*Nejnovější zprávy v originální anglické verzi jsou vždy ZDE (klikněte).

*HCJB World Radio pokračuje ve vysílání programů pro Kubu ve španělštině na krátkých vlnách z Jižní Ameriky. Stovky posluchačů se přihlásili do služby organizace Vzdušný Biblický institut, který zahrnuje korespondenční programy pro španělské vysílání. Zároveň od poloviny devadesátých let na Kubě proběhlo mnoho pastoračních kursů a cvičení sponzorovaných organizací Apoyo a Leadership Resources International.

*Nejnovější zprávy v originální anglické verzi jsou vždy ZDE (klikněte).

*HCJB World Radio spolupracuje s ELWA – misií založenou SIM v Monrovii v Libérii v roce 1954 za účelem rozhlasového šíření evangelia na území Libérie a vůbec západní Afriky. Vysílač byl dvakrát zničen občanskou válkou – poprvé v roce 1990, pak v roce 1996. ELWA začala opět vysílat v roce 1997 malým FM vysílačem za podpory HCJB World Radio. V roce 2000 přišel od HCJB krátkovlnný vysílač o malém výkonu, takže vysílání je opět slyšitelné v celé oblasti. ELWA vysílá v 10 jazycích a plánuje další rozšíření tak, jak budou prostředky.

*Nejnovější zprávy v originální anglické verzi jsou vždy ZDE (klikněte).

Indonesian police have not ruling out a link between a spate of recent bombings. Authorities believe the terrorist acts are the latest attempt to destabilize the country. Christian Aid Mission's John Lindner says the ministry is seeing developments that may become a concern for their workers. "We have been concerned about the terrorist activity of radical Muslims in Indonesia for quite some time," he said. "It hit our shores a year ago, so we can expect more of this." Linder urges Christians to pray. "The radicals are targeting Christians specifically, and more recently, those who are associated with Western countries such as the U.S. and Australia. A document was recently uncovered that was an instruction manual on how to do jihad [holy war] in Indonesia." (Mission Network News)

CHRISTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST REARRESTED IN CUBA AFTER PROTEST

A Christian human rights activist who was released from prison in Cuba on Oct. 31 after serving a three-year sentence has been rearrested. Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet was detained by police on Dec. 6 at a home in the Lawton district of Havana. He was attending a meeting of the Friends of Human Rights when state security agents blocked the entrance and prevented him and 11 other individuals from entering or leaving. All were arrested and are being held at the 10th unit of the National Revolutionary Police in Havana. Biscet, 41, is a devout Christian and founder of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights which promotes the defense of human rights through non-violent means. He has been detained 26 times and was only recently released from Cuban prison after serving a three-year sentence for "dishonoring public symbols, public disorder and inciting delinquent behavior" after he organized a peaceful silent march in support of human rights and freedom for political prisoners in his neighborhood. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

* HCJB World Radio continues to air Spanish programs to Cuba via shortwave from South America. Hundreds of listeners have enrolled in the ministry's Bible Institute of the Air, a correspondence program incorporating Spanish broadcasts. In addition, many pastors' workshops sponsored by Apoyo, a joint training ministry with Leadership Resources International, have been held in Cuba since the mid-1990s.

SOCIAL MINISTRY ENHANCES EVANGELISTIC OUTREACH IN INDIA

A ministry in India is finding that its social and educational ministries are bearing much fruit when combined with a spiritual emphasis. A ministry started 30 years ago that asked to be unnamed for security reasons cares for 95 children of leprous parents in a children's home. Living apart from the parents prevents the children from contracting the same dread disease and also gives them an education, that otherwise would pass them by. Most of the children come from non-Christian families. "We are seeing amazing results in the lives of these children that I have not seen even in children from traditional Christian homes," said the ministry's director. Along with the children's home, the ministry also operates two elementary schools. The biggest one teaches 1,800 "day scholars" from mostly Sikh and Hindu homes and employs 70 teachers. A third school is scheduled to open in March 2003. The ministry also runs a daily dispensary with a retired public health person. A Christian doctor is joining the team and plans to begin operating a mobile health clinic in February. Amid all this social and educational ministry the mission group has been able to plant 45 churches with a total constituency of more than 4,800 believers. "This year we started church fellowships in two new places with full time workers, and our churches are growing rapidly," the director said. (Christian Aid Mission)

* In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in three languages: Bhojpuri, 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.

