Pope Francis says he may ‘step aside’ and retire, but only if it’s God’s will.
Pope recalls visit to Canada at Angelus . Pope Francis thanks all those who made his visit to Canada possible, and says that while there, his thoughts were also with the people of Ukraine.
Speaking to journalists on a return flight from Canada, Pope Francis said he should slow down on his international travel and possibly consider retiring, but only if he discerns that it’s God’s will.
“I think that at my age and with this limitation, I have to save myself a little bit to be able to serve the Church. Or, alternatively, to think about the possibility of stepping aside,” Francis told journalists during an in-flight press conference on his return flight from Iqaluit, Canada, on Saturday, AFP reported.
“The Lord will say” when it is time to retire, the 85-year-old pope added, according to Catholic News Agency. “The door is open. It’s one of the normal options, but up to today I haven’t knocked on that door.”
He clarified that he wasn’t actively thinking of retiring and that he was just open to it. “But maybe that doesn’t mean the day after tomorrow I will start thinking.”
As a Jesuit, the pope said he will rely on “discernment.”
Speaking on Sunday after the recitation of the Marian prayer, the Pope thanked all those who had made his penitential pilgrimage possible, including civil authorities, heads of the indigenous peoples and the Canadian Bishops. He also thanked everyone who had accompanied him with their prayers, and said he would speak at length about his visit during Wednesday’s General Audience.
Prayers for the people of Ukraine
Despite being in Canada, Pope Francis noted that even during the trip, he never stopped praying for the Ukrainian people, “attacked and tormented, asking God to deliver them from the scourge of war.”
The Pope went on to say that “if one looked at reality objectively, considering the damage that each day of war brings to that population but also to the entire world, the only reasonable thing to do would be to stop and negotiate. May wisdom inspire concrete steps of peace,” he said.
On this, the feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, which also marks the conclusion of the Ignatian year, Pope Francis extended an affectionate greeting to his “Jesuit brothers,” inviting them to continue to walk with zeal, with joy in the service of the Lord.
ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Suspected Islamic extremists on Monday night (July 25) kidnapped 36 people from a predominantly Christian village outside the city of Kaduna, in northern Nigeria.
The house-to-house abductions came after the kidnapping of 16 people from a nearby area in Kaduna state’s Chikun County on June 28.
Area resident Narin Barde said Muslim terrorists on Monday attacked the Keke B Community area of Millennium City, Chikun County, shooting randomly and capturing 36 Christians.
“The Muslim terrorists attacked the community at about 9 p.m., shooting at the people, and broke into their houses and forcefully took away the victims to an unknown place,” Barde said in a text message to Morning Star News.
On June 28 suspected Islamic terrorists attacked predominantly Christian Sabon Gero village, kidnapping 16 people, area residents said.
In northwest Nigeria’s Sokoto state, Roman Catholic leaders reported that one of their parishioners, Tony Udemezue, was kidnapped at gunpoint on Monday (July 25) at 2 a.m. from his home in Tambuwal, Tambuwal County.
The Rev. Chris Omotosho, director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, said in a press statement that Udemezue called police before being taken away at gunpoint but received no help from officers.
“There was no police response to the distressed phone call by Udemezue at about 2 a.m.,” Omotosho said. “This is despite several phone calls he made to the police before he was taken away. Please let us keep him and his family in prayers.”
The kidnappings follow the abduction and killing of the Rev. John Mark Cheitnum of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna state. He was kidnapped on July 15 from the parish rectory of Christ the King Catholic Church in Yalding Garu, Lere County and later killed. His body was found on July 19.
Cheitnum served as priest at St. James Parish in Fori, Jema’a Local Government Area, according to the diocese.
The Rev. Julius Kundi, bishop of Kafanchan Diocese, said while addressing mourners at Cheitnum’s funeral on Thursday (July 21) that Christians will remain steadfast in spite of such attacks.
