Zprávy HCJB 11.11.2007 - 17.11.2007

	Muzeum Stvoření překonalo plánovaný počet návštěvníků o půl roku dřív
	Muzeum Stvoření u Cincinnati v Ohio, které prezentuje současnou úroveň poznání o stvoření světa, uvítalo v pátek 9. listopadu již 250 000. návštěvníka. Tento návštěvník byl původně očekáván o šest měsíců později. Provoz muzea zahájila koncem května svým projevem apologetická misijní společnost Otázky stvoření (Answers in Genesis, AiG). Její zakladatel Kan Ham řekl novinářům: „Máme radost z velkého počtu návštěvníků, ale především jsme vděčni, že máme příležitost pomáhat lidem v jejich křesťanské víře prohlubováním vědomostí o stvoření podle Bible. Jsme také šťastni, že tak mnoho lidí nevyznávajících křesťanství může slyšet evangelium. Muzeum je nejviditelnějším projevem činnosti AiG, ale je to jen jedna část naší mezinárodní misie.“ Kromě dobré návštěvnosti, která někdy dosahuje 3500 lidí denně, muzeum pokračuje ve spolupráci s médii a zúčastní se chystaných diskusních pořadů na téma „Evoluce nebo stvoření?“. Řada mezinárodních televizních společností také do muzea vyslala své štáby, aby divákům pomohli vysvětlit, o čem se vlastně debatuje. „Je to žhavé téma především v Evropě a doufáme, že jsme schopni přispět k objasnění této otázky,“ řekl spoluzakladatel muzea Mark Looy. Zdroj: Assist News Service
	Podle průzkumu se 42 procent obyvatel Velké Británie modlí
	Obyvatelé Velké Británie cítí, že modlitby mění jejich životy a asi 42 Britů uvedlo, že se modlí. Křesťanská agentura Tearfund se dotázala 1000 náhodných dospělých a zjistila, že jeden z šesti dotázaných se modlí denně a čtvrtina alespoň jednou týdně. Po modlitbě se 38 procent z nich cítí „uvolněně a spokojeně,“ a 57 procent uvedlo, že modlitby změnily jejich život. Přitom Terfund, který provedl i jiný průzkum mezi 1000 lidí navštěvujících kostel uvedl, že tato zjištění podtrhují modlitební úsilí zvláště těch, kdo přestali chodit do kostela. Podle průzkumu i lidé, kteří neuvedli žádné náboženství se občas modlí – asi 12 procent. Nejčastějšími tématy modliteb jsou rodina a přátelé, poděkování Bohu, prosba o radu, prosba v nemoci a modlitba za světové problémy jako jsou chudoba, války a neštěstí. Třicet procent respondentů uvedlo, že se po modlitbě cítí posíleni, 22 procent se cítí být blíž k Bohu, 21 procent se cítí být klidnější a jistější a 19 procent uvádí, že se cítí šťastnější a veselejší.. Jeden ze tří dotázaných dospělých souhlasil s názorem, že „je Bůh, který nade mnou bdí a odpovídá na mé modlitby.“ Zdroj: WorldWide Religious News, BBC News
	Tajný dokument svědčí o organizování probíhajících tvrdých zákroků proti domácí církvi v Číně
	V jedné velké provincii čínská vláda nařídila tvrdý zákrok proti rozrůstajícím se domácím sborům, a toto nařízení je součástí celkového plánu proti věrným křesťanům v celé Číně. Prozradil to tajný dokument, který unikl v úterý 13. listopadu. Skupina obránců církve z organizace China Aid Association (CAA) uvedla, že tento dokument vydal Obvodní výbor komunistické strany v Duadao při magistrátu města Jingmen v provincii Hubei. Dokument nazvaný „Poznámky k pracovnímu plánu zvláštního dohledu nad křesťanskými aktivitami v obvodu Duadao“ byl podle všeho rozeslán na všechny městské obvody, místní výbory komunistické strany a jiné orgány státní správy. CAA získala poznatek, že čínská vláda uspořádala tajný „Seminář o práci s křesťany,“ kde byly diskutovány probíhající tvrdé zákroky a dále seminář „Boj proti pronikání nepřátelské zahraniční činnosti pod pláštíkem křesťanství a ochrana stability společnosti a náboženské scény.“ Současně jsou vládou uznávané národní křesťanské organizace vyzývány, aby „úzce spolupracovaly s agenty národní bezpečnosti.“ Tvrdá opatření, která začala být uplatňována 15. července a mají skončit 30. listopadu, podle dokumentu zahrnují „propagandu, opatření a kontroly.“ Také úřadům doporučuje přijmout kroky proti „samozvaným misionářům“ a vedoucím domácích sborů. Zdroj|: China Aid Association, BosNewsLife
	V Indii nájezd slonů zničil dům misionáře
	Domorodý misionář Gospel for Asia v Indii Anad Kumar zažil v noci nepříjemné probuzení. Ze spánku ho vyburcovalo řádění slonů v jeho domě. Rychle popadl manželku a dvě dcerky a vyběhli z domu, než jej sloni stačili strhnout. V ranním světle pak spatřili poškozený dům, kolo a zabitou kozu. Sloni také sežrali všechno jídlo, které našli v kuchyni. Také další dva domy v jeho západobengálské vesnici padly za oběť nočnímu slonímu řádění. Ministerstvo lesů Indie hlásí, že v oblasti, kde Kumar žije sloni nyní ničí každou noc 15-20 domů, protože záplavy slony vyhnaly z jejich pastvin. Kumar dokázal postavit vedle zničeného domu provizorní obydlí a také si opravil kolo, takže se na něm dá jezdit. Jeho misijní činnost je závislá na kole, protože pěšky je to do sousedních vesnic příliš daleko. Zdroj: Assist News Service, Gospel for Asia *HCJB Global Australia vysílá pořady pro jihovýchodní Asii v 17 jazycích z vysílače v Kunnunurra. Většina programů je nahrávána ve studiích v Indii v Dillí.
