As a blackout covered the northeastern U.S. and parts of Canada Thursday, Aug. 14, Baptists throughout the area used the incident to shine the light of Christ. The blackout that affected an estimated 50 million people in major cities such as New York, Cleveland and Toronto provided Christians in the region an unusual opportunity for ministry. Baptists in New York City handed out icy pops on the street to those walking home. Lisa Chilson-Rose, director of volunteers at the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association, said that when the power first went off, people in the office thought something in the building had gone wrong. Then they looked out the window and saw people from other businesses gathering outside to determine what had happened. "We immediately got a battery-powered radio and heard that the whole city was out," she said. Bob Mackey, a minister in Cleveland, used his battery-powered laptop computer to send e-mails to church members, assuring them that Sunday services would be held with or without power. In Toronto, church planter Chris Adams recounted how the blackout was proving a "neat way" to remind Canadians of their need for the gospel. (Baptist Press)

SUPPORT GROWS FOR ANTI-CONVERSION LEGISLATION IN SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka Buddhism and Legal Reform Minister W.J.M. Lokubandara said he supports a proposed "anti-conversion bill" that would limit the freedom of individuals to change their religion, reported the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka. Lokubandara formally announced his intention to take the bill to parliament. The draft bill is patterned after anti-conversion legislation adopted in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu last year. Public debate regarding the proposed legislation may have fueled a recent spate of attacks against Christians in Sri Lanka. A mob led by Buddhist monks attacked the Assembly of God church in Kesbewa on Aug. 7, stoning the church and hanging anti-Christian posters in Kesbewa and nearby Piliyandala. The incident was the latest in a string of attacks against churches this summer. Four churches in the Galle district suffered attacks on Aug. 2, including the Assemblies of God in Thanamalwila and Lumugamvehera, the Methodist church in Rathgama and the Assembly of God and Calvary churches in Hikkaduwa. The attacks may have been an attempt to incite Buddhists against the Christian community, creating an environment of religious disharmony that could lead to an excuse to adopt the new anti-conversion laws. (Open Doors)

CHRISTIANS' LACK OF AWARENESS HINDERS MINISTRY IN HOSTILE AREAS

Ministry in some countries is so sensitive that the location or worker cannot be revealed. Such is the case for a missionary team from Youth With a Mission serving in North Africa. "It is challenging because we're not able to do any kind of public evangelism, of course, because it is an Islamic country," said a team member who asked not to be identified. "It's really through one-on-one contacts -- sharing our faith through what many people call 'friendship evangelism' building relationships, building trust and then sharing God's love with them." He added that Christians' lack of awareness of the situation compounds the situation. "There seem to be fewer workers here compared to other areas of the world, and less resources going to these unreached areas. I think part of it is that [North American Christians] are not as aware of some of these areas . . . and that these areas are so unreached." (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio reaches across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe with Christian Arabic programming aired via shortwave, satellite and local stations. The Radio Al Mahabba (Radio Love) Arabic satellite network airs programs direct-to-home 24 hours a day. This region has the world's highest concentration of personal satellite dishes.

EGYPTIAN EVANGELIST USES INTERNET TO REACH MUSLIMS FOR CHRIST

An Egyptian evangelist is using the information highway to present the gospel to Muslims in London. Along with his wife, former Muslim Ebrahim Elsayih, 57, spends much of his time evangelizing via the Internet. He said the late-night and early-morning hours are the best times to strike up conversations about Christ. "We do more and more of our evangelizing on the Internet and hope to have our own website up and running soon," Elsayih said. "In Arabic, of course." Elsayih, a former dentist, serves with the Coptic Orthodox Church in London and has been a full-time evangelist for more than 25 years -- first in Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt, and since 1993 in London. (Charisma News Service)

DVD VERSION OF FILM ABOUT CHRIST TO ENHANCE MINISTRY IN INDIA

Hyderabad is among the leading metropolitan areas in India where technology and entertainment are common. Dayspring International's John Gilman recently visited the city to take advantage of the opportunity to implement the new technology. "The purpose of our visit was to put our wonderful all-India-acted life of Christ motion picture into DVD format," he said. "It's a historic moment for us." Gilman said the new format will enable the ministry to expand its impact across India. "The digitalization of the movie will enhance our film team's ability to show the film in many different venues." In the old format, Dayspring teams shared the hope of Christ in 125,000 villages. He hopes the format change paves the way for its teams to reach 600,000 villages in the next five to 10 years. (Mission Network News)

* In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in three languages: Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi and Mundari. A five-hour block of English programs also beams across India from HCJB World Radio-Australia's new shortwave site in Kununurra, Australia.

