India’s Supreme Court will again hear a case, Wednesday, April 5, regarding the end of discrimination against Dalit Christians who are now ineligible for “affirmative action benefits.” However, the commission appointed by the government to investigate this issue has stated that it will not release its report until the end of April. At the upcoming hearing, former law ministers Shanti Bhusan and Ram Jethmalani will argue that because India’s constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, the adoption of the Christian faith by Dalits cannot be used as a basis for withholding the affirmative action benefits enjoyed by Dalits of Hindu, Buddhist or Sikh background. The Supreme Court case, brought by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, sought to remove decades of discrimination against Dalits who embrace Christianity. Dalits, sometimes referred to as “untouchables,” are not considered as part of India’s caste system. If the court rules in favor of Dalit Christians, the government will be compelled to change the current legislation. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

EVANGELICAL CHURCHES ISSUE STATEMENT PROMOTING PEACE IN COLOMBIA

Leading Protestant Christians in Colombia have issued a statement committing the church to the just resolution of a conflict that has claimed countless lives. In the last four years alone, more than 130 evangelical pastors have been assassinated in Colombia by different armed groups. At the annual meeting of the Colombian Evangelical Council of Churches (CEDECOL) in Santa Marta in late March, the group formally adopted the statement which commits the church to engage in the search for a just resolution to the conflict and to upholding principles of human dignity in their country. The statement calls on all parties to the conflict, including the government, to “heed society’s cry for an end to the armed struggle” and for those armed groups involved in peace dialogues to “continue their efforts in an honest and genuine desire to build a lasting peace in Colombia.” Ricardo Esquivia, national director of CEDECOL’s Commission for Restoration, Life and Peace said the document “marks the beginning of the evangelical church’s new position in its commitment to peace in Colombia.” The document states, “Peace is not achieved simply by laying down weapons, but by building conditions, a culture and a spirituality of peace.” (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

* Together with local partners, HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel on FM stations in four Colombian cities. The ministry also continues to air Spanish programs across the country and all of Latin America via shortwave from Quito.

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CURRICULUM HELPS REBUILD HAITI

After decades of poverty, social upheaval and political corruption in Haiti, Steve Geurink of Worldwide Christian Schools (WCS) says his organization can be a part of the solution. “What we see in Haiti is that there are many, many denominations and ministries that are coming in and seeing the need for education, but none of them were networking together,” he said. WCS partnered with a group called Christian Curriculum Consortium (CRECH) to develop a new curriculum that “pulled worldview and discipleship together.” This pioneering effort is expected to unite Christian schools under one curriculum that will have far-reaching effects on teacher training and cooperative efforts among various church and mission organizations. “It’s promoting a world and life view that looks at everything from the gospel message and then also the fact that you have to take care of the world around you,” Guerink explains. The curriculum is made up of six books, one for each grade from first grade through sixth. So far two of the books have been printed, two more are gong to press, and CRECH is raising funds to print the remaining books. (Mission Network News)

* Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., are working with OMS International to establish a satellite radio network based at 4VEH outside the city of Cap-Haitien that will deliver programs to FM stations nationwide. Downlinks have been installed in Tortue Island, Pignon and Beaumont, and at least two more are planned. HCJB World Radio also helped partner World Gospel Mission with a small station in Port-au-Prince.

5TH ANNUAL ESL MINISTRY CONFERENCE SEES RECORD ATTENDANCE

Teachers for English as a second language (ESL) are in high demand worldwide, and Cornerstone University hosted nearly 100 people at its 5th annual ESL Ministries Conference last weekend. The conference gave practical teaching tips and ideas for using ESL as a ministry. Each year has seen steady growth in the number of attendees. Conference Director Michael Pasquale said it was encouraging to see how the conference has become a strong program through presenters, attendees and the materials made available. Conference speaker J. Wesley Eby added, “There’s no question that the opportunities are worldwide, and where English has really become the language of trade and communication and commerce around the world, people are wanting to learn English. So the opportunities are boundless, endless.” (Mission Network News)

CHURCHES REACH OUT TO VICTIMS AFTER SEVERE STORMS STRIKE U.S.

Church groups are reaching out to survivors after severe storms ripped through the Midwest and southern U.S. Sunday, April 2. Reports indicated at least 23 people were killed in Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said preliminary reports showed the system spawned 63 tornadoes.

The Dyer Baptist Association in Tennessee had two assessment teams looking for damage and four chainsaw team out in the field before daylight Monday morning, said Joe Wright, the association’s director of missions. Churches in the association are pulling together to meet the needs of the affected communities, and he said it’s important not to forget the spiritual needs while focusing on disaster relief.

Charles Pratt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Kenton, Tenn., said he offered to open the church up, but most people didn’t want to leave the fire department where the latest information seemed to be circulating. And the church wouldn’t have electricity or phones, he said. He stayed at the fire department from about 10:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. “It was a tragic scene,” he said. “You just try to provide hope and help.”

Teams from the Cumberland Baptist Association in Clarksville, Tenn., were making plans to assist in West Tennessee, and a team from Shiloh Baptist Association in Savannah left Monday for Dyersburg.

In Arkansas a tornado reportedly devastated at least half of Marmaduke, and Arkansas Baptists were on the scene ministering to victims within 24 hours. “Almost every single structure in Marmaduke has minor to moderate damage, but almost 50 percent of it is totally destroyed,” said acting fire commander Chris Franks.

The Calvary Baptist Association feeding unit was deployed Monday to the Greene County community where they will be serving meals at Marmaduke High School. The Calvary unit is expected to be in the hard-hit area for three to four days and will serve up to 2,000 or 3,000 meals a day.

As of mid-morning Monday, three Arkansas Baptist chainsaw crews -- from Rocky Bayou Baptist Association, Independence Baptist Association and Central Baptist Association -- had been put on standby to help in recovery. They were scheduled to arrive in the area as early as today. First Baptist Church of Marmaduke was severely damaged, and the town’s Church of Christ was destroyed. First Baptist Church in Paragould housed 31 homeless residents while other churches provided supplies.

In Kentucky Sinking Fork Baptist Church north of Hopkinsville was destroyed by a tornado. Tom Westerfield, a Kentucky Baptist disaster relief worker who lives in Christian County, said a tornado cut a swath about three to four miles wide for 20 miles across the county. He said chainsaw crews from the state convention were en route to assist with cleanup.

Church of God General Overseer Dennis McGuire today mobilized Operation Compassion on Monday to assist tornado victims in Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. He said the first truckload of supplies was loaded on Monday and is on the way to Dyer County, Tenn., where several members of the Church of God were killed.

Church of God Pastor Kenny Chessor in Junction, Tenn., surveyed the damage in his county. According to his report, three churches on his district were affected with deaths and damage. Chessor and his church will be the first distribution center for this disaster.

Caruthersville, Mo., was particularly hit hard where 2,000 families have been made homeless according to Tom Tapley, administrative bishop. Eight miles from Caruthersville, the church in Braggadocio, Mo., was damaged, but few details are available. The second disaster distribution site will be located in Caruthersville as trucks are all ready on the road.

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