Gunmen attacked a group of Christian families in the southern Philippines Thursday, Feb. 2, leaving at least six dead on the island of Jolo, a mainly Muslim island and a hotbed of Islamic militants, police said. The apparently sectarian violence in the town of Patikul occurred in a cluster of houses behind a Philippine military camp, and came less than three weeks before a small group of U.S. soldiers will use the island for joint military exercises. At least five unidentified gunmen opened fire on three thatch houses before dawn, killing three men. The Muslim wife of one of the victims and their eight-month old baby girl were also killed along with the teenage daughter of one of the other male victims. One child wounded in the attack told reporters that the gunmen knocked on their doors to inquire if the families were Christian or Muslim. They returned a few minutes later, firing their guns at the houses. (WorldWide Religious News/AFP)

MUSLIM MEN, WOMEN ATTACK CHURCH IN PAKISTANI VILLAGE

Muslim men and women attacked a church in the Pakistani village of Kanwanlit Friday, Feb. 3, smashing doors, windows and the altar. They also desecrated the Bible and hymnbooks, spitting and trampling on them. When local Christian residents of the area tried to intervene, it led to a scuffle started between Christian and Muslim women. Armed Muslim men kept the Christian men at gunpoint, foiling their efforts to come to the rescue of the Christian women. Two Christians sustained critical injuries. Police arrived on the scene, but not until after the damage was done. The attack comes about two months after Muslims attacked churches in Sangla Hill, Pakistan. (Assist News Service)

NTM MISSIONARIES BEGIN LEAVING VENEZUELA ON PRESIDENTIAL ORDER

New Tribes Mission (NTM) has begun relocating its personnel from Venezuela’s tribal areas as a result of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s announcement last fall that NTM missionaries would be expelled from the country. NTM has appealed the resolution to the Supreme Court of Venezuela, but Nita Zelenak says there has been no word yet and in order for the mission to maintain its historic adherence to the laws of Venezuela the relocations had to begin now. In response, the missionaries are preparing the indigenous people for the possibility of continuing the ministry on their own. Zelenak says it’s a difficult transition for the team. “Our first prayer request is for the country of Venezuela and for the people who will be continuing there, no matter what. Also, for the missionaries who will be relocating, this is a major upheaval in their lives, and it’s been very difficult for them to say goodbye to people that they love not knowing when or if they’ll be able to go back in.” (Mission Network News)

10,000+ STUDENTS TO GRADUATE FROM SEMINARY PROGRAM IN INDIA

This month Hopegivers International will preside over an event in India that could be the world’s largest seminary graduation. A record-breaking class of more than 10,137 students, most of them Dalits -- “untouchables” outside of the caste system -- will receive their diplomas as they graduate from Hopegivers’ seminary program. “Much of the persecution that our students face every day is because so many of them are Dalits,” said Hopegivers President Samuel Thomas. Graduates will receive a bicycle and a one-way train ticket to their first missionary assignment. Thomas says graduates emerge with new spiritual status, elevated by the gospel. No longer “untouchables,” instead they have become “assets to the entire nation -- to the needy of every caste, creed, and religion,” he added. “Caste discrimination is wrong wherever it appears.” (AgapePress)

* Radio programs in 12 languages (English, Urdu, Hindi, Nepali, Chattisgarhi, Bangla, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telegu, Marwari, Marathi and Santhali) air to India from HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra. The programs are produced at the ministry’s studios in New Delhi, India.

LISTENER RESPONSE TO CHRISTIAN RADIO STATION IN INDONESIA TRIPLES

The coast of Indonesia is being rebuilt after the December 2004 tsunami, although survivors are still dealing emotionally and spiritually with their loss. A new radio station was launched in November by Back to the Bible in North Sumatra, one of the worst-hit areas. The station was launched through relief funds that came into Back to the Bible after the tsunami hit. Several programs are being aired, including a live call-in program. In the future, Aceh-language programming will be added to reach the hard-hit and spiritually needy area of Banda Aceh. The message of hope is resonating with listeners, many of whom write asking difficult questions. Response has nearly tripled since November. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local partners to establish more than 14 local Christian radio stations across Indonesia since 2004. Broadcasts from HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra also encourage listeners nationwide. In addition, HCJB World Radio has helped with relief efforts since the Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake/tsunami and subsequent quakes that devastated parts of Indonesia.

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