STUDY: RELIGIOUS FAMILIES IN U.S. 'GET ALONG BETTER'

A new study has affirmed the biblical declaration that a house divided cannot stand. Sociologists with the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently found that religiously involved American families of youth ages 12 to 14 get along better than families that are not religiously active, reported Charisma News. Christian Smith, principal investigator of the study, said youth from families who attend church, pray or read Scriptures together are more likely to admire and enjoy their parents more, and get praise from their parents. The teens' parents also know more about their friends and social contacts, and their families tend to share meals more often and teens are less likely to run away from home. In contrast, youth whose families do not engage in religious activities tend to have weaker relationships with their mothers and fathers, are less likely to participate in family activities, and more likely to run away from home. A four-year research project, the NSYR began in August 2001 and will continue until August 2005. Smith said the survey is the most extensive and detailed study of U.S. parent-teen relationships that has been conducted on the subject of religion and spirituality. (Religion Today)

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

*Tato a další zprávy jsou (pouze v aktuální den) v originální anglické verzi zde.

*Tato a další zprávy jsou (pouze v aktuální den) v originální anglické verzi zde.

*HCJB World Radio vysílá z nového zařízení v lokalitě Kununurra v Austrálii denně 6.5 hodiny anglických pořadů do Indie a celé jihovýchodní Asie. K tomu od července přistoupily dva půlhodinové pořady v urdštině od pondělí do soboty a v plánu je vysílání v hindštině. Ve spolupráci s FEBA Radio vysílá HCJB World Radio také každý týden křesťanské vysílání na krátkých vlnách ve třech jazycích - Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi a Mundari.

Zde je pro lovce na krátkých vlnách přehled nejnovějších vysílacích časů HCJB-AUSTRALIA od 21.července (UTC):
0100-0130 15420 Urdu směr jižní Asie
0130-0330 15420 anglicky směr jižní Asie
0800-1230 11750 anglicky směr Austrálie a Nový Zéland
1230-1700 15390 anglicky směr jižní Asie
1700-1730 15405 Urdu směr jižní Asie
1800-2030 11765 anglicky směr Austrálie a Nový Zéland

Anglický text s podrobným technickým popisem včetně očekávané kvality příjmu je ke stažení zde.

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

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

More than 200 Egyptian security forces equipped with 18 bulldozers and heavy trucks surrounded a Coptic Orthodox monastery on Egypt's Red Sea coast this morning, but withdrew later in the day after President Hosny Mubarak intervened, a human rights watchdog said. The Barnabas Fund, which supports persecuted Christians, said the breakthrough came just hours after police officers had surrounded the Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St Anthony's hours earlier with the apparent intention to destroy its walls. Meanwhile, monks from the monastery were "protesting outside the building, trying desperately to protect their home," The Barnabas Fund reported in a statement. Bishop H.G. Yustus, head of St. Anthony's Monastery in El Zaaferana in the Red Sea governorate, said the monks used their bodies as human shields to prevent security forces from attacking the monastery itself. Police also began physically attacking the monks, arresting at least three and injuring one. The police officers were reportedly acting on orders from the Red Sea governorate in Hurghada. The crisis arose because the local governorate claimed the walls of the monastery have been constructed illegally and issued the police with orders to destroy them. However, official permission to construct the walls was obtained in 1992, and they were completed about four years ago. Barnabas Fund said the incident reflects the growing persecution of these and other Christian groups in Egypt. The monastery is one of the world's oldest, founded in the 4th century by St. Anthony, regarded as the father of monasticism. (Assist/U.S. Copts Association)

