Zprávy HCJB 2.12.2007 - 8.12.2007

	World Gospel Mission posílá do válkou postižených oblastí Súdánu 250 000 Biblí
	Léta občanské války v Súdánu přinášejí těžké ztráty včetně vypálených kostelů a zničených Biblí. V mnoha oblastech tyto Bible dosud nebyly nahrazeny. V reakci na tuto skutečnost World Gospel Mission (WGM) ve spolupráci se Samaritan Purse příští rok rozdělí asi 250 000 Biblí šesti jazykovým skupinám v jižním Súdánu. Bible jsou právě na cestě. „Zabezpečení Biblí pro Súdán je složité a přitom to je teprve začátek. Skutečné problémy nastanou při jejich dopravě vnitrozemím,“ řekl Joy Phillips z WGM. „Na místa můžeme buď létat, nebo jet po řece, protože silnice teď nejsou otevřeny skoro žádné.“ Při rozdělování Biblí bude misie spolupracovat s místními sbory. Také byla zahájena výuka pro nevysvěcené vedoucí sborů, aby začali s čtenářskými a biblickými skupinkami. Phillips řekl, že „Jednou z nejpotřebnějších věcí jsou pro ně modlitby, aby se Bible dostaly do rukou gramotných lidí, jejichž srdce i mysl budou přístupné Božímu Slovu, které je povzbudí a osloví a tak bude budována církev, tělo Páně.“ Zdroj: Mission Network News, Religion Today
	Ozdravný projekt ve Rwandě má energickou vládní podporu
	Místní i státní úřady ve Rwandě nadšeně podporují projekt ozdravení a usmíření společnosti, jehož nositelem je Biblická Společnost Nového Jižního Walesu. Projekt, který Společnost vymyslela a který prosazuje ve spolupráci s African Enterprise vychází z gramotnosti a z léčivé moci Božího Slova a využívá biblické příběhy, které popisují odpuštění, spravedlivost a smíření, jako například starozákonní příběh o Josefovi a jeho bratrech. Účelem projektu není jen zlepšit úroveň čtení, psaní a duševních schopností 102 000 dětí, ale také přerušit bludný kruh nenávisti vyučováním od Boha. Během genocidy v roce 1994 16 procent rwandských dětí uniklo smrti tím, že se schovaly pod mrtvá těla povražděných lidí. Kolem 70 procent dětí vidělo, jak někoho zabili nebo zranili. Za pouhých 100 dnů bylo pobito 1 milion Rwanďanů a zbylo po nich mnoho sirotků. „Pouhá slova nestačí k vyjádření velkých proměn, které nastaly v životech dětí i učitelů, kteří programem již prošli,“ řekl starosta rwandského kraje Rubavu, Barengayabo Ramadhan. „Duch pokání za odpuštění je opravdu vidět.“ Zdroj: Bible Society New South Wales
	Podle průzkumu je o existenci pekla přesvědčeno víc Američanů, než o Darwinově teorii
	Že peklo a ďábel existují věří víc Američanů, než tomu, že Darwinova teorie je pravdivá. Toto zjištění pochází z průzkumu Harrisova ústavu z minulého týdne a je dalším potvrzením hluboké religiosity v USA. Jiné země v rozvíjejícím se světě používají takové a podobné výsledky průzkumu k pochopení amerických vnitropolitických bojů, jako je úsilí o školní vyučování teorie „inteligentního designu“ vedle evoluční teorie. Poslední průzkum, kterého se zúčastnilo 2455 dospělých Američanů ukázal, že 82 procent jich věří v Boha, 79 procent v zázraky, 75 v Nebe, 72 procent věří, že Ježíš je Bůh nebo Boží Syn, 62 procent věří v existenci pekla a ďábla. Ale Darwinově evoluční teorii věří jen 42 procent dotázaných. Zdroj: Religion Today, Reuters
	Baptistický pastor na seznamu teroristických cílů
	Ertan Masut Cevik, pastor baptistického sboru v Izmiru (v biblických dobách Smyrna, nyní třetí největší město Turecka) má zvýšenou policejní ochranu, protože jeho jméno se našlo na seznamu cílů, který měly u sebe tři osoby podezřelé z terorismu. Tyto tři osoby jsou podezírány z plánování široce založených útoků a byly uvězněny, když se u nich našlo množství zbraní. Cevik je pod policejní ochranou již od dubna, kdy uspořádal pohřební obřad pro jednoho ze tří křesťanů zabitých v Turecku 18. dubna. Dvě z obětí této vraždy byli Turci, kteří konvertovali od islámu ke křesťanství – 36letý Necati Aydina a 32letý Ugur Yuksel. Třetím zavražděným byl 46 letý Němec Tillman Geske. Cevik a baptistický sbor byli v tureckých novinách tři dny po vraždě obviněni z účasti na „nátlakové evangelizaci,“ při které prý pomocí peněz a drog lákají mladé lidi. Tato obvinění byla sborem odmítnuta. Cevik je ordinovaným pastorem Svazu evangelikálních svobodných sborů v Německu, který je členem Světového Baptistiké Aliance (BWA). Zdroj: Baptist World Alliance
	Irský fotbalový svaz hlasuje pro nedělní zápasy
