Church told replacing stolen roof could cost £400,000

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Church told replacing stolen roof could cost £400,000

All Saint’s Church in Houghton Conquest, a village in Bedfordshire, is currently raising funds via a Facebook page, as well as a church concert and an autumn bazaar this weekend to contribute to the cost.

The Grade-I listed building had approximately 20 tonnes of lead stolen from its roof over a ‘prolonged period of time’, the police said. An investigation was started earlier this month.

Inspector Nick Masters from Bedfordshire Police said: “Due to the sheer quantity of lead taken, it’s unlikely that it happened over a few days.

“It’s likely that the people responsible were driving trucks or vans so they could transport scaffolding or ladders in order to access the roof of the church, and may have posed as tradesmen.”

According to the church treasurer Joyce Bullock, an architect told the church last week that fixing everything could cost an estimated £400,000.

The church’s insurance policy, with the company Ecclesiastical, only covers £15,000 of that – with a maximum of £7,500 for the roof, as they didn’t have a roof alarm, and another £7,500 if they want to do internal repairs.

The church has already raised £1,000 via donations and the roof has been temporarily covered with plastic to prevent it getting damaged in bad weather.

Inspector Masters finished his statement: “This is an audacious incident and we’re exploring…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Beaten, Kidnapped, Arrested and Forced to Stop Evangelizing

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Beaten, Kidnapped, Arrested and Forced to Stop Evangelizing


Beaten, Kidnapped, Arrested and Forced to Stop Evangelizing


NEW DELHI, October 22, 2018 (Morning Star News) – When Pastor Mathai Varghese was beaten and abducted by Hindu extremists in Rajasthan state, India, police gave chase and arrested the kidnappers – as well as the pastor.

 

His car ruined and his body bloodied, he spent a night and the next day in jail with serious injuries unattended before being released on bail. That was just part of the price the 57-year-old pastor of Ebenezer Indian Pentecostal Church, in Suratgarh, paid for attending a house-warming party in a village where a mob of 100 Hindu extremists were waiting for him.

 

“I was not at fault, still I was beaten, arrested and charged,” Pastor Varghese told Morning Star News.

 

He and fellow Christian Kashmir Singh had gone to the village of Silvani to attend the house-warming of Rukma Devi Nayak, a widow who says she is more than 100 years old. Nayak has attended the pastor’s church for three years.

 

Pastor Varghese, his wife and three church members went to Nayak’s house in the pastor’s car on the morning of Sept. 4. While he and more than a dozen other Christians there had begun worshipping with songs followed by Scripture reading, they heard a knock at the door.

 

As soon as they opened the door, three men barged inside, ordered a woman who was praying to stop and demanded their pastor be handed over to them, he said. While the women in the…

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Rector called home to be next Bishop of Ramsbury

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Rector called home to be next Bishop of Ramsbury

Rev Andrew Paul Rumsey will assume the position in late January 2019, Downing Street announced on Monday. It follows the resignation of Rt Rev Edward Condry in May this year.

He said: “I am honoured and delighted to have been appointed as the new Bishop of Ramsbury.”

 

Rev Rumsey, 50, will serve alongside the Bishop of Sherbourne Rt Rev Karen Gorham as a junior – or suffragan – bishop under the leadership of the Bishop of Salisbury Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam.

The married father of three went on to say: “At a time of rapid change in our society, the enduring strength of the Church of England is its commitment to local communities, in all parts of the country.

“I greatly look forward to working alongside Bishop Nicholas and Bishop Karen, and to serving this purpose in the glorious county of Wiltshire.

Rev Rumsey is currently the team rector of St Mary Oxted – a position he has held for four years

Prior to 2014, he served congregations in the Harrow and Gipsy Hill areas of London.

 

The new appointment shall see Rev Rumsey and his family move to Marlborough – the…

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Pope prays for ‘healing, strength, and peace’

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Pope prays for ‘healing, strength, and peace’

In a message sent on Sunday, Pope Francis offered his “heartfelt solidarity” for all those involved in India’s worst rail disaster this year that also left dozens injured.

