Magazine July 2011

Dear Friends

Here’s a summary of the Sunday at 10.30 worship programme during July:

3rd – Holy Communion

10th – Morning Worship, speaker Gill Gosling from Word of Life

17th – Holy Communion

24th – Morning Worship including dedication of Chancel Handrail in memory of Margaret Lees

31st – All Age Morning Worship

Other events:

Tuesday, 5th July, 7.30:  Mothers’ Union Deanery Festival at St Matthew’s, Chadderton, including thanksgiving for May Broome’s 40 years in the M.U. and Margaret Haslam’s 35.

Monday 25th – Friday 29th July:  Holiday Club in school- parents should apply in advance to Kathy Lees (620 1162).  Please pray for team members, children and parents.

Note that the Summer Fete planned for Saturday 16th July has been cancelled.  Instead there will be a Faith Lunch with other attractions on Sunday, 6 November, together with other attractions.  On 16th July we are all welcome to join in St Pauls’ Strawberry Tea, between 2 and 4 pm.

          Yours sincerely,

      Andrew Dawson

For this month's update of Mission News and Word of Life click here.

Christian Funeral

‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life … nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ – St Paul to the Christians in Rome 8, 38 – 39.

3 June                                 Jennifer Brisland                           64 years

Iran and its Green Movement

The Green Movement refers to a series of actionsafter the 2009 Iranian presidential election, in which protesters demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejadfrom office. Green was initially used as the symbol of Mir HosseinMousavi's campaign, but after the election it became the symbol of unity and hope for those asking for annulment of what theyregarded as a fraudulent election.MirHosseinMousavi and Mehdi Karroubiare recognized as political leaders of the Green Movement. Witnesses to Green Movement protests often claim that protests of this size have not been seen in Iran since the 1979 revolution.

Where is my vote? amotto which was used during the protests. The Iranian government, headed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, released results claiming a two-thirds majority, However Mousavihad already claimed victory before the vote count was done and supporters of Mousavi and Karroubiaccused the government of rigging the votes.

In the aftermath of the election, protests were widened and several massive protests were held around the country by the people. The government arrested a large number of the protesters and several were killed by the police and governmental militia forces.

Mousavi and the reformists are now working in legal ways to put into force reforms. They had set up a new coalition, named  ‘The Green Path of Hope’, to support this way. The "Green Path" has six main members of the central council, who are connected to reformist parties, NGOs, and social networks. The main body will be ordinary protesters. The strategy is to connect existent pressures and  issues in society in a social network, and to therefore lead protests in a lawful manner.

On February 14, 2011, the largest Green demonstrations in Iran in more than a year broke out. In response pro-government MPs called for the death of opposition leaders Mir Hussein Moussaviand Mehdi Karroubi.

Adapted from an article in Wikipedia encyclopedia.

Persecution of Christians in Iran

Christian Solidarity Worldwidestaff monitoring religious freedom in Iran have witnessed an alarming rise in persecution of the evangelical house church network. Since June 2010, at least 282 Christians are known to have been brutally arrested and unjustly detained across the country. In response, CSW has been advocating strongly on their behalf, presenting evidence of these abuses to the United Nationand at the European Parliament.

Christians in Iran are the second largest non-Muslim religious minority among an estimated 98 per cent Muslim majority. Church leaders from inside Iran estimate that there are one million Christians living in the country but the real figure is impossible to calculate as many are converts from Islam forced to practise their faith in secret. During the past months it has become obvious that the Iranian Government is severely  pressurising Christians from the house church movement. Hundreds have been arrested. Many were brutally interrogated, suffering verbal and physical abuse. Many have been pressured to abandon their Christian faith.

Other troubling developments include a rise in anti-Christian rhetoric in public media. For example, the governor of Tehran, publically called the evangelical movement a false, deviant and corrupt sectplacing themselves within the religion of Islam like a parasite and under the cover of Christianity. We have been encouraged to knowthat some MEPs are committed to taking action. The Iranian Government is now also aware that the international community, especially the European Parliament, are monitoring the many brutal arrests and unfair imprisonments.

Although international relations with Iran are difficult, we know that change is possible when our work is underpinned by prayer. Please pray for hope and strength for those imprisoned for their faith in Iran, for their release, and God’s comfort for their families and fellow church members. Please  also pray for justice and righteousness to prevail and for the Chair of the EU Iran Delegation.

Adapted  from ‘Response’ magazine, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, May 2011