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The Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ's appeal to the Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Finance against what it calls an unjust tax demand for the equivalent of US$110,000 was rejected on Friday, Aug. 15. "The taxes are simply a means of crushing the church," said senior pastor Vasili Kuzin. Kyrgyzstan's tax code exempts charitable bodies from tax, while the religion law prescribes taxes only on religious organizations' business activities. Natalya Shadrova of Kyrgyzstan's Committee for Religious Affairs agreed, saying, "It is true that the activity of religious organizations is not subject to taxation, and if the situation is indeed as you say, then the tax inspectorate is breaking the law." Kuzin contents that the high proportion of ethnic Kyrgyz people group -- historically Muslims -- who are part of the church's membership is the main reason for the authorities' opposition to the church's activities. (Forum 18 News Service)

CLOSING ARGUMENTS HEARD IN CASH-SMUGGLING CASE IN RUSSIA

Appealing for wisdom and justice, lawyers for a Harvard Divinity School student charged with smuggling $48,000 in cash into Russia made closing arguments Wednesday, Aug. 20, in a case being closely watched by thousands of American evangelicals. "We're not talking about some kind of dirty money," Anatoly Pchelintsev told the court. "It was collected by Russian believers in America to help the poor and needy here." His client, Andrew Okhotin, a Baptist youth pastor in Massachusetts, is accused of trying to bring the cash through Moscow's main airport without declaring it to customs officials. During the late-March incident, Okhotin says he duly filled out a customs declaration which inspectors ignored, choosing instead to demand bribes of first $10,000 and then $5,000. A significant part of the three-hour proceeding was devoted to reading into the record dozens of faxed and mailed appeals for justice from hundreds of evangelical Christians, Okhotin's professors and a letter from eight U.S. congressmen. Okhotin's case resonates deeply in Christian circles not only because they view him as the victim of venal customs officials, but also because his father was convicted in 1984 for his leadership role in the underground Baptist church and spent years in a Soviet labor camp. (Religion News Service)

20 CHINESE HOUSE CHURCH CHRISTIANS DETAINED IN 4 SEPARATE INCIDENTS

Chinese officials continued their crackdown on Protestant Christians this summer with the detention of 20 believers in four separate incidents. Six house church leaders in the southern Chinese province of Hunan were sentenced July 7 to between 18 months and two years of "re-education through labor" by local government officials. They were among 80 Christians who were picked up by the police June 28 while attending the funeral service of a believer. In another incident, five Christians are being detained in the Shayang Detention Center in Jingmen City, Hubei province, after being arrested on July 14 and 22. Six Christians from Zhejiang province have also been held in the Lan Tian Hotel in Hangzhou City since July 13. They were told that they will not be released unless they sign a paper applying for registration for their house churches. Three house church leaders from Sichuan province were also recently sentenced to re-education through labor. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

INDONESIAN CHRISTIANS PERSEVERE DESPITE NEW TERRORIST THREATS

More warnings of terrorist acts are surfacing in Indonesia as tensions rise throughout the Christian community, especially since believers have been targeted in recent years. While the persecution takes place in isolated pockets, the Christians persevere, says Back to the Bible's Gregory Bacon. "For example, I was introduced to a pastor who showed me some land that he and his congregation had purchased to build a church. Unfortunately, the community has refused to allow them to construct a church building. What they've done is dump all their garbage onto that land." While the community protested the Christians' presence, church members found another way to continue the outreach, Bacon explained. "The community has allowed this church to erect a tent in the street. They worship in that tent, but have to take it down after the service." (Mission Network News)

10,000 MISSIONARIES IN INDIA'S NAGALAND STATE 'POISED TO SPREAD GOSPEL'

