AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* GIVING THANKS AMID THE RUINS THAT IS HAITI

* ISLAMIC CHRISTIANOPHOBIA

* HOUSE CHURCHES ON THE RISE IN AMERICA

* EMERGENCY PRAYER ALERT FOR YEMEN

* WITCH DOCTORS REVEAL EXTENT OF CHILD SACRIFICE IN UGANDA

* KAREN REFUGEES HUNTED AND SLAIN IN BURMA

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GIVING THANKS AMID THE RUINS THAT IS HAITI

With churches destroyed, their priests dead and their hopes and lives shattered, some Haitians are turning to prayer in small religious services across the earthquake-ravaged city. On a corner of a rubble-strewn plaza, outside Port-au-Prince’s shattered Catholic Cathedral, a group of 150 people held a prayer service amidst slivers of stained glass, large chunks of fallen cement and the distinct odour of death. “I want to send a message of hope because God is still with us even in the depths of this tragedy,” said Father Henry Landasse as he prepared to give Mass.

Glancing over at his ruined church where one of the priests still lies buried, believed dead, Fr. Landasse raised his hands to the heavens and said: “Without faith such things are difficult to understand.” Wearing masks over their faces to ward off the stench from bodies still lying in the street, the faithful gathered, many clutching rosaries, to sing hymns and give thanks despite the lack of food, water and basic supplies. In this deeply religious country, where Christianity is at times mixed with pagan beliefs, the quake has been accepted by many as a sign from God.

Outside the ruins of a Baptist church, scores of faithful attended a brief service. “We are praising God because he has spared so many of our lives. We’ve lost leaders and members of our choir.” said a church leader who led the service in the absence of the regular pastor, who is unaccounted for. In the park across from St. Peter’s, women sweep up the garbage and men collect faeces and try to organize a routine for public defecation. Others help remove corpses from buildings or help in collecting water from public distribution points and broken water mains.

The lack of food, water, law enforcement and medical aid has caused frustration and desperation among residents fighting to survive. Doctors, search dogs, troops and rescue teams have flown into Haiti, with more to come, but essential supplies are not reaching those who need them. Search and rescue specialists are struggling to find survivors even with high-tech listening equipment and sniffer dogs. As reports filter in, it is interesting how many Christian groups and missionaries were already down in Haiti, working among the Haitian people prior to the quake.

The following are survival stories from a couple of those who were already in Haiti helping the people there before the massive tremor struck. Rachel and Joel were in Haiti on a four-year stay, doing human rights work among the people there. They were both in their 3rd-story apartment in Port-au-Prince when the tremendous earthquake struck. Rachel explained to her mother that the couple’s apartment building had collapsed, and with no rescue workers around, the two were forced to dig themselves out with their own hands, and get to safety.

Frank Thorp felt the tremor but initially didn’t think much about it, he was 100 miles away. But as news spread of the extent of destruction, he immediately jumped into his car for the six-hour drive to rescue his wife Jillian, a Christian aid worker. Jillian had managed a 10-second cell phone call to her husband to tell him she and another worker had been trapped underneath piles of concrete all that remained of their home. Upon finally reaching the area where their home once stood, Frank said she and the co-worker were “completely trapped” under about a foot of concrete.

“I jumped into the hole and I was able to see her wave her hand. I couldn’t see her whole body. She was just waving and I could hear her voice. And, you know, we had to pull, bricks and wood and doors and metal away for at least an hour before we were able to get her and her co-worker out. Jillian sustained only cuts and bruises, while her co-worker may have broken his leg. When asked about going home to America Jillian refused. “I can’t leave, I have to stay and help,” she said.

Source: National Post

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ISLAMIC CHRISTIANOPHOBIA

The world ignores the persecution of Christians in the Muslim world. In Egypt, seven Coptic Christians were murdered by a Muslim gunman as they were leaving midnight mass. In Pakistan, more than 100 Christian homes were ransacked by a Muslim mob last July. In Iraq that same month, seven Christian churches were bombed in the space of three days. Such atrocities are grim reminders that when it comes to persecution, few groups have suffered as grievously as Christians in Muslim lands. Fewer still have suffered with such little attention paid.

