Zprávy HCJB 26.8.2007 - 31.8.2007

 V Turkmenistánu se objevují povzbudivé známky náboženské svobody.
   Členové americké Komise pro náboženskou svobodu řekli, že při své nedávné návštěvě Turkmenistánu pozorovali známky zlepšení stavu svobody vyznání, přesto zůstává mnoho otazníků. Jejich návštěva v této středoasijské zemi skončila v pátek 24. srpna. Týž den turkmenský prezident Gurbanguli Berdymuhamedov nařídíl ustavení státní komise, která by napomáhala dodržování mezinárodně uznávaných norem lidských práv.

Berdymuchamedov se stal prezidentem loni po smrti Saparmurata Nijazova, který stál v čele státu dvě desetiletí a byl předmětem kultu osobnosti. Během jeho vlády úřady tvrdě omezovaly náboženství na dvě povolená – sunnitský islám a pravoslaví. Berdymuhamedov projevuje známky zmírňování autoritářství, nicméně v zemi dále platí systém jedné politické strany a není zde nezávislý tisk.

„Existují povzbudivé momenty, ale cesta je ještě dlouhá,“ řekl člen komise Donald Argue ve stanovisku zveřejněném vyslanectvím Spojených Států. Členové komise se sešli s představiteli turkmenských náboženských menšin „a byli ohromeni tím co od nich slyšeli,“ uvedl v tomto stanovisku vedoucí komise Michael Cromartie. „Naše rozhovory s vládními úředníky byly konstruktivní a věříme, že další rozhovory i budoucí pokrok jsou míněny upřímně.“ Zdroj: WorldWide Religious News, Associated Press

*HCJB Global Voice ve spolupráci s Back to the Bible vysílá křesťanský program v turkmenštině. Vysílání začlo v roce 2001 a od roku 2003 probíhá denně.
 
 Iránští křesťané žádají Bible, neboť jich přibývá.
   Podle Internation Antioch Ministries (IAM) je nyní požadavků na Bible a Nové Zákony pro křesťany v Iránu vůbec nejvíc v celé historii. IAM je nezisková organizace Iránské křesťanské církve. Požadavky na Bible v iránských jazycích, hlavně ze strany nových věřících, přicházejí denně. Iránští křesťané včetně konvertitů misii kontaktují prostřednictvím satelitní televize 24 hodin IAM, satelitní křesťanské televizní stanice, žádostí je však tolik, že to misie jen obtížně zvládá. IAM je přesvědčena, že rostoucí požadavky na Bible a Nové Zákony v perštině má více příčin. Jednou z nich je rostoucí počet křesťanů a konvertitů v Iránu. Podle IAM jde o rychlý růst - počet křesťanů se nyní odhaduje na 500 000 až 1 milion. Dalšími důvodem zájmu křesťana o Bibli může být předchozí zabavení jeho Bible iránskými úřady nebo muslimskou „náboženskou policií.“ I když tisk Bible je v Iránu nezákonný, natož její šíření, žádostí o evangelium přibývá geometrickou řadou. Zdroj: International Antioch Ministries, PR Web Media
 
 Indický pastor unesen dvakrát za jediný týden a téměř zabit.
   Po druhém únosu za jediný týden, kdy se zavázanýma očima vyslechl plány hinduistických extrémistů na jeho zabití, se pastor Mark Jaikumar nyní zotavuje v soukromém sanatoriu ve vesnici Chelekere u Bangalore.

Pastor Sboru Božího Evangelia v Chelekre, 43 letý Jaikumar byl unesen od kostela v půl deváté večer v sobotu 25. srpna, když se vydával na cestu domů. Přitom tři dny předtím si přetrpěl jiný pokus o únos a zabití.

Při sobotním únosu zastavili čtyři muži auto u kostelních dveří, nechali běžet motor a jeden z nich vystoupil. Jaikumar mu šel naproti v domnění, že potřebuje nějakou pomoc. „Muž mne pak donutil sednout si na zadní sedadlo vozu, sedl si vedle mne a odjeli,“ řekl Jaikumar. „Útočníci mi zavázali oči a sebrali mi mobilní telefon. Pořád dokola oplzlými slovy proklínali a posmívali se křesťanské víře a říkali si navzájem, jak moje obracení lidí na víru skončí, až mne zabijí.“

Nakonec mu únosci sundali pásku z očí a donutili ho nastoupit do autobusu s jedním s únosců. „Boží milostí se autobus porouchal a zastavil na kraji silnice blízko Sahlespuru, 140 km od Bangalore. Řidič řekl všem cestujícím, aby vystoupili a přitom mu Jaikumar stačil říct, že byl unesen. Když si toho jeho únosce všiml, zmizel.

