Funny how things "close to home" change one's focus

I must ashamedly confess that I had never really given much though to the "persecuted Church" in certain other countries. One can so easily take religious freedom for granted! But this news article concerning the banning of the Methodist Church Conference in Fiji caught my attention, because we tend (at times) to regard Methodist Conferences and Synods as a "necessary evil" rather than as an opportunity to meet as the wider Church.

Let us remember those who do not enjoy religios freedoms, and those who are persecuted for their faith, in our prayers.