	Předseda NYSE daroval misii letadlo za 1 milion dolarů
	Předseda New Yorské burzy a současně předseda rady správců Bostonského Lékařského Centra Bostonského Lékařského Centra Mashall Carter a jeho žena Missy darovali k humanitárním účelům své soukromé letadlo organizaci Jungle Aviation and Radio Service (JAARS). Švýcarský stroj Pilatus PC-6 se připojí k letce JAARS, technický nástroj překladatelské misie Wycliffe Bible Translators. JAARS koorrdinuje a provádí letecký program v pěti zemích a jeho lety směřují do Asie, Pacifiku a Afriky. Turbovrtulový stroj Pilatus se dobře hodí jak k dopravě nemocných, tak při pomoci v boji s negramotností a při dalších formách rozvojových programů organizace SIL International, což je nábožensky založená organizace studující, dokumentující a zabývající se málo známými jazyky. „Jsme za tento příhodný dar pana a paní Carterových velmi vděčni,“ řekl prezident JAARS Jim Akovenko. „Letadlo se perfektně hodí pro krátké přistávací dráhy, které jsou při polních operacích běžné. Stroj vhodně doplní nynější letku a bude nasazen hned, jak přiletí.“ Zdroj: Christian Newswire
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	240 LEADERS FROM 70 COUNTRIES ATTEND ‘BREAKTHROUGH’ MEETINGS Sources: World Evangelical Alliance, World Council of Churches After four days of meetings, some 240 leaders from a broad range of churches, confessions and interchurch organizations from more than 70 countries agreed to carry forward what they call the “global Christian forum process,” an open platform that to “foster mutual respect, explore and address common challenges.” Participants broke into a spontaneous doxology when the final draft of a “Message from the Global Christian Forum to Brothers and Sisters in Christ Throughout the World” was approved at the last session of the meeting which took place Nov. 6-9 in Limuru (near Nairobi, Kenya). The message, one of the few tangible results of the forum, was described as a “historic breakthrough” as participants were able to gather “globally as never before.” Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and Pentecostal churches as well as the broader evangelical movement and other Christian churches, communities and interchurch organizations were represented at the meeting. “We are extremely pleased by the development and outcome of this meeting,” said Rev. Walter Altmann, moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee. “What one decade ago was born within the WCC as an idea that seemed fragile and almost impossible to achieve has led to a milestone in the ecumenical journey.” GROUP OF NORTH KOREAN CHRISTIANS MISSING, FEARED EXECUTED Sources: BosNewsLife, Voice of the Martyrs There was concern Friday, Nov. 9, about the whereabouts of a group of detained Christians in North Korea that authorities have described as “foreign spies” and “native citizens working for a foreign intelligence service,” investigators said. However, the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) found the allegations to be untrue. VOM, which was able to gather the identities of eight of the Christians, said group members had started a portrait photography studio to help support themselves and had registered their businesses with appropriate government authorities. It quoted local sources in North Korea as saying, “they were not involved in espionage activities” and that equipment “taken by the government was in fact photography equipment used in their portrait work.” VOM sources were unclear about the location of the arrested believers. MINISTRY ENCOURAGES INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS FROM ETHIOPIA Source: Mission Network News HIV/AIDS orphans in Ethiopia are forced to beg on the streets to survive -- some as young as 2 years old, said Getahun Tesema of Buckner International. “They live on the street because they have no one to take care of them.” The ministry expanded its Ethiopian ministry three months ago to include international adoption. In a country where Christians face severe persecution, evangelical Christians account for about 20 percent of the population while Ethiopian Orthodox and Muslims make up the other 80 percent. “The children will find families that can help them,” said Tesema, “especially American parents or families who want to adopt -- very good families -- Christian families also. We believe that children need a dedicated Christian family to know Jesus, and ultimately we wish them to find Jesus Christ.” Tesema added that adopting children from Ethiopia has many benefits. “The process is very easy. It’s not like any other country,” he explained. “Ethiopia is, I would say, the best place to adopt children when it comes to processing. It takes two months to finalize everything.” Costs are also kept at a minimum. CREATION MUSEUM SURPASSES ATTENDANCE GOALS 6 MONTHS EARLY Source: Assist News Service The state-of-the-art Creation Museum near Cincinnati, Ohio, saw its 250,000th guest the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 9, more than six months earlier than originally expected. The museum was opened in late May by the biblical apologetics ministry Answers in Genesis (AiG). “We are pleased with the attendance, certainly, but more importantly, we are grateful for the opportunity to help people grow in their Christian faith by learning more about biblical creation. [We are also glad] to see so many non-Christians be able to hear the gospel” said ministry founder Ken Ham in a news