“I was crushed by the news of the death, but I am convinced that his death will prove to our enemies the genuineness and the beauty of our faith,” Kundi said at the Cathedral of St. Peter Claver, in Kafanchan town. “Those whose stock in trade is the abduction and the gruesome murder of members of the clergy should know that this will not stop us from courageously carrying the torch of the gospel to the ends of the earth, notwithstanding the barrage of attacks on our faith.”
Gunmen attacked another village in Kaduna state, Janbaba in Giwa County, on July 19, killing one Christian, said area resident Philip Umar in a text message to Morning Star News.
“For two days, we were not able to sleep at night as the bandits visited us with horror,” he said.
The chairman of the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA), Pastor Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, condemned the spate of attacks in a statement on July 20.
“The rising cases of priests being kidnapped and in some cases killed by their abductors, even after receiving ransoms, is worrisome,” Kure said. “We pray God to expose these killers and rescue all Christians in the den of their kidnappers.”
Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.
Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.
In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.
Los Angeles, CA — In 2018, Jason Reid and his wife, the parents of four teens, went away for the weekend, only to experience the most harrowing moment for any parent: their youngest son Ryan texted to say he was going to kill himself. TELL MY STORY, a feature length documentary, follows Reid one year after his son’s suicide as he looks for the signals he may have missed with his son while candidly sharing his family’s experience. On March 23, 2021, TELL MY STORY was released on DVD, video on demand and theatrical on demand platforms and will stream for 90 days on WellBeings.org, a multi-platform multi-year campaign to address the critical health needs in America. Wellbeings.org was launched with a focus on youth mental health to raise awareness and shed stigma through candid conversations and storytelling. TELL MY STORY, along with original broadcast and digital content, continues to build on the Wellbeings.org mission to encourage compassion and a better understanding of mental health challenges facing teens, parents and families across the country.
Motivated by a note left by his son to “tell my story,” the grieving Southern California father embarks on a quest to understand what he could have done differently to prevent the suicide and especially the role that cell phone use and unfettered access to the internet may have played, with the hopes of helping other parents and caregivers. Jason’s quest begins with Mariangela Abeo, a Seattle-native whose photography project Faces of Fortitude profiles survivors of suicide.
Parents Bobbi and Ed Villareal, co-founders of Project 99, a Southern California non-profit that brings awareness about mental health and suicide prevention to schools, share their experiences after losing their 16-year-old son Diego to suicide in 2015. They describe warning signs that they had missed, such as increased moodiness and pulling away from friends, stressing the need for kids to have someone they feel safe to talk to potentially outside of the family.
Flying to Seattle, Jason attends a group meeting with several young suicide survivors where they discuss the significance of social media, bullying, isolation, and what it feels like when depression spirals out of control. Jason then visits a wilderness camp in Nevada City, CA, where Collin Kartchner, with #SaveTheKids, warns teen campers (and parents) about the impact of unmonitored cell phone time and social media access on their lives. Peter Mayfield of the Gateway Mountain Center in Truckee, CA, shares the tenants of his program which helps kids develop a stronger sense of self through physical activity in the outdoors while building relationships, practicing problem solving, and building resiliency and the ability to come back after taking a “hit” without a parent/adult trying to “fix” things for them.
Explore ChristianMail TV
ChristianMail TV – LIVE & On Demand Video
Back at home in Murrieta, Jason and his children attend a safeTALK seminar, where participants learn of the warning signs of suicide and the importance of being able to talk about suicide, debunking the misconception that talking about suicide causes suicide. Jason’s journey concludes at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in Los Angeles, which provides mental health and suicide prevention services and operates a 24/7, multilingual Suicide Crisis Line that is part of the 1-800-273-TALK National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network.
In 2019, as the film was being shot, the center fielded over 1000 calls a week from teens, with the youngest caller identified as 8 years old. Finally, Jason speaks with Dr. Mark Goulston, PhD, a psychiatrist and suicide prevention expert, who explains the chemical impact of cell phones and constant adrenaline on people’s brains while sharing techniques to break through to uncommunicative teens.
