Seven injured as car crashes into church

West Yorkshire Police said officers were called to Regent Street in Leeds at around 11.58am on Sunday after a silver Peugeot left the road and crashed into the building, reported to be a Universal Church of the Kingdom of God Help Centre.

A 26-year-old female passenger in the vehicle has been taken to hospital in a critical condition, while the driver and other passengers – including two adults and a baby – suffered minor injuries, the force said.

 

A spokesman said a blue Audi had been involved in the collision and that the driver of that car, a 27-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of driving whilst over the prescribed limit.

Two children who were on the pavement when the crash happened suffered minor injuries, the force said.

 

A spokesman added: “The road is still closed, and could be for some time whilst police carry out their investigation.

“Officers are appealing to the public for witnesses to the collision itself or if anyone saw the vehicles prior to the collision.”

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Catholic aid agency calls for governments to work with faith groups to achieve sustainable development goals

Attended by heads of state and government from across the world this year’s UNGA featured the first summit tracking progress towards delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since their adoption in 2015.  

Catholic aid agency CAFOD warned governments at the UN in New York they would not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals unless they work with faith groups at the heart of communities worldwide.

 

  

Director of CAFOD, Christine Allen, spoke in New York this week at an event called, ‘Why faith actors are critical to achieving the 2030 Agenda’, at the UNGA. She told Premier CAFOD’s message is that “it is really important to work with faith communities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

“No one can do it on their own, faith leaders and faith communities are ready, willing and able, we just need a better invitation. We also need for governments both nationally and locally to invite us in and to be part of the planning and part of the delivery.”

In 2015, world leaders gathered in New York to agree a set of SDGs in order to make the world a better place. The goals include, reducing numbers of people in absolute poverty, improving nutrition, tackling inequalities, and to have a much more sustainable approach to care for the earth.

Christine Allen told Premier: “Organisations like CAFOD, Tearfund and Christian Aid, are…

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Priest leads funeral of Robert Mugabe

They chose a private farewell for one of Africa’s most divisive figures after a weeks-long dispute with the administration that forced him from power.

To cries of approval, the priest said: “This man lives forever,” and added: “This gathering is a paradox. We are mourning at the same time we are celebrating because this man lived his life in a manner that many of us would want to emulate.”

 

 

Later, standing by the coffin, he prayed: “God, take pity on him. Don’t judge him harshly.”

Mr Mugabe died this month in Singapore aged 95 after leading Zimbabwe for nearly four decades before being pushed into a shocking resignation as thousands danced in the streets.

His coffin, draped in the country’s flag, was carried into a tent for the service in Zvimba by military pallbearers as his black-veiled wife Grace looked on.

The tent displayed a photo of Mr Mugabe holding up his fist in a classic gesture of defiance, while a floral arrangement in front of the casket spelled “Dad.”

Many mourners wore T-shirts saying “Liberator” and “Torch bearer”.

Some of Mr Mugabe’s political rivals, including opposition figures who were routinely arrested or harassed during his 37-year rule, attended the service while long-time colleagues did not.

Notably absent were senior officials from the ruling party that he led for more than four decades, including during the fight for liberation.

Just a…

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Former footballer opens church

Former 44-year-old striker, Dyer played for Crystal Palace and Watford but his career was caught up with drink and drugs.

Dyer became a Christian in the late 1990s after a divine encounter, he said: “I hit a really, really dark patch in life – I had an issue with drink, an issue with drugs.

 

 

“I began a 20-year journey that brought supernatural transformation to my life through Jesus Christ.”

Bruce retired from football in 2008. He launched Love Life UK Church as a small group in 2018, but now it has its own building in Barnsley.

Dyer said: “We worship, preach, pray and have a desire to have a positive impact in the community.”

“I’ve never publicly said this, but because of the church and what we are trying to achieve and my passion for number one Jesus, and my passion and love for people, I just want to help people.

“By the grace of God, Jesus sorted me out and if you’ve got something that’s good it would be wrong not to hand it out.”

 

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Tom Hanks new film promotes power of prayer

Another mainstream film is positively showing the ideas of faith, prayer, and personal relationships with God. The new Misters Rogers movie portrays Mister Rogers’ praying.

“Do you know what that means, to forgive?” Hanks, who portrays Rogers in the film, can be seen asking in the latest trailer. “It’s a decision we make to release a person from the feelings of anger we have toward them.”

 

 

The film is based on an article written by journalist Tom Junod, who formed a strong friendship with Rogers while profiling him. The movie reportedly tells the story about how their friendship developed over the years after meeting for the first time.

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ will be released on 22 November 2019 in the US and on 6 December 2019 in the UK.

 

 

Rogers was the subject of a 2018 documentary titled ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor’, which documented his life and work.

  

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British actress sues after being sacked for quoting from the Bible

The 25-year-old British actress was given the lead role in a stage version of The Color Purple in March.

But just a day after she was cast in the production, an old Facebook post in which she quoted the Bible to express her Christian beliefs led to her being sacked as a ‘homophobe’ and dropped by her agent.

