*HCJB World Radio spolu s In Touch Ministries, SIM a evangelijními sbory zahájily v roce 2000 krátkovlnné vysílání půlhodinových programů každý týden v jazyce Ibogo. Mluví jím asi 15 milionů nigerijského etnika Ibogo.

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

Escalating political unrest in Liberia has forced hundreds of Westerners to flee the country, including Christian missionaries, says John Shea, deputy to SIM's international director. "All but one of our missionaries left the country on Tuesday and flew to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, via commercial airliner," he said by telephone in Fort Mill, N.C. "It was hard for them to leave, but they made it." The SIM missionaries were not part of the French military effort on Monday to evacuate more than 500 foreigners, including 100 U.S. nationals, to a French ship anchored in international waters off the seaside capital of Monrovia.

A Korean couple serving in church leadership development were evacuated along with the wife and family of an American missionary doctor who is staying in Abidjan unless the situation worsens. The doctor, who has not been identified for security reasons, is helping at the ELWA compound where Liberians now operate the Christian radio station and hospital founded by SIM in 1954. "As far as I know, ELWA is still on the air," Shea says. However, this could change since there is a shortage of fuel needed to operate the diesel generators which power the transmitters as the country's infrastructure breaks down.

ELWA, a partner ministry of HCJB World Radio, 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. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio supplied a low-power shortwave transmitter, again enabling the station to cover the region. ELWA broadcasts the gospel in 10 languages and plans to add more as resources become available.

In a report from Mission Network News, Evangelical Baptist Mission's Doug Boisvert said the unrest has disrupted all mission activities in the country. "We were scheduled for a trip to be teaching a couple of courses this week," he said. "That had to be postponed because of the instability and lack of ability for us to get in. . . . It really has disrupted all kinds of activities and any kind of training that's been going on." Boisvert says this kind of instability shakes everything up. "People are moved all around. They don't know what's going to happen next. Be praying for the peace and stability of Liberia and for the believers who are experiencing these difficulties."

In the latest developments, Reuters reported today that Liberian President Charles Taylor has agreed to halt hostilities against rebel forces after a meeting today with West African diplomats, paving the way for peace talks in Ghana to start in earnest. "We have just come out of a meeting with President Taylor," said key mediator Mohamed Ibn Chambas. "He has assured us that all his parties are also willing to halt hostilities. That's the mood we need for the talks to start." The mediators earlier said the main rebel group had agreed to halt advances on the capital. (HCJB World Radio)

RENEWED CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM VIOLENCE BREAKS OUT IN NIGERIA

Sectarian violence broke out in the Nigerian town of Numan Sunday, June 8, after an evangelical Christian woman was stabbed to death by a Muslim water vender. She was killed after disputing the price of a can of water. Angry residents of the predominantly Christian town, blocked by police from attacking the water seller, then converged on Muslim neighborhoods where they burned mosques, houses and cars, witnesses said. The central mosque along with six others were burned during the riots. One person was killed, and dozens suffered serious injuries. Christians, who account for about half of Nigeria's 120 million citizens, have periodically clashed with the country's Muslim population regarding the introduction of sharia (Islamic law). Sharia was introduced in 12 of Nigeria's predominantly Muslim northern states in 1999 when the country emerged from 15 years of military rule. Since then, sectarian violence has plagued the West African nation, claiming more than 5,000 lives. On June 5 Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo warned that warring religious communities they would be held responsible for inter-religious violence under the riot acts. The rioting in Numan last weekend is the most serious sectarian clashing since Obasanjo was re-elected on May 29. (Religion Today)

* HCJB World Radio, together with partners In Touch Ministries, SIM and the Evangelical Church of West Africa, began airing weekly half-hour programs in the Igbo language in 2000. The programs air via shortwave to Nigeria's 15 million Igbo speakers.