Předchozí únos skončil bitím, přičemž mu jeho únosci chtěli rozbít hlavu kamenem, ale světla přijíždějícího automobilu je donutila k útěku. Do této chvíle nebyl v souvislosti s oběma případy nikdo zadržen. Zdroj: Compass Direct News
 
 Čtyři další korejská rukojmí propuštěna, jaká je cena?
   Podle svědků talibanští militanti ve čtvrtek30. srpna ve středním Afghánistánu propustili další čtyři jihokorejská rukojmí a propuštění zbývajících je podle všeho na spadnutí. Přímý účastník, reportér Associated Press uvedl, že dva muži a dvě ženy byli předáni úředníkům Mezinárodního výboru Červeného Kříže (ICRC) na silnici v oblasti Janda ve středním Afghánistánu Reto Stocker, vedoucí delegace ICRC v Afghánistánu řekl, že jejich pracovníci jedou vyzvednout zbývající unesené na jiné dohodnuté místo. Koncem července militanti zabili dva muže z unesené skupiny a později ve stejném měsíci propustili dvě ženy jako výraz dobré vůle. Jiných dvanáct bylo osvobozeno ve středu 29. srpna. Mnozí kritizují souhlas daný korejskou vládou na požadavek Talibanu na postupné stažení korejských vojsk a na požadavek zamezení práce jihokorejských misionářů v této horlivě muslimské zemi. Glenn Penner z Voice of Martyrs in Canada řekl, že „Konec konců, jediný ústupek, který korejské vládě nedělal potíže, je o náboženské svobodě Korejců.“ Zdroj: Associated Press, Mission Network News
 
 Festival pořádaný v Ekvádoru Franklinem Grahamem lámal rekordy návštěvnosti.
   Evangelista Franklin Graham se zapsal do historie, když minulý víkend přilákal celkem 185 000 lidí na Festival Naděje v Guayaquil v Ekvádoru. Byla to největší evangelizační akce v historii země. Během tří dnů se počet návštěvníků třídenní události vyšplhal na 185 674 – průměr na jedno shromáždění byl 46 419.

Podle misijní zprávy se během závěrečného večerního shromáždění 16 177 lidí rozhodlo jít za Kristem, to toho 13 646 s cílem být spaseni. „Pokaždé, když navštěvujeme nové město, nevíme předem, kolik lidí přijde, zda bude dobré počasí a kolik životů bude změněno,“ řekl Graham. „Bůh ví, že jsme jen pokornou částečkou Jeho působení v tomto městě, přičemž skutečnost předčila všechna naše očekávání.“

Samaritánův Měšec, křesťanská pomocná organizace řízení Grahamem oznamuje, že denně nakrmí 1500 ekvádorských dětí a má v lékařské péči přes 50 000 osob. Zdroj: Breaking Christian News, HCJB Global, Christian Post

*HCJB Global Voice tvoří pro Latinskou Ameriku pro Evangelijní sdružení Billyho Grahama programy ve španělštině. Misijní redaktorské skupiny v Quito a v Guayaquil vysílají tři hodiny denně přímý přenos z festivalu na španělské síti Atlas – HCJB Global, jejíž vysílání lze zachytit po celé Jižní Americe, v USA a ve Španělsku a na internetovém vysílání. Každému přenosu předcházejí a zakončují jej rozhovory. Redakce také produkuje hodinové sestřihy, které vysílají stanice nemající možnost přímého přenosu festivalu.
 
 Všechny zprávy v angličtině.
   TURKMENISTAN SHOWS ENCOURAGING SIGNS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Sources: WorldWide Religious News, Associated Press
Members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom say their recent visit to Turkmenistan shows signs of improvement in the country’s religious freedom, but that many concerns remain. The visit to the Central Asian country ended Friday, Aug. 24. That same day President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov ordered the creation of a national commission to help ensure that international human rights norms are followed.

Berdymukhamedov came to power last year after the death of Saparmurat Niyazov who was Turkmenistan’s head of state for more than two decades in an all-encompassing personality cult. Under Niyazov, authorities put tight restrictions on the country’s two authorized religions -- Sunni Islam and Orthodox Christianity. Berdymukhamedov has shown signs of easing the authoritarianism of Niyazov, but the country remains a one-party state with no independent news media.

“There are some encouraging signs, but there is still a long way to go,” said commission member Donald Argue in a statement released by the U.S. embassy. Commission members met with representatives of Turkmenistan’s minority religions “and were concerned by the testimonials we heard,” commission head Michael Cromartie said in the statement. “Our meetings with government officials have been constructive, and we hope their commitment to progress is genuine.”

* HCJB Global Voice works in partnership with Back to the Bible to air Christian programs in the Turkmen language. Broadcasts began in 2001 and have been aired daily since 2003.

CHRISTIAN AID WORKERS RUSH TO TWIN BOMBINGS IN INDIA

Source: Christian Post
Christian aid workers, doctors and medical personnel rushed to Hyderabad, India, on Saturday, Aug. 25, after more than 40 people were killed and more than 120 injured when two simultaneous blasts rocked a crowded park in the city. Authorities believe that Bangladeshi-based Islamic extremists were behind a pair of bombings that tore through a popular family restaurant and an outdoor arena in this southern Indian city, killing at least 42 people. The bombs, which officials suspect were built by Islamic militants, were packed with metal pellets and exploded within minutes of each other. “The Church of Hyderabad condemns this terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms,” said Marampudi Joji, the Catholic archbishop of Hyderabad. “It is horrendous that elements can unleash such a horrific wave of terror on innocent citizens. These bomb blasts are an act of cowardice.” Churches in the city continue to be on high alert as congregants pray continuously for the blast victims. Hyderabad, the capital city of southeastern India’s Andhra Pradesh state, has a large Muslim population and a history of clashes between Hindus and Muslims.

