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The Hmar Christians of northeastern India are extending the "love of God" to their "enemies" -- the Hindu Dimasas, who they say have recently killed many of them in a violent tribal conflict. Dr. Rochunga Pudaite, a Hmar believer and the founder and president of Colorado Springs-based Bibles for the World, says the organization is planning to supply food and also to give tribal members the God's Word as a sign of Christian love. Pudaite recently stepped into the middle of the conflict by calling on both sides to stop the violence. He said that troubles were started on March 3 when what he called "Naga political revolutionaries kidnapped three people from a neighboring Dimasa village and demanded ransom." The violence continued until many on both sides had been killed. "Our friends in the area where the killings took place have just bought rice to be given to the Dimasas," he said. "I have asked that they also give them something to eat with the rice, so they bought some dal which is like a split pea." When asked why he thought it was important to show God's love the Dimasas people in this way, Pudaite replied, "We are commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ to love everyone, including our enemies. We have to demonstrate that love by our life and by our actions." (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.

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX, STATE OFFICIALS REFUSE TO RECOGNIZE GAY WEDDING

Officials in the Russian Orthodox Church say an illicit wedding ceremony in which two men were married is blasphemous and will not be recognized in the eyes of the state or the church. The New York Times reported that two men, Mikhail Morozov and Denis Gogolev, were married recently by an Orthodox priest in the town of Nizhny Novgorod. Photos show the couple standing before the priest with traditional Orthodox wedding crowns on their heads. The priest, Rev. Vladimir, who is now in seclusion, called the wedding "shameful," but performed the ceremony because the couple bribed him. Viktor Malukhin, a spokesman for the Moscow patriarchate, said it was the first time a gay couple had tried to marry in a Russian Orthodox Church. "Under no circumstances can this be considered a church marriage," he said. "The church still views a marriage blessed by God to be a union between a man and a woman." Gogolev and Morozov were turned away from the town offices when they tried to register the marriage. "This wasn't a registry office, this was the house of God. Open any Bible and there's nothing in there about gender in marriage, only love." Gogolev said. (Religion News Service)

CHRISTIANS STRIVE TO RID HAITI OF VOODOO AFTER 200 YEARS

As Haiti approaches the 200th anniversary of independence, many Christians believe now is the time to free the country from the bondage of voodoo. "On Aug. 14, 1791, a Haiti slave sacrificed a pig in his voodoo worship and committed the entire island nation of Haiti to Satan," said World Help President Vernon Brewer. "So for 200 years Haiti has been an official voodoo nation." Brewer says while the country prepares to celebrate its freedom, local churches have asked World Help to participate by providing Creole and French Bibles for an evangelistic thrust during their celebration. "They're going to have 12 simultaneous citywide evangelistic festivals, and then on Jan. 1, 2004, they're going to have a major festival in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, so we're going to be supplying all of those Scriptures," Brewer says. "The goal is to take back the country for Christ." The ministry is also working in partnership with other organizations in Haiti to reach homeless children in the slums, plant churches and train leaders. (Mission Network News)

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

U.S. COLLEGE DEDICATES NEW MEDIA CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING

A state-of-the-art media center costing $10.5 million was dedicated on the campus of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minn., in a Sept. 12 ceremony. The 40,000-square-foot Mel Johnson Media Center is the new home of Northwestern College Radio and Christian station KTIS, the academic department of communication and the Focus degree completion program. The dedication culminates a two-year building project largely financed by friends of Northwestern College & Radio. Featuring 70,000 digital electronic connections and more than seven miles of wiring, industry experts say the state-of-the-art building surpasses many commercial radio stations. "The Mel Johnson Media Center symbolizes the beginning of a new era at Northwestern College & Radio. We have the most technologically advanced professional and teaching facility for broadcasting and electronic media in the state of Minnesota," said President Alan Cureton. The facility also sets the stage for further global endeavors in addition to what Northwestern is already doing in Christian broadcasting and education. In 2001 Northwestern established a branch campus in conjunction with the HCJB World Radio-affiliated Christian Center of Communications in Quito, Ecuador. "Quito was just the first step in our global impact," said Paul Virts, senior vice president for media. "We are studying opportunities in India and South Africa. Ultimately, what we are most focused on is that this new facility -- its technology, its programming and its staff -- is used to communicate a message of hope and compassion to hurting people." (Assist News Service)

