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AFTER UNITED METHODIST SPLIT, CHURCHES FIND ‘RENEWED SENSE OF PURPOSE’

It’s been three years since the historic split in the United Methodist Church (USA), where more than 7,600 congregations have officially disaffiliated over disagreements surrounding same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy. The First Church in Siloam Springs, Arkansas was one of the first that voted in 2022 to leave the UMC and join the newly formed Global Methodist Church—a theologically conservative denomination that launched with just a few dozen congregations in 2022 and now oversees more than 4,600 worldwide. “The Global Methodist Church really offered the closest thing for our theology and the culture of our church,” their Pastor the Rev Clark Atkins said. “There are some members missing who aren’t here, but it feels renewed. It feels more joyous,” said First Church member Miranda Stephens “We have a renewed sense of purpose.”
First Church has seen steady growth, with worship attendance rising 15% in the first year, another 13% the next, and over 10% this year, according to Atkins. He now oversees more than 300 Global Methodist congregations and reports growth in attendance, baptisms, and professions of faith. “Our church has gone through a lot. I’ve seen a lot of growth. But I can say, the spirit of this church is probably the healthiest it’s been in a long time.” Atkins said. [Source: CBN news]

THE COST OF BEING A BELIEVER IN SOMALIA
In Somalia, a Muslim teacher in the local mosque was curious to know more about Jesus Christ. After years of learning about Jesus and considering the truth claimed by Christianity, he turned to Christ and found new life. Now, as a child of the one true God, he was determined to become a true disciple of Jesus. On fire with his new faith, the man started sharing the gospel, even though he knew this was dangerous. He was accused of being insane, beaten cruelly, jailed and thrown into a pit to die. But he did not die and after three months was set free. He continues to make known the gospel, but does so largely in secret, because of the constant danger to his life. His brother, who also become a Christian and was imprisoned, died in jail. [Source: Open Doors]

THE GOSPEL IN ARGENTINA
Behind Argentina’s sophistication and postmodern façade, lies an intense spiritual struggle for the lives of its people. In addition to the seductive power of modern secularism, there is a low-key but widespread influence of the occult, a growth in Christian aberrations such as Mormonism and an increase in anti-Christian religions such as Islam. But despite these challenges, there is still ongoing evangelism and sustained intercession from many revitalised churches. One pressing need is to penetrate the communities of those regarded as upper class. Mozambique’s northern state of Cabo Delgado continues to be a dangerous place for Christians, as brutally aggressive Islamists persist in their relentless and brutal attacks on Christian churches and villages. An estimated 1,800 believers have been killed in the past seven years. In contrast, the church elsewhere in Mozambique is experiencing strong growth. [Source: Barnabas Aid]

IRAN – THE KILLING AND PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS CONTINUES
More than 900 Iranian civilians were executed in 2024, and countless more received death sentences for religiously based charges. Ninety-six Iranian Christians were sentenced to a combined 263 years in jail. Three Christians received sentence of 16 years, 15 years and 10 years for ‘propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,’ even though the ‘offence’ was no more than practising their faith privately at home. Iran’s extensive and brutal security measures are designed to suppress all religious and political dissent. Despite this, the church in Iran continues to grow.  Some reports put the number of Christians in the hundreds of thousands. [Sources: Open Doors/Bible Society]

FORMER SHEIKH BEATEN, LOSES FAMILY AFTER VISION OF CHRIST
Morning Star News – Wambuzi Maka Uthman, a 39-year-old former sheikh (Islamic teacher), went to Friday prayers in a town  in eastern Uganda on August 1 as usual, then went to sleep in a corner of the mosque, he said. “There I saw a man dressed in white, long clothing surrounded by four angels – the man called me by my name, ‘Uthman’ three times. I was so frightened as I drew near to him, knelt down and worshipped Him. Thereafter He told me to go to my people and to tell them to repent and turn to the living God.”
As Uthman returned home at about 5 p.m., he met a pastor from Elim Church, he said. “I shared with him the strange message that I received of repentance. He took me to his church and shared the Gospel with me, I then understood that it was Issa [Jesus] who had sent me to my fellow Muslims to repent.” A few days later, he began telling his wife and six children, as well as his neighbours, about Christ. “I was so happy beyond expectations as I developed a deeper love for Jesus – my wife could not believe the Good News which I was sharing with her. She thought I was out of my mind. She went and told my brothers about the strange teaching about Jesus which I had shared with her.”
Thinking he had taken leave of his senses, his brothers and wife arranged for a van to take Uthman to a nearby medical centre. “When we were about to leave, I told them that I am not mad and started sharing with them of the dramatic vision of Issa appearing to me. Immediately after realizing that I was not mad, my elder brother hit me with kicks and blows on my mouth, nose and eyes, and I started bleeding, while others started beating me with sticks. I developed an extra energy and managed to escape mysteriously through a thick bush, then arrived at the house of a nearby neighbour who happened to be a Christian.” The neighbour rushed Uthman to hospital in Mayuge town, where he was treated for one week, and during this time, his wife took their six children with her to live with relatives.  Family members went to his house and demolished it, where Uthman’s brother told Morning Star News, “We cannot continue staying with this infidel who is telling us things about Jesus as the Son of God, yet for us we know him as a messenger of Allah alone.” After Uthman left the hospital, he went to stay at an undisclosed location for his safety.

