WELCOME TO MELTON TEAM PARISH WEBSITE

Welcome to the Melton Mowbray Team Parish!

There’s so much useful and interesting information about our Team Parish on this, our new website – do take time to explore it.

And, if possible, we look forward to meeting you in person soon.

Every Blessing,
Mary (Barr)
Team Rector 

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, do contact Julia, the Website Administrator by email julia@meltonparish.org.uk.

Team Rector Writes

Supporting Christians where faith costs most

Dear Friends,

Almost 70 years ago, a young Dutchman started smuggling Bibles to the persecuted church in Communist Europe. He became known as Brother Andrew; you might have read his best-selling book God’s Smuggler.  His work was the origin of “Open Doors” – a Christian organisation that still distributes hundreds of thousands of Bibles and Christian books every year.

Today, of course, Europe has changed. The main threat to Christians now comes not from Communism, but from Islamist and Hindu extremists and hostile and intolerant regimes. It is a very sad but often overlooked fact that Christianity is the religion on the receiving end of most persecution and discrimination today. More than 365 million Christians worldwide – that’s a staggering one in seven believers – count the highest cost for following Jesus. So as well as delivering Bibles, Open Doors supports persecuted Christians in other ways: providing training, relief aid, livelihood support and community development projects for hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world.

According to Open Doors’ research, over 90% of Christians killed for their faith last year were in sub-Saharan Africa. Rising violence is being driven largely by Islamist extremists taking advantage of political instability in the region. For instance, in Nigeria millions of Christians have been displaced by violence and conflict, forced to flee their homes and live in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) either in their own country or in neighbouring countries. In response, the African church is calling for their brothers and sisters around the world to join them in the Arise Africa campaign. It challenges the global community to acknowledge and act against extreme violence and to help the church to be resilient, resourceful and influential.

Then there’s North Korea – a country where there is no freedom of religion whatsoever. Christians, especially pastors and missionaries, are treated as spies or enemies, to be rooted out and eradicated. Christians risk the lives of themselves and their families if they own a Bible or teach their children about Jesus. And yet, even in this desperate situation the church is growing. Open Doors’ radio ministry encourages the ‘underground’ church with prayer support and Bible studies. And through their networks in another country, Open Doors secret workers are currently sustaining about 100,000 North Korean believers with vital food, medicine and aid, shelter and discipleship training.

Open Doors ministry is only possible with the help and prayers of people like us. That’s why, on behalf of Churches Together in Melton Mowbray, I have invited Andy Worthington, Head of Church Relations at Open Doors, to come and share with us inspiring stories of what God is doing around the world through the persecuted church. By being better informed we can do more to support our fellow Christians where faith costs most.  Please do come to St Mary’s Church. Melton Mowbray, at 7.30pm on Monday 28th October.

Meanwhile, looking ahead to 3rd November, the International Day of Prayer for

Persecuted Christians, shall we join in using this prayer regularly:

Heavenly Father, we pray for our sisters and brothers in Christ who constantly face the reality of intolerance and violent persecution. Please strengthen and uphold them; in the name of the One who triumphed over fear and evil, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Yours in Christ’s service,

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