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The People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City handed out harsh sentences to six Vietnamese Mennonite church workers in a four-hour trial that ended at noon Friday, Nov. 12. Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and five colleagues were charged with "resisting officers of the law while doing their duty" in connection with a March 2 incident involving two undercover government operatives. The court sentenced Quang, general secretary of the Vietnam Mennonite Church, to three years in prison. Evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach received a two-year sentence while evangelists Nguyen Thanh Phuong and Nguyen Thanh Nhan, church worker Le Thi Hong Lien and elder Nguyen Hieu Nghia received sentences ranging from nine to 12 months. Quang and his associates confronted the undercover officers on March 2 outside the gate of the Mennonite church which houses the denomination's offices and serves as the Quang residence. The Mennonites say the two agents had harassed and physically abused church workers who visited the building. The undercover officers tried to flee on a motorcycle but fell. Within 30 minutes, dozens of officers from district police Special Unit 113 and other security forces were dispatched to the scene. Armed with guns and cattle prods, they seized Nghia and took him to the local police station. A Vietnamese lawyer who asked to remain anonymous insisted that "on the basis of the legal issues and the realties of the case, we affirm that Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and his fellow workers are not criminals guilty of the charges brought against them." (Compass)

CHURCHES ATTACKED AS RELIGIOUS TENSIONS MOUNT IN NETHERLANDS

Arsonists attempted to burn down two churches in the Netherlands last week in a continuing series of attacks following the murder of a controversial Dutch filmmaker, police reported Thursday, Nov. 11. The attacks came after filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death by an Islamic extremist on Nov. 2. Some 18 religiously linked sites have been attacked since the murder. Unidentified persons threw Molotov cocktails at Protestant churches in Rotterdam and Utrecht, causing only minor damage. Meanwhile, in Eindhoven, the same city where a bomb exploded at a Muslim school on Monday, Nov. 8, a school classroom was seriously damaged in an overnight fire, police spokesman Pieter van Hoof told the Associated Press. Although the school is predominantly Catholic, it is attended by students from various religious backgrounds. Dutch authorities say the arsonists' attempts to burn down the Protestant churches were in retaliation to recent attacks on Muslim sites in what they fear are part of reprisals after Van Gogh's killing. He was one of the most outspoken critics of fundamentalist Muslims, The New Times reported. Van Gogh's last film, "Submission," criticized the treatment of women under Islam. For many years, such criticism was considered taboo. That began to change, however, after the 9/11 attacks when the Netherlands, like many other countries, began to consider the dangers posed by radical Muslims. (WorldWide Religious News/Christian Post)

DEATH PENALTY QUASHED FOR NIGERIAN WOMAN CHARGED WITH ADULTERY

An Islamic court in northern Nigeria Wednesday, Nov. 10, threw out a death by stoning sentence against a pregnant 18-year-old woman who had been condemned for adultery. Judge Mohammed Mustapha Umar of the Upper Sharia Court in Dass, a rural town in Bauchi state, said a lower court was wrong to have convicted Hajara Ibrahim. The judge said it was an error to sentence Ibrahim both to death for adultery and 100 lashes of the cane -- the punishment for premarital sex. The accused also was not given a chance to defend herself, the judge said. "Based on these reasons, this court hereby nullifies the lower court's judgment," Umar said. Ibrahim, now seven months' pregnant, was convicted of adultery on Oct. 5 by an Islamic court in the remote town of Lere. A man whom she said was responsible for the pregnancy was freed for lack of evidence. Her lawyer, Abubakar Suleiman appealed, saying Ibrahim was never married and, therefore, could not be guilty of adultery. Ibrahim was one of two women sentenced to death by stoning by an Islamic court in Bauchi state in recent months. The sentences were the first of their kind in more than a year in the mainly Muslim north where 12 states have introduced controversial Islamic sharia criminal codes since 1999. None of the stoning sentences have been carried out. (WorldWide Religious News/Associated Press)

* 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. HCJB World Radio also has helped plant radio ministries in five cities with more in the planning stages.

