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*Tato a další zprávy jsou v originální anglické verzi zde.

Vlna bombových útoků následovala po zahájení velkého útoku amerických sil proti povstalcům ve městě Fallúdža západně od Bagdádu. Wilfred Wong z organizace Jubilee Campaign řekl: „Před několika měsíci, když na Fallúdžu útočily americké síly muslimští klerikové řekli, že pokud Američané opravdu zaútočí, pomstí se na iráckých křesťanech, protože na Američany nutno pohlížet také jako na křesťany.“ Toto byl poslední z řady útoků na malou iráckou křesťanskou komunitu – za poslední tři měsíce jich bylo zabito 14. Odhaduje se, že v Iráku je 650 000 křesťanů – nejčastěji chaldejských, asyrských a katolických křesťanů – celkem 3% obyvatelstva. (Jubilee Campaign/Christian Freedom International/Associated Press/BBC)

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*Tato a další zprávy jsou v originální anglické verzi zde.

The severed head of the Christian chief of a village in Central Sulawesi, eastern Indonesia, was found Friday, Nov. 5, amidst unabated, continued attacks in the country. Meanwhile, authorities have done little to apprehend the culprits, reported the Christian human rights group, Jubilee Campaign. Some Muslims were sitting and talking near a service station in Sayo, Poso City, on Friday when they saw "something black" thrown from a dark pickup. When they took a closer look, they discovered that it was a black plastic bag containing a human head. They called police, and the police identified the head as belonging to Sarminalis Ndele, 48, the chief of Pinedapa village who was a Christian. Eyewitnesses said that after coming back from his plantation at approximately 8 p.m. the previous evening, Ndele was picked up by a man with a red Yamaha motorbike. Ndele apparently trusted the man because "without any hesitation he went with him and failed to return afterwards." Ndele's headless body was later found near Masani village Friday afternoon. The beheading suggests that Islamic extremists are mimicking the methods used by Muslim terrorists in Iraq as a new method of striking terror in Sulawesi's Christians, said Wilfred Wong, Jubilee's campaign researcher. (Jubilee Campaign)

* HCJB World Radio worked with local Indonesian partners to establish local Christian stations in Sumba Island and Kupang, West Timor, with help from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind. Plans are also being made to establish a station on Roti Island later this year.

ZIMBABWE PARLIAMENT CONSIDERS BILL RESTRICTING HUMANITARIAN WORK

Humanitarian work in Zimbabwe is under threat by the government as the parliament considers a bill that could restrict non-government organizations and religious workers in the country. The bill would give the government power to control all foreign aid and humanitarian work, especially if the government deems that it would challenge the government's positions on human rights and democratic governance. The bill could "seriously affect" ministries such as Operation Mobilization (OM) which works with local churches and among the Tonga, Zimbabwe's least-reached people group. Members of the OM team in Zimbabwe are now in South Africa, awaiting their appeal for work permits. (Mission Network News)

MUSLIM STRONGHOLDS INFILTRATED WITH GOSPEL IN PHILIPPINES

Indigenous ministries in the southern islands of the Philippines are seeing God work mightily in communities that are heavily populated by Muslims. Al-Qaeda is reported to have a training camp on one of the islands while the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayaff is working to indoctrinate area youth and establish an independent Islamic state. In the face of these terrorist efforts, young people have become an open door for the gospel. At a recent youth camp, native missionaries led five young Muslims to Christ. They were baptized and sent home where they immediately began sharing their faith in Jesus with friends and family despite danger of reprisals. Through contacts made by these brave new believers, native missionaries were able to enter Muslim territories for the first time to preach and disciple converts. They started an underground church for former Muslims and smuggled hundreds of Bibles and hymnals throughout the territories. Missionaries working among the predominantly Muslim Maranao tribe have also seen many come to Christ through compassion projects such as literacy training and medical assistance. (Christian Aid Mission)

