Zprávy HCJB 16.9.2007 - 22.9.2007

 Software z Purdue zjednodušuje záchranné operace.
   Jako výsledek úsilí o lepší službu ve jménu Pána Ježíše při neštěstích dostala World Hope International (WHI) software od Technologického ústavu University v Purdue, který byl vyvinut s cílem odstranit papírování a umožnit tak účinný zásah během kritických prvních 48 hodin po katastrofě. Záchranné týmy se vždy zabývají přípravou, podporou a rekonstrukcí společnosti nebo komunity při přírodních pohromách nebo lidmi zaviněných neštěstích. Ale zpočátku zde panuje chaos a není infrastruktura potřebná k rozhodovací činnosti. Přitom rychlé nasazení pomoci může rozhodovat o životě či smrti přeživších. Pro podporu účinné pomoci studentský tým vyvinul internetový program pro řízení záchranných operací, který WHI umožní sledovat tok zásob, práci dobrovolníků a činnost řídicích míst. Deset studentů program vytvořilo během jarního semestru pod vedením Kyle Lutese, docenta počítačových a informačních technologií. Strávili nad ním 1370 hodin práce a vytvořili produkt, jehož cena se odhaduje na 68 000 dolarů. Prostřednictvím své univerzity studenti svou práci nabídli WHI jako dar. Zdroj: Mission Network News
 
 MAF pomáhá v boji s epidemií infekce virem Ebola v Kongu.
   Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) spolu s Ústředím pro boj s infekčními chorobami (CDC)v Atlantě bojují s epidemií infekce virem Ebola v Kongu, při které zatím zemřelo 150 lidí. Světová zdravotnická organizace (WHO) potvrdila výskyt infekce v centrální provincii Konga Západní Kasai a sdělila, že jsou přijímána opatření k zastavení šíření smrtícího viru. MAF převáží lékaře do zdravotnických zařízení v odlehlých oblastech džungle, kde mohou pacienty léčit a posoudit závažnost a rozsah této krize. „Podle současných poznatků je pravděpodobné, že v odlehlých vesnicích v džungli je nemocných mnohem víc, ale ti nepřijdou do nemocnice a prostě v těchto vesnicích umírají,“ řekl John Boyd, viceprezident MAF pro rozvoj. „Koncem týdne budeme mít lepší přehled o rozsahu neštěstí a budeme vědět, zda a jak mobilizovat více zdrojů.“ Ebola je jedním nejnebezpečnějších patogenů – zabíjí 50 až 80% nakažených osob. Pro svou vysokou nakažlivost se zdravotní služba v Kongu snaží každou osobu jevící příznaky onemocnění umístit v karanténě. Zdroj: Christian Newswire
 
 Pakistánský mladík nečekaně zproštěn obvinění z rouhačství.
   Křesťanský obhájce oznámil, že pakistánský soudce v pondělí 17. září nečekaně osvobodil křesťanského mladíka z obvinění, že prý vytrhl stránky s verši Koránu. Během slyšení před nižším soudem ve Faisalabádu soudce Muhammad Abdul Sattar zprostil viny 18-letého Šahida Masiha poté, co svědci obžaloby změnili své původní výpovědi. Pod přísahou Mohammad Younis a Chalid Mehmúd upustili od tvrzení, že Masih vytrhl stránky z tafsíru, příručky vysvětlující verše Koránu. Podle jejich původní výpovědi to viděl muslimský mladík Muhammad Ghaffar, když 10. září 2006 společně s Masihem prý kradli knihy z nemocnice v Madině ve Faisalabádu. „V soudní síni bylo asi 100 fanatiků … kteří užasli, když jejich vlastní svědci potvrdili, že obvinění jsou nevinní,“ řekl obhájce Chalid Tahir. „Velmi, opravdu velmi se rozčílili.“ Obhájce upustil od křížového výslechu svědků a hned podepsal žádost o ukončení případu. Po vyslyšení argumentů obhájce Sattar dvě minuty uvažoval a pak oba obviněné, Ghaffara i Masiha zprostil viny z krádeže a znesvěcení Koránu. V případě shledání viny z rouhačství přitom Masih mohl být odsouzen na doživotí. Zdroj: Compass Direct News
 
 MTI posílá lékařský materiálů za milion dolarů do záplavami postižené Severní Koreje.
   Medical Teams International (MTI) a další spolupracující organizace posílají ve čtvrtek 20. září leteckou cestou lékařský materiál pro naléhavou pomoc do Severní Koreje. Lékařské potřeby pomohou tisícům lidí postižených záplavami při jedné z nejhorších katastrof za několik desetiletí. Podle severokorejských úředníků vláda nyní považuje pomoc pro více než milion postižených za věc prvořadého významu. Záplavy řádily minulý měsíc. Lékařská pomoc MTI zahrnuje antibiotika, léky proti malárii a choleře pro asi 20 000 potřebných po tři měsíce. Severokorejská naléhavá žádost o humanitární pomoc je první její podobná výzva od roku 1995, kdy záplavy zahubily asi 2 miliony lidí. Zdroj: Religion Today
 
