Church Issues

• Pope rejects transgenderism: The Vatican has issued a statement rejecting the idea that people can choose or change their gender. Read more here.
  
• 50,000 attend Pentecost events in Germany: 20 big Christian events were organised nation-wide on Pentecost Sunday, which included 500 people being baptised in the River Elb. Read more here.

World Scene

• Mercy Ships celebrate 100,000th surgical procedure: The Christian medical charity has been in ministry for 40 years, serving some of the world’s poorest people with free healthcare via hospital ships. Read more here.
  
• Open revolt against new pro-life laws in USA: Hundreds of big companies have joined a campaign protesting new pro-life laws in various states as ‘bad for business’. Read more here. Dozens of attorneys from 23 states have declared that they will refuse to prosecute violations of the laws. Read more here.
  
• US deaths from drugs/alcohol/suicide reach record high: Nationally, the death rate from drug overdoses more than doubled between 2005 and 2017, new statistics show. West Virginia has the highest rates of such deaths, but nine other states have seen at least a three-fold increase in overdose mortality since 2005. Read more here.
  
• 29 Christians murdered in Burkina Faso: Two major attacks by Islamists on 9 and 10 June have left more than a dozen believers dead and many more fleeing the north of the country. The attacks follow several others in recent weeks. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Israel admits pre-emptive strikes in Syria: PM Netanyahu acknowledged this week that the Israeli military has been striking Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria, to prevent Iran from establishing itself permanently there. Read more here. Iran is being blamed for aiding Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi Arabian infrastructure, as well as attacks this week and in May on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
  
• Mixed Arab reaction to upcoming peace workshop: Six Arab nations have so far agreed to attend the US-led Bahrain workshop, while Iraq and Lebanon are bowing to Palestinian pressure to stay away. Read more here. Also this week, Moldova announced that it will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Read more here.

Events

• ‘Remaining Faithful’: Methodist call to prayer (Friday 21 June): Methodist Evangelicals Together are putting out a global call to prayer ahead of the denomination’s annual conference at the end of this month, when a new report is to be presented recommending its definition of marriage be changed and same-sex marriages be allowed. Click here to find out more about the day of prayer.
  
• International Christian Consulate touring churches (15-21 July): The ICC will be sharing with churches and groups about God’s work amongst persecuted Christian refugees and asylum-seekers in Greece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for an opportunity to connect, learn and get involved. Find out more about the ICC here.