Armed gunmen attacked Christian worshipers as they emerged from Easter services in a village church near Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 27, killing one man and wounding at least six other congregants. Irshad Masih, a young husband and father of a 1-year-old daughter, died from a bullet that struck his head during a half hour of indiscriminate shooting by four attackers on Victory Church International in Khamba village. The other victims were admitted to Lahore's Jinnah Hospital, one with life-threatening injuries, but that person is no longer in critical condition. Reports indicate that members of a Muslim family who had long been opponents of the congregation entered the church property at about 10 a.m. as the congregation was worshiping and began shooting. Some reports indicate that there were children playing outside. Masih was shot and killed as he went outside of the church building to find out what was happening. Six other believers also came out from church, and the attackers also fired on them. The attackers then fled. Police said they had arrested two of the four suspects in the shooting and attributed the attack to a local land dispute. Local observers discounted that version of the events. "Actually, it was terrorism," one source said. "They attacked people and started indiscriminate firing upon a congregation of some 150 people!" (Compass/Voice of the Martyrs)

OPERATORS OF CHRISTIAN SHELTER IN SENEGAL APPEAL FINES, JAIL TERMS

Rev. Suriba and his co-worker, Francois Iraguha, run a ministry for street boys and homeless young men in Dakar, Senegal. About 18 men live in the Bethany Mission house where they receive professional skills training. Dozens of other street boys go in and out of the house freely for showers, medical care, food, clothing and encouragement. However, neighbors became hostile toward the Christian ministry after several Muslim men turned to follow Christ. Groups of local Muslims have invaded the house and been disruptive and abusive on several occasions, and the Christian workers there are regularly threatened. One neighbor pressed charges against Suriba and Iraguha, alleging physical assault. This is the first time a Muslim has attempted to use the law as a weapon against a Christian ministry in Senegal, and it is feared that if he is successful this could set a new trend of persecution in Senegal. The case against Suriba and Iraguha was heard in their absence, and they were not allowed to defend themselves. On Dec. 28, 2004, the court convicted the two men of assault and sentenced them to one month in jail plus a fine equivalent to US$100 -- about a week's wages in Senegal. Suriba and Iraguha have appealed the judgment. (Assist News Service)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with Brethren Assemblies and SIM in Dakar, Senegal, to make weekly Wolof Christian broadcasts available across the country on an FM network. More than 3 million people speak Wolof.

SENEGAL SUMMIT TO INCREASE DIALOGUE BETWEEN MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS

Senegal President Maitre Abdoulaye Wade has announced that his country will host the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit and a subsequent Muslim-Christian dialogue in December 2006. In a recent interview with The Yemen Observer, Wade said that a dialogue of leaders from the region was needed to discuss the issue of religious tolerance. "I have proposed an Islamic and Christian dialogue that would be at the end of the conference we are organizing in Senegal, immediately after the OIC summit in November 2006," he said. Wade said the event will help bridge the misunderstandings between Muslims and Christians. "The leaders of the world need to send a very strong message to the world community for tolerance and understanding," he said. (Assist News Service)

STATE IN EAST-CENTRAL INDIA SET TO STRENGTHEN ANTI-CONVERSION LAW

The government of east-central India's Chhattisgarh state plans to strengthen its anti-conversion laws following claims of increasing numbers of Christian converts. The pro-Hindu government believes the current law is not rigorously enforced and contains too many loopholes. Under existing provisions, those who convert without official approval may be imprisoned for up to two years and fined up to 10,000 rupees ($229). However, pending regulations call for imprisonment of up to four years and fines of 100,000 rupees ($2,290). Kaviraj Lall, a member of the Christian Legal Association of India, said he will organize a public campaign against the new provisions. "If we have the [constitutional] right to a religion of our own choice, why should the state interfere?" he asked. (Compass)

CHRISTIAN ABSTINENCE PROGRAM EMPHASIZES COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORTS

A Christian abstinence program has launched an initiative designed to help communities find strategies for reclaiming and proclaiming the value of sexual purity among young people. True Love Waits (TLW) is a youth-based international campaign that uses positive peer pressure to encourage teenagers to commit to remain sexually pure until marriage. Through its "Takes the Town" initiative, TLW is now encouraging cities across the U.S. to engage in a unified, community-wide approach to promoting abstinence. TLW cofounder Jimmy Hester says the initiative will encourage more of America's communities to embrace abstinence education in a comprehensive way. In this all-encompassing effort, Hester says the various human elements and corporate entities that make up a city or town ideally "would come together along with churches and the religious community and give a concerted effort to put this message out to the community to challenge teenagers to remain sexually abstinent until marriage." TLW hopes to involve 50 communities during the first year of its "Takes the Town" initiative. Hester says the abstinence education initiative seeks to involve students who have actively participated in TLW programs in recent years. Since 1993 an estimated 2.5 to 3 million young people have signed pledge cards, promising to remain sexually abstinent until marriage. (Religion Today/Agape Press)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO BEGINS SCHOLARSHIP IN HONOR OF MOODY'S BOB NEFF

Promising young Christian communicators from around the world will get a chance to take radio training through a scholarship fund unveiled by HCJB World Radio at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) convention in Anaheim, Calif., in February.

"We have named an annual scholarship in honor of Robert 'Bob' Neff," said HCJB World Radio President David Johnson. "He has a deep commitment to be involved in the lives of young people who want to use their communication skills in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. We felt a scholarship named after him would reflect his vision and heart for young people to help reach the world for Christ."

Neff, who stood at the helm of Moody Broadcasting Network in Chicago for 31 years, resigned from his post as vice president on Feb. 21 due to health concerns. He continues to help as a consultant on a part-time basis. Neff also served as a member of the HCJB World Radio Board of Trustees for more than four years before stepping down in January.

"It was extremely thoughtful and perceptive of HCJB World Radio's leadership that this scholarship would be very meaningful to me," Neff said. "One of my most satisfying roles at Moody in the last 10 years has been reaching out to and helping international broadcasters, and training has been a key element of that."

Neff was one of two recipients of NRB's William Ward Ayer Distinguished Service Award for "outstanding and significant contributions to the field of Christian communications." In addition, NRB recognized Moody's "Open Line" call-in program as "Best Radio Talk Show." This was one the first programs created for Moody's groundbreaking satellite service that launched under Neff's leadership in 1980.

He caught the vision to help international broadcasters in the mid-1990s when Moody began receiving numerous requests for help to set up Christian radio stations in their countries, especially after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

"We didn't know how to respond to all the requests," Neff explained. "The need was there, but rather than reinvent the wheel, I went to HCJB World Radio, knowing the mission was already working around the world in 'radio planting' and had a good perspective of the situation."

Johnson then invited Neff to visit HCJB World Radio's radio ministries in the various regions, and he traveled extensively. As a result, Moody began working more closely with Radio Voice of the Gospel, the mission's partner network in Romania.

"We provided support by sending out people to Romania to do training, and we had broadcasters come to the U.S. for two weeks or more to gain exposure to Christian broadcasting and see the stations," he said. "It's been most economical to send people overseas where 80 or more broadcasters gather for a seminar. In recent years students have attended from places such as Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Turkey and Spain. This year we'll also send trainers to South America and Australia to help lead workshops."

Since the Bob Neff Scholarship was announced, Ron Cline, chairman of the HCJB World Radio Board of Trustees, says interest among U.S. broadcasters has been high. "Already stations have asked if they can give something toward it," he said.

Meanwhile, Neff expressed gratitude for the "prayers of thousands of people around the world. I am experiencing God's peace and comfort in this journey that we're on." (HCJB World Radio)

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