15 CHRISTIANS HELD IN ZIMBABWE FOR ATTENDING PRAYER MEETING

Source: BosNewsLife
Fifteen Christian leaders in Zimbabwe remain in detention for attending a prayer meeting near the capital Harare without permission from police. They were part of a group that attended a prayer gathering at the Nyamutamba Hotel in Chitungwiz, a town south of Harare, on Saturday, Aug. 18, according to representatives of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The arrests came on Monday, Aug. 20, after several pastors were initially held briefly and fined the previous Saturday. MDC Members of Parliament Job Sikhala and Goodwich Chimbaira also attended the prayer meeting, but were reportedly not arrested. Lawyer James Tabora told reporters that those detained Saturday were temporarily released after paying the equivalent of US$164 in fines. Among those detained are Bishop Samuel Pasula, and pastors Mabhena, Patrick Thole, Gordon Chinogurei and a preacher who was only identified as Pastor White. MDC said “the suggestion that pastors have to ask permission for a prayer meeting shows that the government has become so paranoid that even an opposition member of parliament attending a prayer gathering provides her delirium.” The situation also underscored growing pressure on churches in Zimbabwe to participate in the political process of the troubled African nation, said Christian rights group Open Doors.

* HCJB Global Voice signed a partnership agreement with the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe in 2001.

INFLUX OF COLOMBIAN REFUGEES LEADS TO CRISIS IN ECUADOR

Source: Prensa Latina
The Latin American news agency Prensa Latina is reporting a humanitarian crisis in northern Ecuador’s Esmeraldas province following the arrival of about 1,000 displaced persons from neighboring Colombia. It is one of the largest migration movements in the last few years as consequence of clashes between regular and irregular forces in Colombia, according to official sources. The government has set in motion a national contingency plan that includes the establishment of shelters, medical posts, delivery of food portions, transportation and psychological support to displaced people. Before the expected increase of refugees, however, most of them women and children, Ecuador has asked for international support to face this situation. Most of the refugees came from the communities of El Dorado, Alto Mataje, Puerto Rico, Vaya Viendo, Mar del Plátano, El Pan and Ventanilla. All are within a two- or three-hour walk from the Ecuador-Colombia border.

UPDATE: BILLY GRAHAM’S MEDICAL CONDITION CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

Source: Assist News Service
Evangelist Billy Graham, who is hospitalized for treatment of intestinal bleeding, continues to show progress, his staff reported this weekend. “His appetite is excellent and he resumed a normal diet at noon, enjoying a midday Sunday dinner after watching his favorite worship service on television,” said a spokesperson for Mission Health & Hospitals in Asheville, N.C., near his mountain home in Montreat where he is being treated. “This afternoon he has visited with family and taken several walks, including the longest one since he was hospitalized. He will continue to undergo physical therapy to build strength and condition him in preparation for going home.” Graham was admitted to the hospital early Saturday, Aug. 18, with intestinal bleeding which subsequently recurred two times. He underwent a diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy the following Wednesday during which his physician identified and treated a lesion in the colon. He has not had clinical evidence of bleeding since the therapeutic intervention. Graham, 88, remains under close observation for the next several days as he continues to recover. He is listed in fair condition. No date has been set for his discharge.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
 Všechny zprávy v angličtině.
   IRANIAN CHRISTIANS ASK FOR BIBLES AS CHRISTIAN NUMBERS INCREASE

Sources: International Antioch Ministries, PR Web Media
Requests for Bibles and New Testaments for Christians in Iran is at an all-time high, reported International Antioch Ministries (IAM), the nonprofit outreach foundation of the Iranian Christian Church. Requests for Bibles in Iranian languages, particularly by new believers, are being received daily. Iranian Christians, including new converts, are contacting the ministry through IAM’s 24-hour satellite television, Iranian Christian television, but the requests are more than the ministry can fulfill. IAM believes that this growing demand for Persian Bibles and New Testaments is being fueled by a number of factors. One is the rising number of Christian converts in Iran. According to IAM, the number of Christians in Iran is growing quickly. Estimates vary from 500,000 to as high as 1 million. Another factor comes from the difficulties of obtaining and keeping Bibles caused by confiscations by Iranian officials and the Muslim “religious police.” Even though it is illegal to print Bibles in Iran, let alone distribute them widely, demand for the gospel is increasing exponentially.

TALIBAN TO RELEASE 19 HOSTAGES, KOREA SUSPENDS AFGHAN MISSIONS

Sources: BosNewsLife, Reuters, LATimes.com
Taliban insurgents will release 19 South Korean Christian volunteers who have been held for nearly six weeks in Afghanistan, a spokesman for South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said today (Tuesday, Aug. 28), adding that no ransom had been paid. “Both sides agreed that South Korean military forces and their missionary groups would leave Afghanistan and the Taliban would free the hostages very soon,” a Taliban representative added. Neither side gave any details on how nor exactly when the hostages would be freed.