CUBAN AUTHORITIES FREE LEADING DISSIDENT FROM ISOLATION CELL

Dr. Oscar E. Biscet, one of Cuba's leading Christian dissidents, has been released from an isolation cell where he had been confined since July. Biscet was taken from his cell on Thursday, Oct. 21, in Prison Kilo 8 in the province of Pinar del Río after carrying out a 10-day hunger strike to protest his "inhumane imprisonment," dissident sources reported. He now shares a prison with an American citizen who reportedly has been charged with human trafficking. Biscet, a pro-life medical doctor who is also opposed to capital punishment and the communist regime, was sentenced to 25 years on April 7, 2003, as part of a massive crackdown on human rights activists across the island. He was earlier sentenced to a three-year term on charges of "disrespecting patriotic symbols" after hanging a Cuban flag upside-down during a news conference. In a statement obtained by BosNewsLife his wife, Elsa, said she was concerned about the health of her husband "after so any days in an isolation cell without any exposure to sunlight." She noticed during a visit to the prison on Oct. 30 that he had "lost weight and was pale" but was "emotionally strong." (BosNewsLife)

CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS BRING HOPE TO SUDAN AFTER 21 YEARS OF CIVIL WAR

While fighting continues in Darfur in western Sudan, people in the southern part of the country are struggling to recover from a 21-year-old civil war. The war left behind a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions, says Dale Dieleman of Worldwide Christian Schools. After years of fighting, many refugees fled to the mountains, abandoning their farms, resulting in a scarcity of food and making it difficult for the region to start the rebuilding process. During the fighting, schools were also forced to close, disrupting education and routine for thousands of the children. In response to the problem, Worldwide Christian Schools is working in partnership with Sudan Christian Schools for Orphans. "We're really trying to establish schools which will be, basically, the only schools in the region," he said. Dieleman adds that the ultimate purpose of the ministry is to share the hope of Christ. "I think that it's really planting the seeds of the gospel . . . in terms of how do you live out the gospel. I think this is the vision, trying to help the young people grasp and then go from there and be empowered." (Mission Network News)

IBS TO DISTRIBUTE 100,000 NEW TESTAMENTS VIA DAILY NEWSPAPER

The International Bible Society is targeting its home city of Colorado Springs, Colo., with its CityReachers project. On Sunday, Dec. 19, 100,000 New Testaments specially designed for Colorado Springs will be distributed with the city's daily newspaper. "We know that the Word of God is relevant, but we do the best we can do to make the Bible [attractive so] that people will want to pick it up," said IBS spokesman Bob Jackson. "As they look at this and see the title -- Our City God's Word -- and see the images on the outside, we're convinced that many who wouldn't perhaps pick up a black Bible with gold lettering will pick this up and perhaps read some of it." More than 130 local churches and organizations have joined this effort. "We believe that there are going to be some things happening here that perhaps have never happened before," Jackson said. "At least some people will come to know the Word of God, and hopefully some lives will be transformed." (Mission Network News)

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Iranian authorities moved Christian prisoner Hamid Pourmand to a military prison last week, deepening fears throughout the evangelical community for the safety of the Protestant pastor jailed nine weeks ago. Local sources have confirmed that Pourmand was told in late October that he would be released within just a few days. But he remained under detention at an unknown location until a few days ago, when he was transferred to a military jail. No known charges have been filed against Pourmand, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity nearly 25 years ago. Married with two children, he is a colonel in the Iranian army. Pourmand, 47, has been incarcerated since Sept. 9 when he was arrested with 85 other pastors and leaders of the Assemblies of God Church during their annual general conference in Karaj, near Tehran. Most of the detainees were released by the end of the day, although Pourmand and nine other pastors were held for four days of interrogation before the others were set free. In recent months, prominent government officials have repeatedly denounced "foreign religions" which they accuse of threatening Iran's national security. In the country's Islamic courts, a Muslim convicted of apostasy is subject to the death penalty. Since the 1976 Islamic revolution, a number of ex-Muslims who converted to Christianity have been covertly assassinated or executed by court order under the guise of spying for foreign countries. (Religion Today/Compass)

* HCJB World Radio, in cooperation with FEBA Radio, broadcasts weekly Christian programs to Iran via shortwave in the Luri language. There are less than 100 known believers among the 4 million Luri speakers in Iran and Iraq.

