We’re marking national Climate Week by trying out our newly updated Creation care prayer stations between Monday 4th and Thursday 7th March. Come and join us!
We had a great time working round the stations corporately together today in morning worship but don’t worry if you missed it… they’re available for drop-in use whenever the centre isn’t booked until the end of Thursday. (You can check drop-in times here.)
We’ll be trying out our new prayer stations Kinnecting to God, fairtrade and economic justice for the global poor all week next week, in advance of publishing them on the website. It’s the first week of Fairtrade Fortnight next week so it’s a good time to focus our prayer on these vital issues. Come and join us!
We’ll work round the stations corporately together in morning worship on Monday 25th between 9-10am and then they’ll be up and available for drop-in use whenever the centre isn’t booked for the rest of the week. (You can check drop-in times here.)
In advance of tomorrow’s 21 for freedom event at the Sanctuary, we’re publishing the first in a series of new resources to help us all as we pray and act for an end to human trafficking. Liz Baddaley’s ‘What price?’ is a song of lament and intercession. You can download the mp3, chord sheet and story behind the song from our new and topical resources page. Here, Liz tells us a bit about the song, the heart behind it, and the friends it is dedicated to – Mollie and Steve Brown…
…how and why it was written
The statistics speak for themselves and are the inspiration between this song of lament and intercession for trafficking to end:
“Today an estimated 27 million people are held in slavery, with statistics estimating that 99% are never rescued. Trafficking in women is the 2nd largest global organised crime, and in some cases girls are forced to service as many as 40 men a day.” (Source A21, 2012.)
I had been considering writing something for a while but the urgency of the issue got past my reticence to tackle something like this in the context of music and poetry because of friends working with those affected, and a documentary I watched in the summer of 2012 called Nefarious.
One day towards the end of the year a number of us were praying praying about trafficking at the Sanctuary as it was the issue in focus that day and the central idea of paying a price for a person versus Jesus paying the price came to mind.
Actually writing the song has been a bit of a struggle needing several sessions to get there because singing it let alone creating it has been painful for me. Facing up to this issue is difficult but it is essential. And nowhere is it more appropriate for us to talk about it than in the presence of God.
…how, where and when it could be used
This kind of specific lament and intercession song is outside the experience of most corporate sung worship, but there is no real reason why it couldnt work as a led congregational song.
It will probably work best however sung over a congregation as part of a response to a message on this topic and/or as a stimulus to intercession.
…the dedication
This song is dedicated to Mollie and Steven Brown friends from Mosaic Church Leeds who are now in Cambodia working with Iris Ministries to help women and children who have been trafficked into the sex trade. It is an immense privilege to know them and support them in prayer.
I believe one of the things our world most needs is more people like Mollie and Steve ordinary people who have become extraordinary by loving God and others so much theyve left friends, family and successful career prospects to work for justice and freedom.
…its place on the journey to where world and worship meet
This song is simply another in a growing family of songs written by the Sanctuary and other worship leaders which seek to bring the injustices of our world into our worship. For this is where they belong in the presence of God for they were on his heart first. Here we can catch his compassion, his strategy, and are filled with the Spirits strength so that we can partner with him in prayer and action to end modern day slavery and every other injustice that reduces precious unique individuals made in the image of God to commodities, numbers or disposable statistics.
We’d like to invite you to Feburary’s 21 for freedom focus on interceding and taking action for an end to human trafficking.
This month we’ll be extending our end of day rhythm of prayer and worship to focus on this issue specifically. See you at 5-6pm.
Today we began Poverty and Homelessness Action week (UK) by using our new prayer stations on the same theme together in morning worship. These stations will be up at our centre Tues 29th – Thurs 31st January for anyone to pop in and use, so do come along if you’re local. And then we’ll be publishing the resource for you to download and use anywhere and anytime.
But today, fresh from the experience of gathering the material to create them and then praying through the issues ourselves, we wanted to share a few of the statistics, Bible verses, reflections and prayers from them that especially stood out to us.
And link to a few organisations who are doing amazing work that can help you be part of the answer to the prayers we are all praying…
On God’s heart…
‘Oh Lord, you’re showing me what’s on your heart… You’ve put a new song in my mouth. It is a hymn of praise to you. Justice and mercy are its theme. And I will live it back to you.’ (Matt Redman’s ‘Justice and Mercy’ based on Isaiah 58 and part of our playlist this morning.)
‘If you ill-treat the poor, you insult your Creator;
If you are kind to them, you show him respect.’ (Proverbs 14:31, CEV)
What is the lifestyle we should seek?
‘He [King Josiah] always did right – he gave justice to the poor and was honest. That’s what it means to truly know me. So he lived a comfortable life and always had enough to eat and drink’. (Jeremiah 22:15-16, CEV, italics ours.)
What does poverty look like in the UK?
Poverty in the UK is defined in three ways – absolute poverty (lack of sufficient resources to keep body and soul together), relative poverty ( absence of materials to participate in the average daily life of the culture you are living in) and social exclusion (a combination of factors that trap people and communities in cyclical poverty).