CHINESE MINISTRY TO PRINT 30 MILLIONTH BIBLE

The Amity Printing Company, a joint venture between Amity Foundation and the United Bible Societies, will print its 30 millionth Bible this month, says ministry spokesman Peter Dean. A celebration is planned for Dec. 11. The Amity Foundation in Nanjing, China, was set up on the initiative of Chinese Christians for the purposes of promoting health, education, social service and rural development projects in China. The company gives priority to the printing of Bibles and other publications entrusted by church organizations. It began printing Bibles in 1987 with 27 million printed in the last three years alone. In addition to Bibles, the company also prints hymnals and other books and literature for the China Christian Council and its seminaries. Dean said that Amity Press has always kept up with production demand for Bibles from the Chinese churches. Everyone can purchase copies of Bibles from the churches, and twice in his knowledge permits have been granted to publish more Bibles in the same year, on occasions when initial estimations proved to be low. He said that the press has enough capacity and the ability to quickly respond and cope with any increase in Bible demand. (Assist News Service)

PROTESTANT, CATHOLIC CHURCHES CONTINUE TO SHRINK IN GERMANY

The Protestant churches in Germany is shrinking faster than the Roman Catholic Church, indicate recent statistics from the country's 24 main Protestant denominations which counted 26.34 million members last year, a loss of 1 percent. The number of Catholics fell by 0.6 per cent to 26.66 million. The falling church membership is due partially to the falling population in Germany as deaths continue to outpace births. In addition, nearly 190,000 Protestants and 130,000 Catholics cancel their church membership every year. In 1986, Germany had nearly an equal number of Protestants and Catholics -- about 30 million. A recent international study shows declining confidence in churches. In Germany only 39 percent of the population trust the churches. This places them at the end of the scale behind institutions such as the police (86 percent) and the armed forces (70 percent). Prominent businessmen, politicians and artists blame two major factors for this result: the church dabbles too much in politics and neglects the proclamation of the gospel message. "The church has a unique message, but church leaders often do not dare talk about forgiveness and salvation," said Peter Barrenstein, director of McKinsey Consulting in Germany. (Evangelical News Agency IDEA)

MISSIONARIES IN SPAIN REPORT INCREASED OPENNESS TO GOSPEL

Spain has always been known as a graveyard for missionaries and for being resistant to the gospel. But missionaries are now reporting that the time may be at hand for a revival in that European country. "Spain is living a key moment," says Dayana Elasmar of Latin America Mission who has worked with church planting in the Extremadura region. But she warns that church growth is slow. An typical "large" church has between 50 and 100 members, and churches often grow at a much slower rate than in Latin America, Elasmar says. Only 650 towns in Spain have evangelical churches, leaving 7,000 towns and cities without an evangelical witness. (Mission Network News)

© Copyright 2002 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

Boris Akrachkov, pastor of the Baptist church in Gulistan, Uzbekistan, was brought before the local town court on Dec. 2 to face charges of breaking the "law on religious organizations." He was found guilty and fined the equivalent of US$7. The trial followed an investigative raid, Nov. 3, on the church's prayer house by local law enforcement agencies together with representatives of the local authority and the regional department of justice. Following the raid, the administrative case was brought against Akrachkov. At the same time, a much heavier fine was imposed on him in a separate case for showing "unlicensed" religious videos in a private home. "We are being blamed for the fact that the church in Gulistan is unregistered," said Dmitri Pitirimov, press officer of the Baptist Union. "But this is absurd. We have to start operations first in order to gain enough [members] for the church [to be registered]," he said. "The authorities' advice reminds me of a joke in which a physical education teacher makes children learn to swim in an empty swimming pool, explaining that they will only put water in when the children have become good swimmers." (Keston News Service)

HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR REGAINS RIGHT TO PERFORM IN CHURCHES

It took "persistence and prayer," but the 84-voice Seminole High School Gospel Choir won a victory recently when the local school board issued new guidelines allowing the choir to perform at events held in churches, reported The Baptist Press. The award-winning choir was barred from performing at a community-wide memorial service honoring memories of the 9/11 attacks. Liberty Counsel, in a response to the action, faxed a legal opinion outlining three federal court of appeals cases that ruled school choirs may sing religious songs, and that barring the group from singing at a church was not only unconstitutional, but also "imprudent" in light of the 9/11 memorial. In a press release, the counsel said it was considering a federal lawsuit. "There were certain people within the administration who sought to ban the Gospel Choir from singing at religious events," said Matt Staver, president of Orlando-based Liberty Counsel. "Persistence paid off in this case. Once the matter came to the board with broad support from the community, the issue was finally resolved. I am thrilled by this announcement as we approach the Christmas season." (Religion Today)

MINISTRY IN PERU HELPS BELIEVERS OVERCOME TRAUMATIC PAST

A ministry in Peru is learning that addressing the needs of its own workers who have experienced trauma in the past releases them for even greater spiritual fruit. Segadores (Reapers), a ministry started and directed by Peter Hocking (the son of American missionaries), recently held conferences among the Yanesha and Ashaninka tribes. "God spoke to the men powerfully, as He did to the women, breaking and transforming many of them," Hocking said. A leader from the host church who came from a background of crime and terrorism confessed that he still resented being abandoned as a child. "He sobbed like a child as he confessed and renounced his sins and hurts," Hocking said, "and God lovingly cleansed and renewed him. After that he was a new man. God met his wife in a similar way, healing painful memories from her childhood that had been destroying their marriage." A similar conference was held for Ashaninka women a few weeks later. This time only women attended, but the response seemed cool at first, until it was announced that their husbands could receive the same teaching the following week. Then the women opened up and experienced healing for past hurts in their souls. Started in 1963 as a ministry to mobilize and disciple youth for missionary outreach, Segadores has planted 25 churches and has about two dozen workers on the field. (Christian Aid Mission)

* HCJB World Radio, together with local partners, has helped plant Christian radio stations in seven Peruvian cities. Affiliate stations in three cities also carry Spanish programming distributed by the ALAS satellite radio network for Latin America., operated jointly with Trans World Radio. In addition, HCJB World Radio holds training workshops for pastors across Peru through Apoyo, a joint effort with Leadership Resources International.

GOD'S WORD BRINGS HOPE TO DROUGHT-PLAGUED MALAWI

Despite war, drought and famine, Malawi still has hope, says Paul Tolleson of the International Bible Society. He points to the recent release of the contemporary Chichewa New Testament as the foundation that will shore up the church's future. "The primary way is reaching out to the young people," he says. "This has really been a problem throughout Africa, especially where they don't have a contemporary translation of the Bible. They look at the Bible as being this old book that they have a hard time reading, and it's not relevant to them today." Tolleson says the ministry discovered another need while visiting the churches in Malawi. "We also need to train our lay leaders in how to use the Bible in their ministry -- how to study the Bible themselves. Most of the Bibles have no study helps to them, so one of the things that we'll be doing is providing study Bibles." (Mission Network News)

* In partnership with African Bible College, HCJB World Radio helped plant a Christian radio station in Lilongwe, Malawi, in 1995. The station airs programs in Chichewa and English. HCJB World Radio also helped the ministry begin a hospital and provided training, including seminars dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis. Last year staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., also installed FM transmitters at stations in two Malawian cities, Blantyre and Mzuzu.

