Zprávy HCJB 18.6.2008

	Tisíce mladých lidí z celé Ameriky odjíždí na letní misijní pobyty
	Tisíce mladých lidí se v příštích týdnech zúčastní krátkodobých misijních pobytů. Časopis Včelka (The Modesto Bee) píše, že náboženští odborníci odhadují, že letos bude v misijních skupinách pracovat asi 3 miliony 13-17letých mladých křesťanů z celé Ameriky. Tyto misionářské výlety jsou běžné teprve v posledních 10-20 letech. Zatímco jedněm se tento nově se šířící fenomén líbí, jiní se ptají po skutečné hodnotě těchto výletů. Mladý pastor Tom Elmore z Lakewood Church, který vedl asi 50člennou skupinu do Hondurasu řekl, že mladí „zde poprvé okusí“ evangelismus a co je být nástrojem Pána Ježíše. Naproti tomu David Livermore, autor knihy Služba s otevřenýma očima: krátkodobé misie a kulturní vnímavost píše, že tyto výlety se staly více obřadem, ze kterého mají prospěch účastníci, než skutečnou pomocí komunitě, které má být slouženo. Zdroj: Religion Today
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	FOOD PARCELS BRING HOPE AMID GROWING CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE Sources: Evangelical News, Baptist Press Boxes of desperately needed food are reaching families in Zimbabwe suffering through that country's food crisis as a result of a joint project of Southern Baptists and Zimbabwean Baptist partners. Southern Baptists were asked to pray in mid-May that customs and duty charges on the food would be minimal. Increases in those costs had created concern about getting the parcels into the country. Within days, however, Zimbabwe's government announced a 90-day suspension of duty charges on imported basic goods. "I was very concerned that the new rules would cost us about an additional $75,000 to get this shipment in, but God has proven His involvement in this project once again through these new customs rules," said Mark Hatfield, who leads work in Sub-Saharan Africa for Baptist Global Response, an international relief and development organization. "Your prayers have made a difference!" A total of 3,400 food boxes have been shipped to Zimbabwe so far this year. Each box contains about 50 pounds of food staples and will feed a family of six for one week at a cost of about $80. Political uncertainty and economic turmoil -- including the world's highest inflation rate -- are making daily life virtually impossible for Zimbabwe's poorest people, about a third of whom are receiving emergency food aid. The situation has been compounded by flooding that wiped out crops in many parts of the country earlier this year followed by three months of drought that seriously damaged this year's harvest. To date, Southern Baptists have provided nearly $500,000 for the Zimbabwe crisis. Besides the food box project, Baptist Global Response purchased $40,000 worth of essential medicines for Sanyati Baptist Hospital and funded a project to distribute school supplies to 25,000 of the neediest students. Southern Baptists also are helping provide maize for a church-related orphanage in southeastern Zimbabwe that houses 50 children. BANGLADESH PASTOR SEEKS JUSTICE IN DAUGHTER'S RAPE Source: BosNewsLife More than a month after his 13-year-old daughter was allegedly gang raped by five Muslims, a pastor in Bangladesh is still awaiting justice. Elina, the daughter of Pastor Motility Das, was raped Friday, May 2, by the Muslims intent on stopping his Christian work in the village of Laksmipur in the Mymensingh district. Das said police reluctantly registered the case after accusing him of filing false charges. Soon after, medical reports on Elina's case allegedly proved that her claims of sexual assault were false. However, Voice of the Martyrs, a Christian rights group monitoring the case, reported that "relatives of the accused rapists reportedly gave [the equivalent of US$1,168] to the medical college to alter the report in their favor." The latest development came after Muslims threatened to kill Das and his family if "he does not want to withdraw the charges." The pastor said the Muslims have been angered by his evangelistic work in the area, adding that he has previously received death threats. Elina also faces harassment in school by her male Muslim classmates. THOUSANDS OF TEENS NATIONWIDE FLOCKING TO SUMMER MISSIONS Source: Religion Today Thousands of teens will participate in short-term mission trips in the next weeks, and religion scholars estimate that about 3 million 13- to 17-year-old young Christians nationwide will serve on mission teams this year, reported The Modesto Bee. Youth mission trips have only become common in the last 10 to 20 years. While some are encouraged by this growing phenomenon, others question the true impact of these trips. Lakewood Church youth pastor Tom Elmore, who will lead a group of about 50 to Honduras, said, "that's where they get their first taste" of evangelism and being the hands and feet of Jesus. In contrast, David Livermore, author of Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence, said these trips have become a rite of passage, benefiting team members more than the community they're supposed to be serving. RELAXED RULES COULD EASE BIBLE DISTRIBUTION PROBLEMS IN CHINA Source: Christian Etailing Liberalization of rules restricting Bible printing in China will soon ease the distribution of Scripture in the communist nation, according to an American pioneer of Christian publishing efforts in the country. Though Bibles can only be sold officially through recognized Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) church bookstores in China, it has been rumored for some time that the rules will be relaxed so Bibles can be sold more widely. "Sooner or later, market forces are going to force that to happen because they realize there is a huge demand and opportunity there," said Robert Tucker, who recently stepped down as leader of Beijing-based ZDL Publishing. He helped ZDL partners with several U.S. Christian publishers to translate and distribute Bibles in China. When the rules are relaxed, "then they could sell them in retail chains across the country." Tucker said Christian bookstores are a significant growth channel in China with around 200 stores. "They don't carry Bibles, but other than that, they look very much like Christian bookstores that are doing well in the West," he added. WORLD REFUGEE DAY TO BUILD AWARENESS, RAISE FUNDS FOR DARFUR Sources: Assist News Service World Refugee Day on Friday, June 20, is a time to remember the plight of refugees around the world and to recognize the contributions of refugees in local communities. On World Refugee Day, Tents of Hope, a one-year campaign created to inspire and activate people to respond to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, will hold events nationwide to build awareness of refugees needs. These include community creation, painting, and displaying of tents as symbols of hope to identify with the refugees of Darfur. In participating locales, Tents of Hope will partner with ECO-CELL which will set up recycling bins to receive donated cell phones. "The ECO-CELL/Tents of Hope partnership is so wonderful for us because we are able to give individuals a way to monetarily contribute to the cause in Darfur without actually having to spend any money," said Timothy Nonn, founder of the Tents of Hope campaign. "Creative activism is what Tents of Hope is about, and working with ECO-CELL is a perfect fit. Not only are we helping a worthy cause in Darfur, but we are simultaneously doing something good for the environment." © Copyright 2008 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA

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