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Miliony lidí v Evropě naznají evangelium, a tak se více než 210 studentů z biblických škol ptá, jestli by evropští křesťané měli pracovat na misiích doma nebo za mořem. K této diskusi došlo při konferenci, kterou organizovala Evropská studentská misionářská asociace (ESMA) 18.-21. března v německém Adelshofenu. Podle názoru keňského misionáře Francise Omondi by měl každý křesťan získat první zkušenosti ve své vlastní zemi, než odjede šířit evangelium do jiné kultury. Misionářské organizace pracující s misionáři z původních obyvatel jsou aktivní v mnoha zemích Afriky, Asie a Latinské Ameriky, vysvětluje Omondi, a ti mají samozřejmě lepší pozici ke kázání evangelia svým vrstevníkům, protože nemají problémy s adaptací na jinou kulturu a životní podmínky. Prohlásil, že finanční pomoc je nejefektivnější druh spolupráce ze strany severoamerických a evropských křesťanů pro službu v těchto oblastech. Věří, že německé misijní organizace by se měly soustředit na práci ve své vlastní zemi, kde ještě miliony lidí o Ježíši neslyšely. Navíc v západní Evropě narůstá počet lidí, kteří nepatří k žádné církvi, téměř 30% v Německu a 50% ve Spojeném království. ESMA byla založena v roce 1954 a spravuje více než 40 teologických seminářů a biblických škol. (Assist News Service) |
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SEVEN SHOT WHEN GUNMEN INTERRUPT EASTER SERVICE IN INDONESIA
Believers are bracing for the worst after gunmen broke into an Easter
service and shot seven worshippers in Poso, Indonesia. Local media reports
say those inside the church fell to the ground when they heard the shots and
were protected by the pews. While the injuries were not serious, they did
bring up concerns that violence like this will continue, and possibly
escalate. Reinforcements were flown into the area to prevent further clashes
between Christians and Muslims. Fighting in the Poso area first flared in
1999 after a religious war erupted in the nearby Maluku islands, and only
subsided in 2001 after more than 2000 deaths and a government-brokered peace
deal. Sporadic fighting has continued and last October gunmen killed 10
people in attacks on mainly Christian villages. Security officials blame the
recent deadly attacks on the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah regional
extremist group. (Mission Network News)
FIGHTING IN COLOMBIA DISPLACES MORE FAMILIES IN CHOCÓ STATE
Fighting between paramilitaries and guerrillas in Colombia abated during
Holy Week, but war-weary Christians in the department (state) of Chocó near
the border with Panama know they cannot count on even a few days of peace.
Beginning in October, a wave of conflict in three Chocó villages has forced
about 550 people from their homes. Many of them are Christians. The
Chocó-based indigenous group OREWA has called on illegal armed groups to
respect the lives, honor and lands of those living in this war-torn
department of 400,000. Asdreubal Manzo is president of the Association of
Evangelical Ministers of Chocó and pastor of Emmanuel Church, a congregation
of 230 in the capital city of Quibdó. Manzo said that of the 35 families in
his church, about a third of them are displaced. They have fled their homes
and lands and come to the city seeking a better life, but like most cities
in Colombia, unemployment remains high in Quibdó. Most of the displaced
believe safety can be found in numbers, by living in a city rather than in
rural areas. (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.
THOUSANDS FLEE AS VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN BURUNDI
At least 21 people died in fighting this weekend in a suburb of Burundi’s
capital, Bujumbura. Forces for National Liberation, the only Hutu rebel
group in Burundi that has not reached a peace settlement with the
government, responded violently when army forces tried to move them from
their stronghold. The resulting fight sent nearly 30,000 people fleeing from
their homes, seeking refuge in local churches and nearby hills.
International Bible Society’s (IBS) Brian LeMay explained the situation. “To
eke out an existence in Burundi is very difficult. With these guerillas
coming down and attacking the capital, the instabilities are going to be
incredible. If 30,000 people are leaving that small city, I just can’t
imagine the economic impact.” The IBS team is situated in the heart of the
Bujumbura, insulated from the unrest worrying the edges of the city. LeMay
says their team responded to a similar disaster almost exactly one year ago.
In this type of situation people have questions about their future and the
team will be ready to offer hope in Christ. They’ll be trying to “direct
them and let them know that there is a loving God -- that there is someone
that really cares about them,” he said. (Mission Network News)
* Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart,
Ind., worked with local partners to install a Christian FM radio station in
Bujumbura in 1999.
INDIANA MINISTRY REACHES OUT TO SOUTH AFRICA’S AIDS ORPHANS
An Indianapolis-based ministry is trying to make a positive impact on the
lives of AIDS orphans living in South Africa, where the deadly epidemic has
left 10 million orphans in its wake. Evangelical Baptist Missions (EBM) has
ministered in South Africa for nearly 80 years. Now the Baptist organization
is developing a ministry known as Bethesda Village to provide housing,
education, and Bible studies for children. Paul Jackson, a spokesman for the
ministry, explains that the ultimate design for Bethesda Village is for the
program to care for 300 to 400 children. (Crosswalk/Agape Press)
AT AGE 90, CHRIST FOR THE NATIONS CO-FOUNDER NOT SLOWING DOWN
Freda Lindsay celebrates her 90th birthday this month, but the leader of an
international Bible-training organization shows no signs of stopping.
Lindsay is still deeply involved in the ministry activities at Dallas-based
Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI), which she founded with her late
husband, Gordon. The two-year Bible school has trained more than 28,000
students in the last 34 years, and has established 44 associate Bible
schools in such nations as Germany, Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Brazil, Japan
and India. Lindsay has served as president of the international ministry
since the death of her husband in 1973. Her passion remains for training
young believers from around the world. Each year, CFNI has about 200
international students, 50 of whom are on scholarship. They are required to
sign an agreement saying they will go back to their country to minister in
their own nations. Today, CFNI reaches 120 nations, has helped build more
than 11,230 native churches, has distributed more than 60 million books in
82 languages, and provides shipments of food, clothing and medical aid to
nations in need. (Charisma News Service)
EUROPEAN STUDENTS SEE HOME COUNTRY AS NEW MISSION FIELD
With millions of people as yet unreached with the gospel in Europe, more
than 210 Bible college students questioned whether European Christians
should do missionary work at home or overseas. The discussion occurred
during a conference organized by the European Students Missionary
Association (ESMA) in Adelshofen, Germany, March 18-21. According to Francis
Omondi, Kenyan mission director, each Christian should first gain experience
at home before spreading the gospel in another culture. Indigenous mission
agencies are active in many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America,
Omondi explained, and they are in a better position to take the gospel to
their contemporaries because they have no problems adapting to their culture
and living conditions. Financial assistance, he claimed, would be the most
effective contribution by North American and European Christians to the
ministry in these areas. He believes German missionary organizations should
focus on the unreached people in their own country where millions have yet
to hear of Jesus Christ. In addition, the number of people without any
church affiliation is on the rise in Western Europe, accounting for 30
percent of the German population and up to 50 percent in the United Kingdom.
The ESMA was founded in 1954 and encompasses more than 40 theological
seminaries and Bible colleges. (Assist News Service)
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Zprávy HCJB 13.4.2004
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