Police in the Kemisse region of Ethiopia, 220 miles northeast of Addis Ababa, arrested five evangelical church leaders on Tuesday, April 4, after investigating reports of churches being burned on Tuesday, March 21. Bocka Abdeta Mekaneyesus, Tena Beyene, Abessa, Tesfaye Negga and Eressa Eyu are in custody, and 10 other church leaders are being sought by police, but have left the area or are in hiding.

According to Christians in the area, authorities had been aware of rising tensions against evangelicals for the past month. Weapons had been found in area homes but were ignored. Police allegedly helped burn down the churches and failed to investigate a plot by Muslim extremists to kill key Christian leaders. The army was able to intervene and prevented any deaths.

Meanwhile, police have been arresting anyone accused of spreading the gospel. One church member said, “Instead of dealing with the sources of the problem, the government is advising us to leave Kemisse. They believe this is the best alternative to resolve the tension.” Despite these developments, all the local churches met for worship on Sunday, April 2, meeting in the mud since their buildings had been reduced to ashes. (Voice of the Martyrs)

* Staff members at HCJB World Radio-Australia’s studios record Oromo language programs that air to 28 million speakers in Ethiopia and Kenya via FEBA Radio’s shortwave facilities.

ECFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPOINTS KEN BEHR AS NEXT PRESIDENT

At its March board meeting the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) board of directors voted to name Ken Behr as its fifth president effective Monday, May 1, succeeding Paul D. Nelson who is retiring after a 12-year term. Behr joins ECFA after serving as the chief operating officer of North Way Christian Community, a 3,500-member church in the Pittsburgh suburbs. In addition to his responsibilities at the church, he worked as an adjunct professor of business at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., and earlier at Florida Atlantic University. Prior to joining the church staff in 2002, Behr worked for 23 years at Ford Motor Co. in both domestic and international assignments. He was president and chief executive officer of the Ford Financial Group in Mexico City, Mexico, which won multiple awards under his leadership. “I’m humbled and at the same time very honored to have this opportunity to lead ECFA and am eager to get acquainted with the diverse group of members,” Behr said. More than 1,200 Christian organizations submit to the annual evaluation and approval process established by ECFA. (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)

LITERACY EMPOWERS WORKERS IN INDIA, OPENS DOORS AFTER TSUNAMI

Michigan-based Mission India is finding a hunger for literacy among those affected by last year’s tsunami in India. Fisherman and other illiterate workers who have had trouble finding work have flocked to Mission India’s 12-month literacy classes designed to open new doors to workers in depressed areas who have had to change careers. “The first graduating class is among about 7,500 students” said Mission India’s Dave DeGroot. Now available in 17 languages, this course is designed to be taught by instructors that have little formal education themselves. As classes for another 7,500 prepare to begin, this local ministry partnership finds the people more interested in Christianity because of the tsunami relief. “The people are curious,” DeGroot said. “Who are these Christians that came in to help? Quite a few of them were actually locked out of the relief process by Hindu-dominated organizations. Many of these people are so-called ‘untouchables,’ and they’re very happy to make the acquaintance of these Christians.” (Mission Network News)

* 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.

UPDATE: FAMILY QUESTIONS ‘CONVERSION’ OF KIDNAPPED EGYPTIAN TEEN

Family members of a kidnapped Egyptian woman are questioning press reports that she has converted to Islam. Theresa Kamal, 19, went missing on Jan, 3. Spurred on by a phone call from Theresa saying she was being held against her will, her brother, Sa’eed, managed to track her down to a home in a nearby village of El-Ga’ar. When he arrived at the home on Thursday, March 23, Sa’eed was initially denied access to his sister. When he insisted that he only wanted to make sure she was fine, he was granted a 90-minute visit by the family. During that visit Theresa, who was surrounded by a Muslim family, spoke only once to her brother, saying in a trembling voice, “I have converted to Islam. I have found the right path.” However, her family questions the legitimacy of this “conversion.” Egyptian law requires that those who wish to convert from Christianity meet with a Coptic priest to ensure that the conversion is of her own free will. The conversion would then need to be officially registered. None of these steps have yet been taken, and Kamal’s lawyer said he will challenge any attempts to register this conversion. (Voice of the Martyrs)

SURVEY SHOWS INCREASE IN ‘CORE RELIGIOUS BEHAVIORS’ IN U.S.

A survey conducted by The Barna Group shows an increase in five out of the seven “core religious behaviors” studied by the company. The largest increase in activity showed Bible reading which dropped to a 20-year low of 31 percent in 1995 but rebounded to 47 percent of American adults reading from the Bible outside of church in a typical week. Additional increases were noted in attendance at church, small-group Bible Studies, adult Sunday school and involvement with church volunteerism. The only two religious behaviors surveyed not showing significant change were prayer and evangelism which have remained stable for a decade. “The intriguing possibility,” said company head George Barna, “is that with most of our key behavioral measures showing increases at the same time, there is the possibility that this may herald a holistic, lasting commitment to engagement with God and the Christian faith.” He added that such studies include “normal fluctuations,” and he cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from a single survey. (Evangelical News/Barna Group)

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