release. “While the museum is the most visible aspect of AiG, it is but one aspect of our international ministry.” In addition to good attendance, sometimes as high as 3,500 guests, the museum has continued to receive a lot of media coverage, aided in part by the ongoing creation/evolution debate. Several international television networks have recently sent crews to the museum to help explain to their audiences what the debate is all about. “This is a hot topic in Europe especially, and we hope that we have been able to help clarify the issue,” said Mark Looy, cofounder of the museum. * HCJB GLOBAL HANDS TO SEND MEDICAL RESPONSE TEAM TO MEXICO Responding to an invitation from Samaritan’s Purse, HCJB Global Hands will send a eight-member emergency medical response team from Quito, Ecuador, to southern Mexico’s Tabasco state on Wednesday, Nov. 14, helping victims of severe flooding that inundated the area at the beginning of this month. Team leader Dr. Brad Quist, director of Vozandes Community Development, wasted no time in organizing a team that will help for two weeks, providing physical and spiritual care to victims. Concerned last Friday that Mexican authorities wouldn’t approve the team members’ visas on such short notice, God answered prayer less than 72 hours later. Quist was rejoicing earlier today (Monday, Nov. 12) when the Mexican Embassy granted visas for the Ecuadorians planning to serve on the team which will fly to Tabasco’s capital city, Villahermosa. The four Ecuadorian medical doctors, all based at the ministry’s Hospital Vozandes-Quito, include Galo Nuńez, director of the family medicine residency, family practice resident Frederico Toral, Amparo Torres and intern Marco Yanez. Quist will be assisted by Dr. Steve Nelson whose wife, Dorothy, will oversee women and children’s ministries while Ralph Kurtenbach will help in communications and logistics. “Everything we do in community development we try to balance the physical as well as the spiritual outreach,” Quist said. “We’re affecting communities around the world for good health but also for Jesus Christ. We can do that in the form of simple skits or vacation Bible school activities that some of our support staff do with the children in the community. It could certainly involve praying with our patients and encouraging them in their relationship with Jesus Christ.” Quist added that the team will be involved mainly in primary care, working in conjunction with Samaritan’s Purse. “This is a likeminded organization that we’d like to form a closer relationship with over time. When we join together like this it helps both organizations be more effective. “It fits well with our goals in mission mobilization, especially since there are so many nationals on the team,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for them to get involved in a relief effort and let God speak to them through their experiences.” HCJB Global has the advantage of having medical staff available to serve at a moment’s notice. “Samaritan’s Purse wants a rapid response team, and we have the flexibility to be out in the field quickly,” Quist explained. “We will arrive two weeks after the flooding began and just a week after Samaritan’s Purse first asked us to get involved.” A small state in the Yucatan Peninsula, Tabasco has seen about a million people flee their homes since the area’s worst flooding in 40 years hit the area. Hundreds of thousands have sought shelter in relief centers or fled to other parts of Mexico. At least eight people have been killed in Tabasco along with more than nine others from neighboring states. The flooding also destroyed crops in Tabasco -- Mexico’s largest producer of cacao and a major grower of bananas. Working together in August, staff members from the two ministries also responded to needs in Peru after an 8.0-strength quake devastated entire towns in Peru’s Ica province south of Lima. Previous emergency medical response teams from HCJB Global Hands went to Indonesia, Pakistan, Ecuador and the Solomon Islands. © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
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	RELIEF SUPPLIES, AID WORKERS POURING INTO FLOOD-RAVAGED MEXICO Sources: BBC News, Evangelical News, Religion Today, Red Cross International help for Mexico’s flood-stricken communities in the provinces of Tabasco and Chiapas has begun to arrive according to reports from Mexico’s foreign affairs ministry. Financial help, emergency personnel and supplies from several countries are being added to hundreds of tons of aid provided by ordinary Mexicans following an appeal for solidarity from President Felipe Calderón last week. Donations have been pledged by countries including Ireland (US$1.4 million), the U.S. ($300,000) and Germany ($250,000). Peru is said to be sending a planeload of supplies, Britain will send 10 experts and inflatable boats, and Cuba, 50 doctors. “As of Nov. 10, the Mexican Red Cross brought 2,675 tons of supplies into Tabasco,” announced Isaac Oxenhaut, national director of response for the Mexican Red Cross. “Of that, 2,400 tons have already been distributed.” Religious organizations are also responding. An Assemblies of God Convoy of Hope team arrived in Tabasco and Veracruz on Friday, Nov. 9, and is preparing for the arrival of about 89,000 pounds of relief items with an additional 40,000 pounds expected to follow. Operation Blessing International (OBI) has teamed up with international