MIRACLES DRAW MANY TO CHRIST IN LAOS DESPITE PERSECUTION

Despite communist authorities' strongest efforts, hundreds are coming to Christ in Laos, many after witnessing the Lord's miraculous healing power. Authorities in Laos have closed church buildings and forbidden believers from reentering them. Some brave Christians continue to meet together in closed buildings, knowing they could be arrested at any time. Officials threaten believers with imprisonment and heavy fines if they tell others about Christ. Some Laotians are too fearful of government threats to listen to gospel workers. Despite these hindrances, one missionary wrote, "God has been using illness to bring people to Himself. In the past few months, we've had many people show interest in the things of God because they were suffering from a physical ailment. Many unsaved Laotians who couldn't be helped by doctors or hospitals have turned to our churches for healing prayers. God has shown His power by healing many." As God uses miracles like these to open people's hearts, churches in Laos are growing in a way Christians have not seen for many years and even the fiercest government threats cannot stop it. (Christian Aid Mission)

MISSION LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO DONATE 25,000 WHEELCHAIRS WORLDWIDE

Free Wheelchair Mission, a nonprofit organization based in an Orange County, Calif., announced that it will donate some 25,000 wheelchairs to needy recipients worldwide this holiday season through its "Gift of Transformation" campaign. The campaign will begin in India where the ministry will dedicate and distribute 1,100 wheelchairs on Friday, Dec. 3, in honor of the U.N.'s International Day for the Disabled. The week of Dec. 13-17 volunteers across the U.S. will host parties to raise disabilities awareness in their communities. Dr. Don Schoendorfer, president and founder of Free Wheelchair Mission, says the campaign has garnered an "incredible response" in the past year. He says that when the recipients receive their wheelchairs "it changes their feeling about life and shows them someone cares for them." Schoendorfer says the sturdy chairs provide mobility even to people who live in rough, underdeveloped terrain. (AgapePress)

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH BREAKS GROUND IN CUBA

The Russian Orthodox Church, the largest of the world's eastern Orthodox communions, is expanding into Cuba, Novosti reported. The church's Moscow leaders said plans are to break ground this month in the center of Havana. There are an estimated 8,000 Orthodox Christians in Havana. Church leaders say their branch of the Christian faith is distinctive in its commitment to preserving the theological and liturgical traditions of the church fathers and also in its deep reverence of the Virgin Mary, both of which are prized by the island's Orthodox believers. (WorldWide Religious News/UPI)

© Copyright 2004 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, imprisoned on what many believe were false charges, walked free today almost a year earlier than his original release date. Damanik, a prominent figure in peace negotiations between warring Muslim and Christian communities on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi, was convicted on charges of "illegal weapons possession" in June 2003 and sentenced to three years in prison. With allowance made for time already served in police custody, he was due for release in September 2005. Many observers believed Damanik was innocent. Witnesses in court said they were tortured by police and forced to give false evidence. Judge Somanada admitted that "many irregularities" had occurred during the alleged discovery of the weapons and during the trial, but he still delivered a guilty verdict. "The release of Pastor Damanik is really an answer to the prayers of thousands of Christians around the world," said Open Doors USA President Carl Moeller. Idrus. R. al Habsy, a leading Muslim cleric, became a staunch advocate for Damanik's release after hearing about his campaign for peace. On Aug. 20 the elderly cleric wrote to the Minister of Justice and Human Rights declaring Damanik to be a "man of good character" who "should be allowed to go free." Al Habsy died of a serious illness just three days later. However, his actions paved the way for Damanik's early release. (Open Doors)

* HCJB World Radio worked with local Indonesian partners to establish local Christian stations in Sumba Island and Kupang, West Timor, with help from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind. Plans are also being made to establish a station on Roti Island later this year.