2,000+ ATTEND ANNUAL MEDICAL MISSIONS CONFERENCE IN KENTUCKY

More than 2,000 medical missionaries, healthcare professionals and students gathered in Louisville, Ky., Friday-Saturday, Nov. 12-13, for the annual Global Missions Health Conference. "The goal was to help people connect for networking and to inspire, motivate and equip people to be able to carry out the Great Commission," said Dr. David Stevens of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations. He added that medical missions is one of the greatest ways to carry the gospel, especially to countries that restrict missionary activity. The annual conference continues to grow, Stevens said. "Our goal is to increase the number of medical missionaries by 25 percent in the next five years and to increase their effectiveness in ministry by cross-pollinating ideas and programs and things that are working well." Conference organizers want the event to become a "mini-Urbana" with between 5,000 and 10,000 people attending annually to "talk about how to carry out the Great Commission, like the Great Physician did, by healing, teaching and sharing the gospel." (Agape Press)

MUSLIM GUARDIAN APPEARS IN JORDANIAN WIDOW'S CUSTODY CASE

Abdullah al-Muhtadi, the Muslim guardian fighting for custody of Jordanian Christian widow Siham Qandah's two minor children, appeared before Jordan's Islamic courts on Tuesday, Nov. 9. He presented a file of receipts to the Al-Abdali Sharia Court in Amman and told the judge that the documents proved that he had paid out $16,500 in lawyers' fees during his long legal battle to take custody of the children. In dispute were four large withdrawals he made from the children's orphan funds. The receipts will be examined in the next two weeks by Qandah's lawyer and Judge Zghul who set the next hearing on the case for Tuesday, Nov. 23. After the hearing, Qandah tried to approach her brother, al-Muhtadi, "But he began shouting loudly, saying, 'She is a Christian, she is trying to kill me, like she killed her husband!'" Qandah said. She could not keep from crying during the episode which her brother seemed to have staged to embarrass her in the crowded halls of the courthouse, she said. (Religion Today/Compass)

BOOK OF HOPE SEES DOORS FOR MINISTRY OPENING ACROSS AFRICA

A ministry called Book of Hope is living up to its name in Africa, a continent plagued by famine, war, genocide and AIDS. Many people offer solutions to Africa's problems, but as Bob Hoskins from Book of Hope says, it's a heart matter. "If there's not a cultural change there's no hope, and we know that the only thing that can truly transform and bring that change is a changed heart and a changed life," he explains. "That change agent is the Word of God, and that's why the Book of Hope is such a critical tool for the salvation of Africa." The truth of God's Word is effecting change, and people are responding to the hope of the gospel, Hoskins adds. "Praise God, doors are [opening across] Africa. Governments are begging us to come because they know that the real solution to their problem has to come through a transformation of lives. And God's Word will do that! We're excited about what we're seeing happen across Africa through the distribution of the Book of Hope." (Mission Network News)

VOLUNTEER DOCTORS TO CONDUCT 500 SURGERIES ON SHIP IN BENIN

The latest outreach by the global charity Mercy Ships is underway in the tiny West African nation of Benin. Following two medical screening days when the flagship Anastasis arrived in the capital city of Cotonou last week, volunteer surgeons onboard have started on a schedule of about 500 surgeries. Educational and community development projects will also be carried out throughout Benin before the Mercy Ship leaves Benin in February for a four-month assignment in Liberia. It's the third visit by Mercy Ships to Benin with thousands of people receiving life-changing surgeries during visits in 1997 and 2000. Daslin Small, the ship's executive director, says more than 400 volunteer crew members from around the world will leave a lasting mark on the nation, following the example of Jesus in bringing hope and healing to the poor. (Mercy Ships)

* HCJB World Radio worked with the Council of Protestant and Evangelical Churches of Benin to help put a Christian station on the air in Cotonou in 1998. The station broadcasts the gospel in French, English and seven tribal languages. Partner ministry SIM also records programs in eight languages at studios in Parakou. Programs air on local stations across Benin.