	Irský forbalový svaz (IFA) odhlasoval povolení fotbalových zápasů v neděli a zrušil tak poslední existující zákaz nedělních zápasů. Delegáti mimořádného sjezdu IFA ve středu 28. listopadu poměrem hlasů 91-14 upustili od 60 let starého zákazu a sjednotili tak irskou ligu se zbytkem světa. Až do devadesátých let nebylo v neděli v Severním Irsku otevřeno prakticky nic, neboť vlivná protestantská fundamentalistická lobby zajistila, aby brány hřišť byla zamčeny, obchody a restaurace zavřeny. Letos se vedení IFA již jednou pokusilo zbavit se tohoto zákazu, ale nezískalo potřebnou dvoutřetinovou většinu – proti byly především týmy z protestantských, církví organizovaných soutěží. Nyní IFA přijala názor, že zákaz nedělních zápasů je v rozporu s protirasistickou a protisektářskou politikou svazu a že diskriminuje katolíky a jiné náboženské skupiny. „Toto rozhodnutí však přivede hráče s hlubokým křesťanským přesvědčením do velmi obtížné situace, pokud nebudou pro své svědomí schopni hrát během [křesťanského] sabatu,“ řekl rev. David McIloven z Církve svobodných presbyteriánů. Zdroj: WorldWide Religious News, Guardian
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	MISSION HELICOPTER DAMAGED IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA ACCIDENT Source: New Tribes Missions A New Tribes Missions (NTM) helicopter was badly damaged in an accident the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 27, in a remote airstrip in Papua New Guinea. Missionary pilot Ray Finsaas, the only person aboard, walked away from the accident with no apparent injuries. The helicopter, a Jet Ranger that is NTM Aviation’s only helicopter in the country, was shuttling fuel to the missionary team in a remote airstrip among the Itutang tribe. The fuel was in a sling under the helicopter -- a normal way of carrying cargo by helicopter -- and the aircraft was “very close to the ground . . . basically in a hover” when the accident occurred, said Jim Sims, vice chairman of NTM Aviation. The exact cause of the accident will be investigated. NTM Aviation is making arrangements to transport the helicopter to the mission’s flight center in Papua New Guinea to determine if it can be repaired. The helicopter has been operated by NTM Aviation in Papua New Guinea since 1993 without an accident. SIL International, a sister organization of Wycliffe Bible Translators, has two helicopters in Papua New Guinea and is expected to help carry the workload until NTM Aviation can put a helicopter back into service. * Staff members from the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart, Ind., are working with partners in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to design and build a satellite radio network with more than 32 outlets planned. The main FM station, Wantok Radio Light, went on the air in Port Moresby in 2002 followed by more than 12 repeaters. A low-power shortwave transmitter also went on the air in the same city with HCJB Global Voice’s help in 2005. At its annual convention in Orlando, Fla., last February, National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) named Wantok Radio Light as the “International Ministry of the Year.” CHRISTIAN TEACHER KILLED IN NIGERIAN ELECTION VIOLENCE Sources: Compass Direct News, Voice of the Martyrs, Evangelical News Local elections in the Sumaila area of Nigeria turned violent on Saturday, Nov. 17, after news reports showed a Christian candidate ahead in the polls, signifying the first-ever victory for a Christian in the area. In reaction to these results, local Muslims turned on a Christian community in Gani, destroying houses and shops. Several Christians were injured in the attack and a schoolteacher, Danyaro Bala, was killed. The military was eventually called in to restore order. Sani Duma, Bala’s younger brother, said that he believes Muslims killed the local church elder to intimidate Christians into submitting to Islam. “Religion is at the center of this attack on us and the killing of my brother,” Duma said. “The selection of only houses of Christians and their shops for destruction shows clearly that Muslims were out to force us into submitting to their hold on political leadership.” Bala is survived by a wife and 11 children. He was an elder and key leader in his local church. * 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 UPDATE: ‘TEDDY BEAR TEACHER’ FREED IN SUDAN AFTER 8 DAYS Source: BBC News British schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, has been released and handed over to British officials in Sudan after being jailed for letting her class name a teddy bear Mohammed. She was freed after eight days in custody despite being given a 15-day jail term. Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, pardoned her after talks with two British Muslim peers. A mother of two, Gibbons has been released into the care of the British embassy in Khartoum, but her exact location has not been disclosed. Following her release, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the teacher was “a little overwhelmed” at the attention her case had attracted, but was in “remarkably good spirits” and “elated to be back on her way home.” Ibrahim Mogra from the Muslim Council of Britain said the whole saga had been damaging for the image of the Muslim faith. “Each time we have stories like these that distort what Islam stands for or misrepresents what the compassion of Muslim law stands for, then we have repercussions and people begin to feel that Islam has no place in modern society. I have not come across one single Muslim in our country who has supported what has happened.” WORLD GOSPEL MISSION SENDS 250,000 BIBLES TO WAR-RAVAGED SUDAN Sources: Mission Network News, Religion Today Years of civil war in Sudan has brought many losses, including burned churches and destroyed Bibles. In many areas, those Bibles haven’t yet been replaced. In response, World Gospel Mission (WGM), in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse, will distribute some 250,000 Bibles to six language groups in southern Sudan next year. The Bibles are currently en route. “The logistics of getting the Bibles here is huge, and even once we get them to Sudan, moving around Sudan is quite a challenge,” said WGM’s Joy Phillips. “We have to either fly to certain places or go by river because there are just no roads that are open at this time.” The mission will be partnering with a church network for the distribution. Training is also in progress for lay church leaders to start reading groups and Bible study groups. Phillips said, “One of the things that we need most is prayer, that the Bible will get into the hands of literate people, that their hearts and minds would be open to the Word of God, and that this would be incredibly encouraging as well as challenging, and that the body of Christ, as the church, would be built up.” 24-HOUR GLOBAL VIGIL FOR AIDS ORPHANS ENDS IN NEW YORK Source: Christian Newswire AIDS activists, performers and families in New York concluded a 24-hour global event to honor and raise awareness about children affected by the international AIDS crisis on Friday, Nov. 30. The event, launched by World Vision, began the previous morning in Toronto with vigils in more than 17 cities worldwide. During each event around the world, participants read the names of children who have lost one or both parents in communities’ hard hit by AIDS. Throughout the 24-hour period, the cumulative number of names read grew until, at Friday’s event, the last of 6,000 names were read, symbolizing the estimated number of children who lose a parent to AIDS each day. “This event is like nothing we’ve ever done before,” said World Vision President Richard Stearns. “But then this crisis is like nothing we’ve ever addressed before. A crisis like AIDS demands a response of enormous scale, both in our programs for those affected by the virus and in our call to effect change.” © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
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	RWANDA HEALING PROJECT RECEIVES SPIRITED GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Source: Bible Society New South Wales Local and national Rwandan authorities have granted enthusiastic support for the Bible Society of New South Wale’s healing and reconciliation project. The project, developed and delivered in association with partner organization African Enterprise, is literacy based and focuses on the healing power of God’s Word by using Bible stories that focus on themes of forgiveness, justice and reconciliation such as the Old Testament story of Joseph and his brothers. The aim of the project is to not only improve the reading, writing and comprehension abilities of 102,000 children, but to also break the cycle of hatred through God’s teachings. During the Rwanda genocide in 1994, 16 percent of Rwandan children hid under a dead body to survive. Almost 70 percent saw someone being killed or injured. In just 100 days, 1 million Rwandans were killed, leaving many orphans. “Mere words are not enough to express the great changes that have taken place in the lives of the children and teacher that were trained through the program,” said Barengayabo Ramadhan, mayor of Rwanda’s Rubavu district. ”The spirit of repentance for forgiveness is easily seen.” UZBEKISTAN PASTOR GETS 2 YEARS OF CORRECTIONAL LABOR Source: Forum 18 News A Baptist