Hundreds of people had gathered near Amritsar in northern India to watch a burning effigy of demon king Ravana as part of the Hindu festival of Dussehra.

 

They fled as a commuter train travelling at high speed ploughed into some of the celebrants.

Local reports have indicated the victims were standing on the tracks and did not hear the train approaching due to the sound of fireworks being set off.

The Press Trust of India news agency said two trains arrived from opposite directions on separate tracks, giving little opportunity for people to escape. The casualties were caused by one of the trains.

The train failed to stop after the accident on the outskirts of the city in Punjab state, local politician Pratap Singh Bajwa has said.

AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill

 

In the message signed by Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis said he was “saddened” to learn of the accident, and assured “his prayers for the deceased and those who mourn their loss.”

He also prayed for the “divine blessings of healing, strength, and peace upon the injured and their loved ones, as well as the civil authorities and emergency personnel”.

AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill

 

It is…

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Brian Houston Advises Christians to ‘Kindly’ Share the Gospel With People Following False Gods

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Brian Houston Advises Christians to ‘Kindly’ Share the Gospel With People Following False Gods

(Photo: Catalyst)Hillsong Church Senior Pastor Brian Houston of Sydney, Australia giving remarks at Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, October 7, 2016.

When Christians meet people who don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ and are worshiping false gods, it’s our duty to kindly share the Gospel, says Pastor Brian Houston of Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. 

Houston and Hillsong Worship are in the United States for the There Is More tour, and led worship at Together 2018 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday. Last week, however, Houston was in Kansas City where he saw a group of Hare Krishnas chanting and singing in a public shopping area. 

“One thing we do know, it’s far too hot to be out in the sun singing about, sadly, a false god,” Houston said in the video as he taped the men during their worship performance. 

“I guess that’s the way it goes sometimes,” he continued. “People need Jesus and do we tell them so? Yeah, kindly.”

The Australian pastor observed that a few of the men were some of the “oldest Hare Khrisnas” he’s ever seen.

“I think they’ve been at it for quite a while, let’s keep praying people can find Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith,” Houston encouraged.

Houston’s There Is More tour has sold out…

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Robbers break into church through stained glass window

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Robbers break into church through stained glass window

Police say the Saturday night break-in at St Theresa’s Church in Sion Mills in County Tyrone could be linked to a series of burglaries in the Foyle area.

In a post on the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) Foyle facebook page, a police spokesperson described the incident as “sickening” because it occurred at a “place of worship”.

 

It went on to state: “Disgustingly, one burglary took place at St Theresa’s Church and, as you can see, those responsible gained entry by breaking a stained glass window. In doing so they’ve cut themselves and kindly left a blood sample for us to forensically examine.

PSNI Facebook

 

“A burglary, like any crime is unacceptable but I’m sure you’ll agree that in particular a burglary in a place of worship is particularly sickening and abhorrent.”

Restaurant 1861 opposite the Chapel was also burgled but the two tills and ATM reader that were stolen have since been recovered.

Police are appealing for anyone in the area with information about the “attack on the people of Sion Mills, local parishioners and local businesses” to come forward.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

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How you can own Marie Antoinette’s jewels

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How you can own Marie Antoinette’s jewels

The personal jewels of Marie Antoinette are going on auction in November. You can buy her diamond and pearl pendant valued between $1 and $2 million, a pearl and diamond necklace valued between $200,000 and $300,000, and a diamond brooch valued between $50,000 and $80,000. There’s also a diamond ring containing a lock of the queen’s hair worth an estimated $20,000 to $50,000.

For slightly less money, you can own a box of cereal based on The Golden Girls television show, which aired on NBC from 1985 to 1992. The cereal features a toy figure of Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, or Sophia. It is selling out quickly, but you can buy a box for $50 on eBay. Someone is selling a single lot of eighteen boxes for $2,000.

In other news, the floor of a clubhouse near Clemson University collapsed yesterday morning, sending thirty people to the hospital. A train derailed yesterday in Taiwan, killing twenty-two and injuring 171 others. And three former Florida police officers were sentenced to prison for conspiring to falsely arrest people in order to improve their department’s crime statistics.