TELL MY STORY is produced by Cinema Libre Studio’s Philippe Diaz and Beth Portello and was an official selection at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and premiered in January 2020 before the pandemic.
‘Tell My Story” has a running time of 85 minutes, is not rated and is heading to DVD and SVOD (Amazon and Vimeo) on March 23, 2021 with additional platforms to follow. The film’s website includes additional resources culled from experts including “Recognizing Depression in Teens,” and “How to Begin a Conversation with Your Teen.”
SYNOPSIS:
A grieving father seeks answers after his 14-year-old son dies by suicide. He uncovers painful truths about the lives of teens, the impact of unfettered access to internet and social media, and the shocking rise of depression among America’s youth.
The journey brings him together with young suicide survivors, prevention experts, and parents trying to understand the 70% increase in adolescent suicide. Closer to home, with his family fractured, he examines his son’s technology use to discover what no parent wants to find.
Seeking to find the warning signs that were missed, he instead finds ways to reverse the isolation and disconnectedness that is killing our youth.
Video On Demand – Vimeo, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, and Amazon
About WELL BEINGS
The WELL BEINGS campaign addresses the critical health needs of Americans through broadcast content, original digital content, and impactful local events. The multi-year campaign, created by WETA Washington, D.C., brings together partners from across the country, including patients, families, caregivers, teachers, medical and mental health professionals, social service agencies, private foundations, filmmakers, corporations and media sponsors, to create awareness and resources for better health for all. To learn more, visit WellBeings.org or follow @WellBeingsOrg on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, and join the conversation with #WellBeings.
The Well Beings Tour will be coming to 34 cities across the country, 2020 – 2022, in collaboration with public media stations, local community organizations, national sponsors, and partners. Through resource fairs, panel discussions, youth storytelling, performances, Mental Health First Aid Training, and more, the Well Beings Tour will convene and connect communities in a joint effort to address stigma and raise awareness about mental health and well-being.
The Well Beings Youth Mental Health Project is made possible by Otsuka, Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, One Mind, Movember, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Dana Foundation, Dauten Family Foundation, The Hersh Foundation, Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission, John & Frances Von Schlegell, Sutter Health, Robina Riccitiello, and Jackson Family Enterprises. Partners include CALL TO MIND at American Public Media, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, WE Organization, Forbes, PEOPLE, Mental Health America, National Council for Behavioral Health, The Steve Fund, and The Jed Foundation. The project underwriters are leveraging their organizational resources to support Well Beings and have created a video, available to view at https://youtu.be/6Ke4BTivJzU.
About WETA
WETA is the leading public broadcaster in the nation’s capital, serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with educational initiatives and with high-quality programming on television, radio and digital. WETA Washington, D.C., is the second largest producing-station of new content for public television in the United States, with news and public affairs programs including PBS NEWSHOUR and WASHINGTON WEEK; films by Ken Burns such as COUNTRY MUSIC, KEN BURNS PRESENTS THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY and THE ROOSEVELTS: AN INTIMATE HISTORY; series and documentaries by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., including FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. (Seasons 3-6) and RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR; and performance specials including THE KENNEDY CENTER MARK TWAIN PRIZE and THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available at www.weta.org. Visit www.facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook or follow @WETAtvfm on Twitter.
ABOUT CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO:
Cinema Libre Studio is a mini studio known for producing and distributing high-quality feature films and social impact documentaries. The company is in pre-production on a feature film about the Angola 3 and a feature length documentary on CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth. Headquartered in the Los Angeles area, the team has released over 200 films including: THE END OF POVERTY?, CAN’T STAND LOSING YOU: SURVIVING THE POLICE, and Canada’s 2020 Oscar ® submission, ANTIGONE. Visit: www.cinemalibrestudio.com, https://www.facebook.com/cinemalibrestudio or find us @CinemaLibre on Twitter and Instagram.
Thy Kingdom Come is a non-denominational revival worship meeting put together to contribute to the revival, that God is already stirring in the United Kingdom.