 Baptista v Bělorusku pokutován za organizování letního tábora
   Baptista působící v brestské severovýchodní oblasti Běloruska byl pokutován částkou odpovídající 1200 korun (odpovídající dvěma průměrným týdenním platům v Bělorusku) za organizování letního církevního tábora. Viktor Orechov byl k pokutě odsouzen v pátek 24. srpna na základě stížnosti předsedy vesnické rady v Muchavci. Jde o první „citelnou pokutu“ za poslední více než rok udělenou členu Baptistické rady církví v Bělorusku. Vrchní rada pro církevní záležitosti brestské oblasti Vasilij Marčenko ujišťuje, že pokuta byla ve skutečnosti shovívavá. „Která evropská země by tolerovala skupinu lidí, kteří si dělají, co chtějí a kompletně ignorují státní moc a zákon, neodpovídají na úřední výzvy?“ řekl Marčenko. „Každá země by je potrestala, a to citelněji.“ V protestním rozkladu k tomuto rozhodnutí Orechov napsal, že nebudoval náboženskou organizaci v poblíž ležící vesnici Semisosny. Pravdou je, že „se rodiče a děti z různých míst shromažďovali, aby se přátelili a odpočívali, a to na soukromém pozemku patřícímu věřícím. Zdá se, že jsme obviňováni jen proto, že věříme. To je pravý důvod soudního stíhání a pokuty.“ Zdroj: Forum 18 News Service, Assist News Service
 
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   PURDUE SOFTWARE STREAMLINES DISASTER RESPONSE EFFORTS

Source: Mission Network News
In an effort to better be the hands and feet of Christ in an emergency, World Hope International (WHI) recently enlisted the help of Purdue University’s technology department to create a system eliminating a lot of paperwork and allowing a quick response in the first crucial 48 hours of a crisis. Emergency management typically deals with preparing, supporting and rebuilding a society or community when natural or man-made disasters occur. Yet in that first window, chaos generally rules the area, and infrastructure is unreliable. A quick response can make a life or death difference in many survivors’ lives. To assist with these efforts, the team developed a new web-based disaster management software program that will streamline crisis response an allow WHI to keep track of supplies, volunteers and command sites. Ten students designed the software during a spring semester course under Kyle Lutes, associate professor of computer and information technology. More than 1,370 hours were spent on application development, resulting in a product value that Purdue estimated at more than $68,000. Through Purdue’s academic resources, a student team offered WHI this critical tool as a gift of intellectual property.

SECRET AGENTS STEP UP SURVEILLANCE OF CHURCHES IN UZBEKISTAN

Source: Forum 18 News Service
In addition to cracking down on religious activities, members of Uzbekistan’s National Security Service (NSS) police have stepped up their covert surveillance of religious communities in recent years. NSS agents have planted hidden microphones in churches and have been discovered secretly checking on worship services and recruiting “spies” among the church leadership. One Christian reported that NSS agents “have a vehicle with tinted windows, and 10 minutes before the end of the service they wind down the window enough to allow them to film everyone leaving.” Another source said the NSS “especially tries to recruit among the leaders, trying to find out what’s going on within each community, who is going where, how much money each gets, where the community gets its money from.” A third source reported, “As in Soviet times, the secret police want to know not just to smash religious communities but simply to know.” NSS press spokesperson Olimzhan Turakulov refused to say why the NSS spies on religious communities. Uzbekistan has the tightest controls on religious life of all the former Soviet republics.

AGLOW INTERNATIONAL OPENS MINISTRIES IN IRAQ, MADAGASCAR

Source: Religion Press Release Services
Aglow International, one of the world’s largest Christian organizations, has announced its integration into Iraq and Madagascar, bringing the total number of countries where the women’s group operates to 168. Aglow launched an affiliate group in Douhuk, Iraq, in May after Abby Abildness, an Aglow member from Hershey, Pa., traveled there with a medical missions team. While there she shared the vision of Aglow with some Kurdish women who were eager to form a cell group in their home country. “They appreciate the good works that Christians do to help and rebuild their community,” Abildness said. Aglow President Jane Hansen said the Seattle-based Christian women’s organization now works in more than 4,000 cities and towns in 168 nations. “We are especially encouraged that women from Iraq have invited Aglow to establish a presence there,” she added. “Iraqi women hold a special place our hearts because of the decades of suffering they have endured.” Aglow also integrated into Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island, on Aug. 2. Madagascar has 19.5 million inhabitants.

BAPTIST VOLUNTEERS HELP BURY NICARAGUAN HURRICANE VICTIMS

Source: Baptist Press
A group of Nicaraguan believers and Southern Baptist volunteers from Florida and Georgia accompanied Baptist missionary Jim Palmer arrived at a cemetery in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, to help bury the bodies of Hurricane Felix’s victims. Palmer had the region’s only working tractor, so Puerto Cabezas Mayor Nancy Elizabeth Henríquez asked him to dig a 70-foot trench for the mass burial. But by 10 p.m. the corpses had not yet arrived. Palmer and Dan Titus, a member of Crestview Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., made inquiries and was told that 14 bodies were being identified. Titus, a mortician, offered to wrap the bodies for burial. Later that evening Palmer walked down the line of bodies with a young Mískito Indian woman by his side. Although she had known her uncle and brother well in life, she became confused when trying to identify their bloated corpses. “It’s never an easy thing to deal with death,” Palmer said. “I think the thing that affected me most was the anguish of the families—not being able to identify their loved ones.” By 2 a.m. the group was able to bury the 14 bodies and hold a brief memorial service. Forty more bodies were buried the next morning. More than 130 people reportedly died in the Sept. 4 hurricane on Nicaragua’s east coast.