“The families are rejoicing at the news. They are busy calling other family members and friends at the moment to pass the news,” Bang Yong-kyun, pastor at Saemmul Church outside Seoul, told Reuters.

Two other male hostages were already killed by the Taliban, including the group’s leader, Bae Hyun-kyu, 42, a youth pastor at the church, and fellow Christian Shim Sung-min, 29. Two slightly ill female hostages were released on Monday, Aug. 13, during initial negotiations as a gesture of goodwill.

Korean presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-Seon told reporters that South Korea would withdraw 200 of its troops stationed in Afghanistan by the end of the year as previously planned, and the nation would suspend missionary work in the country. Since the hostages were captured, Seoul already announced harsher penalties for travel to banned areas. The 23 hostages allegedly made their trip illegally.

South Korea is second only to the U.S. in the number of Christian missionaries it sends abroad with an estimated 12,000 engaged in projects in about 160 countries. The hostages were originally captured from a bus in Afghanistan on July 19.

BURMESE TRIBE SEEKS RESOURCES TO PRINT NEWLY COMPLETED BIBLES

Source: Christian Aid Mission
Five Christian farmers in Myanmar (Burma) who began translating the Bible into the language of the Ngawn tribe in 1990 completed 10 copies of the translation in 2006 using only a manual typewriter. These copies were kept safe and loaned to native believers in the tribe of about 20,000. This year the workers put the New Testament into computer format and are now praying for the means to print 10,000 copies. They have located a Christian printer who would like to help. The five farmers are selling their crops to gradually raise money to print these Bibles, and after they are printed they plan to complete the Old Testament as well. The Ngawn tribe first learned about Christ in 1908 by a neighboring villager. Christian converts were severely persecuted until the British deputy commissioner stationed in the district sent police to stop it. In recent years, however, Christians have faced increasing persecution by the corrupt military junta, infamous for its human rights abuses. Christianity has mainly spread throughout Myanmar’s ethnic minority groups, which the junta seeks to subjugate. Actively promoting Buddhism, the junta aims to destroy churches in the country.

MEGACHURCH PASTOR JAMES KENNEDY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Sources: OneNewsNow.com, Christian Newswire, Evangelical News
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has announced the retirement of its long-time senior pastor, James Kennedy. The announcement was made at the megachurch’s worship service the morning of Sunday, Aug, 26. Kennedy’s daughter Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy said, “We thank the Lord for His faithfulness to my father over nearly one-half century, through the impact this church has made in the lives of people in this congregation and community and the influence he has had on countless individuals around the world through radio and television.” Frank Wright, a personal friend of Kennedy and president of National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), describes the retiring pastor and NRB Hall of Fame member as a “man of vision” who is committed to the kingdom of God. Kennedy, 76, preached his last sermon from the pulpit of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church on Christmas Eve, 2006. He suffered a cardiac arrest four days later and has since been unable to return to the pulpit.

‘RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY’ TAKES OFF IN NEW ZEALAND

Source: Assist News Service
An Auckland, New Zealand, man’s dream of a day when everyone was kind to each other has grown into a national event called Random Acts of Kindness Day and celebrated on Saturday, Sept. 1. Businesses, schools, community groups, churches and individuals around the country are already planning what they might do on the day, first launched in 2005. While sitting in heavy Auckland traffic, Josh de Jong, a mortgage broker, thought how “cool” it would be to have one day where people were actually nice to each other. De Jong started the day to encourage people to take time to perform small, selfless acts of kindness for no personal gain. Now, in the past two years, people have had their parking paid for them, neighbors have given gift hampers, schools have thrown events for their community and some people have even been given flights and cruises. De Jong said it was “fantastic” to see how the event had taken off so fast around the country and been embraced by the wider community. “We certainly did not expect it to get so big this quickly,” he said.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
 Všechny zprávy v angličtině.
   UPDATE: FAMILIES REJOICE AS 12 OF 19 KOREAN HOSTAGES RELEASED

Sources: BosNewsLife, Assist News Service, Associated Press
Taliban fighters released 12 of 19 South Korean captives today (Wednesday, Aug. 29), partially fulfilling their promise to free all the hostages in a deal struck with the South Korean government to resolve a hostage crisis that began almost six weeks ago. The move raised hopes that the last seven remaining South Korean hostages would also be released. The hostages were released into the care of officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross at three separate locations in central Afghanistan near Ghazni, said an Associated Press reporter who witnessed the handovers. The releases come a day after the South Korean government said it had reached a deal with the Taliban agreeing to withdraw troops from Afghanistan as scheduled by the end of the year and to end all missionary work in the country. In South Korea, families of the released hostages welcomed the news. “I would like to dance,” said Cho Myung-ho, mother of 28-year-old hostage Lee Joo-yeon, in comments to reporters. They and other believers from Saemmul Presbyterian Church along with millions of Christians worldwide have been holding prayer vigils for the hostages.

