Prayer Guide For Parliament And The Nation

Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered his first Budget on Wednesday. Measures announced included a freeze in alcohol and fuel duty, plus an increase in the threshold for National Insurance contributions from £8,632 to £9,500. The Chancellor also announced that leisure, retail and hospitality firms with a rateable of less than £51,000 will not pay any business rates in the coming year. There will also be increased spending of £27bn for motorways and other main roads.

Pray that this large increase in spending on roads will be used wisely. Give thanks for the increase in National Insurance thresholds, which will take 500,000 employees out of the tax altogether.

Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former film producer was sentenced on Wednesday to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. Mr Weinstein has now been transferred to prison in Fishkill, north of New York. Los Angeles prosecutors have also announced the start of extradition proceedings to send Mr Weinstein for trial in California. He will then face more criminal charges, with the prospect of a further additional prison sentence.

Give thanks that the six women who testified against Mr Weinstein now feel a sense of closure. Pray that women in other industries will be encouraged to speak out against inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.

Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has been suspended from the Labour Party over allegations of Islamophobia. The Times newspaper reported that Mr Phillips has been suspended, pending investigation over remarks he made several years ago. These include expressing concerns about Pakistani Muslim men sexually abusing white teenage girls in many northern British towns. Mr Phillips was among 24 public figures who said last year they would not vote Labour because of its association with anti-Semitism. Mr Phillips was the founding chair of the EHRC, which is currently investigating anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

Pray that the investigations into Trevor Phillips’ remarks and possible anti-Semitism in the Labour Party will both be investigated fairly and fully.

Official government advice is that the UK has moved from the “containment” phase to the “delay” phase of the coronavirus. The UK government is now planning to delay the spread of coronavirus, rather than contain it. This comes after the World Health Organisation described the outbreak as a pandemic. A pandemic is a disease that is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time There are now 596 confirmed cases in the UK. With 491 in England, 60 in Scotland, 20 in Northern Ireland and 25 in Wales. So far, 27,476 people have been tested and ten people have died.

Pray for the families of those who have died or are seriously ill as a result of this virus. Pray that its spread can be delayed, so that the total number of cases in the UK can be reduced.

Here at the Nationwide Christian Trust, we have our music and ministry evening with ‘Vinesong’ on 15th March. Also, Ann Pangbourne will be speaking at our Retreat Day on 17th March on the subject of ‘Celebrating Biblical Feasts.’

Please pray that Our Lord will bless these events. Pray that all those who come will be renewed and inspired in their faith.


	Dementia in Sport: 8 March-14 March Following a report in Autumn 2019 linking football to dementia, Scotland seems likely to become the first country in Europe to ban children from heading a football during games. Scottish football’s governing body is considering the move after experts from the University of Glasgow found former professional players were 3.5 times more likely to die from dementia than people of the same age in the general population. Since 2014, children under 12 in the USA have been banned from heading a ball. The charity Alzheimer’s UK believe that possible links between contact sports and dementia must be balanced against the benefits of physical exercise on the brain. Pray for all former footballers who suffer from dementia and for their families. Pray that more people of all ages be encouraged to take up physical activity.
News of the week Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered his first Budget on Wednesday. Measures announced included a freeze in alcohol and fuel duty, plus an increase in the threshold for National Insurance contributions from £8,632 to £9,500. The Chancellor also announced that leisure, retail and hospitality firms with a rateable of less than £51,000 will not pay any business rates in the coming year. There will also be increased spending of £27bn for motorways and other main roads. Pray that this large increase in spending on roads will be used wisely. Give thanks for the increase in National Insurance thresholds, which will take 500,000 employees out of the tax altogether. Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced former film producer was sentenced on Wednesday to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. Mr Weinstein has now been transferred to prison in Fishkill, north of New York. Los Angeles prosecutors have also announced the start of extradition proceedings to send Mr Weinstein for trial in California. He will then face more criminal charges, with the prospect of a further additional prison sentence. Give thanks that the six women who testified against Mr Weinstein now feel a sense of closure. Pray that women in other industries will be encouraged to speak out against inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has been suspended from the Labour Party over allegations of Islamophobia. The Times newspaper reported that Mr Phillips has been suspended, pending investigation over remarks he made several years ago. These include expressing concerns about Pakistani Muslim men sexually abusing white teenage girls in many northern British towns. Mr Phillips was among 24 public figures who said last year they would not vote Labour because of its association with anti-Semitism. Mr Phillips was the founding chair of the EHRC, which is currently investigating anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. Pray that the investigations into Trevor Phillips’ remarks and possible anti-Semitism in the Labour Party will both be investigated fairly and fully. Official government advice is that the UK has moved from the “containment” phase to the “delay” phase of the coronavirus. The UK government is now planning to delay the spread of coronavirus, rather than contain it. This comes after the World Health Organisation described the outbreak as a pandemic. A pandemic is a disease that is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time There are now 596 confirmed cases in the UK. With 491 in England, 60 in Scotland, 20 in Northern Ireland and 25 in Wales. So far, 27,476 people have been tested and ten people have died. Pray for the families of those who have died or are seriously ill as a result of this virus. Pray that its spread can be delayed, so that the total number of cases in the UK can be reduced. Here at the Nationwide Christian Trust, we have our music and ministry evening with ‘Vinesong’ on 15th March. Also, Ann Pangbourne will be speaking at our Retreat Day on 17th March on the subject of ‘Celebrating Biblical Feasts.’ Please pray that Our Lord will bless these events. Pray that all those who come will be renewed and inspired in their faith.
Dementia in Sport: 8 March-14 March *Please use these prayers both in your individual and church prayer times to hold the nation and its leaders before God in prayer and with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 2:1-4).* Our weekly emails are now accessible via the Blog page on our website. Catch up on any news you may have missed or return to emails at a later date. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Please consider making a donation to support our work in providing these emails and other resources.
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Dementia in Sport: 8 March-14 March

News of the week

Dementia in Sport: 8 March-14 March