Zprávy HCJB 18.1.2009 - 24.1.2009

	Při pádu stropu brazilského kostela zahynulo 9 lidí, 100 zraněných
	Devět lidí zahynulo a přes 100 bylo zraněno, když se v neděli večer 18. ledna propadl betonový strop brazilského megakostela Znovuzrození v Kristu. V tomto kostele v centru São Paulo, jednom z největších v zemi, hodinu předtím probíhala mládežnická bohoslužba stovek lidí, většina ale budovu opustila. Shromáždění pro dospělé mělo začít o několik minut později. Mluvčí hasičů Miguel Jodas řekl pro brazilskou televizi, že šlo o povrchová poranění i o těžká zranění a zlomeniny. Svědkové řekli, že cítili silný závan větru a pak ránu, načež strop spadl „jako kostky domina.“ Zástupy členů sboru se nahrnuly na místo zkázy, mnozí se modlili za své blízké, když byli vynášeni. Podle úřadu bude objasnění náhlého pádu stropu trvat týdny. V roce 1999 byl kostel na čas uzavřen kvůli problémům s termity v trámech krovu, ale vedení sboru uvádí, že stavba vyhovovala předpisům. „Bylo by předčasné dávat někomu vinu,“ řekl Ronaldo Marzagao, tajemník veřejné bezpečnosti v São Paulo. Znovuzrození v Kristu začalo svou činnost v roce 1986 jako skupinka v zadní místnosti pizzerie. Dnes je centrem světově rozšířeného evangelizačního hnutí s asi 2 miliony členů, 1200 přidruženými sbory a mnoha významnými podporovateli včetně brazilské fotbalové hvězdy Kaka. Zdroj: Ministry Today, CNN
	V Pákistánu radikální muslimové unesli 2 křesťanské dívky a ublížili jim
	Skupina obránců lidských práv International Christian Concern (ICC) se sídlem ve Washingtonu ohlásila, že byly zachráněny dvě křesťanské dívky, 18letá Parcisha a 14letá Sanam unesené 30. listopadu. Dva radikální muslimové, jeden z nich - Mohammad Irfan - ze sousedství, údajně dívkám nabízeli školení v kosmetologii a práci v obchodě s kosmetikou. Podle ICC Parcisha, nejstarší ze sedmi dětí, přesvědčila svého otce, pastýře Sharima Alama, aby jí dovolil na školení jít, aby se něco naučila a pak mohla pomáhat jejich chudé rodině. Křesťanští pátrači zjistili, že místo školení byly dívky v několika následujících dnech opakovaně znásilněny, nuceny konvertovat k islámu a prodány jiným mužům jako sexuální otrokyně. Dívkám se nakonec podařilo dostat se k mobilnímu telefonu, zavolat policii a dostat se domů. Ve středu 31. prosince se desítky rozzuřených muslimů shromáždily před Alamovým domem a žádali, aby Alam vrátil své dcery muslimským úřadům. Alamův syn Sheraz byl dávem surově zbit. Alamův zeť Stian Akram Khokhar je nezvěstný. „Pastýř se obává, že Irfan a další muž identifikovaný jako Muhammed Mehboob jej zmizením zetě chtějí donutit, aby stáhl žalobu, kterou proti nim vznesl,“ uvádí ICC. Policejní úředníci k tomu momentálně nemohli nic říci. Kde se to stalo se z bezpečnostních důvodů tají. Zdroj: BosNewsLife
	Všechny zprávy v angličtině
	LONGTIME HCJB GLOBAL GERMAN RADIO BROADCASTER DIES AT 82 Source: HCJB Global Sally Schroeder Isaak, a German broadcaster at Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, for 30 years, died of cancer in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, on Monday, Jan. 19. She was 82. The daughter of Mennonite parents who emigrated from Ukraine to Canada in 1925, Sally was born in St. Françoise Xavier, Manitoba, on Feb. 19, 1926. Sally graduated from Teachers College in Winnipeg and also attended Regent College in Vancouver and the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan., in 1956. She later studied at Mennonite Brethren Bible College in Winnipeg, completing a bachelor’s degree in religious education in 1964. She also received a master’s degree in communications from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., in 1978. In her 20s, Sally worked as a schoolteacher, but she began to feel “restless” and spent one year on a special project under the Mennonite Central Committee, working among Mexican migrant workers in Modesto, Calif. Sensing a call to full-time missions, Sally applied with Mennonite Brethren Missions/Services (MBM/S) in 1956 and was assigned to HCJB Global’s German Language Service in Quito, a department that began just three years earlier. After five months of Spanish language study in San José, Costa Rica, Sally arrived in Ecuador in February 1957, serving with HCJB Global under the auspices of MBM/S. The German programs she produced aired to listeners across Europe and South America via shortwave