Nagaland, one of the world's most mysterious lands tucked in the mountainous, jungle-covered northeastern corner of India, has 10,000 missionaries poised to take the gospel to nearby lands, said Nagaland's Christian president, Isak Chishi Swu, while visiting California Saturday, Aug. 23. "We want to penetrate China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Nepal with the gospel," he said. "We have 10,000 missionaries who are ready to go." Swu said the outreach is being held up by the finalization of peace talks between the Indian government and the 4 million people of Nagaland -- an Indian state established in 1961 -- that borders China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. "We want to request the whole world to pray for us that the peace process with India will be successful so that God will then release us to preach the gospel around the world, particularly in the neighboring countries. We are not demanding our independence from India, but we do need recognition." The soft-spoken 73-year-old president was born in a hamlet called Chishilimi in the Sumi region of present-day Nagaland. "In 1921 my father was one of the first converts in Nagaland," Swu said. "God used him mightily, and he and some colleagues converted our whole tribe during a period of four or five years. Before this, our tribe was pagan." He says that 95 percent of the Naga people are Christian. (Assist News Service)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO-AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES URDU BROADCASTS

For the first time, HCJB World Radio began airing programs in the Urdu language July 21, making additional Christian broadcasts available to more than 80 million speakers across South Asia. Urdu speakers live mostly in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Malaysia. The programs air from HCJB World Radio-Australia's new shortwave site in Kununurra, "The Voice of the Great Southland."

Director of Ministries Dennis Adams says initial response to the half-hour programs, which air each morning and evening Monday-Saturday, has been positive. "Since we started the Urdu broadcasts we have heard from Lahore, Pakistan, that various groups have been formed to listen to the broadcasts, followed by a time of discussion. That's exciting news!"

The programs complement longtime Urdu broadcasts to the region from Christian organizations such as FEBA Radio and Trans World Radio. Urdu is the first language other than English to air from the Kununurra site.

The Urdu program, called "Danish Kadah," was commissioned by partner ministry Asia Aflame Network and produced by Pakistan Christian Radio Ministries. "The program content is arranged into modules designed to teach Christian doctrines to believers and help in church planting," Adams says. Asia Aflame has organized an extensive follow-up network to respond to listeners' needs.

The Urdu broadcasts began about six months after the Kununurra station went on the air in January in English. The English programs have attracted a loyal audience across the region with hundreds of listeners responding via letters and e-mails from throughout the South Pacific and South Asia.

"Our English programming is designed to provide a balance that moves between pre-evangelism, evangelism and Bible teaching," says Adams. "There are programs that focus on the various cultures such as the music of Asia, the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia. We also have an Australian country music program, a tourism program called 'Destinations,' and special programming for teenagers and younger children."

The next language to go to air is most likely to be Hindi, "probably in April 2004," Adams says. "Other languages will probably not go on the air until we have a second transmitter. Hopefully this will be sooner rather than later! We're hoping to begin 2.5 hours of morning broadcasts to East Asia before the end of this year, subject to the completion of a new antenna." (HCJB World Radio)

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

An Assemblies of God church in Senegal was recently attacked three times in one week by a mob of young Muslims, causing injuries to several members. The Barnabas Fund reported that a band was playing in Bethel Church Dakar when the youths pelted the church with stones. Many of those inside the church were hurt, and at least two members suffered serious injuries. The building also sustained extensive damage. Pastor Mignane N'Dour filed a complaint with local police, but they reportedly did not respond. During a prayer meeting a few days after the Sunday service, the mob returned and shouted that they would burn the church down if services continued. The same group of attackers came back the following Sunday, again while the band was leading a worship service. Besides destroying some railings surrounding the church, they youths went inside the building and again threw stones at parishioners. Three members of the congregation were seriously injured. The West African nation is 94 percent Muslim while Christians comprise 5 percent of the population. (Charisma News Service)

* 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. More than 3 million people speak Wolof.

