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

Eritrean authorities began raiding the private homes of evangelical Christians last week, arresting and jailing entire families caught praying and reading the Bible together. In two separate arrests on March 17 and 18, families (including children) from the Rema Charismatic Church in the capital of Asmara were arrested and sent to prison. In another arrest on Feb 23, 10 believers from the Full Gospel Church in Asmara were taken to jail. Of the 51 evangelicals from Asmara's Hallelujah Church who were arrested in mid-February, 46 remain in military prison. For the first time, criminal charges and punishing fines were being ordered against these "outlawed" Christians. All of Eritrea's independent Protestant denominations were closed by government order in May 2002 and their congregations forbidden to worship, even in their homes. More than 373 Protestant Christians are confirmed jailed and subjected to severe torture. (Compass)

SUDANESE SECURITY FORCES DISRUPT ANGLICAN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

Security forces in southern Sudan disrupted the construction of an Anglican church school in Renk Wednesday, March 10, and arrested the diocesan building supervisor, keeping him in custody for four days. It was the second time in less than three weeks that local security forces had interfered in the rebuilding of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) school. In December the local ECS diocese had been informed that their school building would have to be demolished to make way for a new government highway. Built in 1992 with church resources, the existing school had enjoyed full government permission. The regional commissioner promised government compensation to rebuild the school before destroying the present structure. However, to date government compensation has not been received. Bishop Daniel Deng said the forced relocation of the school and stalled government compensation "suggests a deliberate political attempt to impede progress in the work of the church." In a December interview with Christianity Today, Deng declared the ECS as the "fastest growing church in the Anglican world." (Religion Today/Compass)

INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE PROMPTS CHINA TO RELEASE CHURCH LEADER

Succumbing to international pressure, authorities have released a prominent house church leader. China Aid Association (CAA) reported that Xu "Deborah" Yongling, 58, was released Monday, March 15, and is under house arrest for an indefinite period of time. U.S. State Department officials recently raised her case to the Chinese government. Yongling, the leader of the Born Again Movement church with millions of members across China, was asleep at a church member's home in Nanyang when police raided and detained her on Jan. 25. She has been arrested "many times in the past," said CAA President Bob Fu. "This is another case of religious persecution with baseless charges." (Religion Today/Charisma News Service)

THOUSANDS TURNING TO CHRIST THROUGH EVANGELISTIC EVENTS IN INDIA

Tens of thousands are turning to the Lord in India as gospel teams are professing Christ openly in many parts of the country. Native missionaries recently saturated a town with the gospel in a weeklong series of open-air meetings held nightly in a city of 100,000. Average attendance at the meetings was about 1,000. The gospel was preached, and by week's end more than 200 attendees had come to Christ. This crusade was combined with numerous evangelistic activities with student teams handing out printed Scriptures in some 80 surrounding villages. Through follow-up efforts, local missionaries planted several new churches. In other news, a recent trip by native Indian missionaries to the Andaman Islands resulted in several unreached tribes hearing God's Word and numerous professions of faith. During a four-day gospel meeting in this remote island region of India, attendance grew to 2,000 with more than 300 making first-time professions of faith. Two bedridden women were cured, and several deaf and dumb people were healed of their afflictions. As a result, many Muslims and Hindus who attended came forward to give their lives to Christ. At another recent month-long campaign in a tribal area of India, 500 residents became Christians. (Missions Insider)

* "The Voice of the Great Southland," the shortwave station operated by HCJB World Radio-Australia, airs more than 44 hours of weekly English programming across India. Daily Urdu programs went on the air in July 2003, and more programs have been added in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Nepali and Chattisgarhi. A studio with programming and a follow-up center has been established in New Delhi.

NORWEGIAN CHURCH PLANTERS ESTABLISH 300 CONGREGATIONS IN 10 YEARS

Since 1994 more than 300 churches have been planted across Norway, and today a new church is planted, on average, every two weeks. Such growth wasn't always the case, says European Dawn Coordinator Reinhold Scharnowski. From 1983 to 1993 only 14 churches were planted in the country. Why the difference? "In 1994 most of Norway's denominations initiated a long-term church-planting process," Scharnowski says. "Youth With a Mission leader Al Magnus and pastor Oivind Augland led the common platform which caused various 'positive side effects' for the nation, including reconciliation, a discussion forum, an "incubator" for new forms of church, and a place in which all can be part of the big picture." Churches are now being planted systematically multiplied in Norway. Of the 58 churches established in 2003, the Lutheran State Church planted 10, more than any other denomination. "Even if 58 new churches doesn't sound like much in a nation of 4.5 million, this is a clear signal that the church is alive," says Scharnowski. (Friday Fax)

1,600 PASTORS GATHER IN MOSCOW, RUSSIAN STUDY BIBLE LAUNCHED

It's being called one of the most significant gatherings of church leaders in the former Soviet Union as more than 1,600 pastors gathered in Moscow Feb. 18-21. "We had representatives from all 15 of the former Soviet bloc countries," says Dick Kelley, director of support/equipping ministry at Slavic Gospel Association that worked in partnership with the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB) to facilitate the event. "It was significant because of the breadth of the leadership that was there," he said. "It wasn't just a Russian event. In all, 21 countries were represented." The convention was held in conjunction three other conferences that addressed youth, educators and the situation in Euro-Asia.

SGA spokesman Tom MacAdam said the purpose of the pastors' conference was to "gather people together for encouragement, fellowship and training and to just share with one another the challenges as well as the blessings that they have seen in their ministries in the various regions." Each UECB country leader gave a report, some telling of "incredible openness" while others spoke of increasing difficulties. "From some of the church leaders we heard there are increasing challenges and restrictions -- limits on evangelism and requirements for churches to be a certain size in order to register, or to have a building in order to be registered." In some of the Islamic nations the situation is even worse. "Pastors and church planters some are facing outright threats and persecution," MacAdam said. "One pastor was giving his report, and he stopped in the midst of his report and looked up at the crowd and said, 'Brothers, we thought we had more time.'"

Attendees also witnessed the launching of the Russian version of the John MacArthur Study Bible, culminating a four-year translation project. "This is the most extensive study Bible that has been done in Russian," Kelley said. MacArthur traveled from California to launch the study Bible and give pastors tips on ways to use this tool in their ministry. SGA handed out nearly 8,000 copies of the study Bibles during the conference. (Mission Network News/Slavic Gospel Association)

* 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.

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