Pray with us for Afghanistan

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has called for prayer for the troubled nation of Afghanistan.

In a video issued today, he addressed the situation after the withdrawal of western forces and prayed for the nation, its people, especially the women facing persecution and repression and Christian churches.

He also prayed for Australian defence personnel who had served in that land, saying “for soldiers who returned from there bearing the scars of war, and their families, these have been days of anger, grief and disbelief.”

See the video from the Archbishop, and download the prayer written by the Rev Mark Charleston at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Afghan Pastors Ask for Prayer

“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” (Heb 13:3)

As Taliban forces have swallowed up Afghanistan and even now the capital city of Kabul, pastors in the country have been emailing and messaging me over the last few days, even hours, anxious for prayer.

– Here’s a very timely post at 9Marks. Please use it to inform your prayers.

(Kabul scene: 9Marks.)

Violence erupts in South Africa. Umthombo Wempilo, GWC, REACH SA ask for your prayers

“Anglican Aid received urgent requests for prayer from our Christian project partners in South Africa who have links with the Sydney Diocese.

Their communities are living in tremendous fear as violence escalates across the country and the death toll continues to rise following the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma…”

– A call to prayer from Anglican Aid.

See also:

“Imagine your local Westfield being stripped” – SydneyAnglicans.net.

Spate of kidnappings in Nigeria

“Insecurity has continued to spread across the states with rampant killings, banditry and kidnapping.

Eight people were killed and no fewer than 32 were abducted in various incidents.

In Kaduna, bandits killed eight and abducted 25, including four women members of the Anglican Church. …”

– The Nation on the latest kidnappings in Nigeria.

Archbishop Davies calls for prayer for Myanmar

Archbishop of Sydney, Glenn Davies, has posted this message on Twitter:

“Please pray for wisdom and grace for Abp Stephen Than Myint Oo after the army coup in Myanmar.

I have assured him of our prayers for the nation and for our brothers and sisters in distress.

‘If one member of the body suffers, every member suffers with it..’ 1 Cor 12:26.”

Appalling famine in Madagascar set to worsen

“When the Rev Berthier Lainirina called the Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid from Madagascar in November, he had just heard that five family members of one of his friends had died of starvation, and 200 people had died in his village.

Since then, if it were possible, the situation has deteriorated. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell has the story – and a link to where you can do something to help.

Lawlessness Everywhere

“Our country is at a crucial crossing point. In the past, even though there were extraordinarily damaging disputes such as the Civil War, the country survived them by adhering to its founding fathers’ principle that ours was ‘a country of laws, not men.’ In other words, the Constitution was worth protecting at all costs, lest we descend into some form of tyranny — which, by definition, is government by man (or men), not by law.  The tyrant, not the Constitution, defines in that case what the law is.

As evidenced by the recent presidential election, it is now an open question whether ours may still be said to be a country of laws. This question is brought into sharpest focus by the recent lawsuit filed by the State of Texas in the United States Supreme Court …”

– For those praying for the outcome of the Presidential election (1 Timothy 2:1-6.), this background briefing by Christian lawyer A. S. Haley may be helpful in understanding the latest legal moves.

Sydney Archbishop: Indian MP must retract false statements about Graham Staines

“The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies has demanded an apology and a retraction of statements made by an MP during a debate in the Indian Parliament which accused murdered missionary Graham Staines of child abuse. The Archbishop called the statement ‘slanderous’…”

– Story from Indian Link via SydneyAnglicans.net.

See also the Diocese of Sydney Media Release, 08 October 2020.

Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney
Media Statement

Call for retraction of false statements about murdered missionary    

Archbishop Glenn Davies has called for an apology and the retraction of a slanderous accusation by an MP during debate in the Indian Parliament in which murdered missionary Graham Staines was accused of child abuse.

Mr Staines was an Australian missionary who worked tirelessly and selflessly with leprosy patients in India for more than 30 years. Along with his two sons, Timothy (aged 8) and Philip (aged 10), he was burned to death in an attack by Hindu extremists in Uttar Pradesh in 1999.

During Parliamentary debate in September, a member of the ruling BJP party and a representative of Uttar Pradesh state, Satya Pal Singh, accused Mr Staines and other Christians of molesting 30 girls belonging to local tribes in Odisha and converting them to Christianity. He cited this as the main reason for the murders and as justification for stringent amendments to the law on the basis ‘forced conversions’ are still being perpetrated by Christian missionaries.

