Zprávy HCJB 9.5.2003

 EVANGELISTA - PRVNÍ NOVODOBÝ MUČEDNÍK V BANGLADÉŠI
    Křesťanský evangelista se stal prvním bangladéšským mučedníkem v novodobé historii, poté co na něj nejméně sedm muslimských extrémistů ozbrojených noži na zaútočilo. Ve čtvrtek 24. dubna krátce po půlnoci se Hridoy Roy blížil ke svému domu po promítání filmu Ježíš, když ho sedm nebo osm ozbrojených zločinců napadlo. Utržil sedm bodných ran, po kterých okamžitě zemřel. Roy je prvním mučedníkem v novodobé historii Bangladéše a místní věřící říkají, že nebude poslední. (Barnabas Fund)
 
 DUCHOVNÍ BOJ NA HAITI SE STUPŇUJE, HAITSKÝ PREZIDENT PODPORUJE VOODOO.
   Voodoo - náboženství, jehož rozvoj na Haiti lze sledovat od 18. století, je zde nyní uznáváno za plnoprávné náboženství. To znamená, že jeho náboženské úkony jsou považovány za stejně významné, jako křesťanské. Uvádí to Gene Bertolet z Men for Missions. „Blíží s rok 2004 a současný prezident chce Haiti znovu zasvětit Satanovi zase na 200 let.,“ říká Bertolet. Přinejmenším chce, aby se voodoo stalo národním náboženstvím.“ Bertolet se nedávno ujal úlohy „koordinátora modlitební ofenzívy“ při Men for Missions, kterou misie organizuje v rámci evangelizačního projektu Operation Saturation. „Modlitebníci se zaměřují na síly, které se na Haiti odjakživa stavěly proti misii, proti misionářům a samozřejmě proti evangeliu. Je to duchovní boj.“ (Srovnejte zprávy z 3.1.2001, 9.10.2000 a 19.7.2000.)

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

 
 VŠECHNY DNEŠNÍ ZPRÁVY V ANGLIČTINĚ.
   EVANGELIST BECOMES BANGLADESH'S FIRST MODERN-DAY MARTYR

A Christian evangelist has become Bangladesh's first martyr in modern times following the attack by at least seven Muslim extremists armed with knives. Shortly after midnight on Thursday, April 24, Hridoy Roy was approaching his house after showing the "Jesus" film when seven or eight thugs attacked him, stabbing him seven times. He died instantly. Roy is believed to be the first martyr in Bangladesh in modern times, and local believers say he won't be the last. (Barnabas Fund)

SPIRITUAL WARFARE INTENSIFIES AS HAITIAN PRESIDENT SUPPORTS VOODOO

Voodoo, practiced in Haiti since the late 18th century, is now recognized as a religion on a par with other faiths in the country. That means voodoo ceremonies have equal standing with Christian ones, says Gene Bertolet of Men for Missions. "We're coming up on 2004, and the current president wants to rededicate Haiti to Satan for another 200 years," he says. "At least he wants to make it the country's national religion." Bertolet recently took on the role of "offensive prayer coordinator" at Men for Missions as the ministry carries on its evangelistic project, Operation Saturation. "The 'offensive' refers to taking on some of the forces in Haiti that historically have militated against missions and against missionaries and, of course, against the gospel," he says. "It's spiritual warfare." (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio worked with local partners in Haiti to help establish local Christian radio ministries in Port-au-Prince and Tortue Island. Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., are also working with OMS International to establish a satellite radio network based in Cap-Haitien that will deliver Christian programs to FM stations across the country.

COUPLE IN EGYPT IMPRISONED FOR CONVERTING TO CHRISTIANITY

Naglaa Gawargios Fahmy, a Christian convert from Islam, and her husband, Malak, have been held in an Egyptian prison since mid-February in an apparent effort to force Naglaa to renounce Christianity and return to Islam. The couple was arrested at the airport as they tried to leave Egypt for Cyprus. They were sentenced to four days in prison by the El Nozha district attorney. However, this was extended by 45 days on Feb. 26 and another 45 days on March 18. They remain in prison even though the latest extension has expired. Police are trying to force Naglaa to give up her Christian faith and return to Islam, leave her husband, and rear her children as Muslims. In 1996 Naglaa, then a student at Ain-Shams University, was baptized after spending three years exploring the Christian faith. The same year she married Malak, a Christian. Church leaders in Egypt are fighting for the couple's release. "Becoming Christian shouldn't be a crime punishable by a prison sentence," they said. "It is strictly forbidden to convert from Islam to Christianity -- although the opposite happens hundreds and even thousands of times. Freedom of religion should be a human right to all, and conversions should take place on each person's own accord." According to the traditions of sharia (Islamic law), converts from Islam (apostates) should be put to death, their marriages annulled, and their children and property taken away. (Barnabas Fund)

