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Nepálské církve vyzývají všechny věřící po celém světě, aby si v rámci druhého ročníku „Dne modliteb za Nepál“ v sobotu a v neděli 17.-18. dubna, vyhradily čas na modlitby za mír v jejich zemi. „I přes minulé pokusy vyřešit současnou politickou krizi zastavením útoků a mírovými rozhovory mezi maoistickými rebely a vládou, zůstává situace stejná, ne-li horší,“ informoval tiskový zdroj z United Vision for Nepal a Prayer for Nepal Global Network. „Věřím, že skrz společné modlitby Pán uzdraví náš národ a přinese mír a usmíření a nebudou už v Nepálu umírat nevinní lidé.“ Loňské mírové rozhovory, které trvaly sedm měsíců, ztroskotaly v srpnu, kdy znovu vypukly boje. I přes pronásledování a jiné legální a sociální překážky vzrostl počet nepálských církevních sborů za padesát let z nuly na 3,000 s 500,000 členy. (United Vision for Nepal/Prayer for Global Nepal Network)
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UZBEKISTAN CRACKS DOWN ON ALL FAITHS AFTER TERRORIST BOMBINGS
After terrorist bombings in the last two months that left nearly 50 people
dead in Uzbekistan -- blamed by the government on Islamic extremists -- the
government has initiated a crackdown on all religious faiths. Target groups
include Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Protestants and Hare Krishna devotees.
A Jehovah's Witness said that he was interrogated in a police station, told
he was a potential terrorist, and threatened by police who told him, "If you
do not renounce your ridiculous beliefs, then I will simply plant drugs on
you and put you away for a long time!" He said police officers have since
come to his house several times and threatened him and his wife. Most of
those summoned for interrogation are devout Muslims. Police are reportedly
engineering arrests of religious believers by planting leaflets of the
banned Islamic movement, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, as well as drugs and weapons on
people. Police are also searching believers' private homes, inquiring about
their religious views, confiscating religious literature, and in one case
detaining 25 Muslim women for 24 hours because they were wearing
headscarves. Authorities also have begun mass arrests of people who
previously had been convicted of participating in radical Islamic
organizations. (Forum 18 News Service)
* HCJB World Radio airs weekly Uzbek broadcasts to Uzbekistan via shortwave.
An estimated 15 million Uzbek-speaking people are within range of the
broadcasts. Uzbek is also one of four languages that HCJB World Radio airs
to Afghanistan from an AM station outside the country.
RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES DISALLOW JOINT EASTER EVANGELISTIC SERVICE
Although members of Russian Orthodox and Catholic churches celebrated Easter
without problem in the Siberian city of Tyumen Sunday, April 11, a
large-scale Protestant Easter evangelistic service due to have been held in
a city-owned stadium on April 14 was canceled by local authorities, citing a
"terrorist threat." Andrei Knyazhev, coordinator of the service, said he is
"almost 99 percent certain" that the threat was fabricated by authorities.
The Association of Christian Churches in Russia reported that Methodist,
Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian and other evangelical churches had
planned to rent the City Sport Stadium for the joint evangelistic event.
However, several days prior to the event, rumors began spreading throughout
the city that "someone from the authorities who dislikes that kind of belief
was going to cancel the celebrations." On April 12 the Federal Security
Service send a letter warning of a possible terrorist threat. The next day
the Department of Internal Affairs officially notified the believers that
the event must be canceled. (Forum 18 News Service/Religion Today/Assist
News Service)
ORPHANAGE IN INDIA SEARCHING FOR NEW HOME AFTER EVICTION
An orphanage in India is homeless after reportedly being evicted by its
former landlord. Children in the Adesh Children's Happy Home in Bangalore
were thrown out of their decrepit building at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, April
2. Orphanage official Victor Paul reported that the "landlord came to the
orphanage home with some people with rods and other weapons, pulled all the
children out, took all that belonged to the children and orphanage, threw
them out and locked all rooms." Because of the poor condition of the
facility, the ministry was planning to move anyway, but the former landlord
informed the new building owner "not to give us the building, because we're
Christian," Paul said. As a result, the owner of the building to where the
ministry had planned to move returned the deposit and refused to rent his
facility to the orphanage. The former landlord belongs to a political group
that actively works against Christians and organizations, Paul said.
