*HCJB World Radio spolu s místními sbory v červnu v Kyjevě uvedlo do chodu 500-wattový FM vysílač Radio Emmanuel. Kromě toho je ze dvou pozemních převaděčů (v Kyjevě a v Dněpropetrovsku) šířen satelitní program Christian Radio for Russia, jehož hlavním partnerem je HCJB World Radio. Na Ukrajinu HCJB vysílá také na krátkých vlnách.

In a case that has drawn crowds of religious fanatics, a Pakistani court sentenced two elderly Christian men to 10 years in prison Saturday, Nov. 25, for committing “blasphemy” against the Koran. After postponing the verdict for four consecutive days, Judge Muhammad Islam of Faisalabad’s Anti-Terrorism Court delivered the prison sentences and fines of 25,000 rupees (US$414) each in a closed hearing. James Masih, 65, and his neighbor, Buta Masih, 70, were rumored to have burned pages of the Koran on Sunday, Oct. 8. Defense lawyer Khalil Tahir Sindhu maintained that his defendants are innocent and called the 10-year jail terms illegal. “This conviction was not based on law,” Sindhu said. “There are only two options -- 25 years’ imprisonment or acquittal. Actually [the judge] wanted to release them, but he was really under pressure.” (Compass Direct News)

AWARENESS PROGRAM EMPHASIZES EFFECTS OF AIDS ON CHILDREN.

College students nationwide are gearing up to participate in World Vision’s “Acting on AIDS” program in conjunction with World AIDS Day Friday, Dec. 1. The program highlights the effects of AIDS on children around the world. Affiliated campuses and student-led organizations will post hundreds of children’s photos on stakes erected in public areas around campuses. Students and community members will be invited to pick up a stake, hang it around their neck and pray for that child throughout the day. The hope is that by the end of the day participants will choose to sponsor a child and make a radical change in their lives toward Christ-like action worldwide. The movement was started by three college students at Seattle Pacific University in 2003. The event has grown to a network of more than 50 chapters nationwide and continues to expand. This year’s theme is “Lives Are at Stake.” (World Vision)

UZBEK CHURCH MEMBERS FINED, BIBLES BURNED BY COURT ORDER .

On Wednesday, Oct. 25, three months after authorities raided a Baptist church in southern Uzbekistan, a judge fined six believers, including two visitors, for holding “unregistered religious activity.” The judge also ordered the burning of Bibles, hymnbooks and other literature confiscated during the raid. The two visitors who came from other regions of Uzbekistan received the stiffest fines -- the equivalent of US$438 each -- about nine times the average monthly wage in the country. Four local believers, including the homeowner where the church meets, were also saddled with slightly smaller fines. The literature was burned even though the Bible is considered “permissible literature” in Uzbekistan and the Uzbek law bans the burning of books. (Forum 18 News Service) * HCJB World Radio airs 2.5 hours of Uzbek programs per week from an AM station outside the country. More than 15 million people speak this language.

BABY BOOMERS BECOMING KEY SOURCE OF MISSIONARY VOLUNTEERS.

With one “baby boomer” retiring every seven seconds in the U.S., Wycliffe Associates is tailoring its programs with this age group in mind. Wycliffe Associates is building a new Volunteer Mobilization Center in Orlando to recruit, train and mobilize volunteers as the staff gears up for a continued influx of mature, skilled volunteers. Dr. Todd Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, said that while boomers have been branded as self-centered and individualistic, many are experiencing a deepening desire to give back. “Many retirement plans are being built around missions,” he said. Some are starting non-governmental organizations such as orphanages, business centers and health clinics that minister at a local level. Martin Huyett, vice president of volunteer services for Wycliffe Associates, said retired boomers have more time to serve. “Free from the pressures of youth and middle age, the older adult can do exciting, meaningful things never dreamed of before,” he said. “As hundreds of thousands of new volunteer missionaries rise from the ranks of retiring baby boomers, they will challenge the status quo of missions and how organizations will respond to them.” (Christian Newswire)

PEN PAL PROGRAM ENABLES E-MAIL EVANGELISM IN ASIA.

Assist Ministries is urging females Christians in North America to reach out to women in Taiwan and China through a project called Love Tucked Inside an E-mail. “In the past few months we have now heard from many young women in Taiwan and China, mostly students, who would love to have a friend in North America,” said Assist President Dan Wooding. “Most of them are studying English as a second language. Now is the time to share with them a message of comfort and hope.” The goal of this program is to foster friendships between North American English speakers and residents in Asia who read and speak English and want to improve their language skills. As a part of that relationship, they are able to share their faith with them and learn about each others’ lives and beliefs. “It’s like becoming a missionary without leaving home,” added Wooding. (Assist News Service)

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Amid growing Islamic militancy and rising tensions between Muslims and Christians worldwide, ministries such as Book of Hope International are making inroads for the gospel, says spokesman Rob Hoskins. He said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently prayed following his speech at the U.N.

