Premier spoke to John Henderson, an organist in his twenties who plays at various churches across London, to see from his experience how popular it was among young people. 

According to the survey, John is among the few under 30 who play in church. He said: “I’ve always been fascinated by the organ.”

Many organ teachers prefer students to have Grade 5 in piano already and it is often hard for those learning to find an organ to practice on frequently. However, John explained how it may also involve other factors: “I think it may just be to do with a decline in interest in music, not only in specifically organ music but in the choral music that the organ is normally used to support. I think a lot of churches and a lot of organists currently would have sung in church choirs as children or growing up in their teens and that really does cultivate a love for this beautiful, sacred music we all use to worship together.”

When asked what it means to the congregations he plays for he said: “I think it does mean quite a lot; to have a real instrument, to have someone leading the worship by playing the notes at the same time as congregation are singing, to have everyone united in worship together really is very special.”

There are also some signs of the instrument having a come-back: “There are new organ scholarship starting at parish churches which is very encouraging and…

A 17-year-old girl has been shot dead in north London and a 16 year old boy shot in Walthamstow, he has life-changing but not life-threatening injuries.

No arrests have been made over the shooting, which comes amid concerns over rising violent crime in the capital.

So far this year, the Metropolitan Police has launched 47 murder investigations – eight in January, 15 in February, 22 in March and two in April.

Rev Nims Obunge from Freedom’s Ark Church in Tottenham and the Chief Executive of Peace Alliance, which tries to bring peace to marginalised communities, told Premier:  “A 17 year old girl being shot, being killed on our streets – it’s gone too far.”

He explained that this was the final straw: “We’re calling for a meeting of churches, communities, all kids who want to be part of the solution…we just want to work together, we’re desperate to get to the core of this. “

Rev Nims Obunge said in his community there was a rivalry between Wood Green and Tottenham: “In my neck of the woods there is a lot of revenge going back and forth and social media has played a significant role in the way young people carry out acts of violence – they have filmed it and put that up on social media.”

However, he highlighted how the trauma that rivalry brings was a situation Christians could help people with: “We have an opportunity to share the power of…

According to Marti news, 17,000 New Independent Version (NIV) Bibles were returned by the Religious Affairs Department of the Communist Party but the King James Versions were not returned.

The NIV is a translation in more modern language, using a ‘phrase by phrase’ method, while KJV is more traditional in its vocabulary.

Esteban Fernández, executive director in Latin America of Biblica, the publishing house which promotes the NIV, told Mission Network News that Cuba returned thousands of Bibles to Miami, and that it wasn’t the first time.

He said: “We believe that we need something really strong and easy to get into the head and people’s hearts.”

Missionaries say many Cubans find it hard to understand the language of the KJV.

Fernández also said that many people in Cuba are sharing one Bible between six people.

Religious charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) explained on its website that the Cuban Office for Religious affairs “is focused almost entirely on controlling and restricting the public and private manifestation of religious faith, not on upholding and protecting the religious freedom of Cuban citizens.”

A report by the US Department of State on International Religious Freedom said the office for Religious Affairs in Cuba “continued to require a license to import religious literature and other religious materials. The government owned nearly all printing equipment and supplies and regulated printed materials, including religious literature,…

It’s reported Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has won 92 percent of the vote in preliminary results.

But his only opponent Mousa Mostafa Mousa won’t be too unhappy – having publicly backed Sisi to win a second term.

Just 23 million of the 60 million eligible voters turned out.

Release International, which campaigns on behalf of persecuted Christians around the world, says that while life is somewhat easier for Christians in the capital Cairo – believers in other parts of the country are under increased pressure from extremists,

Calling for action, Release chief executive Paul Robinson said: “While thousands of Christians have been driven out of countries such as Iraq and Syria, Egypt remains a bastion of the Christian faith in the Middle East, but that enclave is under pressure.

“Release International is urging President al-Sisi to protect Egypt’s Christians, treat them as equal citizens and grant them full religious freedom.
 
“Mr President, Christians should no longer be driven from their homes, their churches must no longer be targeted for shootings, bombings and arson, and their families must be afforded the protection of the state. Please intervene to prevent this epidemic of kidnapping.”

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