PASTOR IN INDIA KIDNAPPED TWICE IN ONE WEEK, NEARLY KILLED

Source: Compass Direct News
Pastor Mark Jaikumar is recovering in a private care facility in a village of Chelekere near Bangalore, India, after being kidnapped, blindfolded and hearing Hindu extremists’ plans to kill him -- his second abduction in a week.

Pastor of the Divine Gospel Church in Chelekere, the 43-year-old Jaikumar was abducted from the church compound at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, as he began his trip home. He had just survived a prior attempt to kidnap and kill him three days earlier.

In Saturday’s kidnapping, four men sitting in a car with the engine running were near the church gate when Jaikumar saw one get out. Assuming they needed assistance, Jaikumar walked toward the man. “The man then forced me into the rear seat of the car, got in after me and drove off,” Jaikumar said. “The assailants blindfolded me and took away my mobile phone. They kept cursing and mocking the Christian faith in filthy language and told each other that all my conversion activities would end once they killed me.”

Eventually the kidnappers removed his blindfold and forced him onto a bus with one of the men accompanying him. “By God’s grace, the bus developed a problem and was stalled at the side of the road near Sakleshpur, about [93 miles] from Bangalore,” said Jaikumar. The bus driver ordered everyone off the bus, and on his way out Jaikumar told him that he was being kidnapped. When his captor realized what had happened, he fled.

The previous kidnap attempt resulted in a serious beating from his captors who were about to smash his head with a large rock before the headlights of an approaching vehicle caused his assailants to flee. At press time, no arrests had been made in either case.

15-HOUR RAID TARGETS KAZAKHSTAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES, HOMES

Source: Forum 18 News Service
Two churches and three private homes associated with Kazakhstan’s Grace Presbyterian Church in the towns of Karaganda and Oskemen were raided by the National Security Committee (KNB) on Friday, Aug. 24. KNB officers came from Astana, the nation’s capital, to raid the large Karaganda church. They searched the premises for more than 15 hours, preventing anyone from leaving and forcing those present to write statements. Computers and documents were confiscated. Three church-related private homes in Karaganda as well as the Grace Church in Oskemen in eastern Kazakhstan were also searched the same day. Aleksandr Klyushev of the Association of Religious Communities of Kazakhstan said that the head of the church, Archbishop Igor Kim, his sister and the administrator are being investigated for treason. But Klyushev believes the KNB’s target is a businessman who paid for facilities that the church used for the seminars. Ninel Fokina of the Almaty Helsinki Committee believes the raids are a worrying sign of the KNB’s increasing power.

* HCJB Global Voice is bringing words of hope and encouragement to people across Central Asia via radio. Together with partners, Christian broadcasts go out in languages such as Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, Southern Uzbek and Urdu.

RADIOS HELP DISCIPLESHIP AND CHURCH GROWTH IN VIETNAM

Source: Mission Network News
When a Saigon, Vietnam, businessman realized the hundreds of young workers in his manufacturing plant were lonely because they had left their families to get better-paying jobs, he invited a local pastor to come and talk to them. As more and more of the workers turned to Christ, it became evident that they needed spiritual nourishment. When Pastor Nguyen, a broadcaster from Far East Broadcasting Co., heard about what was happening, he offered to get them radios to distribute to the workers. Organizers hope the radios will help new believers grow in their faith and alleviate their loneliness. FEBC reports that churches that were once sparse began growing. When a church member invited factory workers to attend the 2006 Christmas Eve church service, she was pleasantly surprised when 400 workers showed up. As more business people reach out to workers, the results are showing up in numbers. A survey of nine churches taken last year shows that 3,443 people had accepted Christ and attended church regularly. Nguyen says nothing like this has ever happened. “God is on the move, and it’s so exciting to see Him at work in the hearts of the next generation,” he said.

COMPASSION SETS UP SPECIAL FUND FOR PERU EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

Source: Religion Today
Compassion International has created the Peru Earthquake Response Fund so sponsors and donors can contribute to victims of this month’s 8.0-magnitude quake Aug. 15 that left more than 500 people dead and thousands homeless. Although no Compassion-assisted children have been reported dead, a number are still missing. “Our greatest priority at this time is reaching the most vulnerable victims and meeting their immediate needs,” said Cristina Zavala, Compassion’s country director for Peru. “Compassion is committed to providing the best care and aid possible to those who have suffered and lost so much due to this tragic event.” At least 12 of Compassion’s church-based children’s projects -- out of more than 200 in Peru -- were affected by the disaster.

* A disaster response team from HCJB Global Hands in Ecuador spent nearly a week in Peru, providing medical assistance, distributing supplies and counseling those affected by the quake and aftershocks. The team worked in conjunction with Samaritan’s Purse, a U.S.-based Christian ministry that provides humanitarian aid in needy areas worldwide.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
 Všechny zprávy v angličtině.
   UPDATE: 4 MORE KOREAN HOSTAGES RELEASED, COSTS COUNTED

Sources: Associated Press, Mission Network News
Taliban militants freed four more South Korean hostages in central Afghanistan today (Thursday, Aug. 30), witnesses said, and the release of the three remaining captives was believed to be imminent. The two men and two women were handed over to officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on a road in the Janda area of central Afghanistan, an Associated Press reporter at the scene said. Reto Stocker, head of the ICRC delegation to Afghanistan, said representatives were on their way to pick up the three remaining captives from another agreed location. In late July the militants killed two male hostages, and they released two women earlier this month as gesture of goodwill. Another 12 were freed Wednesday, Aug. 29. Many have criticized the agreement made by the Korean government requiring continuation of scheduled Korean troop withdrawals and that the government would prevent South Korean Christian missionaries from further work in the staunchly Muslim country. Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs in Canada said, “Ultimately, the only real concession the South Korean government seems to have been willing to make was the religious freedom of its own citizens.”