CHINESE POLICE RELEASE 3 OF 6 CHRISTIANS ARRESTED AT HOUSE CHURCH

Three Christians who were arrested at an early-morning house church service on July 13 were released by Chinese authorities last week. Three church leaders, though, including an 80-year-old man, remain in detention. Xu Wei-Min and two other men were allowed to leave the hotel where they had been subject to repeated interrogation. Authorities had been pressuring the men to register their house churches with the government. They were allowed to leave after telling authorities that they must consult with their congregations before making such a decision. Officers told the men they would be rearrested if their congregations did not register with the government's Religious Affairs Bureau. Still being held are Shen Shao-Cheng, Gao Chong-Dao and Xiang Fa. They were transferred to the Kai Yuan Cheng Shi Hotel after leaks about their arrest reached the international community. Shen, 80, was one of the founders of the church in that area more than 25 years ago. "This is a time of intense pressure for the unregistered house churches in China," said Voice of the Martyrs spokesman Todd Nettleton. "The government is seeking to control the church through fear and intimidation, but the believers there continue to stand firm in their commitment to Christ." (Voice of the Martyrs)

NEW LAWS COULD HAMPER OUTREACH TO BRAZIL'S REMOTE TRIBES

New laws in Brazil could have an interesting effect on how evangelists work in the isolated regions of the country. Global Advance's David Shibley describes this as a challenge to men such as pastor Nelino who traveled 25 days through the Amazon to attend a "Frontline Shepherds' Conference." Nelino left the meetings encouraged and with a new vision, Shibley says. "However, he'll also be facing some protectionist clauses of new laws that are protecting these tribal groups from any kind of outside incursion. This is both a plus and a minus, particularly for missions." Nelino's earnest search for a way to minister in tribal reaches may have led to a solution that benefits the community as a whole. "Nelino has already committed that he will help educate the children of these tribal groups," Shibley says. "This will serve as an entrée to get the gospel to them." (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel in Portuguese to Brazil via shortwave from Quito, Ecuador, and maintains a world office and radio studios in Curitiba. Portuguese programs, which have been on the air continuously since 1947, generate more listener letters than any language service at Radio Station HCJB in Ecuador. The ministry's Portuguese programs also air on local radio stations across Brazil.

BIBLE SCHOOL IN TURKEY BEGINS ACCREDITATION PROCESS

With the completion of its seventh year of operation, the Tyrannus Bible School in Selcuk, Turkey, is in the process of seeking accreditation with the Middle East Association for Theological Education (MEATE). "Another year has gone past, leaving us with thanksgiving in our hearts to the Lord who held every thing together and kept His Bible school going for another year," said Headmaster Kamil Moussa in an e-mail report. Twelve full-time students have registered for the fall semester, but with additional students visiting from churches across Turkey, the student body will reach as high as 20. As the school seeks accreditation, "activities have now come under scrutiny with a thrust to improvement," Moussa says. "MEATE accreditation candidacy and eventual membership will mean that what is claimed to be taught and practiced at the school is actually being done according to the high standards set by MEATE. One of the areas which needs improvement is the school library. The person who has been doing a tremendous work in bringing the school library up to scratch during the past year has also been training a national believer who was recently taken on as salaried staff." (Assist News Service)

GOVERNMENT-BACKED COMMISSION TO STUDY INDIA'S CHRISTIAN MINORITY

A government-backed commission in India is planning to conduct the first detailed study of the India's Christian minority (2.3 percent of the country's 1 billion people). "So far there has been no proper study or documentation about the Christian community," said V.V. Augustine, the Christian representative on the National Commission for Minorities which is planning the survey. The commission hopes that the study will "help remove prejudices and misunderstandings" about the Christian minority and highlight their contributions to the nation, Augustine told a meeting of more than 100 Christians in New Delhi. But some Christian leaders worry the study will ignore the difficulties Christians face in India, where religious minorities have experienced a resurgence of attacks. Others are concerned that the government-supported commission may act as an advocate for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rather than pressing the government to address minority concerns. The BJP has been accused of limiting Christians' religious rights through such legislation as the Anti-Conversion Law which has been adopted by some states in an apparent effort to limit Christian evangelical activity. More than 80 percent of India's population is Hindu while 13 percent is Muslim. Buddhists, Jains and Parsees are among the country's other religious minorities. (Religion News Service)