BIBLE NARRATION USED TO SHARE THE GOSPEL IN EAST AFRICAN NATION

Bible narration is a tool being used to lead people to Christ in an East African country. An American missionary is working there with the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) International Mission. The missionary remains nameless for security reasons. He says he's living in an area where the people learn orally. "In an oral tradition culture, people get their new input from narrations and stories. The way we communicate important truths, particularly the Gospel, with them is by narrating God's word to them. It's a way that they can understand it and actually repeat it to others." The EFCA is using friendships to open doors to share God's word there. The missionary explained, "We get to know people and establish a relationship with them. There comes a time when I would ask the head of the house, 'would you be interested in hearing what God's word has to say about Abraham, Moses and David,' and because in their religion they've heard of these names before, they most often respond with 'yes'." One church has already been established, and a narration group has been formed across town. (Mission Network News)

U.S. LEGAL GROUP SAYS 'SEE YOU AT THE POLE' IS CONSTITUTIONAL

A religious liberty legal group in the United States has advised public school officials nationwide to allow this week's "See You at the Pole" (SYATP) events to occur without interference. The Alliance Defense Fund recently detailed the constitutionality of the annual student-initiated prayer gathering in letters sent to 50 state departments of education, the District of Columbia and several of the nation's largest school districts. "We don't want to spend time preparing court papers on something as obviously constitutional as SYATP," said the fund's chief counsel, Benjamin Bull. "Freedom of speech for students on such matters is well-settled in the law." Bull added that students also have the constitutional right to inform their fellow students about SYATP. "Religious speech is protected by the First Amendment and may not be singled out for discrimination," he said. "Nevertheless, from time to time officials have tried to prohibit students from advertising or promoting SYATP." The 14th annual event, started by a youth group in Texas in 1990, is slated for Wednesday, Sept. 17, with most students gathering around their school flagpoles at 7 a.m. In 2002 more than 2.5 million teenagers met for SYATP in all 50 states as well as overseas. (Charisma News Service)

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An India court convicted 13 men Monday, Sept. 15, for the 1999 murder of Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his sons Philip, 10, and Timothy, 8. The three died when a mob burned their vehicle while they slept outside a church in Manoharpur, a tribal village in eastern India's Orissa state. The murder sparked international condemnation and outrage in India where missionaries have worked for centuries, especially in remote and tribal areas. "We are 100 percent satisfied. It is the triumph of truth," the Associated Press quoted prosecutor Sudhakar Rao as saying after the verdict was handed down in a tightly guarded and packed courthouse. The killings were among a series of attacks against missionaries and Christian institutions blamed on right-wing Hindus who complained that poor Hindus were being pressured to convert. Judge Mahendranath Patnaik, who conducted the two year long trial, said he would hand down sentences on Monday, Sept. 22. Dara Singh was accused of leading the mob that set fire to Staines' vehicle. For nearly a year after the murder, he was on the run, apparently protected by supporters who sympathized with his campaign against Christians who make up about 2 percent of the population. Some Christian groups and human rights organizations said Singh was associated with right-wing Hindu groups, but a judicial inquiry into the attack found no links between him and such groups. Those found guilty could receive the death penalty, but their lawyers said they would appeal to a higher court. Before the slayings, Staines, along with his wife, Gladys, had spent more than 30 years working with leprosy patients in Orissa's Baripada district. She remains in India, continuing the ministry. (Assist News Service)

U.S. STORE CHAIN DROPS CHRISTIAN PUBLICATION AFTER MUSLIM COMPLAINS

A regional Christian publication in Ohio has been dropped by its distributor, the Marc's Discount Store chain, due to complaints from Muslims. Connection Magazine, an award-winning member of the Christian Newspaper Association, recently ran an article about the highly publicized kidnapping of missionaries Gracia and Martin Burnham by Islamic radicals. After spending a year in the southern Philippine jungle as a prisoner of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim group known for kidnappings, Gracia was rescued, but her husband was killed in the rescue attempt.
A Muslim worker at Marc's and some customers of the chain complained that the article in the Christian magazine's September issue was "offensive." Connection editor Jon Hanna said the magazine had been distributed for five years without incident. He wonders where such censorship will end. "If Muslims in America can continue to remove Christian publications from public distribution, then it won't be long before the Christian media in America loses its freedom of speech rights," he said. Connection Magazine serves 68 Ohio cities in the Cleveland, Akron and Canton areas. (Agape Press)

