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Hornaté městečko Boulder v Kolorádu, vzdálené asi 25 mil od Denveru, je známé svým liberálním postojem k politice a životnímu stylu i svým hlasitým proti-křesťanským postojem v médiích a je považováno za baštu okultismu. Ale během posledních dvou let došlo ve vztazích mezi sbory a místními správními orgány k výraznému zlepšení. Co se stalo? Před třemi lety během modlitebního shromáždění promluvil Bůh k místním křesťanským vůdcům skrze Jeremiáše 29:7 – „Usilujte o pokoj toho města.“ Vznikla „transformační iniciativa“ a vedoucí představitelé města včetně starosty, policejního ředitele, vydavatelů tisku a prezidenta univerzity byli pozváni na setkání s místními pastory. To položilo základ společné vizi a spolupráci mezi sbory a klíčovými oblastmi společnosti a vyšlo najevo, že zástupci veřejnosti vlastně usilují o stejné věci jako duchovní – bezpečnost pro své děti, hospodářské možnosti, spravedlivý právní systém a dobré vzdělání pro každého. To nejen otevřelo dveře k intensivním modlitbám, ale některé klíčové osobnosti neskrývali dojetí, když duchovní ukázali svůj zájem o jejich osobní záležitosti a modlili se za ně.
Mnoho populárních osobností se rozhodlo stát se křesťany. Duchovní začali vyzývat členy svých sborů, aby dělali něco konkrétního pro Boží království. Do spolupráce na veřejných pracích se zapojilo o 2,000 lidí více než kdy předtím. Křesťanské sbory podporují místní sociální iniciativy finančně i prací dobrovolníků, pomáhají se školními projekty a pomáhají sociálně problematické mládeži nebo rodinám, které bojují s AIDS. Zastupitelé města otevřeně přiznávají, že sbory se staly důležité v podpoře sociálních projektů města, jak finančně tak i lidskou prací. Dnes je sbor v Boulder nazýván „přítelem města“. Média pravidelně a pozitivně informují o událostech, vedoucí duchovní mají svůj hlas při rozhodování o veřejných záležitostech a získali si srdce místních politiků i veřejnosti. (Friday Fax)
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SIM MISSIONARIES IN NIGERIA SURVIVE NIGHT OF TERROR
The SIM missionary team in Nigeria is recovering after a robbery and
abduction the night of Wednesday, March 31. Heavily armed robbers entered
the compound at Kent Academy in Miango (near Jos) at about 11 p.m. and broke
into two missionary homes. They also beat and raped one of the Nigerian
staff members. None of the students was hurt. When the robbers left, they
removed the safe from an office and abducted SIM missionary Ray delaHaye. He
was returned without injury a few hours later. Kent Academy, operated by the
Evangelical Churches of West Africa, is a Christian elementary school
primarily for children of Nigerian businessmen, missionaries and church
workers. The same group of robbers is suspected accosting missionary
families at the Baptist guesthouse in Jos a short time after the attack in
Miango. They stole money, but no one was hurt. (Mission Network News/SIM)
MUSLIM NEIGHBOR SUSPECTED OF KILLING PAKISTANI PASTOR
The pastor of a small church in Pakistan was shot and killed Friday, April
2, in the village of Manawala near Lahore. George Masih, 42, was the leader
of a small village church that met in his home. He and his wife, Aniata,
were active in sharing the gospel with residents of their predominantly
Muslim village. At about noon Friday George, his wife and four children,
ranging in age from 1 to 8, were watching the "Jesus" film in their home.
When the movie finished, Aniata got up to leave the house. When she opened
the door, two masked attackers burst in. One grabbed Aniata and covered her
mouth, threatening her with death if she tried to cry out for help. The
other attacker fired a shotgun point blank at George's face. As George lay
dying, the assailant hit him in the head with the butt of his gun. Although
no arrests have been made, a Muslim neighbor is suspected of being one of
the attackers. He was reportedly disgruntled with the Masihs for preaching,
playing Christian music and holding worship services in their home. George
became a Christian seven years ago and had served as an elder in a Church of
Pakistan congregation in Lahore. The Masihs moved to Manawala two years ago
and were working to plant a church. They were known for ministering house to
house, reaching out to neighbors and praying for those who were sick in the
Muslim village. (Voice of the Martyrs)
RWANDANS SEEK HEALING OF 10-YEAR-OLD WOUNDS
Thousands of families in Rwanda are pursuing justice a decade after the
massacre of 800,000 people. Bitter enemies are coming together from the Hutu
and Tutsi tribes in search of reconciliation, a move thought impossible in
light of the tragic events of April 1994. Today marks the 10th anniversary
of the Rwandan genocide. Commemoration activities include the launch of a
national genocide memorial; the laying to rest at the National Memorial
Centre of exhumed victims of genocide; testimonies of survivors at the
National Stadium; music, dance and drama to signify healing, hope and dreams
for the future; a vigil at the end of the day for the fallen innocent
heroes; and the lighting up of the National Genocide Memorial Hill,
symbolizing hope and a future for Rwanda. World Vision has played an
important role in Rwanda's restoration and will take part in the activities.
