news in brief
New pastor in the Cwm
5 October saw
the
induction of Pastor
Steve Dyer to the pastorate of the Mission
Cwmtwrch, a village 15 miles north of
Swansea in the South Wales valleys.
Pastor Dyer’s
relationship with
the
Mission has grown steadily for several years.
In Spring 2019, he felt led to accept a call
from the Mission – a church that has its
origins in the 1904 Welsh Revival. Pastor
Dyer continues to work with Oasis Church,
now based in Gorseinon, which he planted
in early 2008.
news in brief
Shaping up UK’s response
The Bishop of Truro’s final report published
on
8
July
on worldwide Christian
persecution, made recommendations
for
religious literacy training in the UK Foreign
Office. It also said mechanisms are needed
to facilitate immediate responses to atrocity
crimes, including genocide.
Jeremy Hunt said he would adopt all 22
recommendations
from
the report noting
that Christians are
the most persecuted group in the world.
news in brief
Algeria: ‘God is sovereign’
Authorities closed another church building and its Bible school on 22 May.
Citing a law that requires authorisation for non-Muslim places of worship, gen-darmes locked the doors of the evangelical church building in Boudjima. Pastor Youcef Ourahmane said that the permit has been applied for, but the government commit-tee that approves them has never met. Ourahmane said they are praying for the authorities whilst recognising that ‘God is sovereign and is in control of this situation and all circumstances’.
news in brief
One a day
The UK Deed Poll Service reported a sharp rise in the number of parents paying £35 to alter their child’s title from ‘Miss to Master’ or ‘Master to Miss’ in the past five years, with about one under-16-year-old making the change every day, it was reported in January.
‘We used to issue a couple of these deed polls every couple of months, but now it’s seven to ten a week,’ said Louise Bowers, a senior deed poll officer. The majority are teenagers, but some are as young as ten.
news in brief
Algeria: tent ban
Christians in Algeria were forced out of a tent they were worshipping in by police on 28 January after their church building was sealed by authorities.
The tent, set up in the grounds of Azaghar Church, enabled the 300-strong congregation to continue worshipping following the forced closure of their church building for spurious ‘health and safety’ reasons. The church lost the use of its building in October 2018, despite the congregation responding to requests to install fire exits and fire extinguishers.
news in brief
Algeria: closure
The official notice that a village pastor in Algeria received on 30 December confirmed that his church had been ordered to close.
Pastor Rabah Messaoudi had won a legal battle in 2017 after local officials in the Muslim country tried to close his church. Those acting for the pastor have said they will appeal again, as the church is affiliated to an organisation of 45 churches through which the national commission confirms their authenticity.