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies called the comments ‘reprehensible’.

“The murder of Graham Staines and his sons was a stain on the history of India. The then President K.R. Narayanan was right to describe it as ‘a monumental aberration of time-tested tolerance and harmony’ and that the murders belonged to ‘the world’s inventory of black deeds’. For the MP to now use parliamentary privilege to bring such baseless accusations for political purposes deserves the strongest condemnation. A retraction and full apology should be issued for the sake of truth and as a bulwark against religious intolerance.”

The Archbishop said many Sydney Anglicans have travelled to India in recent years and been welcomed, along with the help they bring to the population. “I would like to think that the Government and others from Mr Singh’s party would not sit idly by while such comments are made. They should be repudiated in the strongest possible terms.”

Archbishop Glenn Davies
8 October 2020

South Sudan Floods appeal

“Sydney-based Reverend Samuel Majok, leader of the South Sudanese congregation at St Mark’s Oakhurst, is raising funds for many thousands of people impacted by recent severe flooding that devastated most of Jongei State, where Samuel’s family is from. …”

– Learn more at Anglican Aid. (Photo: Anglican Aid.)

See also:

The emergency you haven’t heard about – SydneyAnglicans.net

Death and starvation as floods destroy South Sudan – ABC Religion and Ethics Report.

Archbishop of Sydney Public Statement on the Beirut Disaster

“Our hearts are breaking as we watch the devastation in Beirut. We cry out to God for many to be found alive, healing for the injured and comfort for the bereaved.

#PrayForLebanon that it may be as strong as a cedar amid the unprecedented turmoil of COVID-19 and now this disaster.

Archbishop Glenn Davies

August 5, 2020.”

– from SydneyAnglicans.net.

St Andrew’s Cathedral Singapore closes after case of Covid-19

“St Andrew’s Cathedral, the oldest Anglican site of worship in Singapore, has been closed after one of its members was infected with the coronavirus. …

On Wednesday, 47 new cases of the virus were announced, an all-time high, bringing the total number of cases in Singapore to 313.”

– News from The Straits Times.

What happened in Boga needs further analysis and appropriate action

“What happened in Boga needs further investigation, like getting a cure to a patient who requires serious diagnosis, laboratory tests and examination.

You have heard about what happened in Boga the morning of last Friday when the Islamist ADF rebel group invaded Boga. That invasion caused a lot of pain, suffering, fear and trauma. What is the source of all this? Many people are having no answers to the question.”

–  Bishop William Mugenyi Bahemuka gives some important background to the attack on Boga a week ago. At the GAFCON website.

Rebels Attack Boga, DR Congo

“Bishop William Bahemuka, the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Boga (DR Congo) has reported that ADF rebels attacked Boga town in the early morning hours of Friday, 23rd August. Boga is located in the southern part of Ituri Province and is where the diocesan Cathedral is located.

More than 200 youth, children, and women were abducted, shops were looted, cows stolen, and the Anglican Mission Hospital was looted. A doctor and lab technician from the hospital are among those abducted. The raid lasted about three hours. …”

– New Vision Uganda.

More from Barnabas Fund:

“More than 200 people including women and children have been abducted and a church mission hospital and shops looted by Islamist extremists during a raid on Boga, Democratic Republic of Congo, a majority Christian country. …

The ADF Islamist terrorist group has been operating in the region for more than two decades and has repeatedly attacked Christians. …

‘We also appeal for a massive outpouring of sustained prayer from Christians everywhere’ …” said Bishop of Boga Diocese, William Bahemuka.

 

Chinese authorities remove words Bible, God and Christ from classic children’s stories

“Authorities in China have erased the words Bible, God and Christ from classic children’s stories including Robinson Crusoe and The Little Match Girl as part of moves to redact Christian references.…”

– Story from Barnabas Fund.

Asia Bibi begins new life in Canada – but her ordeal may not be over

“Asia Bibi has arrived in Canada hoping to start a new life after her years on death row. But although there is huge relief among campaigners for religious freedom that she is out of Pakistan, her ordeal may not be over.

Islamic extremists have pledged to pursue the Christian woman and kill her for the act of blasphemy of which she was accused and later acquitted. …”

– Story from The Guardian.

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