FORMER OPPONENTS IN NIGERIA'S RELIGIOUS CONFLICT WORK FOR PEACE

Two Nigerians who were once on opposite sides of the religious conflict are now working together for peace. One lost his two brothers and the other his arm, but now they're working together to bring peace in a conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives since 1999. Imam Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa and Rev. James Movel Wuye, both from northern Nigeria's Kaduna state, are joint directors of the Kaduna Muslim-Christian Mediation Centre. Religious fighting in 2000 and 2002 led to more than 2,500 deaths and the destruction of millions of dollars worth of property. A fragile peace exists today. Ashafa's two brothers and his spiritual leader were among those killed in the violence, and extremists cut off Wuye's arm. "We were two militant religious activists, but now we are working to create space -- not just for peace, but also for the transformation of society," Ashafa said. "We were both victims of the situation that we both had a part in creating." Wuye added, "We were both programmed to hate one another, to Islamize or evangelize at all costs. But this threatens the very existence of Nigeria." (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

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A series of arrests and raids in China during September and October indicate that a new crackdown is underway against Christians even as the government professed its willingness to liberalize its policies on religion. Well-known evangelical leader Cai Zhuohua was among those arrested and reportedly faces an extremely harsh sentence because of his role in house church leadership and religious literature distribution. Chinese officials had recently declared new changes in religious policy, but evidence has since emerged that the regime issued three internal directives in August calling for "much tighter control of religion." A Chinese-language magazine reported that the new directives aim to suppress the conversion of Communist Party members, the growth of religion and religious organizations across the country, and the increase of religious activity on university campuses. A document issued by the Community Party calls for a specific crackdown on the "rampant" growth of religious believers in 11 provinces: Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Beijing, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Hebei, Henan and Chongqing. (Compass)

WORLD VISION REOPENS CLINICS IN LIBERIA AFTER YEARS OF CIVIL WAR

As hundreds of Liberian refugees are heading back to their homes in the aftermath of war that left the country in shambles, World Vision Liberia, with the help of UNICEF and World Vision Canada, has reopened nine of the 10 clinics it closed down two years ago. The closures were due to the fighting between rebels and the government of former President Charles Taylor. As teams help restore health and nutritional services to remote villages, they are representing the hands and feet of Christ to the communities they assist. With the nine newly opened clinics, there are now 14 similar facilities located in and around the Liberian capital of Monrovia. (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.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD AIMS TO COLLECT 7 MILLION SHOEBOX GIFTS

Churches across the U.S. are taking part in Operation Christmas Child, the world's largest international Christmas project. Millions of shoeboxes filled with gift items are being collected this month at drop-off locations across the nation and distributed to needy children worldwide. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse -- the ministry that oversees this annual holiday outreach -- is making a specific request this year. "Pray for the child that's going to get this box. I want each of these children to come to know that there's a God in heaven who loves them, cares for them, and who's provided a way for them to be with Him one day," Graham said. In addition to small gifts for children, each of the boxes will carry a tract describing God's plan of salvation. The Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are being collected this week at more than 1,800 drop-off sites in all 50 states. Samaritan's Purse projects that more than 7 million of the shoeboxes will be delivered this year. (Religion Today/AgapePress)

AMERICAN, NATIONAL DOCTORS MINISTER TOGETHER IN GHANA

Oasis International is coordinating doctors from America and within Ghana to provide medical care to some of the country's neediest people, says ministry spokesperson Nancy Hudson. "We've done some eye clinics in the city of Accra, and we've also done some clinics for children and families in some of the smaller towns -- places where their healthcare isn't maybe as efficient as in the city." The ministry provides medical supplies at low costs, but the outreach isn't just about saving people money. "We go over with the love of God," Hudson says. "This gives us an opportunity to invite [patients] to the training center or to the local churches. It's a great opportunity to share and be salt in the world." Staff members teach Bible lessons and work with local partners to ensure that people receive both medical and spiritual care." (Mission Network News)

FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY PLANS LONG-TERM SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR SUDAN