FOREST FIRE DAMAGES EVANGELICAL RETREAT CENTER IN SPAIN

An evangelical center in Spain recently suffered severe damage from forest fires. A large part of the retreat center, Pinos Reales, in wooded hills about 45 miles west of Madrid, was destroyed during Europe's recent heat wave. The center is run by the Spanish mission, Evangelismo en Acción (Evangelism in Action). One house with 70 beds was lost, and about 80 percent of the vegetation in the compound -- bushes and trees -- were destroyed. Several villages in the vicinity had to be evacuated before firefighters on the ground and in the air managed to extinguish the flames. No one was hurt as the fire occurred on Friday, Aug. 1, a transitional day between the departure of one group of guests and the arrival of another. Director Benjamin Martin estimates damage at US$110,000. Insurance does not cover forest fires since they are classified as "natural disasters." Local evangelical Christians have volunteered to help repair the damage. (IDEA)

DEPORTED ERITREAN BELIEVER BANNED FROM SAUDI ARABIA FOR 5 YEARS

A week after he was deported from Saudi Arabia, Eritrean Christian Girmaye Ambaye confirmed that he had been banned from returning to the Muslim country for the next five years. Ambaye, 42, had been jailed in Jeddah since March when he was arrested for witnessing about his Christian faith to Muslims. He is the 13th member of an Ethiopian-Eritrean Christian congregation to be jailed and deported from the Saudi port city over the past two years. Ambaye estimated he had explained the gospel to 600 cellmates during the 20 weeks he spent in a crowded group cell at the detention center, and that 42 of the prisoners indicated to him that they had decided to become Christians. Upon his arrival in Asmara, Eritrean immigration authorities took him into custody, interrogated him and confiscated his identity card and passport before releasing him. Ambaye said he did not know what he would do now that he has returned to Eritrea where he left 15 years ago to find work as a tailor in Saudi Arabia. "I will rest first, and then I will see what the Lord will show me," he said. (Compass)

HINDU OPPOSITION TO CHRISTIANS ESCALATES IN NORTHERN INDIA

Anti-Christian sentiment continues to rise with the growing Hindu nationalist movement in northern India, says Gospel for Asia (GFA) President K.P. Yohanon. He describes the obstacles believers face in areas such as Himachal Pradesh state. "Just the other day, our leader there reported that one of the students in our Bible school went on an outreach, and he was beaten up and abused without any mercy. They destroyed his tracts and booklets and threatened to kill him if he ever came back to that place again. This is something that continues to increase. All we can do is to pray and continue to encourage our brothers. We send them out saying, 'You know, what Jesus promised is persecution and opposition. Be courageous and be willing to lay down your life for the Lord.'" GFA has established 36 churches and 80 mission stations in Himachal Pradesh. (Mission Network News)

TRAINING CENTER IN SOUTH DAKOTA HELPS RESTORE INDIANS' DIGNITY

While the high school dropout rate continues to climb on many native American reservations, Leon Matthews of the Lakota Training and Leadership Institute in South Dakota works at bringing in Christians to help his people make a better life for themselves. "We want to help develop our people, and we believe that it's through Jesus Christ that dignity can be restored. It's through the dignity of Jesus we can hope to build our community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation." Half of the residents on the reservation are less than 18 years of age, and the high school dropout rate is 75 percent. Matthews says the institute is working with Worldwide Christian Schools to develop an after-school program. "Our goal is to use the literacy programs as well as mentoring and discipleship to encourage youth to finish high school," he says. "We're excited that we can try to build the kingdom of God through this effort." (Mission Network News)

* WORLD RADIO NETWORK STATIONS ESCAPE DAMAGE FROM TROPICAL STORM

World Radio Network's Gulf Coast installations were spared the full force of Tropical Storm Erika that swept through on the weekend. Radio facilities in Corpus Christi, Brownsville and McAllen, Texas, received limited amounts of wind and rain during the early-morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 16, but sustained "no damage," said Dwight Lind, WRN's public information director. "At the last moment, when making landfall, the storm veered toward the south into northern Mexico. There was heavy flooding in Matamoros and Reynosa, Mexico, but no lives were reported lost," he said. "Thank you for praying for protection of the broadcasting installations of the network." WRN is a ministry of HCJB World Radio with 23 FM outlets in the U.S. -- many along the U.S.-Mexico border. (HCJB World Radio)

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

Some desperately needed aid supplies bound for Liberia were lost at sea the evening of Saturday, Aug. 16, but relief work continues. The 140-ton Madame Patricia crashed during a violent storm off the coast of Sierra Leone, resulting in the loss of $86,000 worth of generators, fuel and other non-food supplies, including 15,000 blankets, 4.8 tons of laundry soap, plastic buckets, water cans and sleeping mats. Rich Moseanko, field officer of the U.S.-based aid organization, World Vision, said the crew battled the storm for about 10 hours before the ship broke up and hit a sandbar. The shipment was among the first for Liberia. Moseanko called the sinking a "momentary setback." The agency has warehouses in Italy and would airlift new supplies to Liberia in days, he said.

