"Charity, a word that comprises love and justice, may well be the most sublime of all Christian virtues."- Diana Butler Bass
On Sunday, gunmen attacked worshippers at church, killing 15 and wounding two more. The gunmen have been linked to Islamic Jihadists. Currently more than a third of Burkina Faso is currently under the control of insurgents. The authorities have been battling Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, which have taken over large swathes of land and displaced millions of people in the Sahel region.
We pray for the region now:
Lord these communities have been broken by violence and terror. We pray for the families and communities of those who were killed, for comfort. We pray for the gunmen, that they would turn from violent ways and find peace. We pray with the faithful of Burkina Faso that you will deliver them from evil and comfort them in these valleys where death's shadow is long.
Lord, we name the staggering loss of persons in Ukraine since the Russian invasion two years ago as a somber reminder of the cost of power’s insatiable need for more. We pray for resolution to the violence - Lord stay the aggressor’s hand in the name of Jesus. May mercy flood this country and may those who say they follow the Prince of Peace continue to step up with words and actions to promote peace.
Both British Columbia and Alberta set grim records for the highest number of toxic drug deaths in 2023 while Ontario hit 22 opioid deaths a day in Jan - June 2023 alone.
Lord, we pray life into these dark statistics. Where there seems to be no hope, you bring hope. May the families of every opioid related death be met with mercy, grace and a renewed energy for healing. May the communities speak life to one another and not judgment. You said you will heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds - do this now for all those turning to these substances even today for a way to get through.
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Supported by a Thriving Practices grant, this group is beginning a 10-month learning journey together. Their focus is on becoming more informed concerning multicultural wisdom, sharing learnings from various experiments, and developing fresh practices that can encourage multicultural hospitality and community. Hear the full story.
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