2ND MAN SENTENCED IN MURDER OF WORKERS AT BAPTIST HOSPITAL IN YEMEN

An Islamic extremist was sentenced to death Sunday, Sept.14, for assassinating a politician and coordinating the shootings of three Southern Baptist hospital workers, reported the Associated Press. Ali al-Jarallah was convicted for planning the attack on a hospital in Jibla, Yemen, that resulted in the deaths of three Southern Baptist medical workers. His death sentence includes his role in the assassination of Yemeni Socialist Party deputy Secretary-General Jarallah Omar who was shot days prior to the attack on the hospital. Al-Jarallah is the second person this year to be sentenced to death for the hospital attack. In July Abed Abdul Razak Kamel was also sentenced for shooting the three Baptist workers. Hospital Director William Koehn, physician Martha Myers and purchasing agent Kathleen Gariety were killed in the incident. A fourth worker, pharmacist Don Caswell, was wounded. Kamel said he killed the hospital workers in part because he believed they were proselytizing Muslims. Jibla residents have said the hospital workers never proselytized - something prohibited by law in Yemen. Kamel and Al-Jarallah may have ties to al-Qaeda, Yemeni security officials said. AP also reported that police found audiotapes of Osama bin Laden in Kamel's house. (Baptist Press/Maranatha Christian Journal/AP)

INDIA PREPARES NATIONAL ANTI-CONVERSION RULE

India's coalition government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is about to introduce fresh rules to prevent religious conversion of Hindus across the nation. The law will come into effect once published in the official Gazette. Framed by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the rule has no approval from India's parliament. The BJP (ruling Hindu nationalist party) is vigorously opposing conversion of Hindus to Christianity or Buddhism. "This rule is not against conversion. We are just trying to regulate forcible conversion," Bizay Sonkar Shastri, chairman of India's National Commission for SC/ST, said. Once implemented, the law will insist that anyone wishing to change religion apply with an affidavit before the district collector (a chief government executive) or an equal authority. The official must also provide a written order granting his permission. If violated, the person could be punished with a fine equivalent to US$21 per day, from the date on which the conversion took place until he or she is charged with the offense. In a country where there are 350 million Dalits (people outside of the caste system), 260 million of whom fall below the poverty line, the rule demands aspiring converts to have undergone a secondary education. "This will effectively deny a large section of the people their right to religious faith ensured by India's Constitution," said Oliver D'Souza of the All India Christian Council. He said India's Christians will fight the rule if implemented. (Compass)

* HCJB World Radio-Australia's new shortwave site Kununurra airs 6.5 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.

'CYBER-MISSIONS' OPENS DOORS FOR GOSPEL IN CLOSED COUNTRIES

Missionaries such as John Edmiston, an Australian based in Manila, Philippines, are using the Internet to enter closed countries that conventional missions find difficult to reach. Edmiston has found 43 nations that are most suitable for "cyber-missions" as a missionary strategy. The countries were chosen because they have a sufficient number of Internet users and are places with persecution or other restrictions on missions. "A country needs only to have a few thousand users for cyber-missions to start making a difference," Edmiston said. "In these cases the missionary looks for a 'man of peace' -- someone seeking the Lord who is connected to the Internet and who is often a leader or a person of influence. Once this person is contacted and becomes a Christian, he or she can download material and spread the gospel in that land. A group of 20 or 30 good online contacts in a given people group can then form the basis for a house church and the start of a church-planting movement. This can all be done from the relative safety of the missionaries' home base and integrated with more conventional approaches." (Assist News Service)