BELIEVERS MOBILIZE AS KENYA'S FAMINE COULD AFFECT 2 MILLION PEOPLE

In Kenya, a country where an extended dry season could put more than 2 million people at risk of starvation, is also having an impact on Christian outreach. Ben Omollo, director of Compassion International in Kenya, says the famine jeopardizes more than 10,000 children who are sponsored through the ministry along with their families. "They face severe malnutrition, suffering or even starvation if nothing is done to intervene now," Omollo said, adding that sending help is an investment both in the present and the future. "We show our love not only to the children that are Compassion-assisted, but to the community as a whole. We focus on prayer and dependency on God so that it is very clear that we are waiting on God and that the love of Christ is felt through the support that comes from our friends and the international community." (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local partners to install radio ministries in Nairobi (two stations), Mombasa and Tinderet.

MENNONITE MISSIONARY IN TURKEY ASSAULTED, THREATENED WITH DEATH

A Mennonite missionary in Turkey was gagged and bound last week by three men posing as "spiritual seekers" wanting to know more about questions of faith. Bob Stauffer of Rosedale Mennonite Missions (RMM) received a call from Wilbur and Shirley Miller on Tuesday, Nov. 2, saying Wilbur was in a meeting with three young men (about 17 years old) who posed as seekers in spiritual things through the ministry's website. He had met with them at least once previously. "After the study they blindfolded Wilbur, gagged him and tied him up," said Mim Musser, RMM's human resources director. "They pulled a gun and knife and said they were going to 'finish him off.' They claimed to be Muslims who were given orders from al-Qaeda. Wilbur believes he was tied up for [as long as] two hours." The attackers then ransacked his office, stealing a "substantial amount of cash" from the office. "The young men said they have been watching Wilbur's house," Musser said. "They told him it was a problem if he stayed in town . . . and he was not to return to his office. They left the office with him, and at some point freed him." Police continue to investigate the incident. (Assist News Service)

THUGS ATTACK CHRISTIAN PRAYER HALL IN SOUTHERN INDIA

Miscreants attacked a Christian prayer hall and disturbed proceedings in Mangalore, a city in southern India, Monday, Nov. 1. Police said about 15 people threw stones and ransacked the prayer hall during the morning meeting. Police have registered against a local person. In an unrelated incident, three persons were injured when two groups of Christians clashed at a church in Belthangady in the Dakshina Kannada district. (WorldWide Religious News/PTI)

CHRISTIAN EGYPTIAN TEENAGERS FIGHT FORCED MUSLIM IDENTITIES

Two teenage Christian sisters in Egypt have gone to court to contest the forced change of their official religious identity to Islam. Iman and Olfat Malak Ayet, now 17 and 18 years of age, were reared as Christians by their Coptic Orthodox mother. Their father left his Christian wife, baby daughter and unborn child in 1986, converted to Islam and married a Muslim. He then changed his daughters' official identities from Christian to Muslim several years before his death in November 2002. In order to enter their final school examinations and then apply for university acceptance, the Christian sisters must first be issued their national identification cards. The formal identity cards will declare them Muslims if the State Council verdict, due at the end of November, isn't in their favor. "How can these children be forced to become Muslims, when they have never practiced Islam in their entire lives?" Coptic Christian lawyer Naguib Gabriel asked the court at the third trial hearing on July 6. A final verdict on the two sisters' case, which is being tried before the Administrative Court of the State Council in Doqqi, was set for Tuesday, Nov. 16. But the hearing is expected to be delayed for a week as it falls at the end of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. (Compass)

HOPE COMES TO SIERRA LEONE VILLAGE CALLED 'THERE IS NO GOD'

When native missionaries in Sierra Leone were searching out areas in need of the gospel, they came across a rural village with a name that means, "there is no God." Stricken by the hopelessness such a name implies, they immediately made plans to take the message of Christ to this isolated community. The village is in a northern province of Sierra Leone that has become an Islamic stronghold. Those who are not Muslims practice occultism, consulting juju gods and living in constant fear of evil spirits. This particular village was known throughout its district for its terrible name. Native missionaries visited the village to build relationships with the chief and elders. God blessed them with favor, and chiefs gave the missionaries permission to start gospel work. Missionaries are using a holistic approach to evangelism, bringing physical aid to this poverty-stricken community in the name of Christ, thus opening people's hearts to His truth. The community has asked the missionaries to take over the village school, which was suffering desperately from lack of leadership. Now, a new generation will hear the gospel. Missionaries face many obstacles in their work, but native gospel workers are determined to give this village a new name by the power of Christ. (Christian Aid Mission)