pastor in Uzbekistan was sentenced, Thursday, Nov. 29, to two years of correctional labor for “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.” Nikolai Zulfikarov, who led the unregistered, five-member Khalkabad Baptist Church, was also sentenced to pay the state 20 percent of his earnings in the next two years. It is not clear whether Zulfikarov will appeal against the decision. Asked whether it was illegal to be a believer in Uzbekistan, Judge Bakhrom Batyrov replied that the laws of Uzbekistan prohibit people worshiping and praying together without being legally registered. This is the latest sentence against a member of one of Uzbekistan’s religious minorities, which along with the majority Muslim community, continue to be put under severe official pressure. * HCJB Global Voice airs 2.5 hours of Uzbek programs per week from an AM station outside the country. More than 15 million people speak this language. KIDNAPPED ORTHODOX PRIEST RELEASED IN SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY Source: Compass Direct News A Syrian Orthodox priest was kidnapped in southeastern Turkey Wednesday, Nov. 28, only to be freed by his captors two days later, a church source said. Father Edip Daniel Savci, 42, was released at about noon in the city of Batman, 43 miles north of Midyat where he was kidnapped. “He called us himself and gave us the news,” said Yuhannan Gulten of the Syrian Orthodox Mor Gabriel Monastery. “We immediately called the police, and they went to get him.” Gulten said that the priest’s captors had set him free without outside intervention. He was unable to answer questions about Savci’s health, the identity of his kidnappers or whether a ransom was paid. The kidnappers had demanded 300,000 euros (US$443,000) in exchange for the priest’s release when they contacted a fellow clergyman from Savci’s mobile telephone soon after the abduction. It remains unclear why unidentified assailants first abducted and then released the hard-working priest who took care of 12 children at his monastery and doubled as the village repairman. Though the incident appears to have been motivated by money, Turkey’s anti-Christian atmosphere may have influenced the kidnappers, said columnist Murat Belge. MILLIONS OF CHINESE YOUTH GOING ONLINE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES Sources: ZGBriefs, PRNewswire-FirstCall, CNN Millions of young Chinese are embracing the Internet as a discreet space for their thoughts and emotions, according to a survey of Chinese and American youth released Nov. 23 by InterActiveCorp (IAC) which operates businesses in sectors being transformed by the Internet, and J. Walter Thompson (JWT), a major advertising agency network. The “Young Digital Mavens” study explored how attitudes toward digital technology are changing among Chinese and American youth at a time when people are spending less time with traditional media and more with interactive technology. The findings show how readily young Chinese are taking to the Internet and its possibilities. Almost five times as many Chinese as American respondents said they have a parallel life online. While 42 percent of the 1,079 American respondents agreed that “I live some of my life online,” 86 percent of the 1,104 Chinese respondents agreed with the statement. China’s ballooning online population is estimated at 137 million, second only to that of the U.S. where the total is estimated at between 165 and 210 million. * HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra broadcasts 25.5 hours of Mandarin programming each week. NEWLY EXCAVATED SYNAGOGUE HAS ‘UNPARALLELED’ MOSAIC Sources: Breaking Christian News, ScienceDaily The remains of an ancient synagogue from the Roman-Byzantine era have been uncovered at the foot of the Mt. Nitai cliffs overlooking the Sea of Galilee, considered by some to be the location of Nazareth. The project is being conducted under the auspices of Hebrew University of Jerusalem. According to the article, in the synagogue excavators found a mosaic which to date has no parallels. The mosaic depicts woodworkers near a “monumental structure which they are apparently building.” Lead archaeologist Uzi Leibner believes the scene could be depicting the building of the temple, Noah’s ark or the tower of Babel. The article also states that archaeologists at the site “are also attempting, through their excavations, to gain a clearer picture of rural Jewish village life in Roman-era Galilee. In addition to excavating the synagogue, they also are involved in uncovering residential dwellings and other facilities at the site such as a sophisticated olive oil press and solidly built two-story homes.” © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