“It sounds like really beautiful words, but what he’s really praying for is the second coming of the Mahdi which has to be preceded by the annihilation of Christianity. So what he’s really praying for is for Christianity to be wiped off the face of the earth. We’re seeing this tremendous militancy against Christianity, against missionaries, against the spread of the gospel.”

Hoskin said 5 million copies of the Book of Hope are being distributed in Muslim areas. “This isn’t with our normal tactics of going into schools because that’s not permissible,” he explained. “What we’re doing is using a relational-based model where we’re mobilizing existing believers in Muslim countries to reach out to children and youth with God’s Word.”

Hoskins says opportunities to spread God’s Word continue to multiply. “Although we hear all these stories about how Islam is encroaching, what we’re really seeing is spiritual breakthroughs and Jesus being presented to more Muslim children and youth than in the history of mankind,” he said. The Book of Hope combines the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to tell the life story of Jesus Christ in chronological order and presents a clear plan of salvation. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio reaches across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe with Christian Arabic programming aired via shortwave, satellite and local stations. The mission’s Arabic satellite network airs programs direct-to-home 24 hours a day. This region has the world’s highest concentration of personal satellite dishes.

POLL: SWEDES TRUST FURNITURE COMPANY MORE THAN THE CHURCH

A recently released poll in Sweden indicates the country’s population has more faith in the well-known IKEA furniture company than in the church. A poll taken by the business weekly, Dagens Industri, indicated that 80 percent of Swedes have “much or very much trust” in the world’s largest furniture store chain while only 46 percent indicated trust in the Swedish church. Eighty percent of Sweden’s 9 million residents are considered members of the Swedish church. Among the companies that respondents considered more favorably than the church were Volvo (69 percent), Ericsson (59 percent), Saab (57 percent) and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (47 percent). Coming in below the church in trust levels were conservative Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and foreign companies such as Coca-Cola which came in at just 22 percent. (Worldwide Religious News)

CHRISTIANS, CHURCHES BECOME TARGET OF ATTACKS IN SRI LANKA

Christians in Sri Lanka have been the targets of a recent violent trend amidst the fighting between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil rebels. On Wednesday, Nov. 22, the Lighthouse Church in Mawatura was attacked while the pastor and a church worker were inside. Rocks were thrown at the building, shattering the front window, and the church worker was seriously injured when a rock hit his head. The incident came just 10 days after a mob of more than 100 people, some of whom were armed with clubs, prevented members of the Assemblies of God Church in Yakkala from attending a service. Four Buddhist monks accompanied the crowd of attackers, and anti-Christian posters were plastered on the walls. Four days later a young woman from the congregation had a container of black oil thrown on her as she travelled to the pastor’s home. “At a time when ethnic violence is escalating in Sri Lanka, this recent spate of religiously motivated attacks is particularly discouraging,” said Christian Solidarity Worldwide Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas. “We call upon the authorities in Sri Lanka to ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to practice their chosen religion with out fear of harassment by mobs and urge all faith communities to show tolerance and respect for one another.” (Christian Solidarity Worldwide/Assist News Service)

URBANA 2006 TO OFFER TEACHING TRACK ON MINISTRY IN SLUMS

Urbana 2006, one of the world’s largest missions conferences, will include a teaching track on reaching slum dwellers with the gospel. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s Scott Bessenecker sees slums as an increasing ministry need, and the teaching track will address critical ministry needs in slum areas. “When you’ve got 1 million people living in a ditch outside Nairobi, it just becomes this place of utter hopelessness,” he said. With the conference in St. Louis, Mo., just a month away (Dec. 27-31), Bessenecker believes today’s young people offer hope for those in slums. “There’s a spirit among evangelical youth very much akin to the friars -- the preaching orders that sent men and women out into desperate places to build hope from the inside out,” he said. “I think there is a significant movement afoot where young people are going to be moving into places of despair with the gospel. . . . [I believe] that today’s emerging movement to the world’s poor, powered by the new ‘friars,’ will also bring renewal to the global church of the 21st century.” (Mission Network News)