TAIWAN BAPTISTS AIM TO SEND 200 WHEELCHAIRS TO IRAQ

In the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Taiwan Baptist Alliance is sponsoring an appeal to send wheelchairs for Iraq's reconstruction. The appeal, which had its major push in July, aimed to raise enough money to provide one wheelchair from each of the alliance's 200 member congregations. Rev. Tsai Ling-min, the alliance's general secretary, said that the project had originally been scheduled for April, but the situation with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Taiwan put it on hold. Though churches will provide the funds, the work is being carried out through the Eden Social Welfare Foundation. By early July enough money had been received to provide 50 wheelchairs. (Taiwan Church News)

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

At 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, a fragmentation grenade was thrown at the residence of Catholic Archbishop Antonio Giraldo Jaramillo in Medellín, Colombia. The archbishop was not in his residence when two men on a motorcycle threw the grenade that damaged the parking area and wounded two policemen. Jaramillo has called for reconciliation and dialogue, saying, "If someone has something against the church, the best thing would be for us to meet and talk." Catholic and Protestant churches frequently have been the target of drug cartels and rebels fighting the government in Colombia. More than 38 Protestant Christian leaders and other church members in Colombia have been killed by terrorists this year. (Voice of the Martyrs)

* Together with local partners, HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel on FM stations in four Colombian cities. The ministry also continues to air Spanish programs across the country and all of Latin America via shortwave from Quito.

INNOCENT PERUVIAN CHRISTIAN RELEASED AFTER 8 YEARS IN PRISON

A Christian widower has been reunited with his seven children after serving almost eight years of a 10-year prison sentence. Julian Jorge Godoy, 42, lived in the small village of Ayacucho in Peru. When Shining Path guerrillas swept into the area and took control, they appointed Godoy as commissariat, a position he was forced to accept or be killed along with his wife and young children. He also had to attend the guerrillas' ideological meetings. In 1991 Godoy and his family fled to Huamanga. In 1995 a captured Shining Path terrorist accused him of participating in subversive activities. Godoy turned himself in to the police, believing that when they heard his story they would understand. Instead, he was detained for 11 days, tortured and later sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Peru-based human rights organization, Paz y Esperanza (Peace and Hope), took up Godoy's case and petitioned for an emergency release on humanitarian grounds. Godoy was released this July. In the 1990s ex-president Alberto Fujimori put into place "emergency" terrorist laws designed to eradicate terrorist groups from Peru. He implemented a system of arbitrary detainment and "faceless judges." Thousands of innocent civilians were picked up by the military or police during this time and unjustly convicted. (Assist News Service)

RELIGIOUS TENSIONS IN INDIA RESULT IN CATALYST FOR CHURCH GROWTH

Authorities in India have stepped up security in most major cities following the deadly bombings in Bombay on Monday, Aug. 25. John DeVries of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Mission India, says the extremist Hindu-Muslim tensions are building. "Christians are the object of hatred of both of these groups," he said. "In a very real way, Christians in India have two terrorist types coming after them rather than just the one as in some other countries of the world. But these two groups, the Muslims and the Hindus, are also after each other." DeVries credits the hostilities and the anti-conversion movement as the catalyst triggering recent church growth in India. "The persecution is just like pouring gas on a fire. Where it comes, it makes people seriously commit to Christ," he said. (Mission Network News)

MISSISSIPPI COURT RULES THAT FETUS HAS 'PERSON' STATUS

Mississippi's highest court has ruled that a fetus is a "person" worthy of some legal protections under state law. In a ruling that one of the court's justices criticized as an attack on abortion rights, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Aug. 21 that a Bolivar County, Miss., woman had the right to pursue a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of her unborn child. The fetus was 19 weeks old at the time the woman miscarried. The 6-2 ruling means that, under Mississippi's wrongful-death statutes, fetuses can be included under the definition of "person." Tracy Tucker sued a car repossession company, a credit union and a Cleveland, Miss., doctor and hospital after suffering a miscarriage in 1997. She alleged that emotional distress brought about by the repossession of her automobile and misdiagnosis by medical professionals led to the miscarriage. The ruling allows her to proceed with her lawsuit. Under Mississippi law, women already had the right to sue for the wrongful death of babies born prematurely or late-term fetuses that otherwise would have been expected to live had they been born. However, the new ruling expands that right to mothers with unborn children that have not reached the so-called stage of "viability," or ability to live outside the womb. (Associated Baptist Press/Maranatha Christian News Service)

