Church Uses Movie Tech to Bring Prayer to Life

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Church Uses Movie Tech to Bring Prayer to Life

Many churches have got used to PowerPoint projection in their services. But the church of St Peter’s in Hackney, London has taken its engagement with technology to a whole new level this Advent and Christmas.

In partnership with Project CEDE (‘Creating and Exploring Digital Empathy’) the church is hosting an experimental installation which lets people interact with different parts of the building digitally, in a prayerful and profoundly spiritual way.

A digital votive candle stand is positioned next to the church’s traditional candle stand. Visitors can type prayers and prayer requests which are then projected in a prayer corner in the south aisle, once used as a Lady Chapel, where for many years daily prayers and weekday masses were offered.

Another element is a projection of prayers from inside the building through a window at night, so that words and images could be seen from the street.

There is also a ‘Font of Consolation’ which has echoes of the famous ‘Pensieve’ in the Harry Potter films – a magical water-filled bowl in which words and images appeared to the user. CEDE has designed a lining for the font, on to which text and images can be projected. In the plinth next to it there is a tablet on which messages can be written. They appear in the water and seem to dissolve. CEDE’s Dr Andrew Hudson-Smith told the BBC: “You can hand-write your worries, your concerns, your sins perhaps, and you can put your hands into the holy water…you see your worries and your sins floating away, almost in a Harry Potter-esque way.”

He said: “We chose a church because it’s the perfect place where you share the deepest bits of your soul. The missing thing in our lives at the moment is a sharing of our empathetic thoughts.”

The church’s minister, Rev Julia Porter-Pryce, told Christian Today that her involvement had come about because she was researching the use of church spaces. She had provided the theological and liturgical input to the project, while CEDE had provided the technical assistance.

The installation has been open for two hours a day during Advent. “People like to come in and sit quietly,” she said. “I have had more conversations about prayer during the last three weeks than in the last 12 years.”

She explained: “When you light an ordinary votive candle you don’t usually articulate a prayer, you tend to communicate a feeling or a thought. Using a tablet to type a message makes you articulate a prayer in a particular way. It’s as though you can see what’s in another person’s head, and there’s something quite holy about that.”

Porter-Pryce said that she had been concerned that the installation would be seen simply as entertainment, but that it had been a very helpful way of encouraging people to explore prayer. She suggested that there was potential for its wider use, saying: “I can see the same devices being used in a cathedral or a country church and they would work in the same way.”

CEDE’s mission is “to unlock the digital communication of empathy as we believe it is a major emission from online communication and digital personhood as a whole”. It is a cross-disciplinary project involving the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, Lancaster Imagination Lab and the Institute for Economic Analysis of Decision-making at the University of Sheffield.

Source and Original Content by Christian Today

RCCG’s Prof. Yemi Osinbajo Emerges Buhari’s Running Mate for 2015 Elections

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RCCG’s Prof. Yemi Osinbajo Emerges Buhari’s Running Mate for 2015 Elections

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Wednesday, emerged the running mate to the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.Osinbajo’s emergence is seen by APC as a means to influence Christian voters during the election.

Here is a profile of the former Lagos State Attorney General and a Snr. Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG).

Yemi Osinbajo, 55, is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Senior Partner in the Law firm of Simmons Cooper Partners.
His tertiary education was at the University of Lagos and the London School of Economics where he obtained the LLB and LLM degrees respectively.

He was appointed the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in 1999 and reappointed for a second term in 2003. During the period of his public service, he commenced the Lagos State justice reform project. A prominent feature of that project was the establishment of the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights (DCR) which provides free legal services and legal representation to indigent citizens of the state. This initiative gave a voice to many who would otherwise not have a way to access their rights.

Prior to that appointment, Osinbajo, a Professor of Law, was the Head of Public Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos.

Between 1988 and 1992, he was the Special Adviser to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He also served as a staff member of the United Nations and Member of the United Nation’s Secretary General’s Committee of Experts on Conduct and Discipline of UN Peacekeeping personnel around the globe.

He is currently an Ethics Advisor to the Ethics Committee of the African Development Bank and is a non-executive Director of Citibank.

Prof. Osinbajo is Co-founder & Board Member Convention on Business Integrity and the Justice Research Institute Ltd. He has also authored several law books.

In 2007, Prof. and his wife Oludolapo founded “The Orderly Society Trust”, a non- governmental organization that is dedicated to the promotion of Christian ethics and orderliness.

He is a resident pastor at the Olive Tree House of Prayer for All Nations, Banana Island, a parish of the RCCG.
He lives in Lagos with his wife,Dolapo Osinbajo, who is a grandchild of Obafemi Awolowo with three children.