PAKISTANI-AMERICAN PASTOR AND WIFE SHOT DEAD IN ISLAMABAD

Source: BosNewsLife
The pastor of a Christian church and his American wife were shot dead in their home in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, police said Thursday, Aug. 30. The bodies of Rev. Arif Khan, a Pakistani-American citizen in his 50s, and his American wife, Kathleen, 45, were found late Wednesday at their home in a residential neighborhood of Islamabad, said Munawar Hussain, the local police chief, in published remarks. The Associated Press reported that the suspect was identified as a fellow Christian who police claimed did it as an “honor” killing, believing the pastor had been having an affair with the man’s wife. Kahn was pastor of a small church in nearby Rawalpindi. Christians are a tiny minority in predominantly Muslim Pakistan. Killings in the name of restoring a family’s perceived honor are not uncommon. The latest killing was expected to underscore concerns among Christian pastors and missionaries about working in Pakistan following a spate of attacks against churches. Anti-Christian violence has been increasing in the country in recent years, several human rights groups have said. The U.S. embassy in Islamabad, citing American policies regarding privacy laws, refused to discuss the case.

AZERBAIJAN PASTOR STILL IN JAIL, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM GETTING WORSE

Source: Mission Network News
A pastor in northern Azerbaijan continues to be held in jail, and details of his arrest are just coming out. Pastor Zaur Balaev was arrested for holding “illegal meetings” -- religious activity without state registration, and for using violence against a state. Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) President Bob Provost says those charges are ludicrous since Balaev has spent years trying to register his church. “Every time he has tried to register, he has been refused because he can’t find a notary who is willing to validate his membership roll,” he said. “Without a membership roll that is notarized, he can’t register the church.” The 35-member church had been meeting in his home until his arrest in May. Provost says the other allegation is also unfounded. “They accused him of beating up five policemen and damaging a police car. There’s not a grain of truth to it.” An appeal is planned, and SGA is helping, but prayer is needed most right now. Provost expects the situation to get worse for Christians there. “There are 22 Baptist churches in Azerbaijan, and only three have been able to gain the registration that grants them the legal rights to worship.”

MINISTRY HELPS MUSICIANS FIND FAITH THROUGH CLASSICAL MUSIC

Source: Assist News Service
Is it possible to find faith in Christ through classical music? Two hundred young musicians, actors and art students from 17 nations gained insights into the Christian faith at the summer institute of the international musicians’ association, Crescendo, in Sarospatak, Hungary. Approximately half of the participants did not come from a Christian background. During the summer they studied and played Handel’s “Messiah” in small study groups and workshops. They also performed the work during Hungary’s biggest classic festival. The message of the famous oratorio was also the subject of Bible study groups. According to the organizers several participants said they had experienced God’s presence and found faith in Jesus Christ. They will be referred to local churches for further spiritual guidance. Crescendo was founded in 1986 as a special ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. It is a network of approximately 1,000 artists, actors and musicians from 30 European nations who counsel members in professional and spiritual matters.

* EARTHQUAKE IN PERU OPENS DOORS TO HELP VICTIMS SPIRITUALLY

Source: HCJB Global
When the foundations are shaken -- as many Peruvians recently experienced -- people examine their lives more closely. That’s the observation of an HCJB Global Hands’ disaster response team that treated more than 1,300 patients in the quake zone near Lima, Peru.

Physically shaken by the two-minute quake of Aug. 15, people remained emotionally traumatized during the team’s Aug. 19-24 visit, prompting an openness to discuss spiritual matters.

Impressed by this spiritual climate, team members were awestruck by the quake’s devastation. “Arriving in Pisco, what left us entirely impressed was the city’s great destruction,” said Dr. Juan Carlos Santamaría, one of the Ecuadorian physicians on the nine-member team. “It looked as if it had been bombed. Hardly a house remained standing.

“The people were trying to clean up the rubble. In many areas they couldn’t uncover the dead,” he continued. “The bodies they found had been placed in the city’s principal plaza a day before we’d arrived, and there were some 50 dead.”

For the first time since the mission began sending teams to disaster areas in 2005, the team included a professional counselor, German HCJB Global missionary Klaudia Wolff, whose husband, Eckehart, a surgeon, treated two dozen of the gravest survivors each day. The team came on invitation of Samaritan’s Purse, a relief organization headed by Franklin Graham.

“It was absolutely fantastic to have Klaudia along,” said International Healthcare Coordinator Sheila Leech, a nurse who led the team in Peru. “She had a real gift of being able to relate to people. . . . There were many aftershocks, and we saw how people reacted . . . sheer panic. Whenever there was a person who was obviously emotionally affected, they would be referred to Klaudia . . . including some of the bereaved people.”