In the annual World Watch List put out by Open Doors USA, eight Muslim countries are among the 10 worst persecutors of Christians. The other two, North Korea and Laos, are communist states. Of the 50 countries on the list, 35 are majority Muslim. In Saudi Arabia (No. 3 on the list), all non-Muslim public worship is forbidden. Christian expatriates living there must practice their faith in private. The same goes in the Maldives and Mauritania, where conversion to Christianity or any other religions is formally punishable by death.

Little wonder, then, that once-thriving Christian communities in the Muslim world have now largely voted with their feet by fleeing to safer havens, often in Europe or the United States. That’s true even in religiously important communities such as Bethlehem, where the Christian majority has largely fled since the arrival in the 1990s of Yasser Arafat’s repressive government and the ascendancy of Islamist groups such as Hamas. By contrast, Christians practice their religion freely and openly in Israel, just a few miles distant.

It would seem natural that at least some attention would be paid in the West to the plight of these Christians. Instead, attention is endlessly focused on “Islamophobia,” not least by the U.N.’s Human Rights Council. In November, much of Europe went berserk over the Swiss referendum to ban the construction of minarets. But the West’s tolerance for its large Muslim populations stands in sharp contrast to the Muslim world’s persecution of its own religious minorities. That ought to be borne in mind the next time Westerners berate themselves about their own supposed ‘intolerance.”

Source: Wall Street Journal

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HOUSE CHURCHES ON THE RISE IN AMERICA

Seven percent of Americans say they “attend religious services in a home.” This surprising fact was buried in a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life on the religious practices of Americans. That 7 percent is a pretty big number, especially for a practice that defies all mainstream conceptions of churchgoing. In comparison the number of atheists in America hovers around 6 percent whilst Jews account for less than 2 percent of the population. Worshiping at home is more evidence that established ways of worship aren’t working anymore.

“What’s going on is a kind of deinstitutionalization of religious life,” says Gary Laderman, a professor of American religious history. The early Christians met in people’s homes, and of course living-room prayer meetings have long been staples of Western Christianity. More recently, though, American worship has become industrialized. In the 1980s, the mega-church became a fixture of the suburban landscape, and the megapastor a Christian CEO. Now many Christians are expressing “disappointment that the congregational models have become so consumeristic.

Steve Atkerson, a former Southern Baptist pastor who has helped found dozens of house churches, believes that even microchurches need authority (elders) and discipline. What sets them apart is the family atmosphere and, above all, the expectation that every member contribute prayers, teachings, and songs. People drawn to house churches, he says, are similar to those drawn to home schooling: they mistrust authority and institutional hierarchy. A world away, progressive Roman Catholics devoted to social justice work are also starting home churches.

Bruised by sex scandals and disenchanted with their bishops, these Catholics gather to celebrate the Eucharist with the help of a priest. The dress is casual and participation intense.”Everybody knows the mass and the singing is hearty. Women are given crucial roles. Robert Putnam, the Harvard Kennedy School professor, is exploring the 16% of Americans who call themselves “unaffiliated.” He says, “what’s happening to church has already happened to food, magazines, and music. People are yearning for a church that’s more homemade.

Source: Newsweek

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EMERGENCY PRAYER ALERT FOR YEMEN

Yemen is becoming an increasingly important base for al-Qaeda. There are believed to be 200 to 300 terrorists now inside the country. After the attempted Christmas Day attack by a Yemeni-trained Nigerian militant on a flight bound for America, Yemen has vowed to eliminate al-Qaeda bases inside its borders. Unfortunately, they may not have the resources to make good on the promise. Yemen is the poorest of the Arab nations. Poverty, terrorist activities, and an ongoing civil war have weakened the government with Yeman having all the earmarks of a failed state.