Source and Original Content by Vanguard

Prince Charles Speaks of ‘praying fervently’ for persecuted Christians

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Prince Charles Speaks of ‘praying fervently’ for persecuted Christians

The Prince of Wales has said that is “heartbreaking” that so many Christians are being persecuted for their faith.

Prince Charles used a visit to London’s Syriac Orthodox Church in Acton yesterday to restate his concern fo the Christians of the Middle East and to call for peace. He was welcomed by His Eminence Archbishop Athanasius and the congregation, some of whom were refugees who had fled from the Iraqi city of Mosul and others of whom had family members in Iraq and Syria. The National Anthem was sung in Aramaic, the ancient liturgical language of the Church, for what is thought to be the first time.

The Prince said: “This is the third visit that I have paid in recent weeks to churches whose congregations have the soul-destroying experience of inhuman persecution. In this Advent season, a season of celebration, it is the more profoundly heart-breaking that so many Christians are being persecuted for their faith.

“For more than 20 years I have tried to build bridges between people of different faiths and have appealed for greater understanding, for greater tolerance and for harmony between the great religions of the world. At a time when so little is held sacred, it is quite literally diabolical that these symbolic bridges should be so destroyed.”

He reminded the congregation that Muslims in Iraq and Syria had been the victims of persecution as well as Christians and Yazidis. Prince Charles said: “As I have said before, it seems to me that all faiths to some extent shine a light on the divine image in every human life. If that is so, then surely to destroy another human being is to desecrate the image of the Divine. To do so in the name of faith is, surely, nothing less than a sacrilege.”

He said he had been “deeply distressed” at the scenes of violence and brutality coming from the Middle East and praised media reporters for “helping to ensure that the world is not allowed to forget the stark horror of what is happening in Iraq and Syria; not to forget our brothers and sisters whose faith is, quite literally, under fire; not to forget the unimaginable barbarity to which they have been exposed; not to forget the many, many people who have been savagely murdered or who have died fleeing violence; not to forget those who have lost everything, including their houses; not to forget that countless thousands have had to leave the places in which their families have lived for innumerable generations”.

He expressed deep sympathy for the members of the congregation he had met privately before the service, who had told him of their bereavements and other losses. “The anguish of all this does not bear thinking about, and my heart goes out to you all,” he said.

He added that while at present it would be impossible for them to return, “I do pray most fervently that the situation there will change; that peace will return; that the time will come when you feel it is safe to return to your homeland and that, once there, you will be free, together with those of other religions, to celebrate your faith without any fear of persecution.”

The Prince concluded by quoting Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4: 8-12 beginning, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Source and Original Content by Christian Today

South Sudan Archbishop Speaks on the State of the Nation

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South Sudan Archbishop Speaks on the State of the Nation

After a year of war in South Sudan the Archbishop of Juba has said the fighting has had a bitter impact on the nation, with communities sharply divided along ethnic lines.

Referring to an attempted coup by vice president Riek Machar, Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro said in a statement: “Exactly one year ago, our very young, beloved nation went into confusion.

“We have witnessed and lived for one year now a very miserable situation of things that should never have taken place on the soil of this nation,” he said.

Since mid-December 2013, the conflict has claimed at least 50,000 lives and forced close to two million people to flee.

Machar had been fired by President Salva Kiir five months earlier, and the political rivalry reopened deep ethnic tensions in South Sudan, which has more than 60 ethnic groups. Kiir comes from the dominant Dinka group, while Machar is from another major tribe, the Nuer.

“There has been so much unnecessary death and displacement of individuals and communities, with many fleeing the country as refugees” to neighbouring countries, Archbishop Loro said.

“The most appalling destruction” on people, property and the country’s social infrastructure also forced many South Sudanese to seek safety in UN camps within the country, he said.

Development programmes set up when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011 “have been badly damaged”, he said.

“The war has again fuelled the culture of violence that we have lived with for so long and has seriously undermined our beautiful position and image in the world” that three years ago “welcomed us as the world’s newest nation”, Archbishop Loro said.

The “deep crisis” means that the foundation of South Sudan’s administration “has not been put in place properly”, he said.

“Let us accept and find ways of treating our ethnic/tribal divisions in order to heal them from the roots through sincere and honest reconciliation,” the archbishop said.

He warned against misuse of power, noting that “power is a humble gift of service to the people of God through the voice of the people for a specific period of time and not forever”.

Archbishop Loro thanked the international community “who try to help us to settle our trouble” and appealed to them “to be really concerned to help us and not to exploit us”.

Source and Original Content by Catholic Herald

US Pastor Collapses and Dies On Pulpit

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US Pastor Collapses and Dies On Pulpit

Pastor Gordon A. Humphrey Jr. of United Ministries passed away while preaching at the pulpit this Sunday, according to reports. The 60-year-old pastor was ministering at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago and singing Pharrell’s hit song “Happy” when he suddenly collapsed.