Children from the orphanage were stranded outside until about 12:30 a.m.
when he was able to find shelter in a school. (Assist News Service)
NEPALI CHURCHES URGE BELIEVERS WORLDWIDE TO PRAY FOR PEACE
Nepali churches are calling on believers worldwide to set aside time pray
for peace in the country during the second annual "Day of Prayer for Nepal"
Saturday-Sunday, April 17-18. "Despite a few attempts to resolve the current
political crisis through cease-fires and peace talks between the Maoist
rebels and the government in the past, the situation still remains the same,
if not worse," states a press release from the United Vision for Nepal and
Prayer for Nepal Global Network. "We believe that through our prayer
solidarity network and joint intercessions, the Lord will indeed heal our
nation and bring peace and reconciliation, thereby preventing more deaths of
innocent Nepali people." Seven months of peace talks last year broke down in
August when fighting resumed. Despite persecution and many other legal and
social barriers, the number of Nepali churches has grown in 50 years from
zero to 3,000 with 500,000 members. (United Vision for Nepal/Prayer for
Nepal Global Network)
MINISTRY SETS STRATEGY TO BRING CLEAN WATER PROJECTS TO LIBERIA
The World Health Organization reports that roughly 38,000 people die every
day because of water-related diseases. Jerry Wiles of Living Water
International says introducing a supply of clean, safe drinking water to an
area can change the dynamic for an entire community. "It's really the key to
transformation from a physical standpoint," he says. "We know, of course,
that Jesus is the transformation, the living water of the gospel. But when
people don't have water, you can't do medical work, you can't do
agricultural development or food programs or economic development very
well." Wiles says the organization is working in 16 countries and is
planning a strategy for the West African country of Liberia. "We'll be
working mostly with indigenous partners and local churches, schools,
orphanages and hospitals," he says. "We'll be working mostly in the rural
areas. There are tremendous needs in many of the areas just to do pump
repairs." (Mission Network News)
* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with ELWA, a ministry founded by SIM
in Monrovia in 1954, to air the gospel across the country and West Africa.
The radio station was destroyed twice by civil war, first in 1990 and again
in 1996. ELWA most recently went back on the air in 1997 with a small FM
transmitter. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio provided a low-power shortwave
transmitter, again enabling the station to cover the entire region. ELWA
broadcasts the gospel in 10 languages and plans to add more as resources
become available.
STUDY: GIVING TO U.S. CHURCHES REBOUNDS, BUT TITHING REMAINS LOW
Giving to U.S. churches rose substantially in 2003, but the percentage of
tithers remains flat, indicates the latest study by the Barna Research Group
(BRG). The average amount of money donated to churches and other houses of
worship rose by $824 last year -- a 14-percent increase from 2002 and the
highest mean amount since 2000. However, the poll, released on Tuesday,
found that the tithing figures have not changed significantly. Among
Christians, the survey discovered that just 7 percent had tithed to their
church, up from 6 percent in 2002. More than twice as many believers gave no
money to a church last year. The segments most likely to give to a house of
worship were evangelical adults with an active faith (those who had attended
church, prayed and read the Bible during the previous week), African
Americans, charismatic/Pentecostal Christians, and people from households
with a gross income of $60,000 or more. BRG President George Barna said he
expects the number of tithers to remain flat until church leaders address
people's motivations for giving. "Once a church establishes itself as being
trustworthy in people's minds, it will raise a minimal amount of money," he
said. (Religion Today/Charisma News Service) |
Zprávy HCJB 16.4.2004
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