WORLD VISION IN BEIRUT
World Vision is busy assisting people affected by the recent blast in Beirut, Lebanon with primary needs of food, water and shelter. World Vision worker Rami Shamma reports that emotional care is also provided, which is crucial for Lebanese children. He says the trauma is ‘stacked up’ and they are providing psychological first aid.

MEGHAN MARKLE’S FAITH
Meghan Markle’s faith in God has got her through ‘the darkest moments’ in her life, according to a new biography about her marriage to Prince Harry, Finding Freedom. The authors, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, claim that belief in God plays ‘a central role’ in Meghan’s life. Christian Today reports the book as stating: ‘It’s prayer and conversations with God that have gotten her through the darkest moments.’

STATUE OF BILLY GRAHAM
A life-sized statue of the late Billy Graham will be installed in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall collection. The late evangelist’s statue will replace a statue of a white supremacist, Charles Aycock, that the government wants removed. Franklin Graham told Religion News Service the statue is not something his father would have pushed for.

THE BIBLE IN SIGN LANGUAGE
Mission Network News reports that the world’s first complete Sign Language Bible is almost complete. DOOR International has finished filming the final portion of Scripture in their decades-long project. DOOR is planning for an October celebration of the first full Bible translation.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH
The personal importance of faith is increasing in much of the world, according to a survey of more than 38,000 people across 34 countries spanning six continents. In an analysis released recently by Christianity Today, the Pew Research Centre found that 61% of respondents to its Global Attitudes Survey agreed that ‘God plays an important role’ in their lives.

SEARCH FOR THE BIBLE
The coronavirus pandemic has kept many Christians from attending church meetings and Bible study, but new Barna Group research shows some heartening statistics. Researcher John Plake, with Bible Society, says they have noticed an increase in curious exploration of Scripture. Google trends show there has been a five-year spike on Internet searches around the word ‘Bible’.

ANCIENT CHURCH DISCOVERED
Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed a 1,300-year-old Christian church that is a short distance from the traditional site of Jesus’ transfiguration. The church, about 118 feet by 39 feet, includes “ornate mosaic floors” and was recently found in an excavation in the Israeli village of Kfar Kama, which is about a two-hour drive north of Jerusalem. Kfar Kama is a few miles from Mount Tabor, which Origen – a third-century theologian – said was the site of Jesus’ Transfiguration. The archaeological find was announced in a press release by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

POPE VISITS SUMMER CAMP
Eternity News reports that Pope Francis decided to take a little stroll from his place to visit the children attending the Vatican’s summer camps – much to the surprise of its organisers and attendees. After chatting to the kids about the day’s activities and checking they were happy, Pope Francis greeted each of the 22 camp counsellors, posed for a group photo with everyone, then set off on his walk home.

CHRISTIAN PRODUCTION COMPANY
Antonio Sabato Jr., a conservative Christian actor best known for his role in “General Hospital” in the ‘90s, is launching his own production company aimed to help creative professionals who have been blacklisted by Hollywood for their religious or political beliefs, according to the Christian Post.

CHURCH OFFLINE
According to Eternity News, the Barna research group reports that 32 per cent of “practising Christians” in the United states have stopped attending church online during the COVID-induced lockdown. They note that a small number of these people may be attending church physically but add “we can, for the most part, confidently interpret this group as those who have dropped out of church for the time being.”

HAGIA SOPHIA
Turkish President Erdoğan has invited Pope Francis to the former Byzantine-era church, Hagia Sophia, after the government was given the go-ahead to convert it into a functioning mosque. News of Erdoğan’s decision to invite a number of special guests to the Hagia reopening comes as officials warn that the historic Christian mosaics and iconography that adorn the walls will be covered up by curtains during times of Islamic prayer. Premier Christian News reports that the move to convert the building to a mosque was condemned by the heads of the Greek Orthodox Church along with many senior clergy across the globe.

FOOD OR FAITH
Open Doors UK and Ireland told Premier Christian News that it has been “inundated” with reports of Christians worldwide who are being asked to renounce their faith in exchange for emergency Covid-19 aid. Christians from countries including Bangladesh, India, Sudan and Malaysia, say they are facing an ultimatum. A pastor in Western Sudan is quoted as saying, “When Christian converts do ask for help from their Muslim community, they are told they have to give up Christianity if they want to be helped. It is a tragedy.”

FROM CHURCH TO MOSQUE
‘For the Orthodox Church, Hagia Sofia is as important as St Peter’s Basilica in Rome is for Catholics. The church was built in the 6th Century and was devoted to Christ the Saviour. For us, it has been and will always remain the Church devoted to Christ’, says Metropolitan Hilarion, spokesman of the Moscow Patriarchate according to Breaking Christian News. Moments after Turkish President Erdogan’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque, the Muslim call to prayer sounded from the UNESCO World Heritage site. Once the largest church in Christendom, the Hagia Sophia was first converted into a mosque more than 500 years ago during the Islamic Ottoman Empire, then turned into a museum by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern-day Turkey.

“HOPE” IN PRISON
Anglican News reports that the Church of England broadcast its first online prison church service on Sunday 12 July on prison television and radio as well as on the church’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel. The service, with the theme of Hope, included contributions from prison staff and chaplains as well as prayers, reflections and artwork written and created by prisoners.

COLIN BUCHANAN ONLINE
A night of song with Colin Buchanan will be held via Facebook Live on Colin’s Facebook page on Thursday 23 July, from 7.30pm. Anyone may tune in online and listen to the songs. The concert is free, and no registration is required. Just turn up on Colin’s Facebook page by the commencement time.