© Copyright 2004 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

Bombs exploded at two churches in central Baghdad at about 6:30 p.m. local time Monday, Nov. 8, killing at least three people, injuring dozens and severely damaging both facilities. The two explosions took place less than 10 minutes apart. St. George's Church in Dora, Baghdad, which is part of the Assyrian Church of the East, was badly damaged by crates of explosives left outside the church. A car bomb was detonated outside St. Behnam's Church on the outskirts of Dora which belongs to the Syriac Orthodox Church. At least three people were killed and more than 52 injured in the two explosions. Hours later a suicide car bomber killed five policemen outside the hospital where victims of the two church bombings were being treated.

A wave of bombings came as U.S. forces launched a massive attack to capture the rebel-held city of Falluja, west of Baghdad. Wilfred Wong, Jubilee Campaign's researcher and parliamentary Officer, said, "A few months ago when Falluja was attacked by U.S. forces, Muslim clerics there said if the Americans attack them they should take revenge against Iraqi Christians because Americans are [viewed as] Christians." This was the latest in a series of attacks on Iraq's tiny Christian community -- at least 14 people have died in the past three months. Iraq's estimated 650,000 Christians -- mostly Chaldeans, Assyrians and Catholics -- make up about 3 percent of the country's population. (Jubilee Campaign/Christian Freedom International/Associated Press/BBC)

MAOIST REBEL THREATS FORCE MISSIONARY COUPLE TO LEAVE NEPAL

Threats from Maoist rebels in Nepal have forced a Baptist missionary couple to evacuate the country, says Jim Long of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism "We've decided for safety reasons to move them out of Nepal for at least six months [until] things settle down," he said. "The Maoist activity has heated up, and they're targeting places in the Katmandu valley which has not been true in the past." Long says the rebels have demanded money from the couple. The missionaries have had a successful outreach in the area, making their departure especially disheartening. "They were involved in a church planting ministry," Long says. "We've seen the church grow from a very small nucleus of people to a pretty big congregation. They have already established a daughter church. And they've been responsible for starting an orphanage." (Mission Network News)

CONFERENCE ATTENDEES URGED TO STAND UP FOR PERSECUTED BELIEVERS

About 1,000 delegates to the International Christian Human Rights Conference in London Saturday, Nov. 6, heard speakers from around the world tell about their experiences with persecution. They were challenged not to stand in silence after hearing powerful accounts of the persecuted church. Delegates listened to speakers from China, Colombia, Eritrea and Sri Lanka tell them about the work they do and the persecution they endure. Godfrey Yogarajah, general secretary of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, said that in the last year 140 churches have been closed down. He also highlighted the danger posed to religious freedom by proposed anti-conversion legislation and constitutional reforms to make Buddhism the state religion. The delegates were challenged to respond to the needs of the persecuted church by saying together the pledge: "I pray that, as a follower of Christ, I will seek to comfort the persecuted and those who mourn. I will remember those in prison as if I were in prison and those who suffer for their faith as if I suffer. I will work for justice and truth. I will not stand in silence. I will tell someone else." (Religion Today/Assist News Service)

CHINESE OFFICIALS CLAIM TO BE OPEN TO CHANGE IN RELIGIOUS POLICIES

Chinese officials meeting at an international conference on religion and law in Beijing Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 18-19, announced that they were open to changes in religious policy. However, Ji Wenyuan, deputy director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs, said China's unique needs must be assessed first, and "social stability and harmony" must be the basis for any new laws. Ji's cautious admonition of "change, but not yet" was borne out by a wave of arrests and raids carried out on Christian property in recent months. One ministry reported a sharp increase in persecution throughout September and October with a "large number of arrests." One Christian worker was beaten to death after being arrested by police. Four printing presses were shut down within the space of a month when police discovered they were printing illegal Christian materials. However, when U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with government ministers on Monday, Oct. 25, they assured him that China was willing to reopen the dialogue on human rights abuses. (Compass)