courier DHL to help prevent a logistical bottleneck in incoming relief supplies. So far, four portable water purification units, provided by Water Mission International, have been shipped free via DHL. The Mexico Air Force will fly the units into the devastated regions. The units will provide 40,000 gallons of clean water on a daily basis, and can be used for five years with no filter replacement costs. Volunteers and medicines from Medical Teams International (MTI) have been shipped this week, and medical volunteers from the Pacific Northwest will depart Nov. 17 to care for families camped in temporary shelters. Additional MTI volunteers will be deployed to the area during the coming weeks to help families in remote communities who have not received medical help since the dam in Tabasco broke eight days ago. An MTI shipment of medicines valued at $680,000 will arrive in Villahermosa, near the center of the flooding, in the upcoming week. The container of antibiotics, bandages and pain relievers will help resupply destroyed clinics and hospitals and be distributed to shelters where an estimated 78,000 people are housed. Joe DiCarlo, MTI’s director of emergency response, echoed the sentiment of many relief workers arriving on the scene, saying, “The destruction here is as bad as what I saw from Hurricane Katrina.” * Responding to an invitation from Samaritan’s Purse, HCJB Global Hands will send an eight-member emergency medical response team from Quito, Ecuador, to southern Mexico’s Tabasco state on Wednesday, Nov. 14. CHRISTIANS PLAN NEW TEACHING HOSPITAL IN BETHLEHEM, ISRAEL Source: Assist News Service CURE International, a U.S.-based Christian medical charity which operates teaching hospitals throughout the developing world, has announced plans to open a $16.5-million state-of-the-art medical training center and hospital in Bethlehem. “The facility will be the first specialty surgical care available to Palestinian children in the West Bank,” states a story on www.ekklesia.co.uk. “This cardiac and orthopedic hospital fills a major need in the West Bank where medical care is severely limited,” said Dr. Scott Harrison, an orthopedic surgeon who founded CURE International 10 years ago and serves as the organization’s president and chief executive officer. Harrison is appreciative of the cooperation between Christians, Muslims and Jews who are working together to provide medical care for children in the area. “The Bethlehem hospital is unique in that it is bringing together three faith groups to build a facility of healing in a very volatile region,” said Harrison. “Christians and Muslims will serve together at the hospital and will receive additional training at some of the leading hospitals in Jerusalem.” 3 EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS DETAINED BY POLICE IN PREDAWN RAID Sources: WorldWide Religious News, Reuters, Compass Direct News Egyptian police detained three members of a Christian rights group on Saturday, Nov. 10, including its spokesman and lawyer, the organization’s president said. In predawn raids police entered the Cairo homes of Wagih Yakob, 45, spokesman for the Middle East Christian Association, and another member of the group, detaining both, said Nader Fawzy, president of the Toronto, Canada-based group. Later in the day they detained Mamdouh Azmy, the group’s lawyer, from his office in Alexandria. “They haven’t done anything at all,” Fawzy said. “The government is trying to stop us from working in Egypt.” Police confiscated the computers and mobile phones of the two men detained in Cairo, said Fawzy, whose organization has a mission statement calling for secularism and equality with full citizenship for Christians living in the Middle East. Police held two other members of the group in August who had helped a man convert to Christianity from Islam. Both were released from prison earlier this week, Fawzy said. Egyptian Christian groups have complained about an increase in arrests and harassment in recent months. A U.S. government report in September said Egypt had seen a marked decline in religious freedom. SURVEY: 42 PERCENT OF U.K. RESIDENTS SAY THEY PRAY Sources: WorldWide Religious News, BBC News People in the U.K. feel prayer changes their lives, with some 42 percent of Brits saying they pray. Christian development agency Tearfund surveyed 1,000 randomly selected adults and found one in six prayed daily and one in four at least once a week. After praying, 38 percent reported feeling “peaceful and content,” and 57 percent said it changed what happened in their lives. The National Secular Society claimed the survey was an attempt to mask the declining popularity of prayer. But Tearfund, which also conducted a separate survey of 1,000 regular churchgoers, said the findings highlighted the prevalence of prayer among those who no longer attend religious services. According to the survey, even people with no religion reported praying, with 12 percent praying sometimes. Top prayer topics in order of popularity were family and friends, thanking God, guidance, healing and worldwide problems such as poverty, wars and disasters. Thirty percent of respondents said prayer made them feel strengthened, 22 percent said they felt close to God, 21 percent said they felt reassured and safe, and 19 percent said they felt happy and joyful. One in three adults agreed with the statement, “There is a God who watches over me and answers my prayer.” LIBERAL BRITISH THINK