World Vision spokesman Dean Owen said the loss of gasoline and diesel fuel was especially disheartening. "With gasoline running at about $40 a gallon on the black market there, these were much-needed relief supplies. Praise God, no lives were lost." Owen urges prayer for Christian workers who remain in Liberia. "We have about 40 Liberian staff in the country, some of whom were held up in their homes for several days because they were fearful to leave. We have other expatriate staff who were evacuated. Some of our staff members are receiving trauma counseling for all the agony and trauma that they went through."

In recent developments, Reuters reported that warring factions in Liberia were due to sit down together today to choose the leader of a two-year transition government meant to end 14 years of bloodshed and prepare for elections. But signs of the squabbling that have bedeviled Liberian peacemaking for years emerged in Ghana where a candidate who failed to make the shortlist said he would lodge a complaint while rebels said they wanted more time to consult. West African mediators, desperate to end a crisis that has poisoned their impoverished region, want the delegates to move as quickly as possible to name someone to replace President Moses Blah in October.

Blah took office after the former president, Charles Taylor, flew into exile last week. Blah's representatives will meet the two rebel factions to choose from a shortlist of three candidates chosen by political parties and other interest groups. Candidates include former United Nations official and Taylor critic Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Rudolph Sherman who heads a coalition regarded as broadly sympathetic to Taylor, and Monrovia businessman Gyude Bryant of the Liberia Action Party. (Mission Network News/AP/CNN/Reuters)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with ELWA, a ministry founded by SIM in Monrovia 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. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio provided 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. The station is the only radio station on the air in Monrovia, broadcasting on a limited schedule as diesel fuel is available to operate the generators.

PROTESTERS OUTSIDE ERITREAN EMBASSY PUSH FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Protesters are campaigning this week outside the Eritrean embassy in London in response to the growing persecution of Christians in that country. The protesters from All Saints Church in Islington are raising awareness and gathering signatures for a petition outside the embassy. "All Saints Church is a local congregation of the Church of England," said Rev. Martyn Saunders. "When we were made aware of the situation in Eritrea, we were moved to prayer and action. Having discovered that the Eritrean embassy is only a few streets away from our church, we felt we could do no other than to make our protest felt." Throughout this week, church members and friends have been on the street outside the embassy, praying for change, explaining the situation to passersby and embassy staff, and garnering signatures to a petition pushing for the enactment of humans rights treaties that the government has signed. Eritrea, Africa's newest country with 4 million people, is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims. The main problems for evangelical Christians stem from an alliance between the state and the Orthodox Church. On May 21, 2002, the Eritrean government issued a decree ordering the closure of all churches not belonging to the Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Lutheran denominations, effectively rendering other denominations illegal. The move came after increasing persecution of Christians belonging to evangelical and Pentecostal denominations. Hundreds of Eritrean believers have been arrested, jailed and attacked by mobs in the last year. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

UNREGISTERED JEHOVAH'S WITNESS CENTER IN BULGARIA FACES OPPOSITION

A new center for Jehovah's Witnesses that is being built in the Black Sea port of Burgas may be destroyed following a wave of opposition from local residents and the city council. "The city council adopted a law saying no places of worship can be built near schools," said church spokesman Peter Mischler. "They believe such places will influence children." Marusya Lyubcheva, the deputy mayor of Burgas responsible for religious affairs, insisted that the council is following set procedures since the group has not been registered with the city administration. Krasimira Cherkezova, the city's chief engineer, said the Jehovah's Witnesses gained permission to build a business center in the Slaveykov district last year. "However, the use of offices as places of worship is not allowed," she said. "For us there is no problem for them to construct the building. The use of it is the problem." She stressed that only "legitimately registered" religious communities have the right to build places of worship. She declined to say what would happen to the new building. The 1,300 Jehovah's Witnesses in Bulgaria have faced restrictions on their activity by local authorities in recent years. (Forum 18 News Service)