PASTORS REQUEST TRAINING IN HURRICANE-BATTERED GRENADA

The Caribbean island nation of Grenada, hit hard by Hurricane Ivan, is now the focus of pastoral training in the form of a Frontline Shepherd's conference. In September, 39 people lost their lives and 90 percent of the homes on the island were damaged by the storm. That has left many people feeling hopeless, but Christians say now is the time to make a difference, explains David Shibley of Global Advance. "We have been invited to come and conduct a Frontline Shepherd's conference in Grenada, and we have been assured that almost every Protestant minister in the nation . . . will be in attendance," he said. "God's Word clearly says that He desires and gives to us a future and a hope. This is the message that we're going to bring first to the pastors of Grenada [and their families]. The hearts of the people and the hearts of the pastors are hungry and open, perhaps as never before." (Mission Network News)

1,100+ COME TO CHRIST VIA CONTROVERSIAL BOOTH AT ARIZONA STATE FAIR

A Phoenix-based pro-family law firm says a recent First Amendment victory has helped further the spread of the gospel. Arizona State Fair officials had refused to rent exhibitor space to Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International, claiming that too many people had found their speech "personally offensive" at the previous year's fair. At the same time, the fair granted space to other groups that included profanity and blatant sexual references in their messages. But as Alliance Defense Fund attorney Elizabeth Murray points out, officials with the fair reversed their decision after being accused of suppressing free speech. "The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) was able to send a letter to state fair officials, arguing that the First Amendment does not allow them to discriminate based on the content of the speech," the attorney explained. After officials were informed they were acting unconstitutionally, the group was permitted to rent a booth at this year's fair. A spokesman for the southern Arizona chapter of the fellowship reports that 1,130 people indicated their desire to become Christians as a result of the group's presence at the fair this year. The ADF attorney said that the large number of people who stopped by the group's booth demonstrated that the charge of the Christian message's being offensive was baseless. (Religion Today/AgapePress)

© Copyright 2004 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

In the early-morning hours of Monday, Nov. 1, attackers broke down the doors of an independent church in Korakandamulla, Matugama, Sri Lanka, then continued their rampage in the pastor's living area. In front of the two young children, the men slapped the pastor's wife and cut off her hair with a sword, and then set fire to some furniture. A week later a group of Buddhists staged a demonstration in Matugama. Delivering a petition to the divisional secretary against various churches in the area, they stated that the "patience and tolerance" of the Buddhists was reaching an end. They threatened serious violence unless action was taken against "Christian fundamentalists" and distributed handbills calling on Buddhists to rise up against churches in the area. A similar protest is reportedly planned for Sunday, Nov. 14, in Udugampola in the Gampaha district. (Voice of the Martyrs/National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka)

MISSIONARIES AT BAPTIST COMPOUND IN UGANDA ESCAPE GUN BATTLE

Missionaries with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board were recently forced to flee their home when Ugandan army forces confronted Karamojong warriors who had taken up positions on a hill behind the missionary compound. The family of John and Linda Witte had grown accustomed to the gunfire often heard while living among the warring Karamojong people, but a recent skirmish took place in their own front yard. Government troops fired across the house, and the missionaries were caught in the middle. The Wittes' four children had to crawl on the ground to avoid the gunfire while explosions were heard in the distance. Several hours later, a break in the fighting enabled the family to flee. Friends from the village helped them evacuate safely through the bush on foot to a waiting aircraft six miles away. The experience built a bond between the Wittes and their village friends, and they hope it will provide them new opportunities to share the gospel with the Karamojong people. (Mission Network News)