TANK: BRITAIN NO LONGER CHRISTIAN NATION Source: Religion Today It’s time for Britain to recognize that it is no longer a Christian nation and should embrace multiculturalism, according to a liberal think tank favored by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Christmas should be just one of many religious holidays recognized by the government, states a report soon to be released by the Institute for Public Policy Research in Britain. Echoing sentiments heard throughout the nation in recent years, the authors of the report say that the traditional pillars of British identity have now vanished or been greatly weakened. Church attendance is at historically low levels, the British Empire is gone, the monarchy is far less popular, and the Second World War is inexorably slipping into memory. The report suggests that cities should build downtown areas that promote better interaction between different groups. The government also should work on getting minorities out into the largely white countryside. With regards to religion, bishops from the Church of England should no longer sit in the House of Lords and a new constitution could be created to defend “the right of citizens to practice whatever faith they please.” © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
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	CARIBBEAN BAPTISTS TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN MISSION AGENCY Source: Baptist World Alliance A mission agency will be established in the Caribbean in order to strengthen the capacity of local congregations, facilitate the recruitment and training of missionaries, and encourage and support the efforts of Caribbean partners to better address the causes and effects of social injustice. Norva Rodney of the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU) made the proposal for such an agency at a mission conference in Montego Bay sponsored by the Jamaica Baptist Union Mission Agency. The Montego Bay Accord, the final document produced after a series of presentations, deliberations and discussions, speaks to the intent to create a Caribbean Mission. The Caribbean Diaspora Baptist Clergy Association, the JBU and the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship signed the accord. The mission conference, held Oct. 24-28, brought together more than 450 delegates from Jamaica, Panama, Haiti, Turks and Caicos Islands, Belize, Bahamas and the U.S. * Staff members from the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart, Ind., worked with Tarrant Baptist Church in Kingston, Jamaica, to install a 500-watt FM transmitter, antenna and studio. SECRET DOCUMENT: CHINA IN ORGANIZED HOUSE CHURCH CRACKDOWN Sources: China Aid Association, BosNewsLife The Chinese government has ordered a crackdown on mushrooming underground house churches in a key province as part of a nationwide plan against devoted Christians across the country, according to a secret document leaked Tuesday, Nov. 13. The advocacy group China Aid Association (CAA) said the order was issued on July 24 by the Duodao District Committee Office of Jingmen Municipality of the Communist Party of China in Hubei province. The document, titled “Notice on Forwarding Work Plan for Special Administration on Christian Activities in Duodao District,” was apparently sent to all townships, Community Party committees and other relevant government officials. CAA learned that China’s government “convened a secret National Christian Working Seminar” to discuss the pending crackdown and “Fight against infiltration activities by hostile overseas forces under the guise of Christianity and safeguard the stability of society and in the religious arena.” It also urged government-sanctioned patriotic Christian organizations “to work closely with the public security agents.” The crackdown that started June 15 and ends Nov. 30 and includes “propaganda, actions and inspection,” the document showed. It suggested authorities to also take action against “self-appointed missionaries” or house church leaders. BRITISH EVANGELIST AND BROADCASTER ROB FROST DIES Sources: BosNewsLife, Assist News Service Well-known British evangelist and broadcaster Rob Frost passed away peacefully the evening of Sunday, Nov. 11, with his family around him. Frost, also known as an author, visionary, evangelist, preacher and founder of Share Jesus International, succumbed to skin cancer that was diagnosed in June. He set up the mission agency in 1986 with the “sole purpose of sharing Jesus in many different contexts and countries.” Frost was in great demand as a preacher, served as international director of the Atlanta-based International Leadership Institute and authored more than 25 books. He presented Premier Radio’s flagship current affairs program in London called “Frost on Sunday,” and his weekly television show on the God Channel, “The Frost Debate.” He lectured in missions and evangelism at London School of Theology and was a regular teacher at theological institutions throughout the U.K. MARTIN LUTHER’S HOMELAND NOW A ‘PRE-CHRISTIAN’ MISSION FIELD Source: Assist News Service Lutheran theologian and journalist Uwe Siemon-Netto has declared that Martin Luther’s homeland has turned into a “pre-Christian mission field.” Director of the Institute on Lay Vocation at the Concordia Seminary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in St. Louis and a renowned journalist, Siemon-Netto gave a recent lecture on the religious