those watching the service projected on to their front wall knew all the music and sang with gusto, and members of the parish were included in the prayers. ‘It was perfect,” a spokeswomen said. “We’ll do it again in three weeks.”

Source: Compiled by APN from media reports

———————————————–

DIVORCE RATE IN AUSTRALIA FALLS

The number of divorces granted in Australia have been decreasing each year since reaching a peak in 2001 according to latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures. This trend continued in 2007 with 47,963 divorces granted in comparison to 51,375 in 2006, showing a decrease of 3,412 or 6.6% over this period. The number of divorces granted in 2007 was 9.8% lower than five years ago, but only 6.6% lower than 10 years ago due to a peak in the number of divorces granted in 2001.Over the last twenty years, the proportion of divorces involving children under 18 years has been decreasing, although this decline has slowed in recent years. The proportion of divorces involving children was 49.3% in 2007. The number of children affected by divorce has also decreased from 48,396 in 2006 to 44,371 in 2007, and is similar to the number of children recorded over twenty years ago.Of all females granted divorce in 2007, 62.3% were aged under 45 years. In comparison, only 52.5% of males granted a divorce were in this age group. Median age for males granted divorce in 2007 was 44.2 years, compared with 41.3 years for females.Median length of marriage to divorce was 12.5 years for divorces granted in 2007. In 2003, it was 12.2 years, and in 1998 it was 11.2 years.

Source: The Marriage Course

———————————————–

RUDD TELLS WHY HE BELIEVES THERE IS A GOD

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the ordered nature of the cosmos convinces him of the existence of God. Mr Rudd, a regularly practicing Anglican, was asked on Fairfax Radio in Brisbane to give his single biggest argument in favour of the existence of God. “As you know I’m a believer and I’ve never pretended not to be and I respect those who have no religious belief – it’s a free country,” Mr Rudd said. “For me, it’s ultimately the order of the cosmos or what I describe as the creation.”You can’t simply have, in my own judgment, creation simply being a random event because it is so inherently ordered, and the fact that the natural environment is being ordered where it can properly coexist over time. “If you were simply reducing that to mathematically probabilities I’ve got to say it probably wouldn’t have happened. “So I think there is an intelligent mind at work.” Mr Rudd said in his entire political life he had never been asked in a media interview to prove the existence of God. “You … have a world first,” Mr Rudd said.

Source: Compiled by APN from media reports

———————————————–

30 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE MUSLIM WORLD

Across the world Christians are taking part in 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World and we are inviting our members to join in this initiative. To assist, we will each week provide prayer points and a list of nations for whom those wishing to participate may pray each day during the month of September. Let us make a difference in the world by praying for the salvation of those who are seeking after truth. Let us pray they will find that truth represented only in Jesus Christ and that many will come to faith through an encounter with Him during Ramadan.Monday September 22 – IndiaTuesday September 23 – SomaliaWednesday September 24 – Somalia (not a mistake. This nation has been allocated two days of prayer)Thursday September 25 – TanzaniaFriday September 26 – PakistanSaturday September 27 – Sat 7 Television Channel for the children of the Arab WorldSunday September 28 – Comoros Islands Please pray:* for believers to be trained in how to proclaim Messiah with wisdom and understanding to the Muslims. * that whole Muslim families will experience God’s healing of relationships and come to know true fatherhood through a relationship with the heavenly Father. * that those who come to faith in Messiah would not be seen as rebels by their families.* for unity among believers. Muslims have sometimes pointed out that Christians are often divided. * that believers living in Muslim countries would be able to overcome their fear of persecution.* for inspiration and creativity for those actively working to make SAT 7 KIDS an attractive and helpful channel for followers of Jesus and Muslims alike. * against fear, witchcraft, curses, and interaction with evil spirits which binds the lives of many Muslims. Pray for a power encounter with the Holy Spirit particularly on Saturday night this week which is the Ramadan Night of Power. For further information go to http://www.30-days.net/

Source: APN using material from 30 days of Prayer for the Muslim World

———————————————–

PARLIAMENTARY VOTES

The Victorian Parliament this past week voted on two significant bills that we have been following and praying into.

The Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008 was convincingly defeated in the Legislative Council by a vote of 25 to 13. It is unlikely therefore that any further attempts to legalise euthanasia in Victoria will be attempted in the life of the current Parliament. The Abortion Law Reform Bill however has passed Victoria’s Legislative Assembly by a final vote of 49 to 32. The Bill now goes to the Legislative Council where the vote is expected to be much closer.

Source: Australian Prayer Network

http://www.ausprayernet.org.au/

Related Articles:

• SUDAN & BURMA: CHRISTIAN REFUGEES IN PERIL
• Pray for the World 6 February 2012
• PRAYER OF A HUMBLE SERVANT
• Prayers for Help in Times of Trouble
• Pray for the World (January 31, 2012)

This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.