Zprávy HCJB 9.5.2008

	Podle Barnovy studie dalo loni desátek 5% dospělých Američanů
	Podle Barnovy studie sotva 5% dospělých Američanů loni dalo 10% nebo více svého příjmu církvi nebo charitativním organizacím. Ve skupině respondentů čítající asi 1000 osob darovali křesťané v průměru víc než ostatní. „K nejštědřejším patřili evangelikálové (24 procent z nich dalo desátek), konzervativně smýšlející lidé (12 procent), ti, kdo se modlili, četli Bibli a byli v kostele během posledního týdne (12 procent), charismatici a letniční křesťané (11 procent) a členové Republikánské strany (10 procent),“ řekl George Barna. Naopak k nejméně štědrým patří lidé pod 25 let, ateisti, agnostici, svobodní nerozvedení, liberálové a ti, kdo vydělávají ročně pod 20 000 dolarů (tj. pod 27 000 Kč měsíčně, pozn. překl.). Zdroj: Baptist Press
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	MINISTRIES URGE PRAYER FOR MYANMAR TO RECEIVE AID OFFERED Sources: Mission Network News, Christian Newswire, Baptist World Aid, Voice of America News As ministries around the world continue to funnel aid to devastated Myanmar (Burma), Christian leaders are asking for prayer that the aid will not glut the government-limited entry points and form a bottleneck that keeps Burmese storm victims from receiving needed supplies. Food for the Hungry President Ben Homan warns that the “potential of this escalating because of the cascading health crisis is absolutely dangerous.” He said shelter, food, clean water and health supplies are desperately needed to prevent further fatalities and “that’s why we plead with the government of Myanmar to open their doors.” Homan is also pleading with Christians to pray for the situation, as is Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA. “The pictures we are seeing and the reports coming out of the country are heart-breaking,” Moeller said. An Open Doors fact sheet on Myanmar describes it as a nation ruled by the army for many decades. Ninety percent of its citizens are Buddhist with just 4 percent Christian. The military regime restricts travel of foreigners. Global Advance’s David Shibley notes too that “the government is being resistant to aid. However, this does give opportunity for some mission groups that are already on the ground there to be very significantly used.” U.N. officials say they suspended aid shipments to Myanmar after the military government seized all of the food and equipment that had been flown in by the World Food Program. The latest development in the unfolding crisis came as the military government continued to turn away relief workers trying to organize assistance for the thousands of victims of last week’s deadly cyclone. A Thailand contact for Christian Aid Mission was scheduled to leave for Rangoon on Thursday, May 8, and was expected to be allowed to take money and supplies with him. In addition to delivering emergency relief goods, the Thailand team plans to travel to as many places as they can and help repair or build houses and to supply generators in key locations. He requested prayer for safety, a quick clean-up and an adequate supply of clean drinking water, food and medical care. Meanwhile, Baptists in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region are readying teams to enter Myanmar, if permitted. A Hungarian Baptist Aid team is already in Thailand, awaiting clearance to enter the disaster area. The team wants to assess the needs on the ground and contact Baptist World Aid via satellite phone to report. Relief aid to Myanmar will be accomplished through the Myanmar Baptist Convention, the largest in Asia with more than 1.1 million believers, most of whom belong to marginalized and oppressed ethnic groups such as the Karen, Chin and Kachin. Lutheran World Relief is responding through its international partners in the global aid alliance, Action by Churches Together (ACT) International. The Southeast Asian country experienced a destructive cyclone that hit on Saturday, May 3, killing an estimated 22,000 people, generating fears that the death toll will rise above 100,000 as tens of thousands are still missing. Large areas of the country remain heavily flooded. ‘EVANGELICAL MANIFESTO’ DRAWS MIXED RESPONSE Sources: Christian Newswire, Associated Press The release of “An Evangelical Manifesto” Wednesday, April 30, by a 10-member steering committee “seeks to clarify the confusions and corruptions surrounding the term ‘evangelical,’ but its success in doing so remains unanswered.” Janice Shaw Crouse of Concerned Women for America said the select group drafting the manifesto “apparently excludes traditional conservative, pro-life and pro-family evangelical voices.” Other Christian leaders believe the word “evangelical” has lost its religious meaning and that the movement has become too political and has diminished the gospel through its approach to the culture wars. “An Evangelical Manifesto” condemns Christians on the right and left for “using faith” to express political views without regard to the truth of the Bible, according to a draft of the document obtained Friday, May 2, by the Associated Press. BARNA STUDY: JUST 5% OF U.S. ADULT RESIDENTS TITHED LAST YEAR Source: Baptist Press Just 5 percent of U.S. adults donated 10 percent or more of their income to churches and charitable groups last year, according to a study by the Barna