Church members attempted to revive him and phoned for an ambulance.

“They did call paramedics right away,” Pastor Greg Hunter, a mentee of the man, told The Christian Post. “They had people in the church that are in the medical field working on him as well and he was taken to the hospital. Every location was devastated. Stockton, Oakland, Shiloh, everybody was devastated.”

“I’m not sure if they determined the cause of death but it’s been said he may have had a heart attack,” he added.

Pastor Humphrey had been shepherding three flocks at the time of his death: Olivet Church in Stockton, Calif., Olivet of Oakland, Calif., and Shiloh Missionary in Chicago.

Hunter said that Humphrey died doing what he loved, and emphasized that the pastor truly strived to be like Jesus…Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN1

Mother Allegedly Kills Son to Send Him to Heaven

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Mother Allegedly Kills Son to Send Him to Heaven

A woman in Wellington, Kansas is expected to be charged with first-degree murder in the death of her son, whom she allegedly killed on Sunday night in order to protect them from this world.

Lindsey Nicole Blansett, 33, allegedly murdered her 10-year-old son Caleb while he slept. She reportedly snuck into his bedroom while he was sleeping and used a knife and rock to kill the child.

Blansett “intentionally and with premeditation” killed the boy after she “decided the boy would be better off in heaven than to face the world’s problems,” the police reported. “That is what we intend to prove,” county attorney Kerwin Spencer told The Wellington Daily News.

Wellington Police Chief Tracy Heath further noted that there were no drugs or illegal activity suspected in conjunction with the murder.

Blansett was in the middle of a divorce from the boy’s father, Clint, and had residential custody.

“Caleb was such an angel; he was an angel and I know without a doubt in my mind he’s sitting at the right hand of Jesus and that helps me get through the day,” Clint told Eyewitness News. “He was the apple of my eye and I will miss him until I see him again. Thank God I have one left.”

Daughter Kadence, 9, is now living with her father after her mother was arrested. It’s not known why Blansett would kill one child but leave the other to survive. However, that doesn’t matter to Clint, who is just grateful that one of his children is still alive to be with him. He also maintains that there’s no way his ex-wife could have known what she was doing.

“I can’t think for one second that she meant to do what she did even though it was done,” Clint explained. “I think the love that we’re receiving, I think that she should also receive some type of forgiveness.”

Blansett is due back in court on Thursday, where she will learn of the charges being brought against her; if convicted of first degree murder, she could face life behind bars.

Source and Original Content by CP

Pakistan Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Clerics Who Incited Mob to Kill Christian Couple

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Pakistan Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Clerics Who Incited Mob to Kill Christian Couple

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of two Muslim clerics for inciting a violent mob of hundreds of Muslims to brutally beat, torture, burn and murder a married Christian couple in the Punjab Province in early November.

The court also ordered disciplinary action to be levied against five police officials, who were present during the time of the beatings but took no action to protect the two individuals. Additionally, the court ordered a complete investigation into the incident and also ordered compensation payments to be made to the family of the victimized couple.

After being accused of burning pages from the Koran, Shamah Masih, who was a 24-year-old mother of four and four months pregnant at the time, and her husband, Shahzad Masih, were surrounded by an enraged mob, who gathered around the brick kiln in the village of Kot Rodha Kishan where the couple was located.

According to a 17-page report conducted for the three-member bench by Punjab police, the mob, which consisted of about 500-600 people, began to torture the couple in front of members of their family and in the presence of police officials.

The report further indicates that police officers in the area attempted to stop the violence, but the officers’ actions were halted by the large crowd. After having had their legs broken and having been tortured, over 15 people from the mob picked the couple up and thrust them into the kiln, while they were still alive.

The police have charged 138 people for the crime and already have 59 people in custody, while 79 are still at large. Although the police report states that only as many as 600 people were included in the mob, witness testimony idicates that as many as 1,500 people could have been involved with the mob.

Although police officers in the area initially tried to stop the mob, the court’s Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk said that the police department failed to use the more extreme measures it has at its disposal to protect the Christian couple. Mulk also questioned why the police in the area failed to react when their demands for the mob to halt the violence were ignored.

“Why they did not make an attempt to secure the Christian couple, as they could disperse the mob through aerial firing,” Mulk questioned.

The Express Tribune reports that an advocate for the police department told the court that the police officers in the area were also tortured by the mob when they tried to respond, which prevented the officers from taking further action. However, the chief justice asked if their was medical proof to show that the officers were in fact tortured, and the police advocate replied that “there is no such report in this regard.”

The attorney representing the owner of the brick kiln told the court that kiln owner had warned police prior to the incident that “some clerics” were “inciting people”, but no security measures were taken.

Initially calling for the investigation into the murders were the couples’ surviving family members, who claim that they were threatened and even bribed to drop their plea for an investigation.

