Pastorův dům zničen, kostel vypálen ve Srí Lance. Dav asi 300 buddhistů zaútočil v neděli 27. července v Allawě na Srí Lance na dům pastora, dopustil se násilností a dům zničil. Pastoru Pererovi bylo v minulosti vyhrožováno kvůli jeho náboženské činnosti. Ve stejný den došlo v jiném místě k vypálení kostela. Věc se vyšetřuje.

Členové křesťanské íránské rodiny uprchnuvší do Turecka získali statut uprchlíků. Viz související jiná zpráva z tohoto týdne. Statut uprchlíků jim byl zajištěn výrokem Vysokého komisaře OSN pro uprchlíky. To jim umožňuje setrvat v Turecku v rámci obnoveného řízení o emigraci do Kanady.

Po protestech byl z vězení ve Vietnamu propuštěn vietnamský církevní představitel. Pastor Nguyen Dang Chi, jehož sbor vzrostl od roku 1995 z tehdejších několika členů na nynějších 800 byl zadržen a vězněn svázaný, bez vody a přikrývky. Přitom zpíval a modlil se. Jeho farníci tak dlouho protestovali, až úřady ztratily nervy a propustily jej. Pastor má problémy se státním souhlasem.

Pakistan church officials say the deaths of four people arrested in connection with a church massacre last fall means that the truth behind the attack may never be known. Police in Pakistan's Bahawalpur district said the four were killed on Sunday, July 28, when a police vehicle carrying them came under attack. "When the assailants tried to escape after freeing those in custody, police opened fire," said Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, quoting the police statement. The shootout continued for about an hour, resulting in the deaths of all four suspects and two of the attackers. The four men had been arrested last week in connection with last October's attack by unidentified gunmen on a church in Bahawalpur where 15 worshipers and a security guard died. The suspects were being taken to a village 25 miles from Bahawalpur to retrieve the weapons used in the church attack when the police vehicle was ambushed. "This means that it is now virtually impossible to know who was behind the dastardly killing at Bahawalpur," said Church of Pakistan Bishop John Victor Mall of the Multan diocese. "The suspects should not have been killed in this way. We wanted a full trial and investigation so that we could know who masterminded the [church massacre]." (Ecumenical News Service)

AID WORKER RELEASED IN SUDAN, 2 OTHERS REMAIN IN CAPTIVITY

A kidnapped aid worker with the Christian relief and development agency World Vision has been freed in southern Sudan. The 30-year-old German was flown out to the Kenyan town of Logichoggio in a U.N. airplane earlier today (Aug. 1), three days after he was abducted by a rebel splinter group. One other German and a Kenyan remain in the hands of the rebels. Charles Kibbe, 46-year-old World Vision worker from Kenya, was killed when armed rebels first stormed a prison in the village of Waat, then ambushed the nearby World Vision camp and took the development workers hostage. Kibbe leaves his wife and three children. World Vision has been active in the impoverished, war-torn, region since 1972 to help relieve the effects of drought, floods and civil war. Because of the current crisis, the organization has suspended all projects in the region. The kidnappers are believed to belong to a group of rebels being led by Simon Gatwich who has frequently changed sides in the conflict between Muslims and the Christian and animist minorities in southern Sudan. Since 1983 the war has cost the lives of at least 2 million people. (Evangelical News Agency IDEA)

PASTOR'S HOME DESTROYED, CHURCH BURNED IN SRI LANKA

A mob of about 300 Buddhists stormed the home of Pastor Jacob Perera the evening of Saturday, July 27, in Allawa, a town in north-central Sri Lanka. The pastor's home, which was being constructed on the church premises, was torn down and the debris thrown into his well -- his only source of water. The people on the premises were badly beaten and several had to be hospitalized. Police are investigating the case. When church officials from Colombo went to the police inquiry, the mob surrounded the church and threatened them with death. Police were called to disperse the crowd. Perera has been threatened in the past with violence and asked to stop his work in Allawa. On the same day in the northeastern Sri Lanka village of Sembiyady, a group of Christians were visiting a sick member of the church when they noticed that their church building was on fire. Although they rushed to the building, they were unable to save anything. Arson is suspected, and authorities are investigating. (Voice of the Martyrs)

CHRISTIAN IRANIAN FAMILY IN TURKEY GRANTED REFUGEE STATUS

Iranian Christian Mahmoud Erfani and his family, who fled to Turkey to escape persecution three years ago, have been granted refugee status by the U.N. High Commission for Refugees. This allows them to stay in Turkey for six more months while they reapply for acceptance into Canada or another country. Erfani had been summoned to the Canadian Embassy in Ankara for a second immigration interview on Tuesday, July 30. After the 90-minute interview with the Canadian immigration official, he was told that he would receive a letter informing him of their decision. In late April the U.N. as well as the Canadian government denied his application for refugee status despite the persecution they faced before fleeing Iran. Erfani appealed that decision after he compiled documentation proving the danger he faced if forced to return to Iran. He calls the new U.N. status a "miracle" and is optimistic that Immigration Canada's decision will be positive. (Voice of the Martyrs)