WORLD-CLASS PHILOSOPHERS WHO DEFEND CHRISTIANITY
Nancy Randolph Pearcey, an American evangelical author known for her writings on Intelligent design and Christian worldview theory, writes that Christians now fill graduate programmes, occupy key teaching positions, and write important books in the field of analytic philosophy. In 1978 Alvin Plantinga – an American Christian analytic philosopher – helped found the Society of Christian Philosophers, which now has more than one thousand members and is the largest organized subgroup among American philosophers. As Quentin Smith – an American philosopher and a defender of Atheism – had to confess: “In other fields, Christians typically compartmentalize their religious convictions from their scholarly work out of fear of committing academic suicide. But In philosophy, it became, almost overnight, ‘academically respectable’ to argue for theism.”
Pearcey further states in her article, that God had been chased out of heaven by Marx, banished to the unconscious by Freud, and driven out of the empirical world by Darwin. But today, “God is making a comeback.” The most intriguing thing is that this is not happening in churches among ordinary churchgoers “but in the crisp intellectual circles of academic philosophers, where the consensus had long banished the Almighty from fruitful discourse.” Many of today’s brightest philosophers are Christians, and they’re using the best resources of analytic philosophy to argue in defense of theism. She concludes: “While philosophy is not the be-all and end-all of the Christian life, it is encouraging to know that so many Christians are being faithful to God’s calling in their area of life. Nevertheless, the meteoric rise of institutions with an overtly Christian ethos at the highest level of accreditation is notable.” [Sources: The Daily Declaration and other sources for references]

SYRIA – AT LEAST 25 KILLED IN TERRORIST ATTACK ON CHURCH
The Christian community in Syria needs our prayers after at least 25 people were killed and 63 others injured in a terrorist attack at a church in the capital Damascus on Sunday 22 June. A man opened fire during a church service in the Dweila area of the city before detonating an explosive vest. The Syrian government announced shortly after the attack that the bomber was affiliated to Islamic State (IS). A funeral service for the victims of the attack was held at the Church of the Holy Cross on 24 June. Senior church leader John X Yazigi spoke at the funeral, addressing the government, headed by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, directly. “With love and respect, Mr President, your condolences by phone are not enough for us,” he said, speaking before hundreds of mourners. “This crime is bigger than a phone call. The government bears full responsibility.” He added, “This crime is the first of its kind in Damascus since 1860.”
The current government came to power in December 2024 following a successful armed rebellion. Al Sharaa, though formerly associated with a designated terrorist organisation affiliated to Al Qaeda,  has sought to present himself as a moderate, declaring, “There must be a legal framework that protects and ensures the rights of all.” However, Christians in Syria were left with deep concerns about sectarian tensions following the mass killings carried out in March 2025 by Sunni Islamists against Alawites in the country’s north-west.
PRAY for * the survivors and the bereaved following this horrific attack. Intercede for the wider Christian community in Damascus and across Syria, asking the Lord to rescue them from oppression and violence (Psalm 72:14); *for the establishment of wise governing authorities in Syria, recognising their responsibilities before God (Romans 13:1); and *for durable peace and stability for God’s people and all Syrians. [Source: Barnabas Aid]

THE BIBLE IS CAPTURING THE ATTENTION OF A NEW GENERATION ACROSS THE GLOBE.
Recent studies, including a Barna report and the UK’s Quiet Revival, show an unmistakable growth in Bible engagement and church attendance among young people. Worthy News reports that in England and Wales, church attendance among 18-24-year-olds has grown by 16% — reversing decades of decline. In Russia, Bible sales rose 50% in 2024, the third straight year of record growth. At the same time, technology is fuelling this spiritual hunger. Bible apps, podcasts, and viral videos — from ministries such as the Bible Project (a nonprofit, organization, offering free resources to help people experience the Bible in an approachable and trans-formative way — are introducing Scripture to millions in new and creative ways. The explosion of digital access to Scripture now moves unhindered across borders and generations through smartphones and social platforms. The reports suggest that at its heart, this movement reflects a generation searching for authenticity and meaning. [Source: Worthy News]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss