U.S. missionaries accused by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez of espionage have been forced from their remote outposts among jungle tribes by a government order, the final pair leaving Thursday, Feb. 9, after years of evangelical work.

New Tribes Mission flew those two out of the rain forest to regroup with other missionaries in the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz. There they will decide what to do next: leave the country or continue with a legal battle seeking to overturn the government’s order to expel them from indigenous areas by Sunday. Most of the group’s missionaries are Americans.

Since late January, nearly 40 have pulled out and headed to the group’s base in Puerto Ordaz ahead of the Sunday deadline, said Marco Brito, a spokesman for the missionaries. “They’re all shattered, some of them depressed,” he said. “But it’s not a complete disaster. We’ll see what happens. Many are waiting to see what the court decides.”

Venezuela’s Supreme Court is set to consider a request by the group to annul the expulsion order, though Brito said that it was unclear when the case could be heard and or how long it could take for a decision.

Chávez announced in November that New Tribes missionaries would be expelled from the country. But the actual Interior Ministry order printed later in the official gazette said only that the missionaries had to leave indigenous areas. It is not yet clear whether the government will now insist that the missionaries leave the country altogether.

Chávez accused NTM of using its presence in remote, mineral-rich areas to spy for foreign mining and pharmaceutical interests and collect “strategic information” for the CIA. However, the government has yet to provide evidence to back its claims. The group denies the accusations and has offered to open its jungle missions to government inspectors to dispel suspicions. (Associated Press)

* HCJB World Radio worked with local partners to establish a Christian station in La Morita, Venezuela, in 2000. Partner stations in two additional Venezuelan cities are also affiliated with ALAS, the ministry’s Latin American satellite radio network with 89 outlets in 17 countries.

UPDATE: 3 INDONESIAN SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS LOSE FINAL APPEAL

Indonesia’s Supreme Court has rejected appeals lodged by three Christian teachers accused of proselytizing. It was the last hope for the women following last November’s decision by Bandung High Court to refuse their legal appeal. The judges confirmed the three-year prison sentences for Rebbeca Loanita, Etty Pangesti and Ratna Mala Bangun. International Christian Concern (ICC), reports that the verdict was issued on February. The three teachers ran a Dominican school in their local community of Indramayu, West Java. On Sept. 1, 2005, they were condemned for having violated the 2002 Child Protection Law. The Indonesian Council of Mullahs accused them of trying to “convert Muslim children to Christianity.” However, none of the children who attended the school have converted to Christianity, and all of the children had written parental permission to participate. (WorldWide Religious News/AsiaNews)

* 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.

MINISTRIES PROVIDE COUNSELORS FOR ATHLETES IN WINTER GAMES

More than 2,500 athletes will compete at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Feb. 10-26. Coaches, trainers and officials will look after almost every physical and mental need while Christian counselors will be at hand to care for their souls. The International Sports Coalition, an association of sports ministries, has 13 accredited Christian counselors at the Olympic Games who will offer worship services, prayer meetings and devotions as well as spiritual advice to athletes and officials. Athletes in Action, a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ, has two accredited counselors in Turin and there are 35 Christians prepared to serve as non-accredited staff, keeping close contact to athletes from their countries of origin. Christian Kocherscheidt of the European Center of Campus Crusade for Christ in Kandern, Germany, says many athletes welcome the offer of counseling because they are under tremendous pressure to succeed and sometimes experience grave disappointment if they fail to achieve their goals. Athletes in Action will distribute evangelistic materials, for example a special edition of the Jesus Film with testimonies by Christians in sports. (Assist News Service)

ANGLICAN MEMBERSHIP IN CANADA DROPS 53% IN 40 YEARS

A recent independent report on the state of the Anglican Church of Canada shows a sharp decline in membership in the last 40 years, losing 53 percent of its members, dropping to 642,000 from 1.36 million. The decline also appears to be accelerating. While membership dropped 13 percent between 1981 and 1991, it fell 20 percent between 1991 and 2001. The report was prepared by Keith McKerracher, a retired marketing expert, and presented to the House of Bishops. Ted Byfield, general editor of The Christians, a 12-volume history of Christianity, hypothesizes the decline is the result of a trend towards liberalism. Canadian Archbishop Andrew Hutchison told The Church of England Newspaper that although the report was a “wake-up call,” he hoped a new emphasis on social justice and ecumenical cooperation would stem the decline. (AgapePress/AFA Journal)

COMMUNITY MARRIAGE POLICIES REDUCE DIVORCE RATES IN U.S. CITIES

On Jan. 20, Albuquerque, N.M., became the 200th city to join a movement called Community Marriage Policies (CMPs). Pastors there signed CMPs with the goal of radically reducing the divorce rate in their local churches by adopting six reforms for their congregations. The reforms include required training for engaged couples, providing workbooks and training for separated couples and providing support groups for stepfamilies. The pastors are also required to hold annual church wide marriage retreats. The Baptist Press reported that since Modesto, Calif., launched its marriage-saving emphasis in 1986, the divorce rate there has decreased 57 percent. Austin and El Paso, Texas, Kansas City, Kan., Salem, Ore., and Modesto have all seen divorce rates drop by more than 48 percent since implementing CMPs. The first 114 cities to sign the policy saw divorce rates fall by an average of 17.5 percent in seven years -- enough to save 50,000 marriages -- nearly double the decline in similar cities that did not sign the policy. (Religion Today/Baptist Press)

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