situation in the former East Germany. At a recent German Days event at Concordia Seminary on Wednesday, Oct. 31, Siemon-Netto said that less than a quarter of the population in Luther’s homeland is still Christian. Wittenberg, where Luther once lived, counts about 15 percent of the church members, Protestant or Catholic. The same is true for Eisleben where Luther was born in 1483 and where he died in 1546. Siemon-Netto holds the communist regime in the former East Germany responsible for the demise of Christianity. Following in the footsteps of the Nazis, the regime systematically tried to wipe out Christianity in its realm. As Siemon-Netto pointed out, this turned out to be the only enterprise in which the East German communists succeeded remarkably and lastingly. * RETIRED HCJB GLOBAL MISSIONARY JIM McKEAN DIES AT 69 Source: HCJB Global James “Jim” McKean, a veteran who gave nearly 25 years of missionary service to HCJB Global after retiring from the military, died suddenly of a heart attack in Colorado Springs, Colo., the morning of Monday, Nov. 12. He was 69. Jim was born in Cuba, Kan., on March 31, 1938, and later lived in Phoenix, Ariz., where he graduated from Sunnyside High School. He then studied at the University of Kansas for two years before joining the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in Phoenix in 1958. He served as a trombonist in the USAF Band the first four years of his military career. Through the Airman Education program, he completed his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University in 1964. Jim then became an internal auditor and an accounting and finance officer with the USAF in Arizona. He retired in 1979 with the rank of captain after 21 years of military service. He later studied at Denver Seminary and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. On May 31, 1959 Jim married Mary Avison. The McKeans joined HCJB Global in 1983, studying Spanish at Rio Grande Bible Institute in Edinburg, Texas, before arriving in Quito, Ecuador, later that same year. Jim served as an internal auditor and directed the Quito Business Office. He was also active in the mission’s choir and orchestra and helped at English Fellowship Church as Sunday school superintendent. In addition, he was a song leader for an organization called Military Christians of Ecuador that ministers among the country’s military. In 1989 the McKeans transferred to the U.S. to serve in accounting at the mission’s international headquarters, first in Miami, Fla., and then in Colorado Springs when the office was relocated in 1992. Jim and Mary enjoyed sponsoring cadets from the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs throughout the years—sometimes three or four at a time. Jim’s final assignment at HCJB Global was serving on the Personnel Care Team, recording detailed information and tracking missionaries on home ministry assignment in North America. He and Mary also provided hospitality to many candidates and missionaries visiting in Colorado Springs. In an interview several years ago, Jim said he first considered full-time missionary service while serving with the USAF. “Because of our interest in cross-cultural experiences and growing awareness of needed skills that could be used in full-time service, we moved toward missions after military retirement,” he explained. “After investigating many missions, we felt that our talents could best be used with HCJB Global.” He added that “being of useful service to others” was the most satisfying aspect of being a missionary. “I especially enjoyed being an encouragement to the Christians in the Ecuadorian military who were organizing their own ministry.” In addition to his wife of 48 years, Jim is survived by six children, Martha, Deanna, Erin, Pamela, Thomas and Philip as well as 14 grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, in the “stone chapel” of his church, Woodmen Valley Chapel, in Colorado Springs. Information on the designation of memorial gifts is pending. © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
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	MARAUDING ELEPHANTS DESTROY HOME OF MISSIONARY IN INDIA Sources: Assist News Service, Gospel for Asia Anand Kumar, a national missionary with Gospel for Asia in India, had a rude awakening late one night in August when he heard the sounds of the elephants crashing through his house. Reacting quickly, he grabbed his wife and two small daughters and fled the house before the elephants could harm them. The morning sunrise brought to light the destruction of their home, goat and bicycle. The elephants also ate all the food in the family’s kitchen. Two other homes in Kumar’s village in West Bengal were also destroyed that night. India’s forest department reported that in the area where Kumar lives, elephants were damaging 15 to 20 homes every night during this time when floods drive the elephants from their feeding grounds. Kumar was able to construct a small new home beside the ruined one. He was also able to repair his bicycle enough to make it usable. He depends on the bike to minister in villages that are too far from his home to walk. * Radio programs in 17 languages air to Asia and Southeast Asia from HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra. Most of the programs are produced at the ministry’s studios in New Delhi, India. UZBEK BAPTIST BEGINS TRIAL FOR HOSTING WORSHIP IN HIS HOME Source: Forum 18 News Service Baptist