In western Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, Food for the Hungry is part of a massive relief effort helping displaced families. The ministry is partnering with other humanitarian groups to work in three remote villages in Darfur. Food for the Hungry President Ben Homan spoke recently from Sudan, "The displacement of people in Darfur is at a crisis point," he said. "Food for the Hungry is here to offer hope and help to the people who have lost their homes and their livelihoods, who have been victims of incredible human rights violations in this land." The organization is supporting long-term programs for the rehabilitation of the people of Sudan, including digging wells, providing medical care and rebuilding agriculture. But, Homan says, "It will be a long time before the people of Darfur will feel secure enough to get back into their fields and their villages, so that remains another crucial thing as we look to the future." (Mission Network News)

2,300 TURN TO CHRIST AT FRANKLIN GRAHAM CRUSADE IN CANADA

More than 2,300 turned to Christ at the Canadian East Coast Festival with Franklin Graham when he preached for three nights at the same hockey arena where his father, Billy Graham, spoke in 1979. Total attendance at the crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Oct. 15-17, was more than 30,000. Another 3,000 watched via live satellite TV in Sydney on remote Cape Breton Island. (News Bytes/Worldwide Photos)

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Fresh clashes between Maoist rebels and government troops in Nepal have left dozens dead. The Maoists, who are fighting for a communist state, control 60 percent of the country. As the fighting continues, Gospel for Asia President K.P. Yohannan is concerned for the safety of the ministry's team members. One pastor was recently imprisoned and another who was kidnapped by Maoists is still missing. "We have some sketchy information," Yohannan says. "We're not sure what is happening with him. All we know is that he's still alive." He adds that the Maoists appear to be targeting believers. "We need to pray," Yohannan says. "This is a time when lots of people are coming to the Lord in the countryside. At the same time, we are faced with this opposition." (Mission Network News)

TERRORIST ATTACK LEAVES IRAQI PASTOR PARALYZED FROM CHEST DOWN

An Iraqi Christian leader who was shot three weeks ago by Muslim extremists is in stable condition but has been paralyzed from the chest down. The pastor was attacked in a town in northern Iraq on Friday, Oct. 22. The attack came on a day that was supposed to be a special celebration of thanksgiving for a new church building that he and his congregation had recently acquired. They had been forced to leave their old building by a landlord who had received threats from Islamic extremists if he continued to allow Christian meetings on his property. As he was traveling to the celebration, someone leaned out of the window and shot him at close range with a pistol. One bullet went through his leg and two through his shoulder, one of which damaged a nerve, causing him to lose all sensation from his chest down. A native gospel worker who recently returned from a visit with the injured pastor said, "It's really something to visit a person who is even happy while not being able to move any part of his body below the chest. . . . God knows what He's got in mind. We know that the pastor has been in the hands of the Lord Jesus from the very beginning." (Christian Aid Mission)

ISLAM SPREADS IN SOUTH AFRICA, ESPECIALLY IN BLACK TOWNSHIPS

Black South Africans, drawn to the Islam practiced by African immigrants, are converting in growing numbers and slowly changing the face of religious affiliation in the overwhelmingly Christian country. "The numbers have gone up dramatically if you look at the census figures ... there is massive growth especially in the (black) townships," said Dr. Shamil Jeppie, an expert on Islamic history in Africa at the University of Cape Town. Immigrants from Central and West Africa, escaping poverty at home for life in the continent's economic powerhouse, have brought with them a new "Africanized Islam." Just 650,000 South Africans (less than 2 percent of the population) are) Muslim. Christianity -- practiced by 80 percent of the country's 45 million people -- is still the predominant religion among blacks. But an estimated 75,000 Africans are now Muslim compared to less than 12,000 in 1991, reported the Human Sciences Research Council, a government-funded institute. (WorldWide Religious News/Reuters)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local partners to plant local radio ministries in six South African cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pinetown, Roodepoort and Badplaas. HCJB World Radio is also helps with projects such as the Living Hope Community Center (a ministry of partner Fish Hoek Baptist Church) near Cape Town, South Africa.