CIVIL EMERGENCY STATUS LIFTED FROM INDONESIA'S MOLUCCAN ISLANDS

People on eastern Indonesia's Moluccan Islands celebrated another step towards peace as the Indonesian government lifted the civil emergency status in the region. This status was put in place on June 27, 2002, in response to a spate of attacks by Laskar Jihad militants and to prevent the influx of foreign militants. The lifting of the emergency status took place at the inauguration of the newly elected Governor, Karel Albert Ralahalu, and Vice Governor M. Abdullah Latuconsina on Sept. 15. The Moluccan conflict, which began in 1999, left some 10,000 people dead and more than 500,000 displaced. Many areas remain segregated along religious lines. Under the civil emergency status, it became virtually impossible for foreigners and journalists to travel to the Moluccas, but it did allow security officials to keep a tighter control on people arriving in the region. The improved security made it possible for local Muslim and Christian leaders to focus on reconciliation efforts. Jacky Manuputty, director of the Interfaith Council of the Moluccas, said: "This is the right moment to enjoy freedom from fear and to establish law and order. It is our opportunity to restore tolerance, trust and peace and to learn to forgive each other." (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

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Vietnam's persecution of evangelical Christians has left many widows without support, scores of pastors imprisoned for their faith, and more in great hardship. Christian Aid has received the names of 36 widows who are in dire straits. About 20 of these are from the Koho people group; about a dozen are ethnic Vietnamese; and the rest are from other minority tribes such as the Ede and Jera. Their names are kept confidential for security reasons, but their stories are similar. Many of their husband/pastors were reportedly killed by the government for working for "anti-government organizations of tribal people." These men left behind congregations of hundreds and surviving widows who are now old and sick. The Montagnards, a tribal group from Vietnam's highlands, are accused of being traitors to the government because they align with Christianity, a "foreign" religion that authorities identify with their old enemy, the U.S. (Missions Insider)

CHRISTIANS IN KAZAKHSTAN FEAR LOSS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS

Christians in the predominantly Muslim nation of Kazakhstan are concerned that they could lose religious freedoms. Bible Mission International's Mark Reimschisel said there are whispers of a new law on religious limitations where the government would restrict the activities of evangelicals. Church leaders have a goal of planting 300 churches in the region by 2005. Bible Mission International is coming alongside churches to help. "In the reality of day to day living people here have to deal with persecution from their husbands beating them, from their families rejecting them, and a lot of tough things that come with people embracing the gospel in a Muslim country," Reimschisel said. In spite of all this, the ministry is doing well. Churches are being planted with the help of children and youth ministries. "What we're proposing is to come in and take 30 of the key youth leaders, get them involved in the discipleship mentoring program and have them work right along with frontline pioneer church planters," he said. (Mission Network News)

EUROPEAN UNION URGED TO INCLUDE CHRISTIAN VALUES IN CONSTITUTION

The vice president of the European Parliament and Christian parties and organizations from nearly a dozen countries have appealed to the European Union to include Christian values in its soon-to-be-adopted constitution, an official said Sept. 13. The plea came after a gathering in Lakitelek (an area southwest of Budapest). "A constitution that isn't brave enough to refer to its roots would be incomplete," argued European Parliament Vice President Ingo Friedrich in a statement released by the Hungarian news agency MTI. "It would be a mistake to think of the European community as based exclusively on economics," he said. Gerard Geijtenbeek, the foreign secretary of the Dutch Christian Union party, said several Christian delegates, who are part of the recently established European Christian Political Movement, are expected to set up their own fraction in the European Parliament next year to counter the European Peoples Party (EPP), the largest fraction. The Dutch official said it was difficult to recognize the EPP as a "family party" amid an increase of recognized homosexual unions, abortions and euthanasia cases. While he recognized that an increasing number of Muslims live in Europe and many churches are empty, Geijtenbeek said it was important not to forget the continent's heritage. "The historical background of Europe is based on the Christian way. Europe is changing, but if you look to the Christian families, protection of life, responsibility of citizens, the protection of the weak . . . these are all Christian values," he stressed. (Assist News Service)

MINISTRY TO PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS NAMES NEW PRESIDENT