CHANGE IN SEMINARIANS' ATTITUDE COULD LEAD TO PASTOR SHORTAGE

Shane Hipps is a 27-year old student at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. He is studying for a master's of divinity degree -- the degree often sought by prospective pastors. Yet Hipps hesitates when asked if he will follow that traditional route into ministry. "I have been told by those closest to me that I'd make a good pastor . . . but I'm extremely cautious about such a vocation," he said in an interview with the Christian magazine FaithWorks. "Seminary is primarily an opportunity to pursue God's call on my life, and not necessarily vocational training." Hipps isn't alone. Less than a third of seminary students intend to become pastors, shows a study conducted by Auburn Theological Seminary in New York. It's common to hear people confess their fears that God might send them to Africa as a missionary. But today's young Christians are even more afraid that God might call them to be the pastor of the neighborhood church. Researchers and seminary leaders say this attitude could lead to a pastor shortage. Already the number of pastors under age 35 has dropped by nearly two-thirds since the 1970s. Seminaries cite low pay, exhausting job demands and dwindling social respect for the trend. Many prospective pastors are starting small businesses and non-profit organizations that give them alternative ways to minister to others. (Religion Today)

AFRICAN THEOLOGIANS PUSH TO COMPLETE BIBLE COMMENTARY

SIM is working with the Association of Evangelicals of Africa to produce the continent's first one-volume Bible commentary produced for Africans and written by African theologians. The editorial staff urges believers to pray as contributors to the project face deadlines in early 2003 and editors compile their manuscripts for publication. Work on the commentary began in January 2001. (SIM)

© Copyright 2002 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

The Pacific island of Guam is still reeling after being hit head-on by a devastating typhoon this weekend. With sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour, Trans World Radio's equipment collapsed under the storm's battering. "Three of our five antennae curtains which operate shortwave to Asia were completely shredded," says TWR's Rich Greene. "We are now off the air, trying to repair the other two antennas in order to, Lord willing, be in a limited way back on the air broadcasting the good news of Christ by Thursday." Greene says the two surviving antennas provide service for China and Southeast Asia. "We need prayer that the Lord would enable our staff, all of whom are safe, to be able to give them the strength to weather this devastating time." (Mission Network News)

IMPRISONED CHINESE PASTOR FACES TORTURE, APPALLING CONDITIONS

Chinese authorities, angry about the leaking of information about the appalling conditions faced by detained pastor Gong Shenliang, have denied his right to appeal. Shenliang is serving a life sentence on rape charges based on the forced confessions of four women prisoners -- confessions they later recanted. Bob Fu, executive director of the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China, says that Shenliang began a hunger strike on Nov. 14 in protest. "He did this because the prison in Jingmen City, Hubei province, where he is detained confiscated two documents he wrote after the second trial in October," Fu said. "I was told that pastor Gong's health has been very fragile even before the hunger strike due to the torture he has been subjected to, and now he is not able to stand up at all." The four women prisoners also have been denied their right to appeal. On Dec. 16 Lorne Craner, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, will head the resumed human rights dialogue with China in Beijing. It is unclear whether he will address Shenliang's well-publicized case. It is also hoped that he will discuss the case of South Korean missionary Choi Bong-il and six other North Korean and Chinese citizens who are on trial in China on charges of smuggling 70 North Korean refugees into China. Joseph Choi, a Korean-American missionary, also has been imprisoned in Yanbian since May on charges of assisting North Korean refugees. (Assist News Service)

GEORGIAN COURT GIVES PARTIAL VICTORY TO PROTESTANT CHURCHES

Zaali Tkeshelashvili, pastor of Grace Church in Tbilisi, Georgia, is celebrating a partial victory as Georgia's Constitutional Court overturned two articles of the law on meetings and demonstrations that local police used in 1999 to break up and ban outdoor meetings by his church. "After a three-year struggle to achieve official recognition of the infringement of our rights on the part of the state, the highest legal body of the country, the Constitutional Court, has satisfied the church's claim," he said on Nov. 26 after receiving the court's written judgment. Lawyer Shota Grigalashvili explained the court's ruling, saying that the articles "violated the constitution which guarantees the right to demonstrate. This is a great victory for all the population." However, others were less optimistic about the victory. "The Constitutional Court merely abolished two insignificant articles of the law that were never enforced," said Levan Ramishvili of the Liberty Institute, a Tbilisi-based human rights group. (Keston News Service)

* HCJB World Radio works with a local partner ministry to produce Christian programs in the Georgian language and broadcast them to the region each week. HCJB World Radio also worked with Hosanna and local partners to produce the dramatized New Testament in Georgian through a project called Faith Comes by Hearing.

