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Evangelizační misie doufá, že rozšíří dětské biblické kluby na Ukrajině. Prezident Hope International Brian Marty jim říká „Kluby zítřka“. Říká, že oslovit mladé lidi evangeliem, je klíčovým faktorem pro budoucnost církve. „Ze statistik vyplývá, že pokud nejsou mladí lidé osloveni do 18. roku věku, zmenšuje se možnost, že přijdou ke Kristu., A nejen to. Tato generace je budoucností této země a je v našich silách, abychom pozitivně ovlivnili nejen jejich osobní životy, ale i životy jejich rodin, společnosti a celé země.“ Mladé lidi přitahuje na těchto klubech atletika, různé zájmové činnosti a jiné programy. (Mission Network News) |
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PRIESTS ARRESTED AS THEY PREPARE TO TEACH CLASSES IN CHINA
Chinese secret police took two Catholic priests into custody as they were
preparing to begin instructing classes on natural family planning and moral
theology. According to a May 17 report in Zenit, China, Lu Genjun, 42, and
Cheng Xiaoli, 40, were arrested May 14 in An Guo, in the province of Hebei.
Lu had recently been released after serving three years in a labor camp. He
is now in the police detention center of Dingzhou, Hebei. It is unknown
where Cheng is being held. (Voice of the Martyrs)
PAKISTANI PASTOR ESCAPES ISLAMIC CAPTORS
A Protestant pastor kidnapped last Sunday morning escaped from his Islamic
abductors overnight Monday, some 40 hours after he had disappeared on his
way to church services in Quetta, capital of Pakistan’s Baluchistan
province. Pastor Wilson Fazal, 41, managed to jump out of the vehicle his
kidnappers were driving late on the night of May 17. He re-appeared early
May 18 at the official Islamabad lodgings of a Quetta parliamentarian. Fazal
was severely beaten by his captors, who also subjected him to electric
shocks, stabbed him through the tongue, shaved off his hair and mustache and
taunted him with savage death threats if he refused to convert to Islam.
Fazal’s wife, Nasreen, and six sons were reunited with Fazal at a protected
safehouse in an undisclosed location. Six of Quetta’s other Christian
leaders had also received threats and went into hiding the day after Fazal
disappeared. They were confirmed to be safe and in contact with their
families. (Compass)
SIX VILLAGERS ARRESTED FOR SHAVING HEADS OF CHRISTIANS IN INDIA
Six people were arrested on May 3 in connection with a February 10 incident
regarding residents of Kilipala village in Orissa state shaving the heads of
a local pastor and eight Christian women. “Tonsuring,” or shaving the crown
of the head, is seen as the mark of a Hindu convert and caused great
humiliation for the Christians concerned. The arrests were made after Public
Interest Litigation was filed on behalf of the victims. The villagers had
previously accused Pastor Samal of forcibly converting two girls in the
village. Pastor Samal denied the charges and the two girls signed an
affidavit saying they had converted of their own free will. Despite this
evidence, an arrest warrant was issued against Pastor Samal just a few days
after the villagers responsible for tonsuring him were arrested. (Compass)
NON-HINDU NAMED INDIA’S NEW PRIME MINISTER
Manmohan Singh, a Sikh reformist, has been named as Prime Minister of the
new government of India. He faces the challenges of a country in financial
crisis and a Parliament in discord, but with the amazing defeat of the
Bharatiya Janata Party, Singh’s election takes India one more step away from
a Hindu nationalist state. Voice of the Martyrs’ Todd Nettleton says, “It
will be the first non-Hindu Prime Minister in the history of India.
Obviously, that opens the door for more religious freedom, more religious
tolerance, and a little more protection for the Christians who have come
under attack under the previous administration.” Nettleton urged prayer.
“Anytime you have a transition, you’ve got a little bit of unsettledness in
the people of the country, and that can be a time of great ministry when
people are asking questions of eternal significance.” There are concerns
that the persecution of believers may continue under localized Hindu
fundamentalist groups, now fueled with anger at defeat. (Mission Network
News)
* “The Voice of the Great Southland,” the shortwave station operated by HCJB
World Radio-Australia since January 2003, airs more than 44 hours of weekly
English programming across India. Daily Urdu programs joined the lineup in
July 2003, and since then programs have been added in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil,
Nepali, Chattisgarhi, Hmar and Manipuri. Most of the programming is produced
at a studio and follow-up center established in New Delhi in 2003.
‘TOMORROW CLUBS’ NEEDED TODAY IN UKRAINE
An evangelical ministry is hoping to expand children’s Bible clubs in
Ukraine. Hope International’s President, Brian Marty, calls them “Tomorrow
Clubs.” He says reaching young people with the gospel is key to the future
of the church. “Statistics show that if you don’t reach a child before the
age of 18, the chances of them coming to Christ are much less. Not only
that, this generation is the future of the country, and we have a chance to
make a positive change not only in an individual’s life, but in their
families, their communities and the whole country.” Young people are
attracted to the clubs by athletics, hobbies and other programs. (Mission
Network News)
* HCJB World Radio has worked with local churches to establish radio
ministries in Kiev and four other cities in Ukraine. Stations in two
Ukrainian cities are also affiliated with New Life Radio, a Russian
satellite radio network started with HCJB World Radio’s help in 2000. In
addition, Ukrainian programs also air daily via shortwave from two
international broadcasting sites.
MICHIGAN ACLU WINS FIGHT FOR CHRISTIAN FREE SPEECH
The American Civil Liberties Union has waged a successful battle to get a
Bible verse put back into a public school yearbook. Stevenson High School in
Sterling Heights, Mich., deleted student Abby Moler’s entry from its 2001
yearbook because it was religious in nature. As valedictorian of her
graduating class, Moler had submitted a biblical quote to be included in the
high school yearbook. School officials removed it before sending the
yearbook to print. The ACLU took up the cause and recently reached a
settlement with the school district over its censorship. The school has
agreed to place a sticker with Moler’s original entry in copies of the
yearbook on file at Stevenson High School, and the current yearbook staff
has been instructed to write her a letter of regret and ordered not to
censor future religious or political speech. ACLU of Michigan legal director
Michael Steinberg explained that the school was misguided in its attempt to
prevent a state endorsement of religion. “Although the school itself is
prohibited from promoting one religion over another, it cannot suppress
private speech that was religious,” he said. (Crosswalk) |
Zprávy HCJB 20.5.2004
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