Carl Moeller has been appointed new president/chief executive office of Open Doors USA. Open Doors is an outreach to Christians worldwide who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ. Moeller, 42, who served as a pastor at Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., says he is "thrilled to accept the position." His ministry began in 1983 when he joined Campus Crusade for Christ International. "My experience with Campus Crusade had a profound impact on the nature of my ministry as well as my personal spiritual development. I gained a world Christian perspective from working with church leaders in the communist countries of eastern Europe. My wife and I found that the church was vitally alive despite decades of persecution and harassment from government officials." Moeller has a bachelor's degree in biology from Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, and will receive a Ph.D. educational leadership and policy from the University of Utah in December. (Open Doors)

GERMAN MISSION 'DISCOVERS' GERMANY AS NEW MISSION FIELD

Liebenzell Mission, one of the major German missionary sending agencies, is discovering its secularized home country as a mission field. In some parts of eastern Germany the percentage of Christians is much lower than in many traditional mission areas in the Third World, said Director Martin Auch. Liebenzell Mission sent out two missionary couples to northeastern Germany, formerly a communist area for four decades. In the new outposts of Schwerin and Neubrandenburg, Christians comprise only 1 percent of the population, 87 percent call themselves atheists, and the rest are nominal church members. With the help of 250 Christian teenagers, the Liebenzell missionaries organized evangelistic outreach programs in towns and holiday resorts along the Baltic Sea this summer. The ministry has more than 240 missionaries in 23 countries. (Religious Media Agency)

RELIEF OUTREACH SHIPS CONTAINER OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO IRAQ

While the U.S. is asking the United Nations to take a more active peacekeeping role in the region, Christian organizations such as Food for the Hungry are helping with physical aid, said ministry spokesperson Tamara Dutch. "Food for the Hungry has just shipped a container with $700,000 worth of medical supplies that's being distributed," she said. "That is our largest shipment that we have given to Iraq so far." Dutch said the container will help re-supply hospitals. "We have everything from antibiotics to painkillers, gloves, gowns, gauze, oxygen masks and surgical kits." Two Baghdad hospitals are sharing the desperately needed medical supplies. Food for the Hungry works with churches, leaders and families to overcome poverty by living in healthy relationships with God. (Mission Network News)

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

Police in the Eritrean capital of Asmara continued their countrywide crackdown, arresting another 12 evangelical Christians on Sept. 7 while they were meeting in a private house for worship. Nearly all those arrested were described as young people, all members of the Dubre Bethel Church in Asmara. After nine days in custody at a police station in Asmara, the police chief demanded that each of the 12 prisoners sign a commitment to deny their faith in order to be released. When the six women and six men refused, he ordered that all their food rations be withheld. Meanwhile, evangelical church leaders have been unable to learn the fate of 57 young people arrested and locked into metal containers since Aug. 19-20 as punishment for having Bibles with them during their summer military camp at Sawa. At least 230 evangelical Christians are in prison for their faith in Eritrea. Some 12 independent Pentecostal and charismatic denominations which represent 20,000 adherents have been targeted since May 2002 when they were ordered to close their church buildings and stop all meetings for worship, even in private homes. (Compass)

VILLAGERS IN INDIA BEATEN FOR BUILDING CHURCH

In the village of Sudsudia in the Maurbhanj district of Orissa, India, a mob of 500 people reportedly attacked villagers, beating them, forcing them to beg forgiveness and bow their heads before Hindu deities. A report from the Indo-Asian News Service stated that Baidhar Bindhani was building a church on land he owned with the help of other Christians when tensions flared because local Hindus felt it was too close to a temple -- about 600 feet away. Police have been patrolling the village to help prevent further violence. (Voice of the Martyrs)

* 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.

WOMEN ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER IN PERSECUTED CHURCHES

Women outnumber men by a large percentage in the persecuted church according to Jane Huckaby, director for 'Women of the Way', a ministry of Open Doors USA. "In countries such as Sudan, Indonesia, China, Pakistan and Egypt, women are belittled, abused, and sometimes treated like property." Huckaby explained their group helps women see they are not without hope. In some countries, "if you are a Christian, and you are a woman, you are the lowest of the low," she said. "These women do not know that they are vital to their communities. They don't recognize that they are vital to the church. What 'Women of the Way' wants to do is reach out to them, strengthen them and let them know how valued they are by Jesus Christ." Huckaby said the organization encourages women to rise above difficult circumstances and teaches them that they have a significant role in the church. Women of the Way chapters work to provide Bibles and Bible studies, educate families and supply them with resources to overcome oppressive cultural influences. They counsel and support new believers and teach vocational skills to women so they may provide for themselves and their families. (Mission Network News)