The main challenge that World Vision Rwanda has faced since then has been
the need to help children who were orphaned following the deaths of their
parents. That generation of orphans brought to light the need to provide
them with shelter, health services, education, and community structures. The
HIV/AIDS pandemic following the massacre was another challenge for aid
organizations. Their teams, having invested 10 years sharing the hope and
peace of Christ, are involved with reconciliation activities between the
Hutus and the Tutsis. (Mission Network News)
EGYPTIAN POLICE RELEASE 4 CHRISTIAN COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM PRISON
Four Coptic Christian college students who were arrested on Jan. 26 were
released by Egyptian police on Saturday, April 3, and all charges were
dropped. Since January their detention had been extended repeatedly with no
trial date in sight. The four young Christian men, ages 19-20, had
originally been arrested on charges of "disturbing the national unity" and
"threatening the social peace." Peter Kamel, Ishak Yessa, John Fokha and
Andrew Saeed were on a trip to the Sinai region, carrying with them various
Christian materials including Bibles and tapes. During the trip, the Naweeba
district police arrested them and confiscated the property. A news release
from Michael Meunier, president of the U.S. Copts Association, stated, "We
are relieved to hear of the young men's release. However, we continue to be
concerned with such police conduct and the abhorrent restriction on Copts'
freedoms. Discriminatory police conduct in matters concerning the Coptic
community has manifested itself in grave human rights violations against the
Christian minority. Copts have been vulnerable to arbitrary arrest and
detention, and police and security forces have repeatedly proven ineffective
in the prevention and containment of violence against the Copts." (U.S.
Copts Association)
KRISHNA DEVOTEES FACE INCREASING PRESSURES IN BELARUS
Authorities in Belarus have been briefly detaining Krishna devotees two or
three times a week for distributing religious literature, as well as
obstructing literature distribution in other ways, says Sergei Malakhovsky
who heads the Minsk community. Annual requests for permission to distribute
religious literature at various sites receive the curt response, "The
location is deemed inappropriate." This renders literature distribution
illegal, so Krishna devotees are regularly detained by police and sometimes
fined up to the equivalent of US$20, Malakhovsky said. The Society for
Krishna Consciousness in Belarus has asked the U.N. Human Rights Committee
to investigate the legality of the states' refusal to register the
organization under the previous religion law. (Forum 18 News Service)
CHURCHES BECOME FRIEND OF ONCE-ANTAGONISTIC CITY IN COLORADO
Boulder, Colo., a scenic mountain city 25 miles northwest of Denver known
for its liberal politics and lifestyle and outspoken anti-Christian attitude
in the media, is considered to be a bastion of occultism. But in the past
two years the relationship between the churches and local authorities has
improved dramatically. What happened? Three years ago, during a prayer
summit, God spoke to Christian city leaders through Jeremiah 29:7 -- "Seek
the peace and prosperity of the city." A "Transformation Initiative" was
formed, and leaders of Boulders' society, including the mayor, police chief,
newspaper publishers and university president, were invited to meet with
local pastors. This laid the foundation for a common vision and cooperation
between churches and key areas of society, and revealed that many public
figures wanted exactly the same things as the pastors -- security for their
children, economic opportunities, a fair judicial system and good education
for all. Not only did this open the door for intensive prayer, but some key
figures wept openly when the pastors showed interest in their personal
affairs and prayed for them.
A number of well-known people have decided to become Christians. Pastors
began to call on church members to do something practical for the kingdom of
God. An additional 2,000 people have been involved in community projects
than before. Christian churches support the city's social initiatives with
volunteers and finance, help in school projects and assist socially deprived
youths or families struggling with AIDS. City officials say that the
churches have become the main supporters of the county's social projects,
both financially and in manpower. Today, the church in Boulder is called a
"friend of the city." The media report regularly and positively about
events, church leaders have a voice on public topics and have won the hearts
of local politicians and the public. (Friday Fax) |
Zprávy HCJB 7.4.2004
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