Group. Of just more than 1,000 adults surveyed, Christians tended to give more than others. “Among the most generous segments were evangelicals (24 percent of whom tithed), conservatives (12 percent), people who had prayed, read the Bible and attended a church service during the past week (12 percent), charismatic or Pentecostal Christians (11 percent) and registered Republicans (10 percent),” George Barna said. The least likely to tithe included people under 25, atheists and agnostics, single adults who have never been married, liberals and adults who make less than $20,000 per year. AMID CRACKDOWN IN CHINA, BIBLE PRINTING PLANT SET TO OPEN Sources: The Christian Post, Mission Network News Amid a security crackdown in China in which Bibles have been confiscated, Dale Randolph of World Bible Translation Center (WBTC) says “we’re trying to quietly replace some of those Bibles.” Believers in house churches already need to share Bibles, and Randolph says WBTC is working to ramp up its distribution process to about 1,000 Bibles a week. Meanwhile, on Monday, May 19, the world’s largest Bible printing facility -- Amity Printing Company -- will open in Nanjing, prompting some to dub the historic eastern Chinese city the “Bible-printing capital of the world.” According to The Christian Post, Amity printed 6 million Bibles in 2007, but with the new facility it has the potential to double its output. Reporter Michelle Vu said the Bible is printed in eight Chinese minority languages and Braille. Meanwhile, the government-sanctioned Protestant body, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, is preparing to produce Bibles as downloadable audio books “so young people can listen to it on their MP3 players.” * FORMER HCJB GLOBAL BOARD MEMBER PAUL GORDON DIES AT 84 Sources: HCJB Global, Gordon Food Service Paul Gordon, chairman of Gordon Food Service (GFS) in Grand Rapids, Mich., died at his home in nearby Ada the evening of Tuesday, May 6, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 84. Paul was known for his warmth, humbleness and generosity as well as his many business achievements at GFS. Founded in 1897, it is North America’s largest family-owned food service distributor, serving more than 45,000 customers across the U.S. and Canada and operating 127 retail stores. With a deep commitment to God and a focus on serving others, Paul left a strong spiritual heritage. A lifetime member of Berean Baptist Church, he was involved with Christian organizations such as Gull Lake Ministries, serving as board chairman for more than 40 years, as well as HCJB Global and SIM. He served on the audit and finance committees of HCJB Global’s board of trustees from 1990 to 1996. “Paul was a personal encourager to me that I will never forget,” said Dick Jacquin, HCJB Global’s vice president of support ministries. “His unique way of bringing humor and seriousness to a situation endeared him to many as his special way of making his point. The legacy of the Gordon family covers a broad swath of God’s kingdom as their desire was to have the message of Christ spread around the world. We already miss our wonderful friend, but praise God for the assurance of his home in eternity with his Lord.” HCJB Global ambassador Ron Cline called Paul a great friend of the mission. “He helped us start radio stations, build hydro plants and add on to our hospital in Quito, Ecuador,” Cline said. “He and his son, Jim, have served us well on our board. He visited many of our ministry sites and introduced us to his friends who then became our friends. He was the kind of partner you could call anytime for prayer, counsel or help. The whole Christian world will greatly miss Paul, but his legacy will live on through his family and the ministries he helped.” Born July 13, 1923, in Grand Rapids, Paul was the first son of Ben and Ruth Gordon. Some of his earliest childhood memories were those of his father, struggling to help operate the grocery business during the Great Depression. Paul attended Wheaton College from 1941 to 1943 before joining the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving as a gunnery officer. Upon his discharge in 1946, he attended the University of Michigan, graduating in 1947 with a degree in business. At the request of his father, Paul then joined the newly reorganized GFS. On July 17, 1948, he married Dorothy “Dottie” Duncan. In 1965 Paul succeeded his father as president of GFS and his brother, John, became secretary treasurer. Together they initiated many industry innovations, including state-of-the-art warehouse technology. In 1985 Paul helped organize a marketing organization known as Markon Cooperative, bringing together four other major independent distributors with GFS. Paul stepped down as president in 1990, passing the torch to his son, Dan. Throughout his career, Paul was honored with numerous distinguished awards, including the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Foodservice Distributors Association. In addition to his wife of nearly 60 years, Dorothy, he is survived by four children, Dan, Connie, Jim and Joyce, 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 13. For more information on Paul and his life, visit www.gfspaulgordon.com. © Copyright 2008 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA

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