CHRISTIAN RELIEF AGENCY JOINS AIDS FIGHT WITH LARGE FEDERAL GRANT

Food for the Hungry (FFH) has won an $8.2-million, five-year grant from the U.S. federal government aimed at preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. What's unusual is that there are no strings attached, says FFH spokesman Ben Homan. The money will be used to mobilize faith-based and community organizations toward abstinence-based education. "We want to multiply impact," he said. "The way you multiply impact is to have grassroots support and grassroots volunteers to reach communities and countries. [The best way to do this] is working through the churches." The ministry will be working in three African countries and Haiti -- areas where churches have become more vocal about the AIDS issue. "This is an opportunity for the church to draw closer to the people in their own communities," Homan said. "People need the compassion and love of Christ." The funding comes from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a $15-billion federal government initiative focusing on 15 countries that are experiencing the greatest HIV/AIDS prevalence. The U.S. Agency for International Development will oversee the program. (Mission Network News)

JERRY FALWELL LAUNCHES FAITH AND VALUES COALITION IN U.S.

Evangelist Jerry Falwell announced on Wednesday, Nov. 10, the formation of the Faith and Values Coalition, a national organization designed to maintain the national momentum gained through "values voters" who swept President George W. Bush back into office on Tuesday, Nov. 2. "Following the sweeping re-election of President Bush and a new generation of conservative lawmakers nationwide, a new organization, Faith and Values Coalition (TFVC), has been launched," said Falwell from his headquarters in Lynchburg, Va. Falwell, 71, will serve as national chairman of the coalition for the next four years. Mathew Staver, founder, president and general counsel of the Liberty Counsel, will serve as vice chairman; Falwell's son, Jonathan Falwell, will be executive director; and author/theologian Tim LaHaye, will be board chairman. Falwell said the three-fold platform of the new organization is the confirmation of pro-life U.S. Supreme Court justices and other federal judges; the passage of a constitutional Federal Marriage Amendment; and the election of another conservative president and other conservative politicians in 2008. (Faith and Values Coalition)

10,000+ SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS MARCH AGAINST VIOLENCE IN JAMAICA

More than 10,000 men, women and children affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica marched through the streets of Kingston and St. Catherine, Saturday, Nov. 6, bearing a message of hope and family unity. The march, said to be the largest ever on the Caribbean island, kicked off a summit aimed at countering a steep rise in violence in Jamaica in the past 12 months. "Members from [across] the island came in buses, cars and motorcades to march with signs and banners in order to create a consciousness to end spousal abuse, child neglect and to encourage men to stand up for integrity and decency," said Pastor Eric Nathan who helped organize the event. The summit, "Men -- Agents of Change," took place at the conclusion of the four-mile march. Thousands gathered in the park to hear a message from local church leaders. Nathan said the goal of the summit was to encourage Jamaican boys and men to get an education as a way of putting an end to violence. He challenged the men to commit to volunteering two hours each week, mentoring inner-city boys. Church organizers are already planning another summit for 2005. (Adventist Press Service)

* Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., worked with Tarrant Baptist Church in Kingston to install a 500-watt FM transmitter, antenna and studio.

FAST-FOOD CHAIN FOUNDER DEFENDS CLOSING RESTAURANTS ON SUNDAYS

The founder of the third largest fast-food chicken restaurant chain in the U.S. says his faith in Christ guides every aspect of his life. Truett Cathy, 83, says he has never regretted closing Chick-fil-A restaurants on Sundays. Last year Cathy testified before a congressional subcommittee about business ethics. "My statement to them was that there's no such thing as business ethics; there's [only] personal ethics," he said. "This closing on Sundays, I testified there, is the best business decision I've made." Fast-food restaurants typically earn 20 percent of their sales on Sundays. When asked to explain his statement, the Georgia native told them: "I felt we've honored God in our business, and it's helped us attract the caliber of people that appreciate having Sunday off." Cathy, a member of First Baptist Church of Fayetteville, Ga., has taught Sunday school to teenagers for more than 50 years. (AgapePress)

© Copyright 2004 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA - btc@hcjb.org