'YOUTH JAM' IMPACTS THOUSANDS FOR CHRIST IN AUSTRALIA

At the Entertainment Center in Newcastle, on New South Wales' central coast Sept. 13, a youth meeting called Hunter Harvest-Youth Jam, in association with Greg Laurie's Hunter Harvest03 (Sept. 11-14), had an overflow crowd of young people. Many had been invited to come along by fellow high school students and the special SWAT (Students With a Testimony) team of more than 40 youths from Laurie's home church, Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif. The SWAT team had visited schools and spoken to young people in the streets and shopping malls. Harvest Jam was officially opened by popular Christian musician Steve Grace. The evening program included appearances by the Lads from New Zealand, the American group Switchfoot, and a four-minute segment from the forthcoming film on the life of Christ, "The Passion." More than 1,000 attendees were counseled during the three nights of the events with a total attendance of 19,900. (Assist News Service)

ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT HONORS MOTHER TERESA

The Albanian government agreed Friday, Sept. 12, to declare 2004 "Mother Teresa Year" and also created a national holiday in her honor. Officials said Oct. 19 in Albania would be set aside in memory of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who is of Albanian descent. It is also the day Pope John Paul II has set for beatification of Mother Teresa, the last formal step towards Roman Catholic sainthood. "Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, Macedonia. She grew up here, went to school here, and we are proud of her order, which has become known throughout the world for its humanity," said Skopje Mayor Risto Penov. Mother Teresa first knew she would work with the poor at the age of 12 while attending a Catholic elementary school. By the age of 18, she became a teacher at a Catholic mission in India's city of Calcutta. In 1950 she was given permission to start her now world-famous order, Missionaries of Charity, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1979 for her decades of service. She died in September 1997, but her legacy continues as members of her order and volunteers carry on her work in India and around the world. (Assist News Service)

U.S. PARAMEDIC FIRED FOR INVITING CO-WORKER TO CHURCH

A paramedic in Georgia has filed a religious-discrimination lawsuit against her former employer after she was fired for inviting a co-worker to her church. Sherry Lambert sued Memorial Health Inc. earlier this month, claiming they violated federal law. The case stems back from an Oct. 31, 2001, incident, when Lambert invited a colleague to church while on duty. Although the co-worker did not complain about the invitation, company officials terminated Lambert a few weeks later. From 1999 to 2001, Lambert was voted the "Best Paramedic" for Screven county in a poll conducted by a local newspaper. "I'm appalled at the inflexibility and the harshness of the actions taken," said Mathew Staver, general counsel of Liberty Counsel, who is representing Lambert. (Charisma News Service)

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

Three Nepali workers who were jailed for more than four months on charges of proselytizing were cleared of all charges on Sept. 11. A gospel worker and two fellow-believers were apprehended by police and jailed in February because Bibles and Christian literature were found in their bags. Christian leaders in Nepal attempted to make appeals on behalf of the three and once tried to submit a letter to the king, but were turned away by the secretary, who promised to phone the judges to authorize them to set the Christians free. The Christians remained in jail until June 20 when they were released on probation by a higher court pending final resolution of the case. The court decision on Sept. 11 found no evidence that the brothers were preaching or attempting to convert others to Christianity. (Missions Insider)

CHRISTIAN RADIO UNINTERRUPTED AS TYPHOON DEVASTATES SOUTH KOREA

Called the "typhoon of the century," the storm that roared through South Korea last weekend threatened to slow the country's economic recovery. The typhoon left a trail of wreckage that caused more than $1 billion worth of damage, but Far East Broadcasting Company's Gregg Harris said the ministry's radio stations weathered the storm well. "We maintain 10 local stations throughout the country. Five of them were affected, in that they lost power, but we were glad to report that we actually were able to stay on the air by using generated power overnight, so we didn't lose any airtime." Harris says the ministry is expected to continue as the population recovers from the storm. "Each station will be able to respond, from a programming standpoint, to the needs of the listeners. They'll be able to work with the local churches in rallying support, in making announcements that are going to be pertinent to people who need help. So, there's a great deal that we can do with these wonderful tools that God has put in our hands." (Mission Network News)