NEW CHRISTIAN WEBSITE EXPOSES KILLING OF CHILDREN WORLDWIDE

An international website dedicated to documenting and exposing the killing of children and young people was simultaneously launched Tuesday, Nov. 16, in the British House of Commons by Alistair Burt and Lord Alton of Liverpool, and in the U.S. by Senator Brownback and Congressmen Franks and Pitts. Stopkillingchildren.com, which has been set up by Jubilee Campaign, was an idea conceived by Alton during a visit to Brazil last February. In Brazil four to five children are killed every day. More than 60 such cases in Brazil have been documented in the past two months. One example is 8-year-old Samanta Isidoro Gonçalves who was killed on Sept. 24 by a stray bullet in Río de Janeiro's Bonsucesso neighborhood. She was reportedly going home from church and when a bullet pierced her head while she was crossing the street. "When children are killed in the U.K. or U.S., it is front-page news," Alton said. "In places like Brazil where violence against children is commonplace, the lives of children who are killed are easily forgotten. Many people assume that the dark days of the killing of children have been consigned to the pages of history. By reporting the daily murder of innocent children, the website will enable us to raise awareness of the scale of the problem and leverage pressure on the governments to stop the killing." (Jubilee Campaign)

LACK OF FULL-TIME SURGEON JEOPARDIZES MISSION HOSPITAL IN TOGO

Sharon Rahilly, nursing educator with Association of Baptists for World Evangelism's hospital in Togo, says the need for a surgeon there has reached a critical stage. "We have talked about everything from having to close the hospital if we do not have a surgeon to curtailing activities -- perhaps giving forced time off to the hospital employees. We have no career surgeon for Togo on the horizon." Rahilly says the hospital is the third busiest in the country. (Mission Network News)

* International Media Ministries, HCJB World Radio's partner in Lomé, Togo, broadcasts 17 hours of daily programming on an FM station in 10 local languages. The SIM studio in Parakou, Benin, also records Christian Kotokoli programs that air on local stations in Togo.

SURVEY: PROPORTION OF UNCHURCHED PEOPLE IN U.S. DOUBLES IN 10 YEARS

The proportion of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has doubled in the last decade and now stands at 16 percent of the population. This is one of the findings of a new study on religious identity which noted that only Catholics (24 percent) and Baptists (17 percent) outnumber the people who don't identify themselves with organized religion, The Los Angeles Times reported. Based on telephone interviews with more than 10,000 people, the nationwide survey by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research in San Francisco showed that about one in six answered "none" or "no religion" or described themselves as secular, humanist, ethical-culturalist, agnostic or atheist. Their ranks will continue to grow, and they'll soon outnumber Baptists, said Gary Tobin, president of the institute and a co-author of the study titled, "The Decline of Religious Identity in the United States." Residents of the West lead the nation in the proportion of those who don't identify with a religion -- 24 percent compared to 14 percent for the rest of the country, except New England which had 21 percent. Men (20 percent) are less likely to identify with a religious denomination than women (13 percent). The study also found that those reared without a religion are much more likely than others to have children who have no religion. In mixed-religion families, children reared in both parents' religions are more likely not to choose any religion. (Religion Today/Charisma News Service)

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Le Thi Hong Lien, the sole woman among six Mennonite church workers sentenced to prison in Vietnam Friday, Nov. 12, has been hospitalized with a "mental disease," say prison officials. She was arrested on June 30 and sentenced to 12 months in prison on Nov. 12. At the trial, codefendant Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang was so alarmed at Lien's appearance that he asked the court to take her immediately for a medical examination. The judge refused but agreed to allow her to remain seated for the proceedings. Lien's parents attempted to visit her in prison twice this week, but prison officials prevented access. Her parents subsequently filed a report stating, "During her time in prison, our daughter was seriously abused and beaten." Lien, 21, had been a zealous church worker specializing in teaching the Bible to small children. (Compass)

CLOSING OF CHURCH IN MUSLIM AREA OF INDONESIA SPARKS PUBLIC DEBATE

Members of a Protestant church in Indonesia continue to wait for resolution on an incident Sunday, Oct 24, in which Muslim neighbors attacked a local church. Authorities then shut down the church, reported Komintra News. The violent incident was the third since the Nusantara Indonesia Christian Church was established in 1997 in Puri Kosambi, Karawang. Approximately 500 attackers identified as members of the Front Pembela Islam (FPI) vandalized the church, damaging the roof, sound system, pews, doors and windows. As a result, the congregation ceased to hold meetings. A day later, the FPI approached local authorities and asked that the church be closed permanently. Meanwhile, results of a survey published in The Jakarta Post showed that 40.8 percent of Muslim respondents do not agree with Christians conducting worship services in Muslim neighborhoods. (Compass)

* 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.