FOOD AID SENT TO HELP 18,000 STARVING ETHIOPIAN CHRISTIANS

Open Doors with Brother Andrew is delivering food and other supplies in Ethiopia with the goal of helping 18,000 Christians who are facing severe hunger. If present trends continue, Ethiopia's food shortage will be worse than the 1984 famine that killed 2 million people. Recent reports put the number of Ethiopians in need of food at 13.2 million. Tens of thousands of children are severely malnourished. Open Doors plans to send three months' supply of staple grains, wheat, cooking oil and blankets to one of the famine-stricken regions. Leaders and training students in Open Doors' long-time partnership of local churches will deliver the supplies to ensure that the food reaches the hungriest people. "We are boldly moving forward to help our brothers and sisters by providing food and blankets," says Open Doors founder Brother Andrew. "We need to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of these Christians." He adds that evangelical Christians face "persecution in Ethiopia and all across East Africa. This is why we boosted our commitments to strengthen them spiritually this year by providing urgently needed training. We're also providing Bibles, commentaries, training manuals and other Christian materials. But now we must do more to help their physical needs as well." (Open Doors)

MINISTRY WORKS TO MAKE IMPACT IN SINGAPORE AS MATERIALISM GROWS

The island nation of Singapore is a well-developed, bustling, economic success story. Patrick Delaney, a church planter with Baptist World Mission, said there is much work to be done for Christ. "We started a church, and now we're in the process of transitioning by training a national whose been called to the ministry. We're hoping to turn the work over to this person in about 21/2 years." Delaney describes the ministry's biggest challenge as the struggle for the heart. He says many are caught in the grip of a vise made up of religion and wealth. "Those two sides of that vise squeeze the heart and soul of an individual making that heart less and less open to the truth and the light of the message of the gospel." (Mission Network News)

* Staff members at HCJB World Radio-Australia's studios record Oromo language programs that are aired to 28 million speakers in Ethiopia and Kenya via FEBA Radio's shortwave facilities.

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

The All India Christian Council (AICC) has launched a legal battle to stop graveyard atrocities that have affected Christian graveyards in the western Indian state of Gujarat. AICC spokesman Rev. Samson Christian pointed to at least six incidents in recent years affecting graveyards of the Methodist Church in Gujarat. Graves have been raided, dead bodies burned and graveyards vandalized. In a recent incident, residents in the village of Khuntaj joined with Hindu hard-liners and "used a tractor to raid this graveyard and destroy all the graves and remove all the trees," Christian says. Local believers filed a complaint with the police, and all the troublemakers were arrested. "The AICC has now joined in the legal battle in all of these incidents and has been successful in stopping hard-liners from spreading more destruction," he said. (Assist News Service)

* HCJB World Radio-Australia's new shortwave site Kununurra airs 61/2 hours of daily English programming across South Asia, including India. 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.

FOLLOWING BIBLICAL PATTERN BOOSTS CHURCH-PLANTING EFFORTS IN INDIA

A ministry in northern India has seen the Lord move mightily through its church planting program, which is modeled after the methods of the New Testament apostles. The ministry has 199 church planters who travel to every district of its state to raise up and disciple new believers. More specific information on their growing number and locations cannot be published for security reasons. Following the New Testament pattern, Christian workers visit villages, searching for believers. If they find none, they look for a "man of peace" who might be receptive to the gospel. His home becomes the staging area for a potential house church. Often they discover isolated Christian families with no leadership or means of going deeper in their relationships with Christ.