Thy Kingdom Come is a revival worship meeting holding at OVO Arena Wembley, London on Sunday, July 24 2022. Although the program is being organized in partnership with churches, Thy Kingdom Come is not organized by any church particularly.
Led by Nathaniel Bassey featuring Victoria Orenze and Dunsin Oyekan, it is a free ticket event and is open to Christians from all over the world and non Christians who are on a journey to find God.
Christian Post reports – A Christian organization commented on the potential harms of young children using social media without proper supervision amid reports that two sets of parents are suing TikTok over the belief the company could have done more to prevent their daughters’ deaths via an online challenge.
The Social Media Victims Law Center filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance Ltd., in a Los Angeles County court on behalf of the families of Lalani Erika Walton and Arriani Jaileen Arroyo, two children who died while attempting the viral TikTok challenge known as the “blackout challenge.”
Participants in the challenge share videos depicting self-strangulation until they lose consciousness. Walton and Arriani, ages eight and nine, respectively, died after participating in the challenge.
The parents claim that their children became addicted to TikTok and that the platform promoted content that influenced the kids to harm themselves.
Paul Asay, senior associate editor of the Christian organization Focus on the Family’s PluggedIn.com, which helps parents navigate popular entertainment, weighed in on the controversy, stressing that social media comes with a “built-in irony.”
Asay told The Christian Post that these applications are intended to strengthen friendships but are also a “business.” He said the purpose of the business is to “keep their users as involved and engaged as much as they possibly can.”
He stated that this can be a problem for kids and teens using social media applications. The associate editor argued that children typically don’t have the ability to make “wise, healthy decisions for themselves.”
“Social media is designed to be addictive, in a way — designed to keep its users engaged with it as long as possible,” Asay wrote. “And, as this tragic story illustrates, content found on such sites can be damaging, dangerous and deadly — especially for children.”
The lawsuit notes that the application’s algorithm serves as “a recommendation system that delivers content to each user that is likely to be of interest to that particular user” and “each person’s feed is unique and tailored to that specific individual.”
According to the complaint, TikTok determined that videos showing the blackout challenge were appropriate for young users and fed their children a stream of challenge videos persuading them to participate.
Both girls’ parents also allege that the company does not provide adequate warnings to deter young users or inform parents about the application’s addictive qualities or the presence of dangerous challenges. Read more …
ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Gunmen in northeast Nigeria shot a pastor and killed his sons in one attack and killed a Christian engineering instructor in another this month, sources said.
Near Mubi town in Islamic terrorist-plagued Adamawa state, assailants shot the Rev. Daniel Umaru on July 5, leaving him for dead after killing his sons, 19-year-old Kefrey Daniel and Fanye Daniel, 23, area sources said. The gunmen kidnapped his 13-year-old daughter, Ijagla, who was released on July 8 after the kidnappers received a ransom payment.
Pastor Umaru, of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN), was recovering in a hospital, said area resident Aunty Adunni.
“He was shot and left to bleed to death,” Adunni told Morning Star News in a text message. “Both the wounded pastor and his wife, who became unconscious during the attack, were taken to the hospital.”
Police in Adamawa state confirmed the attack, with spokesman Suleiman Nguroje saying the assailants stormed the pastor’s home in Mararaba Mubi, near Mubi, at about 2 a.m. on July 5.
The state governor condemned the attack in a statement and said the assailants must be brought to justice.
Area resident Peter Musa lamented the killings.
“Please pray for God’s intervention in this state over unending attacks on Christians and churches,” he told Morning Star News in a text message.
The pastor’s sons were buried on July 8 at EYN headquarters in Kwarhi Maararba, in the Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa state.
In the state capital, Yola, gunmen on July 14 killed a Christian engineering teacher, Yohanna Mbudai Bzegu, at his home in the Bajabure area of the city, sources said. Bzegu taught at Adamawa State Polytechnic in Yola.