AUTHENTICITY OF INSCRIPTION ON ANCIENT BURIAL BOX DEBATED

Apparent differences in the handwriting in the inscription on the limestone box believed to be the most significant biblical archeological discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls have led critics to suggest that a forger could have added the phrase about Jesus. The inscription appears to be written in two different hands, the critics say. The first phrase, "James, son of Joseph," was written in a formal script while the second, "brother of Jesus," is a more free-flowing cursive style, reported The New York Times. Experts discussed the validity of the inscription at a conference of biblical and archaeological researchers in Toronto. Andre Lemaire, the French specialist in Aramaic who first proposed the inscription's connection to Jesus, defended its authenticity at the conference. The limestone box is set to return to Israel at the conclusion of its exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto at the end of December. (Religion Today)

PHILIPPINE PEOPLE GROUP GETS FIRST BIBLE PORTION IN LOCAL DIALECT

A small people group in the northern Philippines now has a portion of God's Word in their own language. Roger Hanna of the Seed Company says staff members have been working with a translation committee to make the Bible available in the Majukayong language. "We're excited to see that the Gospel of Mark has now been completed," he says. "We're praying that God would bless His Word so that all who read it would turn away from their worship of evil spirits and worship the true God." This is what the elders prayed at a recent celebration to inaugurate the new translation, Hanna says. Meanwhile, Bible translation work continues. "There are needs for financial partners and prayer partners for this project. The committee is working on Acts, and they're making progress on that." (Mission Network News)

NEW BOOK TO HELP TRAIN FOREIGN CHRISTIAN RADIO PROGRAMMERS

A new book published by Miami-based Latin America Mission (LAM) aims to help Christian individuals and churches that have obtained radio stations or programming time in developing countries but aren't sure what to do with them. "Proclaiming the Gospel; Guidelines for Local Christian Radio," written by former HCJB World Radio missionary broadcaster Ken MacHarg, is a guidebook designed to help Christian radio programmers outside of North America develop compelling, quality broadcasts. "The Christian broadcaster who rushes into the development of a new program or the programming of a new station without proper planning is bound to run into difficulties," MacHarg said. "You must fully answer the question, 'What does God want me to say to whom?' Once you have determined that, all of the other pieces fall into place." MacHarg developed the idea for the book after speaking at a Christian writers' conference in Temuco, Chile, several years ago. "I found many Latin Americans who were getting into radio, or wanted to, but who had absolutely no resources to help them," he said. "In a seminary library in Temuco I was not able to find one book or pamphlet that gave guidance on how to develop quality Christian programming." The English version of the book will be available from LAM in March 2003, and a Spanish version will be published later in the year. (LAM News Service)

© Copyright 2002 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

Violence in Nigeria has been a major news story in recent weeks with riots centered on the Miss World competition resulting in more than 200 deaths. This week a report came from a representative in Nigeria detailing some of the results. Along with the many deaths and injuries, he reported that 102 churches in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna were burned down and two pastors killed as the rioters attacked anyone suspected of being a Christian. All of the churches in Lemu Road, Kaduna, were either burned or vandalized by Muslim rioters. This isn't the first time that violence has erupted in Kaduna. In February 2000 riots led to the deaths of more than 2,000 people. Earlier this year, Voice of the Martyrs opened a new office in Kaduna after the previous office was destroyed in the riots. At the opening of the office, many believers told about the high cost of discipleship in Nigeria. (Voice of the Martyrs)