An example of a failed state is Somalia – which has seen perpetual anarchy and violence since the fall of its government in 1991. In 2008, members of al-Qaeda from Saudi Arabia took up residence in Yemen and in 2009, the Yemeni branch of the organization merged with the Saudi branch. Two men, formerly held in detention by western forces, took the lead in this new group, calling it al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The group has grown in size and strength with the arrival of al-Qaeda operatives from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula attempted to assassinate the Saudi Arabian counterterrorism chief last August. Last October several members were killed while attempting to smuggle suicide vests from Yemen to Saudi Arabia. Civil war, terrorism, a deepening secessionist movement and economic and demographic trends threaten to overpower the Yemeni government. These events have provided a breeding ground for terrorists and have destabilized the region. Yemeni-based terrorists are believed to be planning further assaults against western targets.

PRAY FOR:

* the Lord to expose, root out, and defeat the wicked plans and purposes of the terrorist groups operating in Yemen. Pray that all terrorist plots will fail and for the Lord to bring an end to their training, break their supply lines, and dry up all terrorist funding.

* the Yemeni government to keep its promise to strike known hideouts and for other nations to rally around their efforts. Pray the Yemeni government will have all the resources it needs to properly eliminate al-Qaeda in Yemen and the Saudi Arabian Peninsula and to cause other branches of this worldwide network to give up their efforts and close down their operations immediately.

* the Lord to protect the citizens of Yemen from counterattacks as the government begins using military force in this battle. Pray too for the people of Yemen to see the evil of extremist Islam and choose to not only disassociate themselves from it, but actively seek to oppose it.

* the Body of Christ to be unified in the Lord, and that no weapon formed against them shall prosper. Pray for the increased violence in Yemen to be used to draw attention to the Prince of Peace and the everlasting peace available only in Jesus Christ. Pray for the Kingdom of God to come to Yemen and for multitudes to put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

Source: Windows International Network

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WITCH DOCTORS REVEAL EXTENT OF CHILD SACRIFICE IN UGANDA

An investigation into human sacrifice in Uganda has heard first-hand accounts which suggest ritual killings of children may be more common than authorities have acknowledged. One witch-doctor said he had clients who regularly captured children and brought their blood and body parts to be consumed by spirits. Meanwhile, a former witch-doctor who now campaigns to end child sacrifice confessed for the first time to having murdered about 70 people, including his own son. Child protection activists have called for regulation of so-called “traditional healers”.

The Ugandan government says human sacrifice is on the increase, and is directly linked to rising levels of prosperity and an increasing belief that witchcraft can help people get rich quickly. Mr Binoga said police had opened 26 murder cases in 2009, in which the victim appeared to have been ritually sacrificed, compared with just three cases in 2007. “There are about 120 children and adults missing whose fate is not known. We cannot rule out that they may be victims of human sacrifice,” he said. Child protection campaigners believe the real number is much higher.

Source: BBC

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KAREN REFUGEES HUNTED AND SLAIN IN BURMA

The Karen people in Burma, half of whom are reported to be believers, are constantly harassed by Buddhist and Burmese armies. In Karen refugee camps, horrific stories of persecution are told coupled with reports of steadfast faith. The Burmese army captures Karen men and boys, forcing them to become slaves and porters. Karen women are raped and burned to death. Despite traumatic attacks and persecution, the Karen persevere in God. Orphans wake up at 4 a.m. to have devotions for two hours. They also have nightly worship. With elections in 2010, attacks on the Karen have increased exponentially. Attempts are now underway to save these Karen refugees. Land farther away from the Burma border has been provided for a refugee camp, and almost all funding has been raised. Construction is ready to begin, but Thai government approval is still pending.

Pray for government officials to approve the land for a Karen refugee camp.

Pray for sufficient food supplies to ensure the survival of starving Karen.

Pray also for ministry opportunities for Karen believers to share their faith with others.

Source: Vision Beyond Borders

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)

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