NEW INSPIRATIONAL MOBILE SERVICE CONNECTS CHURCHES, MINISTRIES

On Wednesday, Nov. 15, Inspiration Networks announced the launch of Inspiration Mobile, a service for faith-based organizations that delivers content directly to mobile phone handsets. Chief Operating Officer Bill Airy said that service is designed to connect churches, ministries and parachurch organizations with “on-the-go” members and partners. “Our goal is to bring services to the marketplace that allow this audience to access and express their faith using a variety of media,” he said. Through the new service, faith-based organizations can offer mobile devotionals, customized mobile wallpapers and Christian music ring tones to their members and partners. The service is available on most major mobile phone carriers. Inspiration Networks is also offering mobile content from several of its cable television franchises. (Evangelical News/Christian Newswire)

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Salem Voice Ministries has compiled Christmas and New Year’s greetings in 500 languages from around the world and published them on its website (salemvoice.bravehost.com). Christmas greetings in languages ranging from Aleut (Alaska) to Zulu (South Africa) are listed on the site. Numerous Christmas cards can be downloaded as well. Private use of the information is free. If permission is sought ahead of time, links can be made to this website from personal websites, weblogs or other publications. Salem Voice Ministries has about 430 missionaries and 291 home churches (213 in India and 78 in other countries) that gather weekly to pray and worship in different parts of Third World nations, especially among Muslim communities. (Assist News Service)

FORMER ORPHANS HELP REACH OUT TO CHILDREN IN UKRAINE

A Life Skills Camp for orphans sponsored by Operation Blessing International and Ukraine Ministries of Oklahoma recently hosted children from five different orphanages across Ukraine to promote the children’s well-being. An international group of young adults spent 12 days working as camp counselors. Three former Ukrainian orphans were among the volunteers who helped expose the children to the gospel through relationships with the counselors and volunteers. One counselor said, “I’ve seen children's views on life change as they develop a relationship with us.” More than 2,000 orphans have attended the summer camps since the program began in 2000. Ukraine is home to more than 100,000 orphans. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio worked with local churches to establish Radio Emmanuel, a 500-watt FM station, in Kiev in June. Two additional outlets in Kiev and one in Dneperpetrovsk are also affiliated with New Life Radio, a Russian satellite radio network operated by Christian Radio for Russia with HCJB World Radio as the principal partner. In addition, weekly Ukrainian programs air to the country via shortwave.

MISSIONARY REPORTS ‘CONSTANT DANGER’ FOR NORTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS

A veteran of more than 100 missions trips into North Korea recently reported to the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) that Christians there live in constant danger of harassment, arrest and torture. The missionary, who asked to remain anonymous, said Christians wishing to meet and worship must take precautions such as assembling in groups of only three or four at a time and covering all the windows. VOM spokesman Todd Nettleton noted, “You have to understand that you’re taking your life in your hands.” He added that even children “are sent out of the room because it’s simply too great a risk to have your children know you’re a follower of Jesus Christ.” One innocent word spoken at school can result in the entire family being arrested. Christians are sent to political prisoner camps where according to Nettleton, “the average sentence for following Jesus is 15 years, but the average life expectancy in those camps is only five years.” Despite the persecution, the missionary who filed the report said people in that communist nation are growing increasingly interested in the message of the gospel while believers continue to meet in secret to share the truth of the Scriptures. (Evangelical News/Agape Press)

MALAYSIAN LEADER: MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN CONFLICT ‘THE GRAVEST THREAT’

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said relations between Muslims and Christians are under “extreme stress,” and the growing divide between the faiths is a threat to international stability. At a speech at a U.N. function in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday, Nov. 27, the leader called on the U.N. to hold a special conference to address the schism which Badawi claims is “one of the gravest threats to international stability in the history of the world.” Badawi’s speech outlined what he sees as the geopolitical reasons behind the conflict. “The Muslim world sees the suppression of Palestine, the invasion of Afghanistan, the conquest of Iraq and the destruction of Lebanon as a complicity to humiliate Muslim countries,” he said. Abdullah said secularism in Western societies, especially Europe, had seen religion removed from the public domain. “They expect Muslims, especially those living in their societies, to do the same,” he said, despite the fact that this runs counter to the teachings of Islam. Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim nation, and Abdullah is known for promoting a moderate form of Islam which emphasizes scientific and economic development. (WorldWide Religious News)

COMPANY BECOMES WORLD’S LARGEST FAITH-BASED REAL ESTATE NETWORK

On Wednesday, Nov. 1, after accepting its 1,000th member, the Christian Real Estate Network (CREN) became the largest faith-based real estate network and association in the world. The network, started in 2001, connects buyers and sellers with Christian real estate agents, loan officers and other real estate professionals across North America. After some early opposition to the idea, the faith-based CREN has experienced amazingly quick growth. Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Bart Smith said, “There are very few companies that do what we do, and none of them have the same vision. We foresee an association of more than 5,000 members in the years to come with membership reaching out to other services related to the real estate industry. We are especially interested in expanding our services to help churches find property as there is a great need for this around the country.” (Assist News Service)