RUSSIAN POLICY PAPER MAY THREATEN NON-ORTHODOX CHURCHES

A leaked Russian policy paper on the prevention of "religious extremism" could seriously threaten non-Orthodox churches and groups in the country. Details of a 15-page draft paper to be discussed by a joint session of three government bodies in January, came a day after reports that foreign missionary workers are facing stiff resistance from local authorities. Russian media reports say the document mentions first the Roman Catholic Church, accusing leaders of "winning over individual priests and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church as converts to Catholicism." But the document also singles out Protestants. "Under the pretext of providing humanitarian aid, many new Protestant organizations are fostering self-alienation from the Russian state within various sections of the population," reported the Gazeta newspaper, quoting the draft paper. The Moscow-based Slavic Center for Law and Justice and the Institute of Religion and Law called the draft paper "scandalously incompetent and anti-constitutional." While Russian authorities say the new policy is in the interests of "national security," human rights watchers are concerned that it will lead to an "increase in inter-confessional and inter-ethnic tension within our country." The paper also warns about "foreign pseudo-religious communities," including Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies, Scientologists, Satanists, Eastern religions and Islamic extremists. (Assist News Service)

FOOD SHORTAGE DEEPENS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Executives of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) gathered at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) World Headquarters in Baltimore Dec. 3 to launch a global campaign to help save more than 34 million people at risk of starvation in Sub-Saharan Africa. "What we now see in Africa is a looming food crisis of great proportion," said CRS Executive Director Ken Hackett. Populations throughout the continent are suffering from massive food shortages caused by drought, flooding and restrictive government policies that threaten to mushroom into a disaster comparable to the Ethiopia famine in the mid-1980s. USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios said the situation has reached crisis levels. "When you see faces of emaciated children on television it's too late; you've failed. The time to act is now," he said. Leaders at the meeting unveiled the "Baltimore Declaration," a unified pledge of non-governmental organizations and the WFP to help prevent famine from taking hold in parts of southern, eastern and western Africa. "This is truly a unique gathering, and we commit ourselves to this declaration and to averting a famine in Africa," said Hackett. "We plan to carry this out with full intensity." (Catholic Relief Services)

CHURCH LEADERS CULTIVATED IN CHINA DESPITE ONGOING PERSECUTION

While new reports indicate a dismal picture for some believers in China, the good news is that the church is cultivating more leaders. Vernon Brewer of World Help describes how his ministry is responding to the need. "We are actively involved in helping to print and distribute Bibles to the underground house churches. We have heard indirectly from the pastors that at least 50 percent of all the Christians in house churches do not have a copy of the Bible. We're also involved in helping partner with them in providing training centers." However, Brewer says the underground church is still struggling and needs prayer. "The government is trying to intimidate the pastors of the underground church to register [so the government can better control their ministries]. The persecution is still very strong and very great, especially for the underground church at this time." (Mission Network News)

BIBLE SCHOOLS HAVING 'AMAZING INFLUENCE' IN CHINESE PROVINCE

A Christian leader in China who built a Bible school with Christian Aid Mission's help in 1994 tells of the continuing influence of the school both among trainees and in the community. The school and church hall -- built in an unnamed province in just 52 days -- has become a model for biblical training in the country. Using the school as an example, trainees have started 30 other Bible training centers. In the past seven years, thousands of Christians have been trained for leadership, meeting the needs of more than 6,000 churches in that province. "The influence of the Bible schools is truly amazing," said the leader. "The number and impact of cults and false teaching has markedly decreased ... the relationship between the unregistered underground churches and those officially registered with the government is improving ... the spiritual lives of believers are maturing ... and established Bible schools are upgrading their level of teaching and are sending out teachers to train disciples in other places." The leader added that while believers are "still facing much pressure and many hardships and difficulties," their hearts are stirred and encouraged by the support and prayers of Christians overseas. (Christian Aid Mission)

CHRISTMAS PARTY AT QUITO DUMP ATTRACTS 3,100 POOR PEOPLE

More than 3,100 poor Ecuadorians received both spiritual and physical nourishment as they attended the sixth annual Christmas party at the Quito City Dump, Saturday, Dec. 7, led by HCJB World Radio partner ministry Extreme Response International.

Attendees who glean a living at the dump in Zambiza heard a clear gospel presentation via drama and puppets, ate a hot nutritious meal, played carnival games, made crafts and received a Christmas gift of more than 15 pounds of staple food items. More than 1,300 "Operation Christmas Child" boxes from Samaritan's Purse were also handed out along with bags of Christmas goodies. The event was made possible through donations from people worldwide and more than 150 volunteers from six countries.