Nikolai Zulfikarov went on trial Tuesday, Nov. 13, for hosting worship in his home in the Central Asia nation of Uzbekistan. Zulfikarov is being prosecuted for the crime of “teaching religious doctrines without special religious education and without permission from a central organ of administration of a religious organization, as well as teaching religion privately.” Punishments range from hefty fines to three years in prison. Local Baptists, who prefer not to be identified, have complained about continuing harassment, complaining that local authorities have “repeatedly visited worship services, drawn up official records [of alleged offences] and confiscated Bibles, concordances, hymnbooks and other Christian brochures and leaflets.” They called for the case against Zulfikarov to be dropped, for confiscated literature to be returned and for the congregation’s worship not to be impeded. The prosecution of Zulfikarov comes amid rising repression of religious communities, including moves to crush the Grace Presbyterian Church in the capital city of Tashkent. DALIT WOMAN BEATEN, FORCED TO DRINK URINE IN INDIA Sources: Assist News Service, Salem Voice New Service A Dalit woman in the village of Tili Aanvili in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state was tied to a tree, severely beaten and forced to drink urine on Wednesday, Oct. 10. According to the Salem Voice News Service, Suman, the Dalit woman, was asked to harvest an entire farm’s crop by herself. As it was an impossible task, she refused and asked to go home. At that point the upper-caste farm owners tied Suman to a tree and beat her up, breaking her arms and causing her to lose consciousness. After Suman regained consciousness, she asked for water but one of the farm owners gave her urine instead. The following day, a village official took her in a bullock cart to the local police station where she told officials what had happened. “I do not know what was written (by police). Later I was brought to hospital where one arm was operated upon and a rod inserted in the other,” Suman added. Police denied the urine-linked allegation but is sending the superintendent of police to investigate due to the gravity of the accusations. WELL-LOVED DALLAS COWBOYS CHAPLAIN JOHN WEBER DIES AT 59 Sources: Baptist Press, Evangelical News Hundreds of people, including dozens of players and representatives from the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys crowded into First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas, on Tuesday, Nov. 6, to honor the life and legacy of longtime team chaplain John Weber. Weber, 59, served as the team chaplain for more than two decades and through five head coaches. He died Thursday, Nov. 1, in Dallas following a heart attack. “John was a chaplain, a deacon, a staff member for Athletes in Action, a father, husband and grandfather,” said John Meadon, the church’s senior pastor. “We are all here because we’ve been touched by John. We will never be the same.” In attendance were current and former Dallas Cowboy’s players and legendary football broadcaster Pat Summerall who called Weber his best friend. Weber, working under the umbrella of Athletes in Action, not only conducted weekly Saturday chapel services for the Cowboys during the NFL season but also counseled the players, coaches and another staff members on a regular basis, interacting with the millionaire superstars and the lowest-paid team employees. CHURCH OF ENGLAND ORDAINED MORE WOMEN THAN MEN IN 2006 Sources: Religion Today, WorldWide Religious News, Associated Press More women than men were ordained as Church of England priests last year for the first time since a ban was lifted on female clergy, the church reported this week. A total of 478 clergy were ordained in 2006; of those 244 were women and 234 men. Most of the women were ordained to unpaid or non-stipendiary posts such as the role of assistant priest. Of those ordained to full-time stipendiary or paid posts, 128 were men and 95 were women. The Church of England saw its first female clergy ordained in 1994. The denomination’s general synod has backed the concept of female bishops as “theologically justified,” although the principle has caused an outcry among some conservatives. © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
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	NYSE CHAIRMAN DONATES $1-MILLION AIRPLANE TO JAARS Source: Christian Newswire The chairman of the New York Stock Exchange and chairman of the board of trustees of the Boston Medical Center, Marshall Carter, and his wife, Missy, donated their personal airplane to the Jungle Aviation and Radio Service (JAARS) to be used for humanitarian purposes. The Swiss aircraft, a Pilatus PC-6, will join the fleet operated by JAARS, a ministry of Wycliffe Bible Translators. JAARS runs flight programs in five countries with operations in Asia, the Pacific and Africa. The turboprop aircraft is well suited for medical evacuations and in assisting local people in literacy and other forms of community development through the efforts of SIL International, a faith-based organization that studies, documents, and assists in developing the world’s lesser-known languages. “We are very grateful for this timely gift from Mr. and Mrs. Carter,” said JAARS President Jim Akovenko. “The aircraft is a perfect match for the very short runways that are common in the field of operations. This aircraft will complement the current fleet and will be pressed into service immediately upon arrival.” 