Absolute poverty is thought to have affected 5.8 million people in the UK in 2012. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2012.)
One third of British children are forced to go with at least one of the things they need, such as three meals a day or adequate clothing.
In the current economic climate homelessness, poverty and debt are all increasing and thousands are thought to be going to bed hungry each night. (Trussell Trust 2013.)
Tens of thousands are affected by homelessness each year and thousands sleep rough each night… while many inside still go cold as 7.4 million people live in inadequate housing and more than 5 million households live in fuel poverty because they can’t afford to heat their homes to a sufficient temperature. (Shelter 2013.)
People – and even children – living in poverty or facing homelessness face material difficulties and stigma… and behind each statistic are thousands of unique individuals’ stories. Like Gemma’s… or Sam’s or Ben’s or Chris’s…
Please pray, especially for the children who are effected…
P-O-V-E-R-T-Y
It makes me sad
That you dont have to be able to spell poverty
To live in it.
And it makes me angry
That you dont have to be a grown-up
To worry about bills,
Look after adults,
Or struggle with a disability.
But I know you understand how I feel Lord Jesus
Because you felt it first.
You saw our pain and gave up everything to come and rescue us.
Please help me to turn my emotions into actions too
Until all your children have a better childhood.
…and take action with The Children’s Society, Shelter, Christians Against Poverty, The Trussel Trust or other brilliant organisations local to you.
Today marked the first 21st day in 2013, and our first in a series of 12 days this year dedicated to praying about the horrifying reality that is human trafficking.
In this first session of special prayer on the issue we focused on some of the statistics. Both the numbers and proximity to home of the problem are fightening. Here are some of the facts that broke our hearts again today:
A global problem…
– 27 million people are in slavery today – 1.4 million for sex and the remaining 25.6 million in forced labour – in both categories, there are a huge number of women and children involved.
– Currently, only 1% of victims are ever rescued.
– Human trafficking is the 2nd largest global crime, generating $31.6 billion every year (of which $27.8 billion is from sexual exploitation).
– Only 1 in 100, 000 traffickers are convicted.
Too close for comfort
– Europe is hugely involved in both the receipt and capture of trafficked people.
– 25% of people trafficked for sex are taken from southern and eastern Europe. The scale of the problem is vast – in the Ukraine for example, 1 in 10 people knows someone who has been trafficked abroad.
– Greece is known as the ‘centre of trafficking in Europe’ with 90% of all victims levaing/coming in via its borders.
(All statistics sourced from the A21 campaign.)
Crying out for deliverance
These statistics talk about big numbers. But the biggest travesty is the unique individuals behind them – the personal and tragic details of each and every story.
The biggest barrier to change though is not the scale of the problem but the degree to which we believe the lie that change cannot come. Or accept that apathy or hopelessness are possible responses.
Our faith centres around the person of Jesus Christ – who overcame every obstacle, even death – to save. Our deliverer. He is our example. Let’s pray for people to be rescued and for this appalling system to crumble. But let’s also lay down our lives to play our part in being part of his rescue plan.
As we start this year we’re committing to pray more for this issue; raise awareness more; create resources you can use to help you do the same; and campaign. If we all follow what we’re being led to do we can and will see an end to 21st Century slavery.
Will you join us?
(Our next 21 for freedom prayer event is in February. Before then, we’ll be uploading a new song of lament and intercession – ‘What price?’ – we’ll let you know when it’s available.)
We’ve published our events programme for the next few months. Check it out here. Today we’d like to highlight Living Prayer on Saturday 2 February (9:30am-4pm) which aims to ‘Demystify prayer as a lifestyle’.
Were running this special event at the Sanctuarys centre in partnership with Sarah Parkinson (poet, homemaker and spiritual director).
Together well be exploring overcoming obstacles to prayer; the adventure of using different tools, styles and prayer languages, and intentionally seeking a life-bringing prayer rhythm that works whatever your circumstances.
Email info@thesanctuarycentre.org to register your free place and avoid disappointment. (Spaces are limited and will be given on a first-come first-served basis.)
Pop in any time between 10 and 12 this Satuday Morning to take part in a prayer vigil for World AIDS Day (1 December).
Or come and use the prayer stations – which will be left out – at anytime the centre is open between Monday 3 and Friday 7 December.
Only a few days now until our Taster Day for the Omega course… there’s still time to register to come to this free event – just contact us
More details about the event, and links to downloading the two part course and individual’s follow up resource that will help you and your small group or church to ‘take a second look at Christmas’ are available here.
to celebrate All Saints’ Day. We’ve produced a new creative prayer station resource – which we’ll be publishing on the website this week. Come and join us as we’re inspired by the impact Christians can have on the world when they give their lives fully to Christ and his cause and as we pray for the worldwide and persecuted church.
We’ll be using the stations for the first time all together during our 9-10am worship slot, and then they’ll be up for the rest of the day, so do come in – with or without kids – at any point until 5:30pm when we’ll close the day with united prayer.