The Christmas party is a celebration of the ongoing ministry that takes place at the dump year-round. In Ecuador, Extreme Response works with local leaders to provide medical attention, counseling, basic hygiene and clothing through its "thrift store." Out of these humanitarian efforts has grown a Bible study that meets Friday afternoons.

Ramiro Baez, the "Dump Pastor," said that two days after the dump party he was having lunch at a small roadside restaurant near the HCJB World Radio compound in Quito when he was approached by a 9-year-old boy, begging for something to eat.

Baez bought the boy lunch and asked if he could sit with him. As the boy sat down his face lit up, and he said, "I know you! You are the man from the Christmas party at the dump. Would you tell me more about Jesus?" Baez continued with tears in his eyes, telling how in the middle of lunch, this little boy accepted Christ.

At the party everyone received a flyer with the plan of salvation and a few sentences from the event's sponsors and why it is held. The last page of the leaflet includes telephone numbers of each member on the "dump pastoral team."

The Monday after the party, a lady called Baez, explaining that she was at the party and read the flyer. She was a teacher in an impoverished area of Quito and asked if he could come to her school to put on a program for the children. "They are so poor and have nothing," she said.

"I can come," Baez replied. "But we don't have any more gifts or food to hand out." The teacher said it didn't matter. She just wanted him to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Baez is scheduled to visit the school on Dec. 19.

HCJB World Radio, in partnership with Extreme Response, is empowering nationals to minister to the poor in Africa, the Caribbean and South America. (HCJB World Radio)

© Copyright 2002 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

Members of a local Baptist church in the Uzbekistan capital of Tashkent are refusing to shut down the church despite ongoing pressure from the government. The United Church of Evangelical Christians/Baptists in the Tashkent suburb of Chirchik was ordered to close by the country's Justice Ministry in July, but it continues to operate. Khairullo Khaidarov of the regional justice administration said the church has "flouted the laws of Uzbekistan and has not responded to our requests to bring the church's documents and its activity into line with the laws of Uzbekistan." Officials say that the church's registration papers issued in 1998 were only "temporary" and that it needs re-register to be allowed to function. Church members, however, deny any wrongdoing, saying they have done all they can to comply with the government regulations. "On Nov. 20 we sent out our views in a complaint to the Justice Ministry, but they simply haven't responded," said pastor Stanislav Kim. He accuses authorities of trying to close down his church on trumped-up grounds. (Keston News Service)

OPPRESSIVE REGIMES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA HAMPER MISSION WORK

Communist government authorities in Laos -- listed by Open Doors as the world's third-largest persecutor of believers -- accuse Christians of causing religious division and try to tightly control their activities. As a result, ministries such as FARMS International have been stymied for the time being, says spokesman Steve Salowitz. "There are three countries [in Southeast Asia] that are restricted," he said. At least one potential outreach planned for the area has been canceled "because you don't want to bring unwanted persecution or unwarranted persecution upon people. "In one of the countries there's been cross-border activity where the people are actually benefiting from our programs," Salowitz said. "They would like to do more, but we have held off with doing any more there." FARMS International serves the church by equipping poor families so they can support themselves. (Mission Network News)