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A dramatized audio Bible is causing an unexpected stir in the Christmas shopping aisles this season. The Bible Experience is a 21-hour tour of the Bible based on Today’s New International Version read exclusively by black actors. Denzel Washington is Solomon and Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of God amongst a star-studded cast including 250 African American artists. The well-known voices have helped place the audio book firmly at the top of the audio best-sellers list. Paul Caminiti, vice president of the publisher Zondervan, said, “The personalities, sound effects and original musical score make this the freshest, most compelling and thoroughly modern way to learn and understand the Bible.” The production includes the entire New Testament and parts of the Old Testament with an original score recorded by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Wal-Mart reports sales of 80,000 copies in little more than a month. (WorldWide Religious News)

APPROACH TO PRAYER BUILDS CIVIC, CHURCH UNITY

A new approach to prayer meetings started at the beginning of the year in New Zealand’s Manawatu province has left civic and justice authorities there praising the power of prayer. The churches in the provincial capital, Palmerston North, began going directly to the city’s leaders and asking them to supply a list of prayer needs. The churches then use the lists to guide the prayer of their every-other-month prayer gatherings. Civic leaders, police and youth justice members are all invited, and the response has been favorable. Co-coordinator Denis Humphreys said, “We are not praying for what we perceive, we are praying for what the authorities believe are real needs in their own organizations. We also pray personally for the authorities present on the night. The churches have risen wonderfully to praying in that way.” The specific nature of the prayers has built trust between civic and church authorities and brought kudos from civic leaders. For example, after addressing prison system difficulties in the prayer meetings, Humphreys said, “The feedback from chaplains at the Manawatu prison is that the prison has been at peace beyond the normal.” (Assist News Service)

MURDER FAILS TO SLOW MINISTRY IN KASHMIR REGION

A Christian ministry in the predominantly Muslim Kashmir region of Pakistan ravaged by last year’s earthquake was hit by tragedy once again. As part of a Partners International program called “Seeker Seminars” for Muslims, an early convert to Christianity was shot at point-blank range. This man was actively involved in evangelism following his own conversion. Bob Savage with Partners International said, “He would bring people to these seminars when they happened. As often happens, a guy like him attracts bad attention. And, some people were watching him and threatening him and they just came up and point blank range and shot him.” He leaves a wife and five children. Savage believes the dangerous ministry will continue. “People are nervous,” said Savage. “But they’ll go on. I mean, all of these guys, they know that it’s a lot of risk what they’ve been doing. That’s part of their life. Out of their commitment to reach these areas they just keep going back. You got to admire that. It’s really heroic.” (Mission Network News)

BRAZILIAN MISSIONARY KILLED IN EAST TIMOR VIOLENCE

Brazilian missionary Edgar Goncalves was murdered in the capital of Southeast Asia’s newest country, East Timor. On late Sunday, Nov. 19, the 32-year-old Protestant missionary associated with the Assemblies of God was reportedly attacked and killed by a violent mob of youth. Formal investigations are ongoing, but eyewitness Elizabet da Silva saw the mob, “stop his car, drag him out and cut his throat.” Police arrived soon after the murder to disperse the crowd with rubber bullets. Goncalves’ death was the first foreign death since the beginning of the conflicts that first erupted in April. Battles between gangs of youth have since become common in the impoverished country that has an extremely high unemployment rate among the young people. East Timor is a former Portuguese colony that gained its independence from Indonesia in 2002. The 1 million people of East Timor have the lowest per-capita income in the world, less than $400 annually. (Assist News Service)

SURVEY: POPULAR PREACHERS REMAIN UNKNOWN TO MOST

A new survey by the Barna Group indicates that most well-known preachers remain relatively obscure to most Americans. The best example of this is California mega-church pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren. Warren has sold more than 25 million copies of The Purpose Driven Life (the best-selling nonfiction book in U.S. history with the exception of the Bible), yet three out of four Americans say they haven’t heard of him. James Dobson and T.D. Jakes come in only slightly higher as unknown to 57 and 68 percent respectively. Joel Olsteen, who pastors the largest congregation in the country and is featured on the most-watched religious teaching TV broadcast is an unknown commodity to 67 percent of the adult public and is unknown even among a majority of born-again adults (57 percent). George Barna, who conducted the survey, says, “You cannot make a difference in someone’s life if you do not have entrée in that life. One of the reasons that the Christian faith is struggling to retain a toehold in people’s lives is because even the highest-profile leaders of the faith community have limited resonance with the population.” (Barna Group)

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