As long as people yearn to be more successful than they are, there will be a market for celebrity possessions and memorabilia. In our broken, unpredictable world, we yearn for security that transcends our circumstances.

But neither public celebrity nor personal security meets the deepest need of our souls.

Greetings from Israel

I’m writing this morning from Israel, where I’ve been leading study tours for the last two weeks. It’s been my privilege to travel to the Holy Land multiple times a year since 1995, but each time I come is like the first time. It is always a great joy to be here.

Yesterday, our group walked through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, one of the most astounding locations in Israel. In the eighth century BC, as the Assyrian Empire threatened his nation, King Hezekiah built a tunnel to protect the Gihon Spring and bring its water inside the city (2 Chronicles…

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55 dead in fighting between Christians and Muslims

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55 dead in fighting between Christians and Muslims

Clashes in Kaduna State on Saturday reportedly erupted following a disagreement between wheelbarrow porters in the town of Kasuwan Magani.

President Muhammadu Buhari (pictured above, left) said: “No culture and religion support the disregard for the sanctity of life.

 

“Peaceful coexistence is necessary for the progress of any society and its well being.”

Twenty-two people have been arrested following the fighting. A curfew imposed by the state government will be reviewed on Monday.

 

A spokesman for state governor Nasir El-Rufai said: “The governor said that security agencies are taking necessary action to reassure our communities, restore calm and uphold law and order.”

The latest outbreak of fighting comes after at least seven people died in clashes between Christian and Muslim young people in Kasuwan Magani in late February of this year.

 

Garbu Shehu, the president’s…

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Seven Reasons Why Many Pastors Avoid a Counseling Ministry

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I recently conducted an unscientific but revealing social media poll. I asked pastors to share with me what aspects of pastoral ministry they enjoyed the most.

Counseling was listed last, at least indicating it was their least favorite aspect of ministry. So, I went back to these pastors and asked a follow-up question. I wanted to know why so many pastors were avoiding counseling ministries today. Their responses were clear and consistent:

  1. Not qualified. In many ways, this response overlaps some of the others. The pastors told us they have not been trained in counseling. They told us they were not equipped to counsel. They told us they felt totally out of their element when they counseled others.
  2. Concerned about liabilities. Many of the respondents were transparent about this concern. Some are not certain what they are required legally to report as a consequence of a counseling session. Others feared lawsuits as a result of counseling. Still others wondered about confidentiality issues and counseling.
  3. Not fruitful. A number of these pastors did not see their counseling sessions as fruitful. They did not know if they were helping, hindering, or hurting. They did not know how to evaluate the effectiveness of their counseling. Some wondered with transparency if they were wasting their time.
  4. Time consuming. Most pastors are overworked. Their workweek can be 60 or 70 hours or longer. They are on call 24/7. When they look for places to find margin, it is not uncommon to see them choose to reduce or…

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Joyce Meyer Devotional 22 October 2018 — Humbly Leaning on the Lord

CM Editor
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Topic: Humbly Leaning on the Lord [Joyce Meyer Devotional 22 October 2018]

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. — 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Humility is knowing we cannot succeed by trusting in ourselves and our own human effort. Instead, we trust in God, thankful that He does what we cannot.

As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and lean on Him at all times, He always equips us to do what we should be doing. Most human failure comes from people trying to do things in their own strength without relying on God.

I have found that when I feel frustrated, it is because I am exerting fleshly effort trying to do something that only God can do. I suggest that when you feel frustrated that you stop and ask yourself if you are doing the same thing.

Works of the flesh equal frustration, and works of the flesh mean that I am working without God.

We can live the joyful, overcoming life God has for us when we realize God helps those who know they cannot help themselves—those who realize they are totally dependent on Him and are grateful that He will provide everything they need.

Prayer Starter: Father, I am thankful that I do not have to depend on my own strength or best effort to get through life. Thank You that You are here to guide me and help me each day. I trust You and I place my life in Your hands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional HERE’’

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

The post Joyce Meyer Devotional 22 October 2018 — Humbly Leaning on the Lord appeared first on Flatimes.

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