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	POLL: MORE U.S. RESIDENTS BELIEVE IN DEVIL THAN DARWIN Sources: Religion Today, Reuters More Americans believe in a literal hell and the devil than Darwin’s theory of evolution. The information, coming from Harris poll released last week, is just another confirmation of the deep level of religiosity in the U.S. Other countries in the developing world use studies like this to understand American political battles, such as efforts to have “intelligent design” theory taught in schools alongside evolution. The latest poll, which surveyed 2,455 U.S. adults, found that 82 percent believed in God, 79 percent believed in miracles, 75 percent in heaven, 72 percent that Jesus is God or the Son of God, and 62 percent in hell and the devil. However, Darwin’s theory of evolution received only a 42 percent belief rating. 4 CHURCHES SLATED FOR DEMOLITION IN NORTHERN NIGERIA Source: Compass Direct News Without discussion or compensation, Northern Nigeria’s Kano state has unilaterally decided to demolish four churches in this city to make way for roads and a hospital. Two Pentecostal churches and two churches belonging to the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) will be demolished under the northern Nigerian city’s plan. Rev. Murtala Marti Dangora, secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Kano state chapter, said the road and hospital construction are a guise for demolishing the churches. “The government has refused to discuss with us about the fate of these churches,” Dangora said. He added that during re-election campaigning earlier this year, Kano Gov. Malam Ibrahim Shekarau promised the Muslim community of Ginginya area that he would demolish an ECWA church there in order to build a hospital. * 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. PUBLISHER’S PROJECT GETS WEATHERPROOF BIBLES TO TROOPS Sources: OneNewsNow.com, Evangelical News Bardin & Marsee, an Alabama publishing company, is making it possible for Christians in America to send weatherproof Bibles to troops overseas. Called The Outdoor Bible, it is waterproof, tear-resistant and durable. The company has kicked off a project called “Light of the World 2007” which allows people to send copies of Bibles to troops overseas. The Bibles, purchased online at LightoftheWorldCampaign.com or through a partnership with the North American Mission Board and Campus Crusade for Christ, will be delivered to the troops in early 2008. Bobby Bardin, co-founder of the publishing company, says U.S. troops are in need of durable Bibles. “They’re actually probably the most appropriate group [because] they’re in dangerous situations all the time,” he said. “They need encouragement that goes beneath the surface, and they’re constantly in very harsh environments where they need tough gear. So our troopers . . . don’t need a Bible that will survive in a minivan -- they need a Bible that will hold up in a Humvee.” 2 INDONESIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES FORCED TO CLOSE IN 2 WEEKS Source: Compass Direct News Attacking the house of a Baptist pastor and protesting the presence of a Catholic church, radical Muslim groups in Indonesia got authorities to close down two churches in the past two weeks. In Banten province, extremists from the Islamic Defender Forces, also known as Front Pembela Islam (FPI) attacked the Tangerang home of Pastor Bedali Hulu at Jakarta Christian Baptist Church on Wednesday, Nov. 21, kicking out doors and windows, breaking glass and throwing the pastor’s belongings from the house. Church members had been meeting in the pastor’s home. As a result of the violent objections to the church, Hulu met with Pisangan Jaya village leaders the following day, resulting in the officials asking him to leave the territory until tensions cooled. Activities at the church, which has a permit and is registered with Religious Affairs authorities, came to a halt. In West Jakarta, about 75 Muslim demonstrators on Sunday, Nov. 23, demanded a halt to worship at Damai Kristus (Christ’s Peace), a Catholic church in Kampung Duri. The protesters were ostensibly upset that the church didn’t have a permit for expansion after local authorities reportedly denied the parish priest’s application without explanation. After tense discussions, the area Muslims eventually produced a letter from the Tambora district head requiring the church to cease activities. * 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. 