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

On Wednesday, Dec. 17, a band of armed assailants entered a community farm operated by evangelical Christians in Sincelejo, Colombia, and kidnapped attorney Juan Castillo Urueta, 31, and Jhony José Ríos Anaya, 39, a local businessman. Witnesses said that two of the seven abductors wore combat fatigues similar to uniforms used by insurgent groups operating in the area. The farm where the kidnapping occurred belongs to the Commission for Restoration, Life and Peace of the Council of Churches of Colombia. Castillo's mother, Maggie Urueta Ozuna, helped establish the farm in 2001. The farm helps rural families displaced by political violence raise food and cash crops for themselves. Ozuna was in the U.S. on matters of farm business when the kidnapping occurred. "Ask God to spare my son's life and the life of his friend," she said. "Juan is a tremendous support to the [believers] who are displaced. Pray that these men will respect the lives of Juan and Jhony and that they will be home for Christmas." (Compass)

* 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.

MISSIONARIES ATTACKED AS ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE SPREADS IN

SOMALIA A number of Christians, including foreign missionaries, have been killed in violent attacks as anti-Christian violence spreads throughout Somalia, reported Barnabas Fund, an organization that supports Christians in the Islamic world. Well-known Italian nun Annalena Tonneli was among those Christians murdered in recent weeks along with other missionary workers. Tonneli, who had served in Somalia for 30 years, founded a TB hospital, orphanages and schools. She was killed on Oct. 5 by two armed men in front of the hospital. On Oct. 20 Richard and Enid Eyeington, working with Somali children, were shot dead by several gunmen in their home inside the school compound while watching television. In November a Kenyan Christian working for the Seventh-day Adventist mission in Gedo, Somalia, was reportedly murdered by Islamist radicals, although no more details were given. "The attacks appear to be deliberately anti-Christian and anti-Western and are likely linked to the radical Somali Islamist group, Kulanka Culimada, which threatened violence earlier this year," reported Barnabas Fund. Complicating the situation is violence between different clans of warlords in the divided nation with reports that at least 60 people were killed and another 90 wounded in renewed fighting this week in the northwestern part of Somalia's Galgadud region. More than 99 percent of the single party republic's 6 million people are Muslims, and many regard Christianity as the "foreign religion" of their historic enemies in Ethiopia and their former colonial masters, Italy and Britain. (Assist News Service)

BAPTIST PASTOR FREED IN TURKMENISTAN AFTER 6 DAYS IN DETENTION

After six days' detention at the secret police headquarters in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabad, Baptist pastor Geldy Khudaikuliev was freed the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 20. "The good news is that he is free, but we don't know how he was treated during his six-day detention," declared Protestant sources who asked not to be identified. Khudaikuliev, who leads a small Baptist community in the town of Geok-Tepe, 30 miles west of Ashgabad, has returned to his family. Khudaikuliev was arrested after traveling to Ashgabad to collect money that had been transferred to him from the office of Western Union. It remains unclear whether he withdrew the money or not, although Western Union apparently told those who had sent the money that it had been withdrawn on Dec. 13. After Khudaikuliev's detention on Dec. 15, his family did not know what had happened to him for several days. The family was later told that he was being held at the main headquarters of the National Security Ministry in Ashgabad, although no one was allowed access to him. Baptists, like all other religious communities apart from Sunni Muslims and the Russian Orthodox, are denied state registration in Turkmenistan. (Forum 18 News Service)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with Back to the Bible to air Christian Turkmen programs. Twice-weekly broadcasts began airing from an undisclosed site outside of Turkmenistan in 2001 and moved to daily programming earlier this year.

PERSECUTION INCREASES WORLDWIDE AS 2003 DRAWS TO A CLOSE

As 2003 draws to a close, hostility against Christians continues to increase with an estimated 200 million Christians being persecuted and another 200 to 400 million are facing discrimination and alienation. This year there was an increase in persecution of Christians in countries such as North Korea, Indonesia and India. The estimated 400,000 Christians in North Korea faced daily persecution, including torture in prison camps. In Indonesia, hundreds of Christians were killed, churches were burned, and pastors and Christian leaders were imprisoned. In India more states adopted anti-conversion laws in an attempt to stop the spread of Christianity. On the positive side, millions of Bibles and other study materials were sent to places such as China where house church members thirst for God's Word, and thousands of pastors were trained through seminars. (Open Doors/Assist News Service)

SPAIN'S BEST-KNOWN EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN DIES AT AGE 75

Juan Gili, Spain's most renowned evangelical, died in Madrid Saturday, Dec. 13, after a long illness. He was 75 years old. For more than 30 years Gili led the missionary agency, Evangelism in Action, that he had founded. It is the only indigenous evangelical mission agency in Spain, a predominantly Catholic country. Spain, a country of 40 million, has an estimated 100,000 evangelicals. Driven by his faith in Jesus and missionary zeal, Gili sold his commercial business in the sixties and worked as a missionary. His focus was radio evangelism and church planting. In his final years, Gili suffered from cancer and other diseases that left him immobilized. "Now I have more time than ever to pray for my family, evangelism in Spain and for my friends," he said. (IDEA)

THOUSANDS COME TO CHRIST VIA 'INTERNET EVANGELISM'

The Internet is being used in evangelism and discipleship to lead many to Christ, says Dennis Fierbach of Truth Media, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ Canada. "Truth Media is an Internet ministry that's dedicated to helping people come to know God in a personal way and then helping them grow in their faith through discipleship sites. Our goal is to impact people around the world by using the medium of the Internet and using the tools of the Internet." Thousands are responding. "On an average month we'll have about 750,000 people who visit our sites," Fierbach says. "Of those, approximately 1,400 people will indicate that they received Christ or have made some kind of significant spiritual decision like rededicating their lives to Christ." Truth Media has 450 volunteers who serve via writing, evangelism and discipleship outreach. For more information visit TruthMedia.com. (Mission Network News)

'WHEELCHAIR SANTA' TALKS FREELY TO CHILDREN ABOUT CHRIST

Although many Christian families leave Santa Claus out of Christmas, Ed Butchart, who already looks the part with his white hair and beard, dons a red suit and assumes the role of St. Nicholas to tell children about God's love. "My goal is to let kids feel the love of Christ through me," said 68-year-old Butchart. Founder of an Atlanta-area ministry called Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, Butchart has played Santa at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta since 1991. The park's private management firm allows him to talk freely about Christ, and as Butchart speaks to children about what they want for Christmas, the conversation generally shifts to the importance of giving and the true meaning of Christmas. "I've had parents just break down and cry when I speak to their kids," said Butchart, noting that the original Santa, St. Nicholas, was a Christian whose generosity became legendary. He is undeterred when well-meaning Christians say he should not portray Santa. When kids ask questions, Butchart answers in a way that steers the conversation toward Christ. For example, he tells children that Santa can't watch them at all times, but Jesus can. With support from Mount Carmel Christian Church in Stone Mountain, Butchart -- who is known as "Wheelchair Santa" -- has given away more than 10,000 refurbished wheelchairs to people in 62 nations as well as $40 million in donated medical supplies. (Charisma News Service)

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