BAPTISTS REDUCE MISSIONARY FORCE DESPITE INCREASING NEEDS

The Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB) wants to increase its missionary staff by 50 percent. Leaders reached this conclusion following their recent Global Strategy Summit in Virginia. But the opposite is happening. The IMB had to limit the number of workers sent this year because of the lack of funding. This means that attrition will take a higher toll than usual. The number of IMB missionaries is expected drop to about 5,000 by the end of 2004, down from the current level of 5,600. (Mission Network News)

YOUTH CAMP BRINGS ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS TOGETHER

"Three weeks ago [July 28-Aug.1] we completed our summer camp, and without a doubt it was touched by the Lord," said Salim Munayer of Musalaha, a ministry of reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. This was the first time the program was offered to youth ages 10-14. "They may see Palestinians or Israelis as distant, not as people with whom you eat and talk and play games," Munayer said. One of the goals of this camp was to create an environment where young people could interact on many levels. Together they studied God's Word, focusing on the themes of love, forgiveness and reconciliation. The two groups came together with apparent ease, not restricted by barriers of language or culture, but open to each other and ready to embrace, Munayer said. "An experience like this one can make a tremendous impact on perceptions and relating to people from the other side," he said. "We pray that this experience would be a seed that grows and that it would have a lasting impression in the lives of the young people." The program included Bible teaching, worship, cultural activities, dance, arts, crafts, drama, photography, games and outdoor sports. (Assist News Service)

THOUSANDS SHOW SUPPORT FOR TEN COMMANDMENTS MONUMENT

Thousands traveled from as far away as California and Virginia to voice support Saturday, Aug. 16, for Chief Justice Roy Moore in his battle with the federal courts to keep a monument to the Ten Commandments in the state judicial building rotunda. "Why are we here? We're here because we believe our God has been insulted," said Rev. Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America. Other speakers blasted U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson who ruled the monument unconstitutional and threatened hefty fines against the state if it isn't removed from public display by today. Scarborough, Rev. Jerry Falwell, former U.N. Ambassador Alan Keyes and other speakers compared this battle to the civil rights movement that began here nearly five decades ago. "Civil disobedience is the right of every one of us -- to break man's law to obey God's law," Falwell said. "America shall return to one nation under God." Moore, who had not been expected to attend the rally, made a surprise appearance and spoke briefly. Moore's lawyers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside Thompson's order pending a review of the case. Members of American Atheists gathered across the street from the judicial building, about two blocks from the capitol, holding banners calling for separation of church and state. (Religion News Service)

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

For the past three months the Assembly of God Church in Kesbewa, Sri Lanka, has been subjected to threats and attacks, including broken windows and bottles of burning oil thrown into the church building. In response, the church has made sure that someone is at the building at all times to guard it. However, on the night of Thursday, Aug. 14, pastor Kumara and two other church members were keeping watch when two motorcycles stopped and four men in black dismounted. Kumara heard one of them say, "Paththu karannna" (light it). Fearing that the church building was about to be set on fire, he shouted and ran toward the men along with a church member named Narada. As the men ran away, one of them threw a homemade bomb that exploded, badly injuring Narada. The pastor escaped with only minor wounds. A police investigation has begun, and an inquiry is set for Friday, Aug. 22. Kumara says the main suspect accused of orchestrating the attacks is the chief Buddhist monk in Kamburupitiya who wields considerable power in the community. In September 2002 he visited the church and threatened the pastor and members with death. Authorities have summoned the monk in connection with previous incidents at the church, but he has refused to speak with them. They ordered him to appear at the inquiry. (Voice of the Martyrs)