10-YEAR-OLD BOY WALKS 280 MILES FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN Source: Breaking Christian News Ten-year-old Zach Bonner, of Valrico, Fla., not only celebrated Thanksgiving “on the road,” but he also marked his 10th birthday while walking 280 miles from the Tampa area to Florida’s capital of Tallahassee to raise money and awareness for homeless children. The young philanthropist, who began walking on Thursday, Nov. 1, not only raised awareness with his effort, but he also brought in $25,000 worth of donations and supplies for the homeless. Asked if it was a difficult journey, Zach replied, “It’s been really tiring and exhausting. But whenever I get really tired I just think of all the homeless kids that have to live through all the bad weather.” Zach’s walk was not his first, but the latest of several projects he’s done, all aimed at helping others. Zach said he does charitable work because, “it makes me happier than anything else I do.” © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
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	SANTA CLAUS FIGHTING TO PUT CHRIST BACK INTO CHRISTMAS Source: Christian Newswire This year Santa is leveraging the Internet to tell children the true meaning of Christmas. ChristmasGram.com has created personalized video messages from Santa that explain that Christ is the real reason for Christmas. Speaking from his toy workshop, Santa speaks to each child by name and recites a narrative telling the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus. The reason for the project, according to Jan Godfrey, a project volunteer, is that many people believe the true meaning of Christmas is being hijacked by political correctness, commercialism and apathy. “The future of Christmas lies with our children. Next to family and friends, Santa is the ideal person to remind us why we celebrate Christmas,” she said. “We as Christians should not allow others to strip the holiday of its religious significance. Who better than Santa to help put Christ back into Christmas?” The messages are delivered directly into the child’s home before Christmas via the web or DVD. An enhanced version of the product includes an additional 150 words of personalized content provided by family or friends. BAPTIST PASTOR IN TURKEY FOUND ON TERRORIST HIT LIST Source: Baptist World Alliance Ertan Mesut Cevik, pastor of a Baptist church in Izmir, Turkey (the modern name for biblical Smyrna), the country’s third-largest city, has received increased police protection after his name was found on a hit list carried by three suspected terrorists. The three, who are arrested, are suspected of planning wide-scale attacks after a large cache of weapons was found in their possession. Cevik has been under police protection since April after he hosted a funeral service for one of three Christians who was killed in Turkey on April 18. Two of the murder victims, Necati Aydin, 36, and Ugur Yuksel, 32, were Turks who converted from Islam to Christianity. The third man, Tillman Geske, 46, was a German citizen. Cevik and the Baptist congregation were accused in a Turkish newspaper article, published after the three murders in April, of engaging in “coercive evangelism” by using money and drugs to attract young people. These charges were denied by the church. Cevik is an ordained pastor of the Union of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany, a member body of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). UPDATE: TURKMENISTAN PASTOR DEPORTED, CUT OFF FROM HIS FAMILY Source: Forum 18 News Baptist Pastor Vyacheslav Kalataevsky -- a Ukrainian citizen -- has failed in his attempt to stay with his wife, children and congregation in Turkmenbashi. He is due to leave on a flight to Moscow on Tuesday, Dec. 11. Kalataevsky, who leads a small independent Baptist congregation in Turkmenbashi, said local Migration Service officials verbally rejected his application for a visa and residence permit to remain in Turkmenistan on Nov. 26. “Nothing was given in writing,” he said. “Nor did they give a reason -- by law they are not required to. But, of course, it is linked to my activity as a believer. Everything that has happened to me since 2001 is related to that.” Kalataevsky was originally deported in 2001 for leading his congregation, but he soon returned to Turkmenistan to be reunited with his family. When he tried to regularize his situation earlier this year, he was