57 DISPLACED WHEN FIRE DAMAGES UKRAINIAN ORPHANAGE Sources: BosNewsLife, Christian Aid Mission As winter sets in, a total of 57 men, women and children remain displaced after a fire destroyed parts of a Christian orphanage near the western Ukrainian city of Rivne. The fire destroyed the “entire third floor and caused extensive water damage to the second floor of the Good Samaritan Orphanage,” reported the U.S.-based Christian Aid Mission (CAM), a group representing native missionaries in Ukraine and other countries around the world. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire. Although no one was seriously injured in the blaze, “orphaned children are once again homeless as the cold Ukrainian winter sets in,” the group added. Coordinator Slavik Radchuk said repairs would cost about $60,000 and must begin immediately. CAM described the orphanage as a “unique ministry,” recruiting families from the local church to care for up to six homeless children per household. “These families live together in a building divided up into modest ‘apartments.’ The orphanage had five families on the third floor and three families on the second.” * HCJB Global Voice worked with local churches to establish Radio Emmanuel, a 500-watt FM station, in Kiev in June. Two additional outlets in Kiev and one in Dneperpetrovsk are also affiliated with New Life Radio, a Russian satellite radio network operated by Christian Radio for Russia with HCJB Global Voice as the principal partner. In addition, weekly Ukrainian programs air to the country via shortwave. WESTERN WALL RABBI: VISITORS’ CROSSES ‘HURT JEWISH FEELINGS’ Sources: Religion Today, Cybercast News Service A group of Austrian Catholic bishops recently was asked to hide their crosses before approaching the Western Wall -- the most sacred Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem often referred to as the Wailing Wall. Shmuel Rabinovitch, the chief rabbi at the site, said the crosses would “hurt Jewish feelings.” He would not allow the archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schonborn, and a delegation of some 20 religious leaders to enter the Western Wall plaza unless they hid their crosses. He also refused to meet with them. “Crosses are a symbol that hurts Jewish feelings,” Rabinovitch was quoted as saying. “There is a way to behave there. Just as one would remove his shoes before entering a mosque, so visitors are asked not to display crosses at the Western Wall.” Most Christians who visit the Western Wall would not wear a cross without having to be told, Rabinovitch said, adding that visitors who display crosses are always asked to cover them as a sign of respect. CHRISTIAN FAMILY IN INDIA ATTACKED DURING PRAYER TIME Source: Assist News Service A Christian family was attacked by Hindu radicals during its devotional time in east-central India’s Chhattisgarh state the evening of Saturday, Nov. 10. According to a report on www.persecution.in, the victims were Pritam Arse, 53, his wife, Priyadarshini, 45, sons Ravi, 24, and Prakash, 22, who is blind, and a daughter, Mamta, 18. The report said that while the family was praying, they heard the sound of loud firecrackers in their yard. When they went to investigate, they were confronted by more than 20 young men, some of whom were drunk. The young men cursed the family for praying instead of celebrating a Hindu festival. Then the young men reportedly slapped Ravi on his face and pushed him onto the ground outside the house. They also threatened to murder the family and kidnap Mamta. The next morning, one of the family’s neighbors who was also one of the attackers, said the group had been instructed by a radical Hindu group to attack the family. CZECH COURT REFUSES TO ABOLISH RESTRICTIVE CHURCH AMENDMENT Source: WorldWide Religious News The Czech Constitutional Court dismissed a proposal by a group of Czech senators to abolish a controversial amendment to church law that had been pushed through by leftist legislators. Church representatives say the amendment to the law passed in 2005 interferes in the churches’ rights to establish spiritual and other institutions such as charities, schools and medical facilities according to their own norms. The controversial provision provides for the state registering legal entities established by churches. Critics say the registration duty is an inadmissible interference by the state in the churches’ affairs. The supporters of the law, especially the Social Democrats and the Communists, pointed out that churches must act and establish their organizations according to the Czech Republic’s legal order. Opponents, however, said the duty of registration violates the churches’ independence which is undemocratic and unconstitutional and returns the situation of religious societies to the pre-1990 era. They pointed out that authorities could bully churches by placing obstacles to the registration of their organizations. * Czech programs recorded by HCJB Global Voice producers in the Czech Republic and the U.S. air on local stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Programs also air on a Trans World Radio’s 24-hour satellite service, Radio 7, and on the Internet (www.radio7.cz). In addition, the staff publishes a magazine that is available in both Czech and Slovak. © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA

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