INTERNATIONAL AID HELPS RESTORE BASIC SERVICES IN AFGHAN VILLAGE

International Aid (IA) is reaching out to help a devastated Afghan village north of Kabul where there is no running water, electricity or public sanitation. The Afghan government asked IA to help restore health services in the village of Taingi Saidan. Working in partnership, the teams have provided medicine, trained doctors, dug wells and provided water filtration system -- ministries that have increased goodwill and opened doors to share the gospel with local residents. IA is also working with community leaders to explore launching child survival efforts in the region, providing general health activities and promoting preventive healthcare for the entire community and improving prevention. Village leaders and the local population have already expressed their "strong support" of this initiative. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio is bringing words of hope and encouragement to people across Afghanistan via radio. Together with partners, Christian broadcasts go out via AM in three of the country's major languages, Turkmen, Uzbek and Southern Uzbek.

CHURCHES IN BELARUS KEEP GROWING IN SPITE OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES

Slavik Radchuk, Christian Aid Mission's field director for the former Soviet Union, says that indigenous ministries in Belarus are seeing "many more people come to the Lord than they have in a long time." This encouraging news comes even as reports continue to emerge from the country that government leadership is becoming ever more dictatorial in nature since the country passed the most repressive religion law in Europe. Government policies include severe restrictions on evangelical churches. All religious groups are required to register with the government, yet the registration process is so difficult that only Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Jewish groups are eligible. Non-registered evangelical churches are not allowed to construct church buildings unless they have at least 100 adult members who have signed official forms. Many churches struggle with facilitating growth since open-air evangelistic meetings are illegal, as are house-church meetings with more than five people in attendance. Government policies also prohibit or make it difficult to rent space to evangelical church groups. (Christian Aid Mission)

BELIEVERS URGED TO PRAY DURING WORLD AIDS DAY WEDNESDAY, DEC. 1

World Vision estimates that in the two decades since the AIDS pandemic began, more than 30 million have died worldwide while another 38 million are living with HIV/AIDS. Global AIDS Prayer Partnership estimates that 14,000 people are infected by HIV each day while 8,000 more die from the disease daily. In addition, more than 15 million children (younger than 17 years old) are orphaned because of AIDS. The two organizations are encouraging churches and individuals to take action as the world commemorates World AIDS Day on Wednesday, Dec. 1. A prayer chain has been set up to help Christians become aware of the specific prayer needs of people whose lives have been devastated by the disease. The groups are also encouraging churches and individuals to help financially to address the needs of the millions who are suffering, widowed or orphaned. World Vision's website, www.worldvision.org, suggests ways to sponsor a child and offers suggestions on how to use favorite sports and activities to raise funds and awareness for the AIDS dilemma. (Global AIDS Prayer Partnership/World Vision)

LOW-TECH EVANGELISTIC METHOD STILL IMPACTS HIGH-TECH WORLD

Even in today's high-tech age, the lowly gospel tract still delivers a powerful message. Since they began in the late 1700s, millions of tracts in dozens of languages and have reached even the remotest, most unlikely locations. One of the most common criticisms of tract evangelism is that it's too confrontational. "But Jesus was the most in-your-face evangelist ever," tract evangelist Ray Comfort, founder of Southern California-based Living Waters Publications, told Charisma magazine. Christians hand out millions of tracts every year. In July, Jews for Jesus planned to hand out 1 million tracts in New York City alone. Globally, its workers have passed out more than 40 million tracts. Jews for Jesus Director David Brickner believes few other methods of evangelism are as powerful as passing out tracts. Veteran tract writer Jack Chick's cartoon-style booklets have become icons and are in the Smithsonian Institution as symbols of American religious pop culture. Only about 2 percent of American Christians regularly share their faith. (Religion Today/Charisma News Service)

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