CANADIAN MINISTRY OBJECTS TO PROPOSED LEGISLATION

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is disturbed that newly passed legislation in the country adds "sexual orientation" to the prohibited groups in the hate propaganda section of the Criminal Code. "We do not condone, in any way, the promotion of hatred against anyone or any group," said EFC President Bruce Clemenger. "However, the ambiguity of what this bill will capture may well silence what otherwise would be legitimate public comment on issues of sexual morality." Thousands of Canadians wrote to their members of parliament expressing concerns that religious freedom was not adequately protected in the new legislation. Many politicians pacified their constituents by indicating that there is a defense allowing people to make "good faith statements on a religious subject." However, in the two legal cases where an accused person tried to use this defense, the courts ruled that if a statement incites hatred, it cannot be considered a good faith statement on a religious subject. This makes the defenses totally inadequate in protecting religious freedom. "It is a very serious matter to criminalize expression on a particular subject," says Janet Epp Buckingham, director of law and public policy for the EFC. "We are concerned that the defenses regarding religious freedom are not adequate protection. The timing of this legislation certainly makes it look as though it is intended to muzzle opposition to same-sex marriage." The bill will now move to the Senate. (Evangelical Fellowship of Canada)

LATVIAN PARLIAMENT PROPOSES DISCUSSION ON RELIGION LAW CHANGES

Ringolds Balodis of the Latvian Justice Ministry has formally proposed removing from Latvia's religion law a clause banning registration of more than one association of any one denomination. The Saeima (Latvia's parliament) may decide the issue within the next two months. Balodis' proposal has been welcomed by leaders of some religious minorities as full state registration grants rights such as being able to conduct officially-recognized marriages or teach religion in state schools. But Russian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Aleksandr Kudryashov of Riga opposes the proposal and wants it to apply only to churches such as the Lutherans and the Catholics, as the proposal would allow full state registration of other churches with the title Orthodox. (Forum 18 News)

* HCJB World Radio worked with Latvian Christian Radio in 1995 to help establish FM outlets in three cities, Liepaja, Riga and Talsi.

CHURCHES IN RUSSIA BRING MORE THAN PHYSICAL AID TO ORPHANS

Evangelical churches in Russia are being allowed to reach out to children in orphanages. Michael Johnson of Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) says this type of ministry is desperately needed because orphans in this country face a difficult future. "Statistics show that when these children are let out of these orphanages apart from hearing and responding to the gospel these kids will end up as drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes. They'll be recruited by the local Mafia, and many of them will in fact commit suicide." As a result, SGA has started "Orphans Reborn" -- an effort to help fund this outreach opportunity. "We've equipped workers with things such as Bibles, Christian literature, discipleship materials and humanitarian aid," he said. "We go into these orphanages every week to do evangelism and disciple these children." (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio reaches across Russia with a variety of radio ministries. The mission has been sending gospel broadcasts across the country via shortwave since 1941, first from Quito, Ecuador, and now from the U.K. In the early 1990s the ministry began "planting" local radio ministries in Russia and now works with partners in more than a dozen cities. In 2000 HCJB World Radio helped launch the first Christian Russian radio satellite network (operated by Christian Radio for Russia), reaching across Euro-Asia. Downlinks have been installed with more than 26 partners in Russia alone.

TEMPORARY CHRISTIAN STATION TO AIR PROGRAMS IN U.K. THIS WINTER

London-based Premier Christian Radio hopes a temporary Christian radio station approved for Birmingham this winter will lead to permission to open a full-time station in the British Midlands. Following a similar project in Manchester this summer, Premier FM will be a Restricted Service License broadcast, allowed under Radio Authority provision. It will bring locally relevant Christian radio to the Birmingham area. The style and approach of these broadcasts are similar to the way in which Premier has reflected the work and witness of the Christian community in the London region, but the content will be geared to the context of Birmingham. The purpose of this temporary radio station is to promote the possibility of a full-time regional Christian radio station for the West Midlands. Premier is looking for experienced radio presenters, contributors, researchers, administrators and technical staff. (Assist News Service)

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