The church planters bring these families together, discipling and teaching them biblical truth. A small cell group is formed, and leaders emerge. As the cell begins to attract new believers from the village, a substantial house church eventually is formed. The church planters then move away but keep in touch with the new congregation. The believers then select a man from the congregation to serve as pastor, and he takes a nine-month training program run by the church-planting ministry. This method has proved extremely effective. In May and June alone, one district saw 100 people come to Christ with 32 dedicating their lives to the Lord's service. In another district, 33 believers joined together to construct a church building. In another district where there are only a few hundred known believers, seven Christians underwent training to do outreach in their communities. In one town, a new house church was started in June with seven members. (Missions Insider)

SLOVENIA REGISTERS FIRST MINORITY FAITHS IN 11 YEARS

Fifteen months after applying for registration, the U.S.-based Calvary Chapel in Celje has become the first new religious community to be granted registration in Slovenia since 1999. The decision came on Aug. 7. Two weeks later the Tibetan Buddhist Dharmaling association gained registration. Drago Cepar, head of the government's Office for Religious Communities, who until this month had refused to register any new communities, also promised Hindu leader Natasa Sivic that her group would achieve the same status this month. Cepar had long insisted that he was unable to register any religious communities as the law did not spell out criteria to determine which groups constituted religious communities. There was an "unofficial moratorium" on registering new religious groups since Cepar took office in 2000. A June letter from Mirko Bandelj, general secretary of the government, instructing Cepar to register all waiting communities reportedly prompted him to make the change. (Forum 18 News Service)

MEMBERS DECRY AUSTRALIAN CHURCH'S DECISION TO ALLOW GAY PASTORS

More than 24,000 members from 500 congregations of Australia's Uniting Church have rebuffed the denomination's ruling body regarding the issue of ordaining homosexual ministers. The Uniting Church Assembly, comprising some 280 employees who serve mainly in bureaucratic roles, has been soundly rebuffed by the membership, said Rev. Gordon Moyes. Last month the assembly granted Presbyteries the right to approve ministers for ordination in spite of homosexual behavior. Congregations across Australia were shocked and dismayed at this decision. Thousands of church members subsequently met in protest nationwide. A petition demanding the rescinding of the assembly's motion was presented to the group's standing committee. "Scores of letters and notes expressed the deep spiritual and emotional dismay and concern of Uniting Church members and adherents following the Assembly's decision," Moyes said. "They believe that the concept of, 'It is OK if you happen to live in right relationships instead of being celibate if you are single and faithful if you are married' was not acceptable Christian practice in the light of clear biblical teaching. . . . Even the public at large acknowledges this. All of the opinion polls taken by newspapers and television stations concerning the ordination of [practicing] homosexuals . . . have strongly affirmed the Christian position that Church leaders should obey the scriptural injunction about holiness of living and freedom from all sexual relationships except for marriage." (Assist News Service)

U.S. PASTOR LAUNCHES 'AMERICA SAY JESUS' CAMPAIGN

A Florida pastor has started a grassroots campaign to get every Christian in the U.S. to say the name of Jesus three to five times more daily. David Allbritton said God told him in a vision to launch the "America Say Jesus" effort which includes sending a petition to President George W. Bush and Congress. "From the beginning of the church, the devil tried to keep Christians from preaching or teaching or even speaking in His name," said Allbritton, who pastors America's Church in Largo, a charismatic congregation he started earlier this year. "Just think what a revival would break loose if Christians all across America started saying the name of Jesus to their friends, family and neighbors." Allbritton, who plans publish a book titled America Say Jesus, noted that God is "popular" again since the 9/11 attacks, but the name of Jesus is shunned, even ridiculed. "I believe God would honor him and our nation and send us a spiritual awakening and millions of Americans would be saved," he said. "Hopefully, and prayerfully, the Lord will use it to touch our country." (Religion Today/Charisma News Service)