LIBERIA'S CIVIL WAR FAILS TO STOP CHURCH-PLANTING ACTIVITIES

A church-planting ministry in Liberia is making remarkable headway despite hardships in a land ravaged by more than 10 years of civil war. James Cuffee, who came to the Lord in 1978, began Christ Evangelical Fellowship Ministries in 1983. In the next 19 years he succeeded in planting one church per year with a total of 2,873 baptized believers. Four of the churches are in the Monrovia area; the rest are in rural counties. The ministry also assists 67 orphans and operates two primary schools and one junior high school. But this success often comes at a cost. On a recent evangelistic outing, for example, the hired driver refused to take the rented vehicle beyond a certain point. So Cuffee and his companions got out and walked seven hours to reach their destination where they baptized 71 new believers. Cuffee and his 12 fellow missionaries preach the gospel to many still steeped in witchcraft and idol worship. During a recent crusade, three young men heard the gospel and willingly brought their fetishes to be burned to ashes. "We've been worshiping these things since childhood," they said. "Sometimes we sacrificed animals and even offered human blood to increase our power. Now we have the true power in Jesus Christ." Fighting continues in the northern part of the country. "Many persons have been killed, property looted and destroyed by this senseless war," Cuffee said. "This has displaced more than 1 million people in rural Montserrado, Bong and Margibi counties. The economic situation is deplorable. Almost 90 percent of our people are jobless. The government cannot pay its workers." (Christian Aid Mission)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with ELWA, a ministry founded by SIM in Monrovia, Liberia, in 1954, to air the gospel across the country and West Africa. The radio station was destroyed twice by civil war, first in 1990 and again in 1996. ELWA went back on the air in 1997 with a small FM transmitter supplied by HCJB World Radio. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio provided a low-power shortwave transmitter, again enabling the station to reach the region. ELWA broadcasts the gospel in 10 languages and plans to add more as resources become available.

103 COME TO CHRIST AT EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN IN NORTHERN INDIA

An evangelistic campaign in northern India late last month touched stony hearts and brought 103 souls to Christ. "Sinners, praying with tears, were forgiven," said the mission leader. "The lost were found and the sick healed. Mockers and those once bitterly opposed to the gospel now give testimonies to Christ's saving grace. . . . Many backsliders returned to the Lord. The gospel broke down the stony hearts of the people bringing them to the Savior. Christians also made a deeper commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ with a number of young people coming forward to offer their lives for Christian service." The group has planted congregations in six villages. In one village three families of non-Christian background came forward to commit their lives to Christ and were baptized. The new believers gather regularly for worship, joined even by some of their unbelieving neighbors. The ministry works in remote areas outside of the range of public transportation. (Christian Aid Mission)

* In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in three languages: Bhojpuri, 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.

MODERN TRANSLATION OF GOSPEL OF JOHN RELEASED IN MYANMAR

In the Himalayan country of Myanmar (formerly Burma), a contemporary translation of the Gospel of John was released this month. Walk Thru the Bible's Roger Massey believes it will serve as a "great tool for a spiritually hungry people." However, there is also a need for caution, he says. "We understand that Myanmar is a great deal like China in its views on Christianity and birthing and planting new Christian churches in the area, so much of the work has to be done carefully." Releasing the Gospel of John will be instrumental to the small but growing churches, Massey adds. "The government would be quick to move in and close down new works. It's much like the problems that churches are facing in Russia and Eastern Europe when new Christians groups go in and start to try to establish a beachhead. But what we're mainly concentrating on is getting the Word of God into this area in an easy-to-read format." (Mission Network News)

'COWBOY CHURCHES' REACH OUT TO OVERLOOKED SEGMENT OF U.S. SOCIETY

Church planter Ron Nolen threw his lasso, and a "cowboy church" was started -- the Cowboy Church of Ellis County," reported the Baptist Standard. "There is an enormous number of 'Old West Culture' people here who hold true to good old Western values -- 'a man keeps his word' and so on," says Nolen. "This group, mostly working class, was largely ignored by the middle-class Baptists who were often only looking for a higher standard of living." But Old West culture people can be found everywhere. Country music is one of the key signs. They don't necessarily own horses, but their values and culture unite them: family, a home, commitment. There are 2,186 country radio stations in the U.S. -- almost twice as many as the 1,128 pop stations." More than 300 people attended the first service at the Cowboy Church on Easter 2000. Attendance now averages 500, and many of the members are involved in home groups. Nolen has since started a second "cowboy church" and advises several others in the U.S. "There are millions of people with these values," he says. "If we reach only 125,000 of them in the next 10 years, we'll need around 400 churches with 300 members to disciple them. This is one of the largest people groups which has been overlooked by churches in the U.S." (Friday Fax)

© Copyright 2002 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org