The assailants broke into his home behind the Anglican Junior Seminary at about 3 a.m. and shot him to death, area resident John Usman said in a text message.
“The Christian lecturer was shot multiple times in his chest after the terrorists forcefully gained entrance into his house,” Usman told Morning Star News. “Before this time, the terrorists had attempted breaking into his house more than four times but were unsuccessful.”
Police in Yola confirmed the attack and were searching for the suspects.
Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.
Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.
In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.
See How well CRC Synod did with this ‘challenging conversation’?
“There are two deeply divergent interpretations of Scripture in this denomination,” Paul VanderKlay said on June 14, addressing 188 delegates of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). To most CRC members, the degree of that difference is painfully clear, and it was only accentuated at this year’s annual meeting.
Synod 2022 made three key decisions concerning its LGBTQ members and allies. First, delegates established the Human Sexuality Report (HSR) as a resource for churches, including its traditional position on marriage. Second, Synod made that stance confessional by adding “homosexual sex” to the list of sins that break the seventh commandment as outlined in the Heidelberg Catechism. Third, Synod voted that Neland Avenue CRC must reverse its decision to ordain a deacon in a same-sex marriage. Each of these votes split along similar lines – roughly 70 percent for and 30 percent against. Proportionately, more Canadians were in the second group.
Here’s what I noticed, watching the webcast on a 20-minute delay with almost 1,000 other people; the stakes were high. The “Rules for Synodical Procedure” came into play often. To save time, stories were not allowed. It was hard to spot female delegates; in fact, they made up just 17 percent of the gathering, the lowest in seven years. And no middle ground was made available – just two starkly different options for the future of the CRC.
At times, the debate seemed to mirror our culture wars. Imagine how the week might have gone if restorative practices had been applied instead of Yes/No votes. Now that Synod 2022 is over, can we gain any insight into the process by applying the lens of the Challenging Conversations Toolkit, which Synod itself urged churches to use?
UNDERTONES
Before starting any conversation about human sexuality, the Toolkit says, ask this question: What are you anxious about? And there were definitely anxious undertones at the Synod mic. Delegates in support of the HSR were anxious about losing the traditional view of marriage, changing church doctrine, threatening the integrity of the gospel and the salvation of practicing same-sex members.
“Don’t depart from the Christian church in its long history,” Clay Campbell said. Other delegates were anxious about ambiguity, saying that confessional status will help pastors. “I speak in favour of this because it gives me clarity to walk alongside people in love in my community,” Jason Biu said.
Steve Herppich. Copyright (c) 2022 The Banner, Christian Reformed Church in NA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Delegates against the HSR were anxious about exclusion, removing grace from the Reformed tradition, threatening the integrity of the gospel and causing harm to LGBTQ Christians.
“Young people are not seeking clarity,” Heidi Sytsema said. “They are seeking belonging, justice, validation that they are indeed image bearers of God. [The HSR] is a tone-deaf response. The clarity that you seek is not good fruit.”
There was also anxiety among CRC members across North America as Synod votes were tallied. Pastor Virginia Lettinga at Victoria CRC was asked, for example, whether an elder who disagreed with the HSR could remain in that position. “It’s not yet clear what the various decisions of Synod 2022 will mean for officer bearers in the CRC,” Lettinga said. “So don’t do anything quickly. Important Synodical decisions are rarely part of Church Order without being ratified by a later Synod. If, after the details are sorted out, you do feel compelled to resign, you will not be alone. So listen and pray a bit longer.”
PRECEDENT AND PEOPLE
The Challenging Conversations Toolkit also asks participants to examine their fears, which connect to values. What do you fear could go wrong? Well, there was no shortage of potential problematic outcomes articulated at Synod.
Some people fear the slippery slope effect. “If we don’t act now,” Daryl DeKlerk said, “we set the precedent that any church can change any aspect of doctrine.” Division and the fear of church splits came up several times. “I speak in favour,” Robert Van Zanen said, “even though I know that this will probably tear us apart. We have to stand up for the gospel.”