Leech said she was “absolutely thrilled to see how people’s hearts were open and how many, many people -- at least 25 people that we know of came to know Christ or made some kind of commitment to the Lord during the 5˝ days that we were there.

“Many, many times people would tell us, ‘We thought the world had come to an end’ . . . so it was a wonderful opportunity for us to talk to them and say, ‘Well, the end of the world hadn’t come, but there will be a day when this world will end, and the Lord Jesus will return to take those who belong to Him.’”

Monday, Aug. 20, was the busiest day of the outreach as the team was “totally swamped” with 230 patients, 25 of whom had fractures that hadn’t been treated since the earthquake struck.

“We couldn`t attend to those who needed surgery -- which is my work -- because the hospitals with surgery facilities were totally destroyed,” said Santamaría. “But obviously we’re doctors first of all and we gave good medical, clinical attention and obviously with good results. It was a well-formed team and we always worked together as a team.”

At press time, the death toll from the magnitude-8.0 quake had reached 540 with more than 1,600 injured and at least 54,000 families left homeless. In San Clemente an estimated 40 percent of the homes were destroyed with another 10 percent “severely compromised.”

Leech said it was a “huge advantage” to work in conjunction with Samaritan’s Purse which handled many of the logistics such as providing housing and meals for team members.

This was the latest in a series of disaster response teams that have responded to catastrophes in Indonesia, Pakistan, Ecuador and the Solomon Islands.

Leech marveled at how God has sent last-minute resources before nearly every disaster to which the relief team responded.

“It’s amazing because on a number of trips medical supplies from the Netherlands, Germany or somewhere else had just arrived, and the disaster response teams were able to pack them and take them along,” Leech explained. “So that’s always an incredible provision from God for us.”

The team that ministered in Peru was amazed at the resilience of the people who had endured such tragedy. “They understand the important things in life -- it’s not stuff,” she said.

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   FRANKLIN GRAHAM FESTIVAL BREAKS RECORDS IN ECUADOR

Sources: Breaking Christian News, HCJB Global, Christian Post
Evangelist Franklin Graham made history last weekend by attracting a total of more than 185,000 people to the Festival of Hope in Guayaquil, Ecuador -- the largest evangelical event in the country’s history. Combined attendance during four meetings at the three-day event was 185,674 -- an average of 46,419 per meeting.

According to the ministry’s report, by the final night some 16,177 people made decisions for Christ, including 13,646 for salvation. “Each time we go to a different city we have no idea how many people will come, if the weather will be a problem, or how many lives will be changed,” said Graham. “But God knows and we are humbled to just be a part of the impact He had on this city -- it was more than we could have imagined.”

Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief organization headed by Graham, reported that it is feeding 1,500 Ecuadorian children daily and has provided medical care for more than 50,000 people.

* HCJB Global Voice in Latin America produces the Spanish-language programs for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The ministry’s production teams in Quito and Guayaquil aired live broadcasts of the festival for three hours each evening via ALAS -- HCJB Global’s Spanish satellite network with coverage across Latin America, the U.S. and Spain -- and the network’s Internet site with interviews before, during and after the meetings. Staff members are also producing a one-hour summary program that will be aired by stations that couldn’t broadcast the festival live.

UPDATE: KOREANS DENY PAYING RANSOM FOR HOSTAGES’ RELEASE

Source: BosNewsLife
All 19 South Korean hostages held by the Taliban were released and left Afghanistan late today (Friday, Aug. 31), ending a 43-day hostage crisis that had left two male hostages dead. The Christian volunteers flew out of Kabul on a chartered U.N. plane headed for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from where they were to continue their flight to Seoul, South Korea. They had reportedly been staying at a five-star hotel in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, under heavy protection.

News of the their expected arrival in Seoul on Sunday, Sept. 2, came as the South Korean government denied media reports that it paid Taliban militants millions of dollars in ransom. Citing unidentified sources in Afghanistan, Japan’s respected Asahi Shimbun newspaper said South Korea paid $2 million to secure the release of the 19 hostages while Arab television network Al Jazeera reported the South Korean government likely paid as much as $40 million to end the ordeal.

Presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon Tuesday denied the allegation, saying there were no other conditions for the release of the hostages “officially” discussed or agreed to, reported South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. South Korean officials only admitted they had agreed to halt missionary work and withdraw 200 South Korean troops, as planned, by the end of the year.

COMPASSION EXPANDS COLLEGE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM TO HONDURAS

Source: Assist News Service
Christian child development organization Compassion International is extending its Leadership Development Program into Honduras, the 16th nation to implement the organization’s educational and spiritual mentoring program. According to Compassion, the Leadership Development Program (LDP) targets college-aged students who have successfully graduated from Compassion’s child sponsorship program. These are young people who excelled academically and exhibited leadership characteristics, but would never have the opportunity to attend university if it were not for the LDP and a sponsor in the U.S. who makes the financial and relationship commitment to see that happen. After graduation, the students often return to their hometowns as teachers, lawyers, doctors, accountants and engineers, hoping to improve the lives of others in their own communities. Eligible students in Honduras are applying this month and will begin their college studies in early 2008. “I know God has great plans for the students selected in the Honduras program,” said LDP Director Mike Hinckfoot. “I know we will one day see these young people, with the help of their mentors and sponsors, rise above their circumstances, becoming the men and women God had intended them to be.”