* HURRICANE FELIX DAMAGES PARTNER RADIO STATION IN NICARAGUA

Sources: HCJB Global, Missionary Journalist, Radio World, Reuters, Mission Network News
HCJB Global engineer Steve Sutherland plans to help make repairs to a partner radio ministry that suffered severe damage in a hurricane that slammed into Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, on Sept. 4. Sutherland, who directs HCJB Global Voice’s international transmitter site near Quito, Ecuador, will head to Nicaragua’s capital city, Managua, later this week.

Puerto Cabezas was hit almost head on by Hurricane Felix, a category 5 hurricane. Convincing authorities to restore electrical power to the station, staff members at Radio VECA (La Voz Evangélica de la Costa Atlántica—Christian Voice of the Atlantic Coast) in Puerto Cabezas quickly restored the station to the air.

Felix’s winds sent the station’s tower crumpling to the ground, but in four days of downtime “they’ve welded the tower together and got it standing back up,” Sutherland said. However, the power of the station’s signal has been reduced to 600 watts, down from the optimum level of 900 watts following work accomplished in mid-2006 by Sutherland and a team of volunteers from Great Plains Christian Radio in Meade, Kan.

Sutherland arranged for a mission friend to find parts in Miami even as a Radio VECA staff member has been attempting to find coaxial cable in Managua. But making contact with the station manager, Pastor Salvador Sarmiento, poses a major challenge. Success in reaching Sarmiento by telephone represents dozens of attempts by Sutherland, and “sometimes it was over a hundred [attempted calls],” he explained. “It’s been hard getting in.”

Some 150,000 people live in jungle settlements around Puerto Cabezas, many of them descendants of Indians, European settlers and African slaves. They live by fishing and farming. “It is amazing the various groups of people who are listening to our radio,” said Sarmiento. He mentions people in jails and at military posts.

“The miners take their radios to listen to Radio VECA while they work and the farmers do the same,” he said, adding that Mískito-language programs are popular with the indigenous people.

Programming from the ALAS-HCJB satellite network “is an important source of Bible teaching,” he explained. “But also other programs such as ‘Ciudad Médica’ (Medical City) are considered a source of updated health information by nurses and doctors of the region.”

Others have expressed interest in helping the station, including Bill Lurwick, production director and announcer for Great Plains Christian Radio which itself lost 250 feet of tower for KJIL and KHYM (FM) to an ice storm in late 2006.

Lurwick has led work groups to Radio VECA in the past, including a trip in conjunction with HCJB Global. KJIL was named “Religious Station of the Year” by the National Association of Broadcasters (NRB) in 2006. Lurwick and a team of about five people hope to travel to Radio VECA in October to encourage the people and make any additional repairs to the station.

Américo Saavedra, director of Apoyo, a joint ministry of HCJB Global and Leadership Resources International, added that eight members of the key Trainers of National Trainers (TNT) pastor’s family died, and the home and church of another TNT pastor in Puerto Cabezas were destroyed. Apoyo is conducting this three-year pastoral leadership training program in Puerto Cabezas and the surrounding area.

Felix caused more than 130 deaths while nearly 10,000 homes have been destroyed and another 9,000 severely damaged. An additional 120 people are missing, and an estimated 50,000 people have lost everything they own.

* VETERAN HCJB GLOBAL MISSIONARY LYNNE LIND DIES AT 64

Source: HCJB Global
Lynne Lind, a veteran of 42 years of missionary service—the last 39 of those with HCJB Global—died at her home in Sierra Vista, Ariz., the evening of Sunday, Sept. 9, after a year-long battle with cancer. She was 64. Lynne was born in Englewood, N.J., on June 27, 1943. In 1950 she was diagnosed with polio but was fully healed through treatment and prayer. That same year she committed her life to Christ. Lynne graduated from Trinity International University (formerly Trinity College) in Deerfield, Ill., with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1965. After completing her studies, she served as a secretary with the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, Israel, for a year followed by two years as a secretary with Latin America Mission.

Lynne met her husband, Dwight, while he was applying with HCJB Global in 1968. “I married Dwight and decided to accompany him to Ecuador!” she said in an interview several years ago.

The Linds were married on Oct. 12, 1968, and that fall they were also accepted as missionaries with HCJB Global, officially beginning missionary service in January 1969. After eight months of Spanish language school in San José, Costa Rica, they arrived in Quito, Ecuador, in August 1969.