 

 

Six months on and unable to get work, the 25-year-old is suing, saying she is a victim of religious discrimination.

Last night, the actress told The Mail on Sunday she is no longer even invited to auditions.

“I’m heartbroken,” she said. “If I’m unable to get back to the stage, then I feel there is no point. It’s the only thing I have ever wanted since I was a young girl.”

After training at the prestigious Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, the London-born actress quickly found parts in the West End and at the National Theatre.

In March this year, she auditioned for a production of the musical to be staged in Birmingham and Leicester and was ecstatic to be given the part of Celie, the central character in Alice Walker’s novel who was played by Whoopi Goldberg in the 1985 film.

But the next day she received a tweet with a screenshot of her Facebook post from September 2014. 

In a discussion about homosexuality, she had written: “It is clearly evident in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 what the Bible says on this matter. I do not believe you can be born…

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Pray for College Road Baptist Church

Location: Ocala, Florida

Pastor: Alan Cotney

Weekly Worship: 8:00, 9:30, 10:30, & 11:00 am, Eastern

Fast Facts:
College Road Baptist Church is one church in two languages at two locations. They have English and Spanish services at their Ocala and Dunnellon, Florida campuses. They are a multigenerational and multiethnic congregation in a fast growing part of their city.

Please be in prayer for a new bilingual campus pastor for their Dunnellon campus and for the church’s “Invite Your One” friend day on October 6. They will also be hosting a large outreach event on October 31 as a Halloween alternative that will see more than 1,000 people come through the church for food, candy, fun, and a gospel presentation.

Website: CollegeRoad.org


“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well.

If you would like to have your church featured in the “Pray for…” series, fill out this information form..

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Christian charity supports thousands left homeless one year after earthquake

The Christian relief and development agency has been responding in the region since the earthquake and tsunami hit, delivering life-saving aid and helping people build new homes and businesses. 

4,300 people were killed and 190,000 were left in need of assistance when the earthquake hit, which triggered not only a tsunami, but also liquefaction, a phenomenon which caused whole villages to be swallowed up by the earth.

 

 

It is not known how many bodies are still unaccounted for, but flags placed among the rubble indicate where those still not recovered may be buried deep under the rubble and mud. 

Now a year on, 57,000 people are still homeless, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresecent (IFRC). For survivors like Suparjo, aged 60 and his wife Ina, aged 64 , who escaped with only their lives and each other, recovery has meant an entirely new start.

The couple fled Palu when their house was destroyed by liquefaction following the earthquake. They have since been living in a temporary shelter in a camp in Pombewe, surviving on food donations and in March joined Tearfund’s cash programme, receiving funds to start a small business making banana chips, which with they are selling in Palu and in nearby kiosks.

They are now earning enough to support themselves and saving to repair their house. Suparjo said: “We lost everything but we…

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Chaplains across UK help Thomas cook passengers

The company’s shutdown has caused 150,000 UK holidaymakers to be brought home by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), over two weeks in a flight programme costing £100 million.

Just over half the Thomas Cook customers who were abroad when it collapsed on Monday have been flown back to the UK.

 

 

Yesterday the CAA operated 68 flights to bring back about 15,000 passengers.

At East Midlands Airport, the Revd John Dawson and his three colleagues worked a rota to ensure that they were on hand when government-funded repatriation flights from Egypt and Spain landed. “People are really distressed: firstly, because their holidays have been cut short, and then they had to wait a long time to get on a plane home,” he said.

“They are pleased to have been repatriated, but were critical of how things were handled. They needed more help to sort out how they were getting back. Some had been delayed for up to ten hours, and weren’t getting any information. If they had known what was happening, it would have taken a lot of the heat out of the situation, but it had spoilt their holidays. They were hot and bothered, wondering what was going to happen.

“This is a holiday airport; so we are geared up for this sort of thing. We offer someone they can talk to, help with contacts, offering a phone to ring relatives. We just sit them down, give them a cup of tea, and make sure…

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Pakistani Archbishop raises alarm of kidnapping and forced conversions of Christian girls

In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore confirmed reports of abductions involving girls as young as 14, acts he condemned as “a crime”.

His comments come amid research in Pakistan’s Punjab Province stating that up to 700 girls had been abducted in one year.

 

 

He said: “Yes, [abductions of under-age girls] are happening” and he added that “there have been many kidnappings recently”.

Archbishop Shaw added: “Kidnapping is a crime. It has to be treated as one. This is the only way to stop it. The girls are usually 14, 15. The men often already have one wife. They can be 25 or older. They can be younger, more like 20.”

He believed there was a religious aspect to the kidnappings, particularly as the girls are Hindu or Christian. Yet, the archbishop did not believe it was the only explanation.

“It is lust. They think ‘she is pretty and I want her’. It is a crime. But it has a possible religious component too.”

The archbishop said that in response to the increase in abductions, Christian leaders took the problem to the police “but they were not listening” so they went straight to the government.

“We raised it with the government and they took up the matter. Along with the Islamic council, they arranged a meeting with myself and leaders from the Muslim and Hindu communities.

“I…

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