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Pákistánský zákon o rouhání je často používán k zastrašování křesťanů, protože toto obvinění zcela dostačuje, aby byl obviněný „rouhač“ poslán za mříže. To má vliv na křesťanské společenství při veřejném vyhlašování víry. Nicméně americký evangelista Sammy Tippit říká, že lidé hladoví po pravdě a poukazuje na růst evangelizačního vysílání v této oblasti. „Naše vysílání se setkalo s velkou odezvou,“ říká. „Měli jsme doslova tisícovky telefonátů, e-mailů, dopisů a faxů, které přišly z Pákistánu a z přilehlého okolí.“ Odhaduje se, že v Pákistánu jsou asi 4 miliony křesťanů ze 150 milionů obyvatel. Tippit říká, že sbor zde roste i přes zjevné pronásledování. „To, k čemu zde dochází, nemůže zastavit žádná skupina lidí, nemohou zabránit lidem v přístupu ke Kristu, protože je to Duch Svatý, který zde koná a církev je pevná.“ (Mission Network News) |
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BHUTAN HOUSE CHURCHES RAIDED AFTER EASTER SERVICES
Three Protestant house churches in the Sarpang district of southern Bhutan
were raided by police Sunday, April 11, following Easter services. No
arrests were made, but church members were warned to stop meeting together,
and three pastors and one elder were asked to report daily to the local
police station. Police told the believers that their meetings were viewed as
"terrorist activities" by the Bhutanese government. Catholic churches have
also experienced increasing restrictions since the year 2000, when,
according to Bishop Stephen Lepcha, the government outlawed "public
non-Buddhist religious services, and imprisoned those who violate the law."
Bhutan is still recovering from a border conflict that broke out between the
Royal Bhutan Army and the United Liberation Front of Assam in December 2003.
Believers in Bhutan say persecution may increase as a result of the
conflict. Until the end of the 1990s, priests who emigrated from neighboring
India and Nepal could celebrate mass in public. However, after the year
2000, Bhutan outlawed "public non-Buddhist religious services and imprisoned
those who violate the law," said Indian Bishop Stephen Lepcha whose diocese
includes Bhutan. (Compass)
RENEWED SECTARIAN FIGHTING IN INDONESIA COULD DISRUPT MISSION WORK
Renewed sectarian violence in eastern Indonesia's Moluccan Islands is
causing concern among mission groups working in the area. Sniper attacks
throughout Ambon on Tuesday intensified fears that the region could plunge
back into a Muslim-Christian war that killed more than 9,000 people from
1999 to 2001. Recent riots between Christians and Muslims have left more
than 30 people dead. Mission Aviation Fellowship's Dave Wunsch says while
the ministry hasn't been affected directly by the conflict, political
instability in the country could disrupt all missionary outreach. The
clashes are coming in a region where Islamic extremists have been trying to
drum up support and Muslim fervor. The earlier conflict galvanized militant
Muslims across Indonesia, attracting Islamic fighters from across Southeast
Asia and the Middle East. In light of that, church and community leaders in
Ambon are urging calm. (Mission Network News)
* HCJB World Radio worked with local Indonesian partners to establish a
local Christian station in Sumba Island. Plans are also being made to
establish stations on Roti Island and at Kupang in West Timor. Equipment was
sent from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind.
GROWING PRESSURE ON PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS FAILS TO DETER EVANGELIST
Pakistan's blasphemy law is often used to intimidate Christians as an
accusation is frequently all that's needed to put an alleged "blasphemer"
behind bars. For the Christian community, that's had a chilling effect on
public expressions of faith. However, U.S. evangelist Sammy Tippit says
people are starving for the truth, pointing to the launch of a gospel
broadcast in the area. "Our broadcast has had tremendous response," he says.
"We've had literally thousands of telephone calls, e-mails, letters and
faxes that have come in from Pakistan and the rest of the region." There are
an estimated 4 million Christians in Pakistan, a country of 150 million.
Tippit says the church continues to grow despite overt persecution. "My
initial response to what is happening is that no matter how hard any group
would try to stop people from coming to Christ, they can't do it because
God's Spirit is at work, and the church is standing strong." (Mission
Network News)
NEW MEDICAL OUTREACH IN NEPAL PROVIDES HELP TO 320 REFUGEES
A new medical outreach team from International Nepal Fellowship (INF)
recently brought much-needed care to 320 people displaced by Nepal's Maoist
"People's War." On Thursday, April 22, the team completed a three-day clinic
for internally displaced people at Man Khola, 10 miles west of the team's
base in Nepalgunj. Medication worth almost $700 was dispensed free of
charge. "Most patients were women with gynecological problems," said Steve
Munday, the team manager. "Babies and children with poverty-related sickness
made up most of the rest. Several patients were referred to the INF's
tuberculosis clinic or Bheri Zonal Hospital in Nepalgunj for further
treatment." (International Nepal Fellowship)
NIGERIAN MINISTRY BUILDING SCHOOL OF MISSIONS TO COUNTER MUSLIMS
Persecution and spiritual opposition often force Christians into rough
territory, but they also allow God to demonstrate His power and sovereignty
in even the most difficult circumstances. Islamic opposition continually
overshadows the work of indigenous Christian ministries in northern Nigeria.
Teams often move to convert Nigerians before the gospel can be preached to
them. Even after churches have been planted, financial support for the
missionaries can diminish, forcing them to decrease their work while Islamic
teams eagerly swoop in to steal any gains. To counter this opposition, an
indigenous Nigerian ministry is building a School of Missions. Once
completed, this school will train more than 50 new missionaries annually to
evangelize unreached tribes. With adequate support, these missionaries could
provide formidable competition for Islamic resources. To complete
construction of the school, sand is needed for making cement. The sand comes
from the riverbed and is easily extracted during the dry season when
continuous heat sends down water levels. The missionaries must retrieve
enough sand to complete the new facilities before the river fills back up
during the imminent rainy season. (Missions Insider)
* HCJB World Radio, together with partners In Touch Ministries, SIM and the
Evangelical Church of West Africa, began airing weekly half-hour programs to
Nigeria in the Igbo language in 2000. In 2003 weekly broadcasts were added
in two additional languages, Yoruba and Hausa.
SIM'S NEW HEAD RESTRUCTURES LEADERSHIP TEAM, SETS GLOBAL STRATEGY
Malcolm McGregor, the new international director of SIM, has announced a
restructuring of his International Leadership Team. Dorothy Haile is now
personnel director, Rene Palacio is chief financial officer, and Brian Clark
is international treasurer. The team's role is to facilitate and coordinate
the work of SIM's sending and field offices around the world. McGregor, who
began his directorship on March 1, will be officially commissioned to the
work on June 12 in connection with the annual meeting of the ministry's
International Board of Governors. He also has begun the process of a global
strategic ministry review, dubbed "Seize the Day," for which more
information will be provided soon. "SIM is blessed with an outstanding team
of leaders," said McGregor. "We live in a rapidly changing world, and the
days ahead hold unprecedented challenges. But the gospel does not change,
and we're excited and committed to follow God's call wherever He takes us.
'Seize the Day' is about facing this new tomorrow." (SIM) |
Zprávy HCJB 28.4.2004
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