IMPRISONED FOUNDER OF CHINESE DENOMINATION SAID TO BE NEAR DEATH

Pastor Gong Shengliang, the imprisoned founder of the 50,000-member South China Church, is said to be near death after repeated torture, reported the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). A source inside the Jingzhou Prison in Hubei province sent an urgent message to his family: "If you want Mr. Gong to be alive in the future, you'd better think of a way as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable." Gong has been repeatedly beaten and now suffers from internal injuries and lost hearing in one ear. He has been bedridden for more than two weeks, slipping in an out of a coma. The Chinese government has prevented family members from visiting Gong since April 14, pointing to the SARS threat. At that time family members noticed that his health was failing, but t wasn't as grave as recent reports. The source added that three guards are assigned to Gong each day, watching and recording his every activity. A political officer also visits him daily in an attempt to make him reject his faith in Christ and admit to wrongdoings. Gong was sentenced to death on what Christians say were trumped-up multiple rape charges at the end of 2001. However, following an international outcry, his sentence was reviewed and reduced to life in prison. He has been held in Jingzhou Prison since December 2002. (VOM/Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

TURKMEN AUTHORITIES EXPAND RELIGIOUS CRACKDOWN TO HARE KRISHNAS

The crackdown against Protestant congregations in Turkmenistan has widened to include the Hare Krishna community. In late May two Hare Krishna meetings were raided by the authorities. During the raid in a village near Mari, officials confined themselves to filming the devotees, but in the capital Ashgabad, the raid was more severe. Hare Krishna sources said that three devotees were detained, one was badly beaten and two were fined. One was threatened with a criminal case, while another was threatened with deportation from the capital. But the policeman who led the raid, Col. Byashim Taganov, denied all involvement. "I know nothing about the incident," he said. (Forum 18 News Service)

EVANGELIST SEES LATIN AMERICA ON VERGE OF 'SPIRITUAL AWAKENING'

"Latin America is at the threshold of an enormous spiritual awakening," says Argentine-born evangelist Alberto Mottesi, 61, president of the Alberto Mottesi Evangelistic Association. "I am not speaking of a spiritual revival, but a spiritual awakening. This will bring forth a revival in the economic, political and social areas. This reminds me of what happened in Martin Luther's Reformation which became the preamble to the Renaissance, affecting the arts and culture. We are going to see something similar in Latin America." He recently held six campaigns in six weeks across the region, including the "March of Glory," a nine-mile march across Mexico City culminating with an evangelistic meeting and prayer vigil. "More than 50,000 people gave their hearts to the Lord for the first time," he says. "The meeting continued into a prayer vigil that lasted all night. The next day at 7 a.m. there were 250,000 people praying!" Mottesi says doors continue to open for the gospel in Mexico, a country that he calls the "most idolatrous of this continent" and traditionally opposed to evangelicals. "We have gone from one extreme to another, politically speaking," Mottesi adds. "We acknowledge there is no solution with the leftists or the right wing. People are seeking God in a very passionate way. . . . It is urgent to return to the values of the Bible." (Assist News Service)

5 SUDANESE REFUGEES IN IOWA EARN CHRISTIAN MINISTRY DIPLOMAS

Nearly a decade ago, a group of Sudanese refugees sought safety and religious freedom in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after fleeing persecution in their warring homeland. Now, five dedicated Sudanese men have received diplomas in Christian ministry through the Southern Baptist Seminary Extension program. The refugees became Christians while still in Sudan. In the midst of a civil war, they were persecuted for their beliefs and sought asylum in the U.S. Immanuel Baptist Church offered a place of worship and provided basic English classes. The men wanted to learn about the Bible and also how to be pastors, but they couldn't go to seminary because they had families and much-needed jobs. The basic Seminary Extension curriculum was found to meet their need. The Southern Baptist Seminary Extension provides college-level educational opportunities for students who are not able to attend a regular institution, using methods such as correspondence and the Internet. Five Sudanese men persevered, despite the language barrier, and received their diplomas in a graduation ceremony at the church June 1 in the presence of about 100 family members and friends. Their dream is to return to their native land as Christian pastors, despite persecution, to spread God's Word to their suffering countrymen. (Religion Today)

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