While Dwight worked in the television department, Lynne served as a typesetter in the printshop and did secretarial work for various administrators. She later taught English in HCJB Global’s Christian Center of Communications (CCC), the Quito branch campus of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minn. She was also actively involved in the Camino de la Luz (path of light) Bible study program for Ecuadorians—which she called a key highlight of her missionary career.

The Linds also served in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a short time as Dwight worked in television production for HCJB Global. In January 1998 they were transferred to Texas to serve with the World Radio Network, one of the mission’s cooperating ministries. They worked at WRN’s headquarters near McAllen before moving to Sierra Vista in 2006 to serve at Radio Station KWRB. Dwight is also WRN’s western regional coordinator.

One of the Scripture portions that encouraged the Linds in recent days was John 14:1-4: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Lynne is survived by her husband, Dwight, of 38 years; a daughter, Nancy Anderson (Richard) of Ewing, N.J.; and sons Timothy of Sierra Vista and Daniel (Sara) of Quito; and one grandson.

A memorial service was held at New Hope Fellowship, an Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) congregation in Sierra Vista. The second service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at Trinity EFCA in Teaneck, N.J. A third memorial service, in Spanish, is planned for the Linds’ friends in Quito. Her ashes will rest at the El Batán Cemetery in Quito.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to HCJB Global. On the memo line of the check put Lynne Lind Memorial #940100. This will create a scholarship fund for students to attend the CCC.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
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   MAF HELPING FIGHT DEADLY EBOLA OUTBREAK IN DEM. REP. OF CONGO

Source: Christian Newswire
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta to fight a deadly Ebola epidemic that has killed at least 150 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the outbreak in the central province of Kasai Occidental and said measures are being taken to contain the spread of the deadly virus. MAF is transporting doctors into remote jungle clinics where they can treat patients and assess the severity and extent of the crisis. “The thought at the moment is there are many, many more in the remote villages that are not making it to a hospital or a clinic and are simply dying in remote villages,” said John Boyd, MAF’s vice president for ministry advancement. “At the end of this week we should have a better idea of the size and scope of the situation, and how we need to mobilize more resources.” Ebola is one of the deadliest pathogens, killing 50 to 80 percent of the people it infects. Because it is highly contagious, health officials in Congo are trying to quarantine anyone with symptoms.

* HCJB Global Voice works with local partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to broadcast the gospel on Christian stations in Boma, Bukavu and Kinshasa. Programs go out in English, French, Kikongo Fioti, Lingala, Luba and Swahili. Weekly programs in the Songe and Kikongo San Salvador languages also air from local FM stations in the country.

CHINESE MAN RELEASED AFTER 3 YEARS IN PRISON FOR PRINTING BIBLES

Sources: China Aid Association, BosNewsLife, Assist News Service
Beijing house church Pastor Cai Zhuohua, who was convicted of illegally printing up to 40 million Bibles and other Christian writings, arrived home Monday, Sept.10, after three years in detention. Cai was sentenced in November 2005 on charges of “illegal business practices” and fined almost US$20,000. At that time China Aid Association (CAA) said that “authorities were shocked to find more than 200,000 pieces of printed Christian literature, including Bibles, in a storage room managed by Cai.” In China only the government-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement church is allowed to print and distribute Bibles. Cai’s wife and brother also received shorter sentences. A Hong Kong newspaper called Ta Kung Pao quoted China’s state bureau of religious affairs director, Ye Xiaowen, as saying that Cai illegally “printed 40 million Bibles and other Christian writings” and accused him of selling the Bibles rather than giving them away as the pastor claimed. “The prosecution could not find a witness to testify that my son received any money,” his mother, Cai Laiyi, told reporters. She added that her son “looked well and in good spirits although he was not allowed to have or read a Bible in the past three years.” While in prison Cai was forced to make soccer balls for up to 12 hours a day for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

2 ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANS IN INDIA RESULT IN MULTIPLE INJURIES

Source: Voice of the Martyrs
Pastor T.L. Angam Haokip, 31, who runs an orphanage and a Bible college in India, was attacked by approximately 35 men on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 8, in the village of Geddalahalli, Bangalore. Haokip was driving when the men walked in front of his vehicle and forced him to stop. They asked him if he was a pastor and when he said “yes” they pulled him out onto the road. The men accused him of “ruining” the nation and beat him in front of several witnesses. They tried to crush his legs with boulders and also kicked him in the neck. Haokip received severe injuries to his back and chest, and his jeep was destroyed. He tried to file a complaint at the local police station but it was rejected and he was told that a complaint had been registered against him for negligent driving.

On Sunday, Sept. 9, Pastor Sudhakar and four Christians visiting from Singapore were attacked by members of Hindu militant groups while leading a worship service at Bethel Gospel Church in the village of Amberpet, Hyderabad. According to a report from the All India Christian Council, approximately 300 believers were gathered when the militants forcibly entered the church building and began to shout curses against Christianity. The intruders beat Sudhakar with a rod and also beat the four visitors. Prior to the attack, the militants had filed a complaint at the local police station alleging that the pastor and the Singapore team were involved in forcible conversion activities.

