*HCJB World Radio ve spolupráci s Brethern Assemblies a SM v Dakaru v Senegalu produkují každý týden nový pořad slyšitelný po celé zemi pomocí sítě FM stanic.

Saudi Arabia will not be on the U.S. State Department's list of the worst violators of religious freedom when Secretary of State Colin Powell releases the annual list of nations subject to diplomatic action for "systematic, ongoing and egregious" violations of religious freedom. A department official said the country will be dropped as a "nation of particular concern" despite continuing evidence of religious rights violations. In its 2002 report, the State department acknowledges, "Freedom of religion does not exist in Saudi Arabia. The government requires all citizens to be Muslim and prohibits all public manifestations of non-Muslim religions." Critics believe the U.S. is concerned about retaining Saudi support in the Middle East. In an article to be released in the March 10 edition of Newsweek, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said it considers Saudi Arabia as "probably the worst oppressor of religious rights in the world." However, the article notes that senior U.S. officials have concluded that publicly chastising the Saudis could interfere with broader American interests in the region, including a recent decision by Saudi Arabia to allow the Riyadh airbase to be used for an imminent attack on Iraq. (Voice of the Martyrs)

4 DAYS OF EVANGELISTIC MEETINGS BEING HELD IN ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

Evangelistic meetings featuring pastor Billy Joe and Sharon Daugherty, founders of the 13,000-member Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Okla., are holding four days of evangelistic meetings at a major sports facility in St. Petersburg, Russia, March 5-8. More than 150 churches in the St. Petersburg area helped prepare for the campaign. The churches trained and more than 800 ushers and consultants for counseling and relating to people interested in receiving Christ. "This could be the beginning of an awakening in St. Petersburg," said pastor Igor "Nikki" Nikitin, president of the Association of Christian Churches in Russia which helped organize the event. "In the past this city was a cradle of three revolutions, but now it is being transformed into a city where a great awakening is being birthed for our whole country. For us, these evangelistic meetings are a sign form God showing us that the church is rising and is taking its positions and responsibilities for its land in these last days." In addition to preaching, more than 10,000 videotapes of the "Jesus" film donated by Mission New Life will be handed out during and after the meetings. A ministry called Feed the Hungry will also distribute more than 440,000 pounds of food to needy people in the next month. (Assist News Service/Victory Christian Center)

* HCJB World Radio has been sending gospel broadcasts across Russia via shortwave since 1941. In the early 1990s the ministry began working to "plant" local radio ministries in Russia and now works with partners in a dozen cities. In 2000 HCJB World Radio helped launch the first Christian Russian radio satellite network (operated by Christian Radio for Russia) which reaches from Eastern Europe to Siberia. Downlinks have been installed with more than 25 partners across Russia, including St. Petersburg, and many more are planned.

ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO INAUGURATES STUDIO IN NORTHEASTERN INDIA

Broadcasts in two new languages -- Mizo and Assamese -- have been added by Adventist World Radio (AWR) and will be produced in newly inaugurated radio studios in the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram -- sandwiched between Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma). The majority of the people are related to Myanmar's Shan tribe. More than 38 million people live in the region. The studio, one of nearly 50 worldwide, is in the denomination's regional church office in Aizawl. This new studio will supplement the production work being done at the Adventist Communication Center in Pune, India, where programs are produced in seven regional languages: Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Punjabi and Marathi. The new studio will eventually be developed into the production center for all of northeastern India. Plans are to add languages to reach more people groups such as the many Tibetans who reside in the area. Since Mizoram is a predominantly Christian state, there are fewer restrictions on Christian broadcasting than in other areas of India. AWR plans to begin broadcasts from local FM stations, combined with shortwave programs aired from Guam, to blanket the area. AWR is developing a plan in which radio sets will be provided to listener clubs. Area pastors and church members would then contact the members of these clubs. (Adventist News Network)

UNREST IN DEM. REP. OF CONGO PROMPTS MINISTRY TO CHANGE APPROACH

In the aftermath of a fierce civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is a remnant of survivors, ghosts of their former selves, and shadows of what were once healthy communities. The country's plight resulted in hundreds of aid groups coming in, but the succession of failed peace accords has been taxing. Compassion's Mark Yeadon says continuing unrest has prompted the child sponsorship ministry to take a new approach in the country. "While we were doing some valid things in the area of relief, we were not able to accomplish what was really core to our ministry -- reaching children through this development. So we made the decision to phase out our individual child sponsorship programs there." Compassion has found a new way to meet the children's physical and spiritual needs, Yeadon says. "We have developed an emergency relief response that has been going on these for last six months. Our Congalese staff has been responding in more of a relief-type mode to families, church partners and the children themselves." (Mission Network News)

PHILIPPINE MINISTRY FOCUSES ON TEACHING LITERACY TO CHILDREN

Some Philippine missionaries on the island of Mindanao are focusing their attention on teaching children how to read. The program meets a need expressed by literacy workers in local villages three years ago. Most of the villages are seven to nine miles from the nearest government school. The program helps implement the government program on bilingual education. The first stage teaches basic reading, writing and arithmetic to the children in their local language. Phase two teaches the children basic Filipino and English to prepare them for formal schooling. The program, which was operational only three weeks when the report was prepared in January, has produced 39 colorful "Big Books" with different cultural stories for the children's classes. The missionaries, who work with a Bible translation and literacy training ministry, also trained seven lay teachers. (Missions Insider)

'CHANT' VERSION OF GOSPEL RECORDED IN SENEGAL'S WOLOF LANGUAGE

A "chant" version of the Gospel of John has been recorded in Wolof, a language spoken by 3 million people in the West African country of Senegal. Audio Scripture Ministries' teams report that people are listening and remembering better what the heard when the gospel is presented in chant form. Since only a third of Senegal's population is literate, oral communication is an ideal way to share God's Word in this country. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with Brethren Assemblies and SIM in Dakar, Senegal, to make weekly Christian broadcasts available across the country on an FM network.

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