EYE CARE MINISTRY OPENS UP WITNESSING OPPORTUNITIES IN AFGHANISTAN

As post-war Afghanistan struggles to recover, one critical need is medical care, including eye care, says Tom Little of a ministry called Interserve. Without a restored infrastructure, the burden falls to groups such as Interserve that works in partnership with the Noor Eye Clinic in Kabul. Together the two groups meet nearly 90 percent of the eye care needs in Afghanistan, prompting the need for additional funding. Little adds that the outreach opens up many evangelistic opportunities even though the government restricts proselytizing. "They make no restrictions on us answering questions, and we spend a lot of time just answering questions," he said. "We have freedom to answer and our lives hopefully reflect what we say." (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio is bringing words of hope and encouragement to people across Afghanistan via radio. Together with partners, Christian broadcasts go out via AM in four of the country's major languages, Dari, Hazaragi, Turkmen and Uzbek.

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

Amid signs of hope, Liberia's future remains uncertain. Continued reports of sporadic fighting belie a recent peace accord designed to end the violence once and for all. Evangelical Baptist Missions spokesman Paul Jackson shares how the team is coping. "Things are still difficult," he says. "There are people walking around with guns, and, in some cases, taking what they want. But there is a sense of hope now since we haven't heard [gunfire] for awhile." Jackson explains that as political changes fuel hope, ministry opportunities are opening up. "People are very, very open to the gospel," he says. "There are a number of people coming to Christ. We were told that whether or not they get their old churches rebuilt, at this point, when this whole thing is over, they're going to probably start anew and be filled with new believers." Meanwhile, Baptists worldwide are responding to the pleas for help from Liberian Christians, reported Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of Baptist World Alliance. Church members recently donated funds to ship thousands of pounds of rice and other food and essential items to the capital city of Monrovia.

In recent developments, Moses Blah, Liberia's caretaker president, sought on Thursday to reassure rebels, battling despite a peace deal, that he would relinquish power in October. The pledge came as the U.S. promised to stand by its oldest ally in West Africa to ensure a country broken by nearly 14 years of civil war would not become a "haven of terrorism." Liberia's government and two rebel factions struck a peace deal last week, but fighting has continued in violation of the accord. "We want to assure you fellow citizens . . . we have no political ambitions to extend or govern past Oct. 14," said Blah. He promised to hand control of Liberia to Christian businessman Gyude Bryant who has been chosen to lead an interim government and pave the way for elections in 2005. A West African peacekeeping force in Liberia is expected to reach full strength of 3,500 soldiers by Sept. 4. The U.S. withdrew all but 100 U.S. Marines from the ground last weekend. They returned to their ships anchored outside of Monrovia "in order to put them in a better position to deploy elsewhere in Liberia if necessary," said Richard Grenell, spokesman for U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte on Wednesday. (Mission Network News/Baptist World Alliance/Reuters/AP)

* 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 broadcasting on a limited schedule as diesel fuel is available to operate the generators.

50 MONTAGNARD REFUGEES TRAPPED ON CAMBODIA-VIETNAM BORDER

Fifty Montagnards, or Degar people from the Vietnam's central highlands, are hiding in terrible conditions in an undisclosed location along the Cambodian order in order to avoid arrest and torture. The Montagnard Foundation based in Spartanburg, S.C., received word that these men, women and children are starving, sick and exhausted. They are pleading for help from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the international community. To make matters worse, Cambodian authorities are arresting Montagnard refugees and handing them to Vietnamese authorities for a bounty of $66 each. The Montagnard Christian refugees risk being shot or arrested by Vietnamese soldiers with the subsequent imprisonment and beatings. Son Chhay, a member of the Cambodian parliament, called on Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh to investigate and put an end to these human rights violations against Montagnard refugees. He demanded that the Cambodian government "answer, clarify, and stop immediately the activities that violate human rights by the Cambodian authorities. It is inhumane and violates the 1951 International Refugee Treaty of which Cambodia is a signatory." (Assist News Service)