VIETNAMESE CHURCH LEADER RELEASED FROM JAIL AFTER PROTEST

A Vietnamese church leader jailed for his religious activities has been released after a sit-down protest in a police station by members of his congregation, reported Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). Nguyen Dang Chi, 39, who pastors a church in Phu Ly, Tri An, was arrested on July 6 and detained for 24 hours. Despite having his feet shackled and being denied water, a blanket and the use of a bathroom, Chi sang hymns and prayed through the night. The following day more than 20 members of his congregation went to the offices of the police and demanded they be allowed to visit their leader. After their request was denied, church members protested until midnight when authorities finally released Chi. The pastor and his church, which grew rapidly from a few people in 1995 to more than 800 today, have faced harassment from communist officials from the outset. Authorities have questioned the validity of Chi's ordination certificate and have ordered him to ask their permission before he preaches. (Charisma News Service)

BUILDING PERMIT ALLOWS WORK TO RESUME ON TURKISH CHURCH

Government officials in Diyarbakir, Turkey, recently accepted a revised architectural plan for a building being constructed as a worship and ministry center for a small Protestant congregation in the city. A crew of seven workmen have resumed work at the building site near an ancient Christian church in Diyarbakir, the largest city in southeastern Turkey. "We have to complete all the wiring and the plumbing and then start on finishing the interior," said pastor Ahmet Guvener. The long-awaited decision of the Diyarbakir Council for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Riches was finalized in late July with one last signature from the municipality, authorizing the removal of a government seal that had been placed on the site nine months ago. Since last November public officials have disputed whether the building and its location adhered to local zoning and construction regulations in an apparent attempt to limit the structure's usage to residential purposes. But the council's decision, together with formal approval of the blueprint alterations by city officials, now grants permission for the church to be finished. (Compass)

2 CHURCHES PLANTED ALONG TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY

A Russian ministry has planted two churches in a pair of key cities along the Trans-Siberian Railway. The new churches are in Cheboksary and Yoshkar Ola, both in areas with little Christian witness. The churches were established by missionaries with Works of Faith, a Russian ministry based in Udmurtia. The missionaries have planted a total of 152 churches in Udmurtia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Kirov and Saratav in recent years. Outside of Moscow, mission work in Russia is hampered by a severe economic depression. Many of the new churches are in villages where the people have few job opportunities and face harsh climates. Church-planting efforts in the last year have been hampered by a lack of financial support for missionaries. (Christian Aid Mission)

* HCJB World Radio has been working to "plant" local radio ministries in Russia since the early 1990s with partners in 28 cities nationwide, including Cheboksary where weekly Christian programs air in Russian and Chuvash. In 2000 the ministry helped launch the first Christian Russian radio satellite network in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with affiliate stations on the air in seven cities and many more planned. HCJB World Radio also has been blanketing Russia with gospel broadcasts via shortwave since 1941.

FREE BOOKLET: Order your own copy of HCJB World Radio's new 20-page booklet, "God Keeps Opening Doors," by e-mailing your name and mailing address to doors@hcjb.org. You'll also receive a free bookmark.

Kostel nezávislé pravoslavné církve zbořen v Bělorusku. Dnes, 2. srpna měl být vysvěcen kostel nezávislé pravoslavné církve ve vesnici Pagraničnyj blízko polských hranic. Ale 1. srpna ráno vesnici obklíčili vojáci v polních uniformách, zablokovali všechny přístupové cesty a pomocí buldozerů a jeřábů kostel kompletně zbořili. Jde o první případ zboření kostela v celém bývalém SSSR (kromě střední Asie) s cílem zabránit náboženskému shromáždění. Církev nezískala státní souhlas.

SIMzahajuje pastýřský výcvikový program v Mozambiku. Program má sloužit různým denominacím ke zdokonalení vědomostí jejich pracovníků.

Indigenous mission groups in northern India report that three missionaries have been beaten and threatened in recent days. In Haryana state, police woke a missionary and four other church members in the middle of the night last week and took them into custody on apparent false accusations. They spent the night in jail with an angry mob surrounding the building. Later, non-Christian friends helped secure the release of the believers. That same evening a residents' committee met to decide whether a local church planter and his family could remain in the village. Assailants had broken into this worker's church in April and tried to stop the meeting, accusing him of trying to "convert" people by giving them money. He filed a police report despite threats on his life if he told anyone about the incident. In Madhya Pradesh state another missionary, his wife and daughter were attacked in the night while they slept, beaten by a tribal group with whom they had been sharing the gospel. Three years ago local officials bulldozed this same missionary's 30-year-old church building, causing many members of the congregation to leave the church out of fear. (Christian Aid Mission)

* In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in two languages: Chattisgarhi and Mundari. HCJB World Radio also broadcasts 11/2 hours of English programming daily to India via shortwave from South America. The ministry is investigating potential opportunities to help launch local Christian stations in key cities across India.