Other delegates fear the effect of these decisions on people: “This is closing a door on a community and will do irreparable harm,” Migael Randall said. “In the time I’ve been talking, five members of the LGBTQ community have attempted suicide.” John Vanderstoep was equally blunt: “This will damage any trust the church can barely muster.”
The Agenda for Synod 2022, including material from the past two deferred years, was over 1,300 pages. Agendas are helpful to focus discussion, but they also prioritize control and productivity. Restorative practices, on the other hand, emphasize relationships and create more middle ground.
Since the HSR was released, CRC churches have hosted 300 listening circles to discuss it, “many more” in Canadian churches than U.S. ones, according to a Banner article. The stated purpose of these circles is to “deepen the faith [of participants], clarify how we should live and give witness to the presence and power of God’s spirit at work among us.”
Were any of those goals met by Synod, a challenging conversation writ large? Did anyone change their mind, or start to think differently about these issues? Those questions are harder to answer, though the council chair at Neland Avenue CRC Larry Louters said it’s unlikely.
After noting the divergent interpretations of Scripture in the CRC, VanderKlay tried to normalize it: “That’s part of what happens in the church over time. What we’re doing tonight is productive. It is hard. We will get through this.” Read more …
JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – Police in Darfur Region, Sudan have arrested four Christians under a law against apostasy that was annulled two years ago, according to local sources.
Police on June 28 arrested the Christians from the Sudanese Baptist Church in Zalingei, in western Sudan’s Central Darfur state, on charges of apostasy, detaining them until their release on bail on Tuesday (July 5), according to local media outlet Sudania 24.
The Christian converts from Islam – Bader el Dean Haroon Abdel Jabaar, his brother Mohammad Haroon Abdel Jabaar, Tariq Adam Abdalla and Morthada Ismail – had also been arrested on June 22 and released the same day.
Area Christians said they were arrested over allegations of apostasy under Article 126 of Sudan’s 1991 criminal code. In July 2020 the transitional government that took effect in September 2019 decriminalized apostasy, which had been punishable by death. Sudan’s 2020 Fundamental Rights and Freedoms Act prohibits the labeling of any group as “infidels” (takfir), according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
The 2020 Act also repealed other Islamic-based articles of the 1991 criminal code, including public flogging as a punishment and prohibitions against drinking alcohol. Although Sudan has taken some steps to reform laws that violate religious rights, most current statutes are still based on Islamic law, Christian leaders say.
Human rights activists said prosecutors have mistakenly used a repealed article of the criminal code against the four Christians.
The Christians were scheduled to appear in court this week. Police also reportedly confiscated their Bibles and a sound system belonging to the church.
Officers reportedly ordered the Christians to leave the area. The arrested men refused but have since gone into hiding. Muslim extremists in the area have called for their death, one of the arrested Christians said.
Following two years of advances in religious freedom in Sudan after the end of the Islamist dictatorship under Omar al-Bashir in 2019, the specter of state-sponsored persecution returned with a military coup on Oct. 25, 2021.
After Bashir was ousted from 30 years of power in April 2019, the transitional civilian-military government managed to undo some sharia (Islamic law) provisions. It outlawed the labeling of any religious group “infidels” and thus effectively rescinded apostasy laws that made leaving Islam punishable by death.
With the Oct. 25 coup, Christians in Sudan fear the return of the most repressive and harsh aspects of Islamic law. Abdalla Hamdok, who had led a transitional government as prime minister starting in September 2019, was detained under house arrest for nearly a month before he was released and reinstated in a tenuous power-sharing agreement in November.
Hamdock had been faced with rooting out longstanding corruption and an Islamist “deep state” from Bashir’s regime – the same deep state that is suspected of rooting out the transitional government in the Oct. 25 coup.
Persecution of Christians by non-state actors continued before and after the coup. In Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Sudan remained at No. 13, where it ranked the previous year, as attacks by non-state actors continued and religious freedom reforms at the national level were not enacted locally.