arrested, tried and found guilty of “illegally crossing the border.” His three-year labor camp sentence was cut short when he was granted amnesty in October and freed on Nov. 6. Within a week of returning home to Turkmenbashi, he was warned not to meet for worship with his fellow Baptists. * 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. SCHOLAR SAYS WEST IGNORING PERSECUTION OF ARAB CHRISTIANS Sources: Assist News Service, CNSNews.com, Religion Today If Western governments do not address the Muslim persecution and economic plight of Palestinian Arab Christians, there won’t be many Christians left in the Holy Land within 15 years, Israeli scholar Justus Reid Weiner said, speaking from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs on Monday, Dec. 3. Loss of employment, land seizures, attacks on churches, intimidation, torture, beatings, kidnappings, forced marriage and sexual harassment of Christian women are clear human rights violations that have contributed to the exodus of Christians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, he said. “Since the empowerment of the Palestinian Authority in 1995, the systematic persecution [of Arab Christians] has been met with nearly total silence,” explained Weiner, an international human rights lawyer and scholar. “This silence has included the international community, relevant non-governmental organizations and other human rights activists and the media.” In Bethlehem the Christian exodus has been most acute. “No one city in the Holy Land is more indicative of the great exodus of Christians than Bethlehem,” Weiner added. “The town of 30,000 is now less than 20-percent Christian after decades when Christians were the majority. In a society where Arab Christians have no voice and no protection, it is no surprise that they are leaving.” PAT ROBERTSON HANDS CBN BROADCASTING REINS TO HIS SON, GORDON Sources: Associated Press, Assist News Service, WorldWide Religious News Rev. Pat Robertson said Monday, Dec. 3, that his son, Gordon, has succeeded him as chief executive of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). Pat, 77, announced the transition on “The 700 Club,” the Virginia-based network’s flagship show, with Gordon, 49, on air with him. “I thought that some of this day-to-day operation was important to pass down the line, especially to somebody a little more adept at figuring out the new technologies coming at such a bewildering speed to all of us,” Pat said. The network’s board of directors voted last weekend to name Gordon as chief executive officer immediately. Pat will still be chairman of CBN and continue to appear with his son on “The 700 Club.” He will also remain president of Regent University which he founded. Gordon is among several sons of major Christian leaders who have recently been charged with carrying on their fathers’ work including Franklin Graham, Jerry and Jonathan Falwell and Robert A. Shuller. © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA
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	GOVERNMENT OF INDIA RULES TO ALLOW ADOPTIONS BY NON-HINDUS Sources: Compass Direct News, WorldWide Religious News, IANS Ending a long era of discrimination against non-Hindus, the government of India has cleared the way for all religious communities in every Indian state to adopt legally. Until now, Christians and other non-Hindus could only be “guardians” of adopted children and did not enjoy full parenthood that Hindus had. On Oct. 26 the government’s ruling coalition of political parties, the United Progressive Alliance, gave notice of new rules under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act of 2006, making room for all communities to adopt. Richard Howell, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, said his group welcomed the “significant move” by the federal government “to enhance the legal rights of adopted children and the couples who adopt them.” It is estimated that only about 5,000 children a year are adopted in India even though there are more than 56 million orphaned and destitute children. “This has ended a long wait by the Christian community which for many years has been urging the government to grant them the right to adopt,” a representative of the Christian Legal Association said. MUSLIM MILITANTS STEAL PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN’S RICE CROP Source: BosNewsLife A Christian rice farmer in Pakistan was without income Sunday, Dec. 2, after armed Muslim militants stole his harvested rice crop. Robby Simon said he had been robbed of “ripened rice crops” worth the equivalent of nearly US$7,000 -- a huge sum in the impoverished region around his village of Tara Tibbi in Pakistan’s Punjab province. He said the attack happened on Wednesday, Nov. 14, “in broad daylight,” but police have so far refused to arrest any suspects. Police officials were not immediately available for comment; however, security forces have been criticized by several advocacy groups of not doing enough to prevent attacks against Pakistan’s Christian minority. Pakistani advocacy group Rays of Development and relatives of Simon said militants carrying AK-47 rifles and other weapons forcibly entered the farmhouse and tied up Simon’s workers. “[The assailants] finished the harvest and took away the looted rice crop with them, waving firearms and saying: ‘Christians are born to clean manure, therefore go and clean the cesspits and you are not supposed to do cultivation,’” said witness Yousaf Masih, his voice trembling. * HCJB Global Hands sent two medical teams from Ecuador to Pakistan following the Oct. 8, 2005, earthquake that left tens of thousands dead and thousands more injured and homeless. Staff members helped SIM International with relief efforts. MISSIONARY PASTOR SHOT TO DEATH IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Sources: Assist News Service, Salem Voice Ministries News Service A missionary pastor of a Full Gospel Church was shot dead on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at his residence in Rousillac in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Salem Voice Ministries News Service reported that Lenville Regis, 54, of Rousillac Open Bible Church was killed by a lone gunman at his house on Wednesday morning. The attacker stormed Regis’ house at about 9.30 a.m. while his wife, June, was taking a telephone call. He forced the couple into a bedroom where he made them lie on the floor. The gunman tied up June with electrical cord before forcing the pastor into a bathroom, killing him with a gunshot to the back of his head. IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION VOTES TO ALLOW SUNDAY MATCHES Sources: WorldWide Religious News, Guardian The Irish Football Association (IFA) lifted the last remaining Sunday match prohibition by voting to allow soccer matches on this day for the first time. Delegates at an IFA emergency meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 28, voted 91-14 in favor of dumping the 60-year-old ban, bringing the Irish League in line with the rest of the world. Up until the 1990s virtually nothing was open on Sundays in Northern Ireland as the powerful Protestant fundamentalist lobby ensured that playgrounds were locked and shops and pubs closed. Earlier this year an attempt by the IFA leadership to ditch the ban did not receive the necessary two-thirds majority, with opposition coming mainly from teams in Protestant, church-run leagues. The IFA has admitted in an internal report that the Sunday ban contravened its own anti-racist, anti-sectarian policy, concluding that it discriminated against Catholics and other religious groups. “It will also put players who hold deep Christian convictions in a very difficult situation, to a point where they won’t be able in conscience to play on the Sabbath,” said Free Presbyterian Church Rev. David McIlveen. GERMANY’S CHARISMATIC, PENTECOSTAL CHURCHGOERS MOST LOYAL Source: Assist News Service Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians are among Germany’s most faithful churchgoers. Although they make up only slightly more than 1 percent of the country’s 26 million Protestants, they account for 20 percent of the worshipers on an average Sunday. These figures were released during the annual gathering of the Circle of Charismatic Leaders in Kassel, Germany, Dec. 3-5. The 35 leaders who attended represent about 300,000 churches, including charismatic, Pentecostal, mainline, evangelical and independent congregations. The mainline Protestant Churches have 25 million members on their rolls, but only about 4 percent worship regularly. The 26.6 million Catholics attend in greater numbers as 14 percent go to mass on Sunday. * Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, has been broadcasting German programs worldwide via shortwave since 1953. Fourteen hours of programming weekly air to Europe, South America and the South Pacific. In addition, 10.5 hours of Low German programs air each week from Quito. © Copyright 2007 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA

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