“All we want is fair investigation of this case,” the brother of Shahzad, Shahbaz Masih, said according to The Express Tribune.

Unhappy with the 17-page report the Punjab police filed on the incident, the court labeled the report as unsatisfactory and adjourned the case until Jan. 15, as they await more details to come from a more comprehensive investigation.

Source and Original Content by CP

Santa Banned from School Concert

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Santa Banned from School Concert

A Massachusetts school has banned Santa Claus from its annual Christmas concert after a complaint.

“I am writing to you today to inform you of a change in our concert series this winter,” wrote Principal Jennifer Ford in a letter to parents of the Peabody School in Cambridge. “Our first through fourth grade concert as well as our kindergarten concert will not include a visit from Santa Claus this year.”

“I am sensitive to the fact that you may not want your child involved in this event,” Ford wrote in a letter obtained by the Boston Globe. “If you prefer that your child spend time with me that afternoon, please let me know. I will be in the library, playing games and reading books with the children.”

Ford didn’t explain her decision, but families in the Cambridge, Mass. Town are upset.

“I come from a city that celebrates diversity and tolerance,” parent Robert Thompson told Fox & Friends. “At its base this decision reeks of intolerance.”

In 2007, the town of Cambridge stopped a Boy Scout troop from collecting care packages for soldiers because complaints came that the scouts were making a “political statement.”

Source and Original Content by Christian Headlines

Church Mourns Children Killed in House Fire

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Church Mourns Children Killed in House Fire

An Ohio community is grieving the loss of three children killed in a house fire last week.

Yesenia, 12, Siclali, and Alex Flores-Ortiz, 7, died when their Franklin St. home in Hamilton caught fire on Friday. Both parents and two other children survived.

The children’s father, Ismael Flores, suffered severe burns when he tried to save the children. He was hospitalized in critical condition, and remains in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

His brother, Raphael, said he is improving.

“He’s going to be OK,” Raphael told the Associated Press. “He’s got bad burns around his neck, but we think he’s going to be OK.”

Flores’ wife, Crystal, was treated and released along with the other children. Their Freedom Chapel church family is rallying around them.

“They stole our hearts,” Pastor Walt Philpot told the Journal-News. “We have loved those children, immensely we have loved those children.”

Pastor Philpot had especially fond memories of the youngest child who perished in the fire.

“Alex, nobody would understand him, they were just rowdy children,” the pastor explained. “But over the last six or seven months they have changed. But Alex changed the most, he went from being everything to the proper gentleman.”

Only the children came to church, but Freedom Chapel members said the services had an immense effect on them.

“I tell you what, the two that passed on, the girl and boy, we seen such great changes in their lives,” one woman insisted. “We know, we don’t have to prove God, all we have to do is see these little children and how they changed in their lives. All they wanted to do was the right thing.”

Flores’ family members from Mexico have traveled to Ohio to support the family, and the 50-member church intends to raise $5,000 to help with funeral expenses. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire.

Source and Original Content by CT

Recent Al-Shabaab Attacks lead to Church Closing its Doors

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Recent Al-Shabaab Attacks lead to Church Closing its Doors

The St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Mandera, Nigeria has made the decision to close its doors following the death of 11 members who were killed in attacks against non-Muslims by al-Shabaab.

In a phone interview with Open Doors, Elijah Kinyua said nine of his church members died in the quarry massacre on December 2, while two were lost in the Makkah Travelers bus attack on November 23.

Gunmen belonging to al-Shabaab, the Somali extremist Islamist group, stole into a labourer’s camp at a Kormey stone quarry, 15 kilometers from Mandera, in the early hours of December 2, shooting 36 non-Muslim workers at point-blank. Witnesses said that at least two of the victims were beheaded.

Just a little over a week before the attack, the Islamist rebels hijacked a bus travelling to Nairobi. They left a total of 28 people killed, at least 19 of which were Christians. Most were teachers returning to the capital for the Christmas holidays.

According to the Guardian, Kenyan police said the al-Shabaab extremists singled out the 28 passengers who could not recite the Shahada, an Islamic creed declaring oneness with God. Those who failed to recite the creed were ordered to lie down in a line.

Douglas Ochwodho, the only survivor of those who were selected for execution, said two rebels then began shooting those on the ground. One gunman started from the right and one from the left. Ochwodho only survived apparently because each gunman thought the other had already shot him.

The al-Shabaab group said the killings were in retaliation for the raids carried out on four mosques in Kenya.

With the unrest and violence plaguing the neighbourhood, St Andrew’s future remains uncertain.

Kinyua reported, “We have closed the church. We (the church leadership) will decide later on whether or not to reopen. But for now things are not good on the ground.”

Source and Original Content by CT

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