Sudan had dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in six years when it first ranked No. 13 in the 2021 World Watch List. The U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report states that conditions have improved somewhat with the decriminalization of apostasy and a halt to demolition of churches, but that conservative Islam still dominates society; Christians face discrimination, including problems in obtaining licenses for constructing church buildings.
The U.S. State Department in 2019 removed Sudan from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom” and upgraded it to a watch list. The State Department removed Sudan from the Special Watch List in December 2020. Sudan had previously been designated as a CPC from 1999 to 2018.
The Christian population of Sudan is estimated at 2 million, or 4.5 percent of the total population of more than 43 million.
Megachurch Pastor John Gray has been hospitalized with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism he called an “illegal transaction from Hell” as his wife, Aventer, is urging his followers to bombard Heaven with prayers so her husband can receive a “miracle” from God.
Gray, 49, who leads Relentless Church, which has campuses in Greenville, South Carolina, and Powder Springs, Georgia, was admitted to the critical care unit at an undisclosed hospital, according to an Instagram post from his wife on Sunday.
“My family and I stand in need of a miracle. Please keep my husband @realjohngray in your prayers,” Aventer Gray began in her post.
“After feeling a little different over the past couple weeks, he went to the ER on Thursday evening and was immediately admitted to CCU with a saddle Pulmonary Embolism in the pulmonary artery and more lung blood clots. The Saddle PE is in a position that could potentially end his life if it shifts at all,” she explained.
“The clot burden is severe and only God is holding it in place. He is currently in CCU and based on CT & Echo we will need two types of surgery due to the pressure now on the heart within the next 24 hours. To place this in perspective, the doctor said that people have come into the hospital dead with this exact scenario he walked in with.”
A saddle pulmonary embolism, according to Medical News Today, is a rare type of acute pulmonary embolism that occurs when a large blood clot gets “lodged at the intersection where the main pulmonary artery divides and branches off into the left and right lungs.”
Since the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs to become reoxygenated, the condition limits blood supply to critical organs like the brain, heart and kidneys. If the condition is not treated urgently, it can lead to heart failure and sudden death. The condition is triggered by a number of factors, such as obesity.
The majority of people with the condition generally survive. One study shows the mortality rate for the condition is 3.62%.
Both Gray and his wife addressed their church remotely through video and telephone calls on Sunday as they leaned on their congregation for support.
“My husband is fighting for his life right now. And I have no idea how I’m able to sit here in front of a camera and speak to you other than the God that I serve,” Aventer said in a video. Read more …
Austin Gardner Announces the Launch of Alignment Ministries. Austin Gardner and his team are will continue their current life-on-life ministries from a new online platform. Today, we are excited to announce the launch of Alignment Ministries. Alignment Ministries is the center of all our services including: “Society of Mentors” which is a Biblical mentorship for church leaders and Christian missionaries, “Ministry Investments” which allows you easily invest in missionaries overseas, and “From Austin’s Pen” where Austin shares articles based on his 50 years of experience in Ministry and Biblical Preaching.
Our mission is to spread the influence of Christ and maximize the impact of Biblical life-on-life discipleship. Our goal is to align the priorities and investments of those who serve in the ministry and those who seek to enable it. We work to bring to life the unique gifts God has given each of us.
Austin Gardner has been a minister and preacher for more than 50 years. During that time, he has done decades of missionary work and has supported missionaries and missions themselves. In his missionary endeavors, Austin developed a system of mentoring he calls life-on-life discipleship.
Life-on-life discipleship is defined as “Laboring in the lives of a few with the intention of imparting one’s life, God’s Word, and the gospel in such a way as to see them become mature and equipped followers of Christ, committed to doing the same in the lives of others.” Essentially, this means that the biblical text is taught through a personal relationship.
Our team at Alignment Ministries has high hopes for the future. We hope to deepen our relationship with God and share the gospel message with as many people as possible.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkayPrivacy policy