NIGERIAN COURT DELAYS RULING ON APPEAL IN DEATH PENALTY CASE

A 31-year-old Nigerian woman who is appealing her death sentence for adultery will have to wait another month to learn the result of her case. Amina Lawa, a mother of three, was sentenced to death by stoning in March 2002 after she gave birth to a daughter out of wedlock. At a hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 27, the Sharia Court of Appeal in the Katsina state postponed its ruling on the case until Sept. 25. An appeal launched by the Women's Rights Organization on Lawa's behalf was heard by Katsina's highest Islamic court. After submissions from the defense and the prosecution lasting more than eight hours, the court decided to postpone its final ruling. This came in spite of the fact that presiding judge had lamented the unfairness of keeping Lawa "in suspense for so long." A relative said that Lawa had stopped eating and sleeping as a result of the strain of the case. In a separate case, Ahmadu Ibrahim and Fatima Usman, a young couple from Niger state, were found guilty of adultery after Usman was judged to have become pregnant with Ibrahim's child while married to another man. The couple pleaded guilty and were initially handed a five-year sentences along with fines equivalent to nearly US$5,000. However, during a retrial conducted in the couple's absence and occasioned by a protest from Usman's father at the harshness of the punishment, the sentences were deemed to have been too lenient and were changed to death by stoning. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

* 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.

MYANMAR MISSIONARIES OVERCOME WEATHER, SICKNESS, SATANIC ATTACKS

Missionaries in Myanmar (Burma) have overcome a myriad of opposition and hardships as they continue to take the gospel to inhabitants of their distressed land. "The situation in Burma is still serious," a missionary leader traveling in rural Myanmar last month told Christian Aid. Missionaries -- and ordinary believers -- have to be careful due to the government's dealing with the democratic movement within the country. All mail is subject to censorship or confiscation. Inflation also makes living difficult. For example, the cost of beef in one locality recently doubled. The missionaries use the rainy season (August-October) to conduct a "rainy season Bible school" since agricultural work during that season virtually halts. After that they plan to tour the rural churches and conduct revival meetings. Also, because of the rain, some of the students are coming down with serious cases of the flu. "We don't believe it is SARS," the leader said. "In one community a man came to challenge the missionaries, but through their fervent prayer they overcame the satanic power and converted 10 people to the Lord." He requests prayer that his country would enjoy freedom of religion and freedom from oppressive military rule. (Missions Insider)

AVIATION MINISTRY TO CELEBRATE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FLIGHT IN U.S.

Nearly 3,000 people are expected at an Oct. 4 celebration marking 100 years of flight in the U.S. The all-day event will be in Waxhaw, N.C., home of JAARS, a ministry that provides technical support and services, including aviation, for Wycliffe Bible Translators and others. "We're going to celebrate mission aviation," said JAARS spokesman Arthur Lightbody. "We're calling it 'Wings To the World,' a celebration of mission aviation. And we want this to be a worship service for God because He's provided aviation so that we can reach unreached people without Bibles around the world." Lightbody said that while the focus will be on worship, he's hoping for more. "We definitely want to expose people to missions in a broad sweep and specifically about aviation. We hope that it will help people realize that maybe the gifts that they have can be used in missions." (Mission Network News)

JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER PRESENTS MEDAL TO EVANGELICAL LEADER

Rev. Joel Edwards, general director of the Evangelical Alliance U.K., was awarded the Prime Minister's Medal of Appreciation by Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson during a special ceremony at the Jamaican High Commission in London Tuesday, Aug. 26. The medal is awarded to any individual or group who, in the opinion of the prime minister, has made a "significant contribution to the economic, social, cultural or political development of Jamaica or to Jamaicans abroad." For the 40th anniversary of Jamaica's independence this year, Patterson is honoring 88 individuals and 17 groups. Edwards, born in Jamaica, came to England at 8 years of age as part of the first wave of immigrant children to arrive in Britain from the Caribbean. In 1997 he was appointed to the post of general director of the Evangelical Alliance -- a historic event as he was the first black director in the ministry's 150-year history. The organization represents more than 1 million Christians with membership including some 3,000 evangelical churches, 30 denominations and 700 organizations across the U.K. (Evangelical Alliance)

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