CHINESE OFFICIALS CLAMP DOWN ON ‘ILLEGAL RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES’

Sources: China Aid Association, Christian Newswire
China Aid Association has learned that the Chinese central government launched a nationwide targeted campaign in mid-July to clamp down on “illegal religious activities.” Reports indicate that massive arrests have occurred in at least seven provinces, including Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi and Anhui. Some believers are still being detained for receiving Bibles while some were persecuted by having their water and electricity cut off by the government for using their homes to host Sunday schools. According to a report posted at the official website on July 6 by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Liu Jiaguo, deputy minister of the MPS, urged all local officials to start a one-month campaign to “severely crack down on illegal religion and evil religious activities” in order to eliminate the political unstable elements in the countryside.

NEW BRAIN STUDY IDENTIFIES PROCESS OF ‘STILL SMALL VOICE’

Source: Breaking Christian News, WebMD
Whether you call it your “conscience,” a “second thought” or God’s “still, small voice,” a new study of the brain has found and identified the area from where that “common sense” seems to emanate. Marcel Brass of Germany’s Max Planck Institute and Patrick Haggard of England’s University College London conducted a study on 15 healthy young adults who were hooked up to MRI machines for “real time” brain scans. Through a series of activities performed while being monitored, the researchers noticed one area in particular -- just above and between the eyes -- that would light up when the participant was asked to choose at the last minute, not to do the activity. According to doctors Brass and Haggard, the brain area is known as the dorsal fronto-median cortex or dFMC. The study also found that some of the participants’ dFMC was stronger than others, exhibiting a greater self-control. Haggard explained, “Many people recognize the ‘little voice inside the head’ that stops you from doing something, like pressing the ‘send’ button on an angry e-mail. Our study identifies the brain processes involved in that last-minute rethink about what we are doing.”

* HCJB GLOBAL’S FORMER PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR DIES AT 83

Retired HCJB Global missionary Robert “Bob” Weyeneth, who served as the mission’s public relations director for many years, died Friday, Aug. 24, at a nursing home in Fort Wayne, Ind., following a lengthy illness. He was 83.

Bob was born on June 26, 1924, in Peoria, Ill. He began developing a strong work ethic and people skills as a young child, selling newspapers as early as age 5. Bob entered the army during World War II in 1943 and served in Africa, Italy and France.

While in the army in the French Alps, a fellow soldier challenged Bob to acknowledge his sin and give his heart to Christ. Bob made this commitment, and he came back from the army a changed man, ready to serve God wherever He would lead him.

Bob returned to Peoria where he met Irene “Rene” in business college in 1945. They became better acquainted through their church and were married on June 30, 1946. As the newly married couple became active in their church and community, Bob became involved with the city mission, Peoria Association for Retarded Citizens and Kiwanis. He also taught Sunday school and began a ministry for inner-city children.

Later the Weyeneths moved to Goshen, Ind., where Bob attended Goshen College. He then transferred to Bradley University in Peoria, graduating with a bachelor of arts in 1950.

Bob worked in sales at Kraft Foods for 13 years, leaving this lucrative job in 1966 to work at Fort Wayne Bible College. Among his many accomplishments, he raised funds for the college’s administration building and was instrumental in getting Christian music station WBCL in Fort Wayne on the air. He also helped begin Fort Wayne Christian School and the Missionary Church in New Haven, Ind.

“We always wanted to be in Christian service on a foreign field,” said Bob in an interview several years ago. In 1976 the Weyeneths joined HCJB Global, serving in Ecuador and the U.S. in areas such as accounting, hospitality, photography, broadcasting, vision journeys, shipping and public relations. Bob produced his own radio program where he was the only disc jockey playing country gospel music worldwide via shortwave.

The Weyeneths moved back to the U.S. in 1988, but continued to represent HCJB Global until Bob’s illness forced them to retire in 1998.

Bob said one of the highlights of his career was helping with HCJB Global Hands’ mobile medical clinics ministry which brings healthcare to needy Ecuadorians in rural areas. “I also enjoyed leading tours in Ecuador and treasure my relationships with the nationals,” he said.

Doug Peters, who serves as an assistant to HCJB Global’s president, said the ministry was “blessed to have Bob’s leadership in publicity and public relations both in Ecuador and at the mission’s former international headquarters in Miami. He and Rene did a superb job of introducing many people to the mission ministries. He was a great encourager. He is missed by all of us.”

In addition to his wife, Rene, of 61 years, Bob is survived by a son, Michael Weyeneth, and his wife, Sue; a daughter, Beth Petersen, and her husband, John; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Sunday, Aug. 26, at First Missionary Church in Fort Wayne with Pastor Michael Spencer officiating. Memorial gifts may be made to HCJB Global.

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