RAID REVEALS EVIDENCE OF PLANNED ATTACKS ON INDONESIAN CHURCHES

Church service schedules have been found in a raid on terror suspects in Indonesia just days after the alleged mastermind of the Bali bombings, Imam Samudra, shouted during his trial, "We are ready to win the crusade against Christians! We will win!" For most Islamic militants, the terms "Western" and "Christian" are virtually synonymous and viewed as a common enemy, and Christians face possible persecution. From July 4-11 police arrested seven suspected members of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asia terror group that has links to al-Qaeda. In their raids they discovered three books containing the schedules of various church services and enough explosives for a blast 10 times the size of the Bali bombs that killed 202 people on Oct. 12, 2003. Commenting on the Bali attack, Samudra said, "If my actions touched the unbelievers . . . then that is justified in the Koran and the sayings of the prophet Mohammed." Southern Baptist International Mission Board representative Charles Cole says persecution is becoming a "way of life" for believers in Indonesia. "The only question is not 'Will it happen?' but 'When and where will it take place?' This creates a tension on everyone and provides an atmosphere that does cause limitations on where you go and what you do." Cole says ministry continues through the vibrant national church. (Barnabas Fund/Mission Network News)

MISSIONARY PLANE CARRYING CARGO IN PHILIPPINES OVERTURNS INTO RIVER

No one was injured when a plane from New Tribes Mission (NTM) carrying cargo ran off the runway and turned over in a river while landing on a tribal airstrip in Palawan, Philippines, the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 19. Missionary pilot Gary Elliot was flying 300 pounds of cargo into the tribe where NTM missionaries Norm and Jacque Rice work. Members of a visiting work team of 16 people from Rancho Community Church, Calif., were waiting for a ride out of the jungle when the plane crashed. Heavy rain the night before apparently caused water to leak into the airspeed indicator, causing it to show a slower reading than the actual speed during landing. NTM staff members expressed gratefulness for prompt assistance from the Philippine Air Force which sent a helicopter to shuttle the work team out of the area. Staff members are working to dismantle and transport the plane for repairs. (New Tribes Mission)

BUSH MAKES APPOINTMENTS TO INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PANEL

U.S. President George W. Bush has reappointed a Southern Baptist and named a Roman Catholic bishop and a Muslim academic to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The nine-member commission is a worldwide watchdog for religious liberty. It counsels Congress, the president and the secretary of state on how to sponsor and uphold religious freedom and tolerance. "If the U.S. does not insist that religious liberty be part of the agenda, no one else will," said Southern Baptist Richard Land. The panel comprises a nonvoting ambassador-at-large and nine voting members, three of whom are appointed by the president and the rest by congressional party leaders. Land is president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and is the first commissioner to be reappointed since the establishment of the independent federal agency in 1998. Bush also named Archbishop Charles Chaput, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, and professor Khaled Abou El Fadl of Los Angeles. (Religion News Service)

VOODOO INFLUENCE IN BENIN FAILS TO STOP MISSIONARY TRAINING SCHOOLS

A ministry that operates six schools of missions in the West African country of Benin reports that staff and students are facing increased persecution from witchdoctors and magicians. Benin, the birthplace of voodoo, continues to be a hotbed of diabolical activity. Missionaries serving with the organization say that politicians from Benin and neighboring West African countries travel to this area to seek witchdoctors' power in leading their nations. People also come to Benin from around the world -- including Europe and the U.S -- to buy satanic power. Meanwhile, workers at the school face continual spiritual attacks and rejection from the community. "Our missionaries and their children are always targets," said a leader with the ministry. "The enemy seeks to destroy us because of the strategic evangelization programs that are bringing people out of darkness to Christ." Despite these difficulties, the ministry has trained more than 100 students who are serving as missionaries in difficult areas, spreading the gospel among 16 ethnic groups. More than 400 people have submitted applications to attend the six schools this fall. (Missions Insider)

* HCJB World Radio worked with the Council of Protestant and Evangelical Churches of Benin to help put a Christian station on the air in Cotonou in 1998. The station broadcasts the gospel in French, English and seven tribal languages. Partner ministry SIM also records programs in eight languages at studios in Parakou. Programs air on local stations across Benin.

MINISTRY IN INDIA AIMS TO SHOW FILM TO 25 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY

Since the Dayspring ministry was launched 22 years ago, 850 film teams have gone throughout India. Last year alone, the ministry launched more than 100 new teams despite the increase in persecution against believers. The ministry aims to mobilize another 100 teams this year and have 540 full-time teams in place by the end of 2004. This will enable the ministry to show the all-Indian acted story of Jesus to an estimated 25 million people each year. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio's new shortwave site Kununurra, Australia, airs 6.5 hours of daily English programming across India and South Asia. Two half-hour programs in Urdu, airing Monday through Saturday, were added in July, and plans are being made to start Hindi programs. In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio also airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in three languages: Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi and Mundari. Additional text with the new schedule for HCJB-AUS from Kununurra is here.