GROUPS ALERT AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCHES TO OVERSEAS NEEDS

Sources: Evangelical News, Christian Newswire
Wycliffe Bible Translators and Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship have launched a partnership in a nationwide effort to alert African-American churches to the needs and opportunities regarding overseas missions and Bible translation. The partnership, founded and led by pastor, author and radio host Tony Evans, is the first of its kind and is expected to challenge longstanding attitudes within African-American churches regarding Bible translation and foreign missions. “For generations African-American Christians didn’t have the luxury of investing resources to serve people groups outside of our own communities,” said Evans. “We had urgent equal rights issues right here at home. The minimal involvement of African- American churches in international evangelism and Bible translation efforts is a remnant of earlier civil rights injustices. Through this partnership with Wycliffe, we aim to change that.” Wycliffe U.S.A. President Bob Creson added, “[We are] passionate about Bible translation and mission work. The African-American church has been passionately committed to -- and successful in -- breaking down social barriers and opening doors of opportunity in this country. We believe this is a God-given opportunity to combine our efforts to change the world for Christ.”

CONTROVERSIAL STUDY CONCLUDES CHANGE IS POSSIBLE FOR GAYS

Sources: Baptist Press, Religion Today
In what some are calling groundbreaking research, a new four-year study concludes that it is possible for homosexuals to change their physical attractions and become heterosexual through the help of Christian ministries. The data was released Thursday, Sept. 13, at a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., and will be published by InterVarsity Press in the upcoming book, Ex-Gays?, authored by psychologists Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse. Thirty-eight percent of the subjects followed in the study said they had successfully left homosexuality while an additional 29 percent said they had had only modest successes but were committed to keep trying. In another significant finding, the authors said attempts at conversions do not appear to be psychologically harmful. “These findings contradict directly the commonly expressed views of the mental health establishment that change in sexual orientation is impossible, and that if you attempt to change it’s highly likely to produce harm for those who make such an attempt,” Jones, a professor of psychology at Wheaton College in Illinois, said at a news conference.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
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   PERSECUTION IN INDIA FAILS TO STOP GROWING HIV/AIDS MINISTRY

Source: Mission Network News
Increasing attacks on Christians in India aren’t stopping ministries from growing there. Orphan Outreach recently started a group home and a Christian school in Pune, a city near Delhi. President Mike Douris says the ministry’s focus is on orphans and HIV. “Pune is one of those cities that right now has an infection rate of almost 2 percent,” he said. “Anything above 1 percent is epidemic, and it’s quickly growing.” India is home to some 35 million children who are classified as orphans, many because their parents died of AIDS. Douris added that Christian education is a great tool for outreach, even in Hindu communities. “The Christian schools that are being formed there are actually being accepted by a lot of the Hindus because of the quality of the education. So it’s become a great conduit in order to spread the Gospel.” Douris said “There’s definitely a lot of persecution in India against Christians. And people who are living by faith in India are really under a lot of persecution and a lot of scrutiny. But it’s amazing to see what God is doing and how the gospel is spreading.”

ANCIENT BEEHIVES DISCOVERED IN ‘LAND OF MILK AND HONEY’

Source: Breaking Christian News
Archaeologists from Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have discovered proof of the biblical description of Israel as “the land of milk and honey.” Archeology professor Amihai Mazar Eleazar L. Sukenik revealed that the first apiary (beehive colony) dating from the biblical period has been found in excavations he directed this summer at Tel Rehov in Israel’s Beth Shean Valley. It reportedly dates from the 10th to early 9th centuries B.C., placing it during the reign of King Solomon. As reported in Science Daily, Tel Rehov is believed to have been one of the most important cities of Israel during the Israelite monarchy, and experienced beekeepers and scholars who visited the site estimated that as much as half a ton of honey could be culled each year from these hives. According to the report, “A particularly fascinating find at the site is an inscription on a ceramic storage jar found near the beehives that reads, ‘To nmsh.’” This refers to Nimshi, known in the Bible as the name of the father, and in several verses the grandfather, of Israelite King Jehu, founder of the dynasty that usurped power from Omri (2 Kings 9-12).

PAKISTANI TEEN UNEXPECTEDLY CLEARED OF ‘BLASPHEMY’ CHARGES

Source: Compass Direct News
A Pakistani judge on Monday, Sept. 17, unexpectedly cleared a Christian teenager of charges that he had ripped up pages containing verses from the Koran, the Christian’s lawyer said. Judge Muhammad Abdul Sattar acquitted Shahid Masih, 18, at a lower court hearing in Faisalabad after prosecution witnesses changed their original testimonies. It is rare for Pakistani lower courts to acquit “blasphemy” suspects due to extremist pressure. Under oath, Mohammad Younis and Khalid Mehmood dropped claims that Masih had torn pages from a tafseer, a book explaining verses from the Koran. Muslim teenager Muhammad Ghaffar had allegedly witnessed the act while he and Masih supposedly stole books from a medical clinic in Madina, Faisalabad, on Sept. 10, 2006. “There were about 100 fanatics . . . who were astonished when their own witnesses claimed that the accused were innocent,” defense lawyer Khalil Tahir said. “They were very, very angry.” The lawyer declined to cross-examine the witnesses, immediately filing a written petition to drop the case. After hearing the lawyer’s arguments, Sattar deliberated for two minutes before clearing both Ghaffar and Masih of theft and desecration of the Koran. Masih could have faced life imprisonment if found guilty of “blasphemy.”

