UCB Broadcast October 2008

Hello and welcome to the Parliamentary prayer update, my name is Daniel Webster and I work for the Evangelical Alliance in their public affairs team.

Party conference and return of parliament

September was the season of political party conferences, Bournemouth, Manchester and Birmingham were taken over by the political masses as each party sought to push their own agenda. The stakes were highest for Gordon Brown with his position as Prime Minister under threat after continuing discontent following disappointing election results earlier in the year. There was no challenge to his leadership at the conference, yet this remained the unspoken theme throughout.

Immediately before the return of parliament Gordon Brown reshuffled his ministerial team. This included the headline grabbing return of Peter Mandelson as Secretary of State for Business from Brussels where he had been serving as the European Commissioner for Trade.

By drawing in people from different wings of the party Gordon Brown seems to have stemmed the tide of rebellion and secured his position as Prime Minister.

• Please pray for Government Ministers in their new roles, that they will settle quickly and be able to do their jobs effectively
• Please pray for MPs as they return to Westminster. Please give them wisdom to take difficult decisions and the strength to overcome obstacles that may be in their way

Economic Situation

Every day seems to bring grim news of further economic problems. In America, across Europe and at home in the UK banks are running short of funds and relying on their respective governments to provide support. This has left governments and financial institutions in the perilous place of wishing to provide support to prevent further problems, but not take away the financial motivation that will hopefully stimulate the economy.

Even after the Chancellor announced an ambitious package of measures to support the financial system the markets dropped sharply.

This is not just a remote crisis; the bite is starting to be felt beyond the financial sector. Many jobs are reliant upon those who work in the city and their employment is also under threat. As lending grinds to a halt house prices continue to fall and potential buyers are unable to purchase and this in turn leads to further falls. The economic situation spills over to the social sector and as economic difficulties become more severe communities will come under pressure from increasing levels of debt and unemployment.

• Please pray for those taking decisions in Government, the Bank of England and commercial banks. Please give them wisdom and clarity in very turbulent times.
• Please pray for those most affected by the economic situation, those who are in debt, lost their homes or their jobs. Please pray for churches that they will be able to deal compassionately with the increased need in their communities.

US Presidential Election

The economic situation has also overshadowed the presidential election in the United States. At the beginning of November a new president will be elected. The two major candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama have both focused on the state of the economy in recent campaigning.

What happens in the United States economy will have a significant impact on the rest of the world.

• Please pray that God will be with both candidates during this stressful time. Pray that their campaign will be good natured.
• Please pray that whichever candidate is successful they will be able to act quickly to address the deteriorating economic situation.

For further insights on these and other issues The Evangelical Alliance Public Affairs department produces a monthly parliamentary magazine, PQ, and a monthly ‘Prayer and Campaigns’ action and prayer sheet. Both of these are available on our website www.eauk.org along with topical political briefing material. If you have any questions please e-mail the public affairs team at:- pub-aff@eauk.org.