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

The situation in the Liberian capital city of Monrovia is finally improving, said Rick Sacra, associated director for SIM Liberia, in an e-mail report that arrived today. "Monrovia is at last a basically peaceful city and people are beginning to move around freely," he said. "The peace process and the deployment of the ECOMIL (peacekeeping) troops are reported to be moving on slowly but surely. Displaced people on the eastern side of Monrovia at the Sports Complex and the Kendeja Culture Center (both sites close to the ELWA radio campus of SIM/HCJB World Radio) have not yet received any food distribution," but these are expected to begin next week.

Fuel continues to be a concern in the city with gasoline selling at "anywhere from $5 to $10 a gallon," Sacra said. However, ELWA was able to obtain 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel for its generators and vehicles at the price of US$2.80 earlier this week.

SIM is working to help other ministry partners organize feeding programs for displaced children in the city. "Unfortunately, there are too many kids for us to help all of them in our areas, but we want to do what we can," Sacra reported. "We have received a pledge of assistance from one organization in the U.S. Programs are getting under way to feed up to 600 children every day after a program of songs, Bible stories and games. We hope this will allow some children to experience God's love in a very practical way."

Sacra added that Rev. Do Young Choi, who accompanied him on his trip to Liberia, has been surveying various displaced centers in the area. Choi, along with partners in the Evangelical Church Union of Liberia (SIM-related churches), are assessing needs of the displaced people in Monrovia. SIM leaders are considering the possibility of mission families returning to Liberia sometime in the next month. (SIM)

In recent developments, Reuters reported that Moses Blah, Liberia's caretaker president, will meet with the main backer of his country's biggest rebel group today when he visits Guinea as part of a regional tour designed to end 14 years of bloodshed. Blah was due to meet Guinea resident Lansana Conte, named in a U.N. report as the biggest supporter of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), the larger of two rebel factions holding about three-quarters of Liberia. LURD fighters have taken shelter in Guinean barracks where they were provided with ammunition and weapons, and Conte's troops have shelled Liberia in the past. There was no official word on whether Blah, who steps down in October, would raise the issue of Guinea's support for the rebels during the talks.

Meanwhile, warring factions Thursday named 54-year-old Christian businessman Gyude Bryant to lead the country's interim government after Blah steps down. The aim of the new administration to be headed by Bryant -- as chairman rather than president -- will be to end all violence, disarm wild warrior bands, get hundreds of thousands of refugees home, and hold elections in 2005. "My top priority will be to heal the pain, the hurt and the wounds that we have accumulated over the years," Bryant said. He is a key figure in the Episcopal Church, one of Liberia's main religious denominations. He had urged Taylor to step down, but at the same time has been critical of the rebels. "Being a God-fearing person, he will take care of us," said Joseph Tarplah, a soldier who has not been paid for 15 months in the battle-scarred capital of Monrovia.

Associated Press also reported that a military plane carrying delegates of Liberian peace talks collapsed on its wheels and skidded across the tarmac as it took off from Ghana on Thursday, officials said. No one was hurt. Airport workers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the plane was badly overloaded with goods that delegates and others had bought in Ghana. "We are all fine," said George Doweh, a Liberian journalist who had been aboard the plane. "There is no serious problem, but there is shock."

Liberia's bloodshed started with a civil war triggered by Liberia's former president, Charles Taylor, in 1989 and has spread chaos throughout the region, spilling into Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Guinea. Liberia has accused Côte d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo of backing a second rebel faction, known as Model, and Sierra Leone of sending supplies to LURD. Taylor, now exiled in regional powerhouse Nigeria, also meddled in wars in neighboring countries.