The American missionary serving with Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) who was killed in Riga, Latvia, Monday, Nov. 1, has been identified as 50-year-old Andrew "Drew" Rush. "Drew had been a part of the Campus Crusade team in Latvia since 1996," said Karen Dye of The DeMoss Group which handles public relations for CCC. "According to local police and the U.S. Embassy, this was a criminal act, and Drew was killed during a robbery in his flat." There is no indication that Rush was targeted because of his missionary work, and police have arrested two Latvian men in the case. Earlier, a police spokeswoman in Riga said Rush was found with a knife plunged in his chest along with what appeared to be strangulation marks around his throat. Investigators found the victim's apartment in disarray. A memorial service is planned for Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, Nov. 15. (DeMoss Group/Assist News Service)

35 U.S. MARINES TURN TO GOD BEFORE START OF FALLUJA BATTLE IN IRAQ

With U.S. forces massing outside Fallujah, Iraq, last Friday, 35 marines swayed to Christian rock music and asked Jesus Christ to protect them in anticipation of the biggest battle since American troops invaded Iraq last year. Men with buzz cuts and clad in their camouflage waved their hands in the air, M-16 assault rifles lying beside them, and chanted praise lyrics late Friday in a yellow-brick chapel, reported the French news agency AFP. The U.S. military, with many soldiers coming from the conservative American south and Midwest, has deep Christian roots. In times when fighting looms, many soldiers draw on their faith to help them face the battle, AFP reported. Their chaplain, named Horne, told the worshipers they were stationed outside Fallujah to bring the Iraqis "freedom from oppression, rape, torture and murder." He prayed, "We ask you God to bless us in that effort." The marines then lined up, and their chaplain anointed them with oil. Then the crowd followed him outside their small auditorium for a baptism of about a half dozen marines who had just found Christ. The chaplain's assistant, Navy corpsman Richard Vaughn, baptized them a rubber dinghy filled with water, plunging their heads beneath the surface. (Assist News Service)

PRAYER DAY TO FOCUS ON 200 MILLION PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE

Open Doors with Brother Andrew is calling on Christians to pray for more than 200 million suffering believers during the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Sunday, Nov. 14. Churches around the world will focus on prayer and support for brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Brother Andrew says, "Our hope, of course, is that [prayer] will not be restricted to one Sunday, but that every Sunday, indeed, every day, will be a day of prayer for those who are not as fortunate as we with all [our] liberty." Persecution and religious discrimination is widespread with 200 to 400 million believers around the world facing alienation because of their faith. (Mission Network News)

CHRISTIANS USE CREATIVE METHODS TO DRAW EGYPTIANS TO CHRIST

The Muslims who govern Egypt have allowed Christians to practice their beliefs freely for centuries. But recent opposition by Muslim extremists, particularly in southern Egypt, has made conditions more difficult for some of the Christians there. In the face of this, native evangelical missionaries are using creative outreaches, helping to meet people's physical and emotional needs, to draw them to Christ. One ministry reaches out to poor teenage girls in rural areas, providing them clothing and distributing gifts such as headbands that they could not afford otherwise. They invite girls to evangelistic meetings where they hear the gospel -- many for the first time. At one such recent meeting, 700 girls attended, and many gave their lives to Christ. Another ministry working among the poorest parts of Cairo has been reaching disabled adults and handicapped children. Recently the ministry conducted two weeklong camps, one for adults and one for children. The camps were an opportunity for these disabled people, some of whom are terminally ill and all of whom endure great difficulty every day, to have fun and experience the love of Christ. Through loving relationships with these adults and children, gospel workers make connections with family members that allow them to spread the gospel to people who would ordinarily be closed to it. (Christian Aid Mission)