CHINESE SECRET POLICE INFILTRATING HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENT

Sources: BosNewsLife, Assist News Service
Chinese secret service agents are massively infiltrating China’s growing house church movement and pressuring its leaders to leave Beijing before the Olympic Games are held there next summer, well-informed Chinese sources and rights investigators said. “It doesn’t go as well with religious freedom in China as being reported,” reported Open Doors, a group that supports persecuted Christians. “Despite some enthusiastic reports in the media, China’s human rights are deteriorating.” Open Doors established a year ago that China’s secret police officers are increasingly using harsher methods against the house church movement. The ministry’s contacts reported that “in every house church meeting, baptism service or seminar someone was present from the secret service.” Open Doors stressed that “house church leaders know who these people are” but act as if they don’t notice them. “[Chinese contacts] also report that most house church leaders have been ‘requested’ [by the secret police or other authorities] to leave Beijing before the city hosts the Olympic Games.”

NEBRASKA STATE SENATOR ‘SUES GOD’ TO PROTEST A POINT

Sources: WorldWide Religious News, Associated Press
The defendant in a state senator’s lawsuit is accused of causing untold death and horror and threatening to cause more still. He can be sued in Douglas county, the legislator claims, because He’s everywhere. Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers sued God last week. Angered by another lawsuit he considers frivolous, Chambers says he’s trying to make the point that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody. Chambers says in his lawsuit that God has made terrorist threats against the senator and his constituents, inspired fear and caused “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants.” The Omaha senator, who skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians, also says God has caused “fearsome floods . . . horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes.” He’s seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty. Chambers said the lawsuit was triggered by a federal suit filed against a judge who recently barred words such as “rape” and “victim” from a sexual assault trial. “People might call it frivolous but if they read it they’ll see there are very serious issues I have raised,” Chambers said.

© Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
 
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   MTI SENDS $1 MILLION IN MEDICINES TO FLOODED NORTH KOREA

Source: Religion Today
Medical Teams International (MTI) and its partners are air shipping $1 million worth of emergency medicines to North Korea today (Thursday, Sept. 20). The medical supplies will help thousands of North Koreans affected by some of the worst flooding in decades. According to aid officials in North Korea, government authorities are now calling medical assistance the number one priority to help the more than 1 million people directly affected by last month’s disaster. The medical supplies from MTI include antibiotics and medicines for malaria and cholera. The essential medicines will help 20,000 people for three months. North Korea’s urgent request for humanitarian assistance is its first appeal since 1995 when severe flooding killed nearly 2 million people.

KOREAN CHRISTIANS CRITICAL OF AFGHANISTAN MISSIONARY BAN

Sources:Compass Direct News, Religion Today
More than a week after the Taliban released Korean aid workers in Afghanistan, some South Korean Christians are critical of their government’s ban on missionary travel to the country. South Korea agreed to withdraw troops and missionaries from Afghanistan last month in exchange for the release of the remaining 19 kidnapped Korean aid workers. The Taliban had already killed two of the group’s members and released two others after the Christian service team was captured on July 19. Critics claim that South Korea’s ban on missionary travel to Afghanistan limits religious freedom and encourages extremist attacks on Christians around the globe. A Taliban spokesman said last week that his group would continue kidnapping foreigners because they had found it to be an effective tactic, according to Agence France-Press (AFP). Choi Han Eu, president of the Institute for Asian Culture and Development, said that religious activities are a basic human right that must be protected. “In Iraq, in Somalia or any other country where there is a dangerous situation, will Christians not be able to go there if it is a Muslim country?” asked Choi, whose Protestant group carries out development work in more than a dozen Asian countries. According to Christian sources, the ban has curtailed almost all development work by Koreans in Afghanistan.

563 BAPTISTS AMONG THOUSANDS DISPLACED BY CONFLICT IN CONGO

Source: Baptist World Alliance
Heavy fighting in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.), has displaced hundreds of thousands of persons, including Baptists. The conflict between government forces and rebel groups intensified in late August, worsening a situation that has been unstable for some time. Reports are that on Saturday, Aug. 25, dissidents ambushed an army convoy, killing four Congolese soldiers. The government, in retaliation, sent thousands of troops into the region that led to people fleeing their homes in terror. Pascal Ndihokubwimana, projects officer with the Union of Baptist Churches in Congo, reported that the “situation is becoming bad. Some villages are falling under rebel control and others under government forces. Both sides are killing persons (civilians), accusing them of collaborating with the enemy.” He added that 210 Baptist families, or a total of 563 people, are at the Mugunga refugee camp. These families belong mainly to Baptist churches in the villages of Mizeituni, Karuba, Ngungu, Matanda, Rubaya and Ruhegeri. Others, he said, are hiding in the bush. The U.N. claimed that more than 220,000 people have been displaced in North Kivu since the beginning of the year.