3 CATHOLIC PRIESTS SENTENCED TO FORCED LABOR IN CHINA

Three Catholic priests in China were sentenced to three years of forced labor for carrying out their ministry without the consent of the communist authorities, reported Zenit. Chinese security police arrested Pang Yongxing, 30, in his home in December. Then, during the Easter season, both Ma Shunbao, 50, and Wang Limao, 32, were arrested while celebrating mass. The three priests belong to the underground church in Baoding, Hebei. On July 7 they were sentenced to a labor camp for "disturbing the peace of society" under the "cult" law and have been transferred to the Balizhuang labor camp in Baoding. (Voice of the Martyrs)

MINISTRIES RESPOND TO FLOODING IN BANGLADESH, INDIA, NEPAL

Heavy rains are again causing severe flooding in Asia, devastating parts of the Indian subcontinent. In the Indian state of Assam more than 750,000 people from 830 villages have been affected. The situation is similar in Bangladesh where 500,000 people have been directly affected. In Nepal the heaviest rain in 30 years fell on Kathmandu, and in some places was the heaviest in more than 200 years. A local mission leader said that water in the Chopar Gorge that helps drain the Kathmandu Valley had risen to depth of 30 feet. Two entire Rai villages in eastern Nepal were washed away, and flood-induced landslides in central Nepal had killed 110 people belonging to the Chepang tribe. More than 3,760 houses had been reported damaged or lost as of last Friday. Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, is one of many aid organizations that are sending funds and funds and relief supplies to the region. At least two villages in Bangladesh, including two churches, have been swept away by the floods. "Sadly, floods in this part of the world are all too regular, but that does not mean that we stand idly by," says Baptist World Aid Director Paul Montacute. (Baptist World Alliance/Christian Aid Mission)

INDEPENDENT ORTHODOX CHURCH BULLDOZED IN BELARUS

Today (Aug. 2) was to have been the day the Autocephalous Orthodox church in the village of Pahranichny close to Belarus' western border with Poland was consecrated. Instead, at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, the village was surrounded by troops in camouflage uniforms, all roads were blocked off, and the church was destroyed. Cranes and bulldozers were brought in, together with a bus full of people to conduct the demolition. "They destroyed the church completely," said church official Aleksandr Antonyuk. The church has repeatedly been denied registration in Belarus, and various officials have described the church as being a "nonexistent religious group" even though it has some 70 parishes in the country. The demolition is believed to be the first case where a place of worship in any of the former Soviet republics outside of Central Asia has been deliberately destroyed to prevent religious activity from taking place. (Keston News Service)

SIM LAUNCHES PASTORAL TRAINING PROGRAM IN MOZAMBIQUE

A new pastoral training program has been launched in Mozambique, serving church leaders from a variety of denominations, reports SIMmissionary Stuart Foster in Gurué. Called the Program of Evangelical Theological Training, it is helping develop church leaders in northern Mozambique where an SIM team recently relocated. The goal of the program is to provide education for emerging Christian leaders of Mozambique at a higher level (up to 12th grade) than has ever been available in this part of the country. "While there is ongoing need for the grassroots-level training we have helped develop in Mozambique in the past, it is important to also plan for the future in giving more tools to those who are now ready for them," Foster says. "There has been excellent cooperation from a spectrum of denominations and missions. There will be three campuses in three provinces that will share teachers and curriculum to provide modular courses for students in ministry." (SIM)

AMERICANS' CONFIDENCE IN RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS AT ALL-TIME LOW

Despite interest in spiritual matters being sparked by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans' confidence in religious institutions is at a 30-year low. An annual Gallup Poll indicates that just 45 percent expressed trust in organized religion. In comparison, the televangelist scandals in 1989 pushed down American confidence in religion to 52 percent, The Washington Times reported. But while the Protestant confidence rate of 59 percent is about the same as a year ago, Catholic trust plummeted to 42 percent, which is largely blamed on the sex-abuse scandal. For this year's Gallup survey on 16 kinds of institutions, religion ranked sixth. First was the U.S. military with 79 percent. Between 1973 and the mid-1980s, religion ranked the highest of all institutions in confidence ratings. The poll, which interviewed 1,020 adults, found religion lagged behind the police (59 percent), the president (58 percent), the U.S. Supreme Court (50 percent) and banks (47 percent) on the confidence scale. (Ministries Today)

FREE BOOKLET: Order your own copy of HCJB World Radio's new 20-page booklet, "God Keeps Opening Doors," by e-mailing your name and mailing address to doors@hcjb.org. You'll also receive a free bookmark.