RETIRED COUPLE BEGINS YEARLONG CROSS-COUNTRY PRAYER CAMPAIGN

An elderly Christian couple has embarked on a yearlong prayer journey that will take them to the steps of every state capitol in the country. Phillip Epperson, who recently turned 65, and his wife of 38 years, Vicki, began their Prayer Across America campaign on Sept. 11 in Springfield, Ill., the Assemblies of God News reported. The two will conclude their odyssey Sept. 11, 2005, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In between, they will be praying from 1-2 p.m. every Thursday afternoon (except for the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas) as they travel from Augusta, Maine, to Honolulu, Hawaii and from Tallahassee, Fla., to Juneau, Alaska. Epperson said the Holy Spirit stirred him to undertake the prayer campaign before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Eppersons will take the 17,000-mile expedition in a recreational vehicle, hoping Christians will meet them at the capitols of their states. Each week, the hour will kick off with patriotic and Christian songs, followed by prayers of thanksgiving to God for blessings, repenting for sins, a call to return to the Lord, prayers for wisdom for national leaders and prayer for awakening in the church. Epperson is obtaining state permits to make sure officials aren't caught off guard in case the crowds are large. (Religion Today/Charisma News Service)

MISSIONARIES JOIN THOUSANDS OF FOREIGNERS EVACUATING CÔTE D'IVOIRE

Airliners in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) are shuttling thousands of foreigners out of the country, including many missionaries, even as peace talks convene. Nita Zelenak of New Tribes Mission says the ministry was forced to make a tough call this week. "There's been a continued deterioration of civil order in Abidjan and also other parts of Ivory Coast. It has reached a point where the safety of foreigners is uncertain and so, our missionaries are no longer able to carry out their ministries. New Tribes has decided that it's best that we evacuate the country."

While no NTM missionaries have been targeted or victimized, Zelenak says the teams need prayer. "Pray for the actual getting out of the country, the actual evacuation. There are a number of people being evacuated out of the Ivory Coast. It's not just our missionaries, so there's the matter of getting the flights, getting out, packing up and getting ready to leave and the uncertainty of knowing when you're going to be able to go back."

The International Christian Academy (ICA) outside of Bouaké in the northern part of the country will evacuate students and staff from the school this weekend, said ICA Director Dan Grudda in an e-mail report. "Arrangements [for the evacuation] are mostly completed, but we know that changes do occur at times," he said. The school reopened with a limited enrolment this fall after fighting in the area forced it to close two years ago.

SIM spokesman Jon Shea said the ministry is making plans to evacuate its staff members based in the coastal city of Abidjan. "Our regional headquarters staff in Senegal, in consultation with our Ivory Coast leadership, has a plan, but no dates yet."

France and some other Western nations flew hundreds of their nationals out of the country on Thursday in a second day of evacuations as South Africa convened urgent talks in a crisis it warns could destabilize West Africa. Abidjan experienced the first day of calm since anti-foreigner mobs took to the streets last weekend after a sudden, deadly clash between the forces of Ivory Coast and its former colonial ruler, France. Some shops reopened and traffic returned to streets strewn with charred vehicles and the remnants of roadblocks. Residents crowded supermarkets and waited in long lines to draw cash from ATMs.

Once one of West Africa's most prosperous and stable countries, Ivory Coast has experienced instability since a 1999 military coup ignited ethnic and regional tensions between the predominantly Muslim north and mostly Christian and animist south. France, with some 14,000 citizens in the country, sent helicopters on Wednesday to pluck trapped foreigners from villages and bring them to Abidjan's international airport.

The recent violence began when Ivory Coast warplanes killed nine French peacekeepers and an American aid worker in an air strike Saturday, Nov. 6, violating a 2003 cease-fire in the two-year-old civil war. Within hours, France had wiped out the nation's newly built-up air force, sparking an uprising by loyalist youths who took to the streets with machetes, iron bars and clubs. The raids were the first major hostilities since a truce signed in May 2003 ended fighting that had killed thousands and uprooted more than 1 million people.

A cease-fire line cuts across the middle of the former French colony. Fellow African leaders have condemned the mayhem, driven by President Laurent Gbagbo's fiercely patriotic supporters and checked only intermittently by his government.

France's first 900 evacuees arrived in Paris late Wednesday with more flights leaving Thursday. Belgium, Canada, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the U.N. also organized planes. Britain is working in neighboring Ghana to support evacuations of Britons and also redirected the HMS Albion assault ship to Ivory Coast. (Mission Network News/Associated Press/SIM/HCJB World Radio)

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