CHRISTIANS SAY U.S. REPORT UNDERSTATES INDIA’S PERSECUTION

Source: Compass Direct News
The U.S. Department of State’s 2007 Report on International Religious Freedom gives India’s federal government high marks for respecting religious freedom, but Christian leaders said this does not mean that persecution in the country is less than alarming. The leaders claim the incidence of anti-Christian violence is much higher than statistics report. “I record and prove between 200 and 400 cases of anti-Christian violence a year in my unofficial white paper released annually since 1997 -- but the actual figure may be from 1,000 to 2,000 such cases a year, perhaps even more,” said John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council. Released Friday, Sept. 14, the report covering the period from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, says the government of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) “generally respected” religious freedom in practice. It asserts, however, that there were “organized societal attacks against minority religious groups, particularly in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party” (India’s most influential Hindu nationalistic party). The report also notes that human rights activists criticized the UPA for alleged “indifference and inaction” in the face of persecution by state and local officials and private citizens.

107-YEAR-OLD NIGERIAN CLERGYMAN CELEBRATES LIFE OF MINISTRY

Source: Assist News Service
Despite the monumental challenges of life, a man can attain ripe years on earth as seen in the life of Nigerian Rev. Samuel Akinbode Sadela, founder of the Gospel Apostolic Church, who marked his 107 years sojourn on planet earth recently at a well-attended birthday ceremony. The party, which took place at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, Nigeria, attracted a large number of Christians from the various denominations along with people from different walks of life who saw the occasion as an opportunity to affirm the possibility of long life for themselves. Attendees were impressed by this centenarian’s cooperation with God and His Word, enabling him to surmount the changes and hardships of family life. He has also put in 75 years in the gospel ministry. While appreciating the kind gestures of those who planned the activities to mark his birthday, Sadela emphasized the need to love one’s neighbor. He called this the secret of his longevity, adding that love for God ensures both physical and spiritual prosperity.

* HCJB Global Voice, together with partners In Touch Ministries, SIM and the Evangelical Church of West Africa, began airing weekly half-hour programs to Nigeria in the Igbo language in 2000. In 2003 weekly broadcasts were added in two additional languages, Yoruba and Hausa. HCJB Global Voice also has helped with radio ministries in six cities with more in the planning stages.

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   SHIPMENT BRINGS BIBLES, BLANKETS TO PERU EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

Source: Evangelical News
The merged organization, IBS-STL Global (International Bible Society and Send the Light), has shipped thousands of printed Scripture materials and blankets to provide hope and comfort to earthquake survivors in Peru following the Aug. 15 earthquake there. The quake measured 8.0 on the Richter scale, leaving hundreds dead, thousands injured and hundreds of thousands who can no longer live in their destroyed or damaged homes. “Today, more than ever before, the inhabitants of the zones affected by this tragedy need God’s Word,” said Enrique Baldeón, IBS-STL assistant director for South America. The cargo container includes 40,668 Spanish Bibles (more than half are for children) and 14,500 blankets. The Peruvian Bible Society stands ready to take delivery of the materials and assist with timely distribution to people in coastal communities south of Lima, especially near the epicenter in Pisco and Ica. The Salvation Army, the Peruvian National Council of Pastors, Compassion International and pastoral associations of Ica and Pisco will also assist in distribution. These groups are already giving physical help and spiritual counseling to victims.

* 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.

ANGRY MUSLIM MOB STORMS INDONESIAN CHURCH SERVICE OF 200

Source: BosNewsLife
Tensions continue to remain high in an area of the Indonesian city of Tangerand on the island of Java after several Christians were injured when a congregation of the Protestant Batak Church was attacked by an angry Muslim mob on Sunday, Sept. 2. Three suspects remain in police custody for allegedly participating in destroying church properties and injuring four Christians. Armed with axes, knives and stones, more than 100 people marched towards a tent where about 200 church members had gathered for a worship service. “They started throwing stones at the church members and destroyed the tent where they had gathered,” reported Open Doors. Police officers were apparently unable to stop the Muslims. Pastor Jau Doloksaribu and three other church members received head wounds. It was not immediately clear whether the attackers had links to extremist Muslim organizations. The latest attack has underscored concerns about increased violence against Christian institutions in Indonesia and the apparent unwillingness of authorities to intervene.

* HCJB Global Voice has worked with local partners to establish more than 14 local Christian radio stations across Indonesia since 2004. Broadcasts from HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra also encourage listeners nationwide. In addition, HCJB Global Hands has helped with relief efforts since the Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake/tsunami and subsequent quakes that devastated parts of Indonesia.

BAPTIST MAN FINED FOR ORGANIZING SUMMER CAMP IN BELARUS

Sources: Forum 18 News Service, Assist News Service
A Baptist man in the southwestern region of Brest, Belarus, in Eastern Europe, has been fined the equivalent of US$58 (almost two weeks’ average wages) for organizing a church summer camp. Viktor Orekhov was fined in court on Friday, Aug. 24, as the result of a complaint by the chairman of Mukhavets village council. This is the first “significant fine” in more than a year to be handed down to a member of the Baptist Council of Churches in Belarus. Brest region’s top religious affairs official, Vasili Marchenko, suggested that the fine was actually lenient. “What European country would tolerate a group of people doing what they like, completely ignoring the state and law, not responding to the authorities’ comments?” he said. “Any country would punish them, and severely.” In protesting the decision, Orekhov wrote that he had not formed a religious organization in the nearby village of Semisosny. Instead, he said, “parents and children from various places gathered for fellowship and relaxation on private land belonging to believers. We are to blame, it seems, for being believers. This is why I was prosecuted and fined.”