AZERBAIJAN OFFICIALS MOVE TO CLOSE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

The Seventh-Day Adventist church in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan, had only been reopened a few days after being closed by authorities a year ago, when the local justice ministry announced it was seeking to liquidate the church through the courts. Officials pointed to a technical error that was made when the church was first registered in March 1996. One Adventist pastor said he was reluctant to speculate on why the authorities are again seeking to prevent the church from functioning "as we don't want to offend the authorities. But the justice ministry waited a full seven years before pointing out our mistake -- and they're the people who registered our church." Idris Abbasov, head of the Nakhichevan branch of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, denied that the Adventists were being obstructed from worshiping. "No one has informed me of any liquidation through the courts," he said. "They're engaged in prayers and services. No one is stopping them from doing that." (Forum 18 News Service)

BAPTIST CHURCH IN TENNESSEE OPENS DOORS TO TORNADO VICTIMS

Eleven people died and dozens were injured when tornadoes tore through Jackson, Tenn., earlier this week. At West Jackson Baptist Church, one of the largest churches in the area, relief teams from the Tennessee Baptist Convention are preparing about 1,000 meals a day. And the Red Cross also moved a unit, including cots and counselors, to the church, which became a shelter for hundreds who needed warm food and a place to stay. Associate pastor Maurice Hollingsworth says church members have met the challenge of sharing Christ in word and deed. "Our people are going out with chainsaws, and our young people are going out to take away limbs as the adults cut limbs away from people's houses," he said. "Also we're delivering [prepared meals] to some of our own elderly members and shut-ins." Hollingsworth says the tragedy has opened doors to share the gospel. "We've had people in our relief center that have asked for Bibles, and people have been thankful when we've gone out and ministered in the community." Local merchants have also donated blankets and pillows, and the church's own disaster relief team was assisting the Red Cross. (AgapePress)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO PARTNER STATION OPENS IN KEY ROMANIAN CITY

After more than three years of praying and planning, HCJB World Radio's partner ministry in Romania is on the air with an FM station in Brasov, the country's second-largest city with a population of more than 500,000. This brings to seven the number of stations in the Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVG) network, a joint operation of HCJB World Radio, Romanian Missionary Society and the Evangelical Alliance of Romania.

The city's first Christian station began with test broadcasts in March and moved to full FM stereo programming in April using a 200-watt transmitter provided by HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind. "It was encouraging that staff members from RVG stations in Bucharest and Sibiu came to Brasov to install the station and train the staff," said missionary Steve Hunter who directs the Romanian project. "These are tasks that we as missionaries used to do."

Christian programs go out nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. on a frequency of 94.6 MHz. "We expect to move to a 500-watt transmitter soon by using the transmitter from the station in Bucharest," Hunter explains. "Bucharest plans to upgrade to 2,000 watts. However, we won't be able to increase the power until final government approvals go through." The station in Brasov is applying for a 24-hour-a-day license. So far the only RVG stations with permits to broadcast nonstop are in Sibiu and Oradea.

Hunter says the spiritual potential of the Brasov ministry is enormous. "This is a prosperous city for Romania with many of the country's 'movers and shakers,'" he says. "The city has large truck and tractor manufacturing plants, two universities-one public and the other private-and a major ski resort just five miles away that attracts people from across Europe. The station has the potential of reaching a lot of people who would never go to a church." Including the surrounding area, the Brasov station is within reach of more than 1 million people.

It was a challenge to find a suitable site for the transmitters, antenna and studios because the city is "shaped like a horseshoe wrapped around a mountain, and the government wouldn't let us put an antenna on the mountain," Hunter explains. He helped find a suitable transmitter site at the base of the "U" with a signal that reaches both arms of the city.

Obtaining a license was another challenge, but the building permit came through in October 2001 while final permits needed to go on the air were approved in March 2003.

Help came from the vice president of Romania's National Radio and TV Committee (CNA) in Bucharest, one of several government officials who attended the dedication of the Brasov station on April 4. He voiced his appreciation for the quality of the programming on the network and said on one occasion he was so captivated by a program aired in Bucharest that he "couldn't get out of his car" until the program ended!

"I'm impressed with the commitment of the believers in Brasov to use radio to reach their people with the gospel," Hunter adds. "They raised $15,000 to purchase the top-floor apartment where the studios and transmitter are located. This purchase also included permission to install the antenna tower on the roof. This gift was a huge sacrifice considering that the salary of a professional in Brasov is only $170 per month! It shows the deep desire of the believers in Brasov to bring Christian radio to their community. They will strive hard to make it a success." (HCJB World Radio)

© Copyright 2003 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

 

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