HCJB World Radio works in partnership with ELWA, a ministry founded by SIM in Monrovia 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. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio provided 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. ELWA is broadcasting a message of hope on a limited schedule as diesel fuel is available to operate its generators. (HCJB World Radio/SIM/Reuters/AP)

62 CHRISTIAN STUDENTS IN ERITREA ARRESTED FOR HAVING BIBLES

More than 60 teenage Eritrean students caught with Bibles at a compulsory military training camp have been arrested and subjected to severe punishment in the past two days. Documented reports from the tiny East Africa nation confirm that military commanders at the Sawa Military Training Camp ordered a search of students' personal effects. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, they confiscated Bibles from 35 Protestant students, put them under arrest and subjected them to severe torture. The following day another 27 teenage believers were incarcerated with them. The youths are reportedly locked in metal shipping containers with no light, high temperatures and a limited oxygen supply. This week's arrests bring to 213 the known total of evangelical Christians known to be jailed for their faith in Eritrea. The 62 teenagers represent most of the country's 12 independent Protestant denominations which have been refused legal status by the Eritrean government for the past 15 months and ordered to stop meeting for worship. A harsh government crackdown on Protestants was launched last February. The country's independent Pentecostal and charismatic churches now have some 20,000 adherents -- most of them emerging from a mushrooming renewal movement begun five years ago within the Orthodox Church. (Compass)

ANTI-CHRISTIAN FORCES IN INDIA TO DECIDE FATE OF LOCAL CHURCH

A Gospel for Asia (GFA) church with 51 believers in the village of Jharkhand, India, is being attacked while anti-Christian leaders meet to decide its fate. Many in the village have expressed their desire to beat the local GFA missionary and the new believers, steal their land and other belongings, and ultimately drive them out of the village. As the village meeting continues, they are pressuring leaders to inflict maximum harm on these believers. Village leaders already have made at least one decision -- the Christians must pay a fee to even meet together for church services. GFA missionaries from other villages have traveled there to encourage the believers. This persecution follows the conversion to Christianity of three influential families in the village. (Gospel for Asia)

12 LAOTIAN CHRISTIANS REMAIN IN PRISON FOR REFUSING TO RENOUNCE FAITH

A group of 12 Christians in Laos are being pressured to abandon their faith while being held in prison. They were part of a group of 21 Christians from the Bru tribe living in Muang Nong in Savannakhet province of southern Laos. They were imprisoned in May for refusing to renounce their faith. Nine of the believers were later released, but the 12 leaders remain in detention. The district police chief and district administrative head in Muang Nong said they would be released if they signed affidavits stating they would no longer follow Christ or worship Him. However, the 12 rejected the proposal and therefore remain in prison. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

COURT UPHOLDS LIFE SENTENCES FOR 2 MEN ACCUSED OF BURNING KORAN

The High Court in Pakistan has upheld the life sentences of two Christians, reported the Barnabas Fund, an organization that promotes human rights. The two men, 45-year-old Amid Masih and 40-year-old Asif Masih, who aren't related, are imprisoned for allegedly burning the Koran. The men had been prosecuted under Pakistan's "blasphemy law" for supposedly desecrating the Islamic book. The men claimed they were framed as many Islamic radicals are unhappy about the number of Muslims turning to Christ in the region. (Mission Network News)

COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS OUTREACH TO BURKINA FASO

Compassion International, a child sponsorship ministry, continues to expand its ministry to the poverty-stricken people of West Africa with a new outreach in Burkina Faso. "One reason was church receptivity," says Compassion spokesman Mark Yeadon. "As we went in there, we were embraced and welcomed by a ready and willing church wanting and desirous to be able to develop programs for children in poverty. We felt that there was just fertile soil to be able to maximize our impact in a short period of time." Yeadon said the government was also receptive and allowed the ministry to register. He asks for prayer, not only for their financial needs, but also that God would opens doors for the gospel. "We're praying for the right staff -- a godly group of individuals where we can build our nucleus in order to launch our ministry -- and openness on behalf of the churches when we actually get into the logistics of developing programs. We also need wisdom on exactly where to go." Burkina Faso is the first of several West African countries where Compassion hopes to help. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio has worked alongside local partners in eight cities of Burkina Faso to help begin local radio ministries. Broadcasts air in nine languages: Arabic, Bissa, Dioula, French, Fulfuldé, Goulmacéma, Kasséna, Lélé and Mooré. Partner stations are being planned for an additional two cities in Burkina Faso.

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