CHINESE WORLD CUP STAR USES OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE HER FAITH

Sources: Breaking Christian News, Bible Society NSW, Christian Post, Associated Press
Many Chinese soccer fans are pinning their hopes on 23-year-old female star Han Duan to secure a strong performance for the national women’s soccer team in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in China. China defeated New Zealand 2-0 on Thursday, Sept. 20, to advance to the quarterfinals in the 16-nation tournament. As one of the Christians among China’s leading female soccer players, however, she is keen to let people know that she places both her successes and her failures in God’s hands alone. In an article featured on The Christian Post’s website, Han stated, “No matter where I go I take the Bible along.” The swift-moving soccer star has been named the FIFA “player to watch for” since scoring 10 goals in the four games leading up to the tournament. Han is using every opportunity, saying “God has given me many opportunities to tell people about his goodness.” Her testimony is featured in a Women’s World Cup version of the Gospel of Mark, presented by the United Bible Societies China Partnership and the Provincial Christian Councils. Han noted that the Bible contains important lessons for each day, and that it’s “filled with wisdom and joy, instructing me on how to live meaningfully.”

* 2 FM REPEATER STATIONS TO BE DEDICATED IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Source: HCJB Global
Thousands of residents in two remote island communities off the coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG) now have their own radio stations as a result of a cooperative effort involving HCJB Global Voice, National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) and local radio partners.

The two stations, which went on the air in Kimbe and Buka earlier this month, are repeaters of Wantok Radio Light, a Christian network based in the capital city of Port Moresby operated by the PNG Christian Broadcasting Network in partnership with EBM International, Life Radio Ministries (USA), HCJB Global Voice and local churches. This gives the network a total of 12 repeaters with more than 18 others in the planning stages. The goal is to cover the entire nation with gospel broadcasts.

Former HCJB Global President Ron Cline, now serving as the mission’s global ambassador, will be on hand to help dedicate the stations early next week along with representatives from the NRB, EBM and Wantok. “These stations were made possible because of the NRB Convention in Orlando, Fla., last February,” Cline said. The NRB, which named Wantok Radio Light as the “International Ministry of the Year,” took a special offering for the ministry, raising enough funds to launch one of the two stations. “A donor then matched that offering, paying for the second station,” he explained.

NRB Board Chairman Ron Harris, one of two representatives from the organization attending the dedications along with President Frank Wright, said he’s excited to be involved.

“This is really an indication of a new heart at the NRB where we are looking to reach around the world,” Harris explained. “We understand that as God has blessed us, we have the opportunity and obligation to be a part of what God is doing internationally, coming alongside these organizations that are so faithful.”

Harris will officiate at the dedication of the station in Kimbe on Sunday, Sept. 23, and Wright will do the same in Buka two days later. EBM President Gerald Bustin, formerly a missionary in PNG, will preach while Wantok Radio Light Director Pawa Warena will oversee the events.

Also representing HCJB Global at the dedications will be Dennis Adams, executive director of the Asia Pacific Region; Dave Pasechnik, director of the South Pacific sub-region; and engineer Alan Good who is stationed in PNG.

Toward the end of their stay, team members will meet with high-level government officials and visit the U.S. ambassador to PNG. In addition, they will take part in a corporate fund-raiser for Wantok Radio Light in Port Moresby. More than 400 people have been invited to the event, among them 21 newly elected Christian members of parliament, including the deputy prime minister and other dignitaries.

The new stations will play a key role in the communities, improving communications and presenting a positive Christian message. Even though PNG is officially Christian, many members of the younger generation attend public schools and have little exposure to the gospel, unlike their parents who typically attended schools started by missionaries. All of the broadcasts are produced locally with programs in Pidgin and English.

Kimbe lies on a picturesque bay in West New Britain province, fringed by a pristine rainforest at the base of a string of volcanoes—some still active. The province has a population of 184,500. Buka is in the North Solomons, a province of PNG with two main islands and atolls that are known for their picturesque beaches and bays which French explorers discovered almost 200 years ago. The province has a population of 170,160.

“The people are excited,” Cline added. “Hundreds—maybe thousands—of people will come to these dedications. They will take place in the town centers because there won’t be enough room at the stations. I’m thrilled to be a part of the actual dedication. I was there for the dedication of the main FM station in Port Moresby in 2002.” A shortwave transmitter was added in 2005.

Those traveling to PNG are also carrying 65 fixed-tuned, solar-powered SonSetTM radios for distribution to local residents.

HCJB Global is looking at potential opportunities to partner with Lifewind and Community Health Evangelism to offer medical ministries in combination with the radio outreach. datum
 

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