on Radio Station HCJB. “I derived a lot of satisfaction from producing programs for non-Christian Germans,” she said in an interview several years ago. “It was especially gratifying when listeners to the programs wrote in to say they had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. I also enjoyed every minute of Spanish study, and I had a very good relationship with the 10 churches that supported me as their adopted missionary.” In addition to producing radio programs, Sally worked at HCJB-TV, helping in music and teaching English intermittently for nine years. She was also involved in the Iñaquito Evangelical Church in Quito, helping primarily in Christian education, teaching children, youth and adults and directing the church’s educational program. In addition, she worked with Ecuadorian women, teaching Bible classes and helping new Christians grow in their faith. Throughout the years Sally took a number of listener follow-up trips in German-speaking Europe and South America. In 1967 she spent five months in West Germany in an effort to learn and understand more about the culture and situation so she could present radio programs from Quito that better met the needs of German listeners. In her time on the field, Sally was privileged to interview two Ecuadorian presidents, Osvaldo Hurtado and León Roldós. A gifted linguist, Sally was fluent in three languages: German, English and Spanish. HCJB Global retiree Tom Fulghum, said she was “amazing in her cross-cultural skills. Besides all the work she did in German, she was extremely well connected in the Latin community in Ecuador. Her Spanish was impeccable, and she often did simultaneous translation work. She had an enormous heart for people, both for the German people to whom she ministered as well as the Ecuadorians. It was a joy to work with her.” John Adams, staff and office care manager at the HCJB Global Ministry Service Center in Colorado Springs, agreed. “I wish each of us as missionaries in Ecuador could have been as culturally sensitive and as highly efficient in Spanish as Sally was,” he said. “Add German and she was truly trilingual. She set a great example of what it meant to reach out to and identify with our host nation.” “Professionally, as a radio producer and announcer, Sally was immaculate in her preparation and presentation,” added Adams. “She was a pro in every sense of the word. She had a compassion for the lost that was palpable and a rapport with her Ecuadorian friends and acquaintances and fellow staff members that exemplified what it means to be an ambassador of Christ.” German program producer Esther Neufeld said, “Up to the end, Sally was interested in the ongoing ministry of HCJB Global and prayed regularly with [retired German programmer] Maria Hubert. She had a tremendous impact on many lives. Her life and ministry has been a model for me.” After retiring from missionary service in July 1987, Sally returned to Canada where she married Frank Isaak in Abbotsford on Aug. 22, 1987. Although retired, Sally never sat down, keeping active in her church until she was no longer physically able to do so. She also helped in the ministry of HCJB Global-Canada wherever possible. And she reached out to the Hispanic community in Canada, teaching Bible classes in Spanish. At one point she led a class composed mostly of refugees from El Salvador. Sally documented the impact of the German Language Service and her personal ministry in her book, Some Seed Fell on Good Ground, published by Windflower Communications in Winnipeg in 1994. A funeral and memorial service will be held at Bakerview Mennonite Brethren Church in Abbotsford at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27. MINISTER SEES OBAMA INAUGURATION AS ‘TRANSFORMATIVE EVENT’ FOR U.S., WORLD Sources: World Faith News, rlgmedia, Los Angeles Times, WCC News, Lutheran World Information Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, compared Barak Obama’s induction into office to that of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who although mandated for presidency by his people, assumed a global role, becoming “everyone’s president.” “Obama’s inauguration is, for the U.S. and for the world, a similarly transformative event,” said Noko. It sends the clearest possible message of the American people’s willingness “to be challenged and to challenge the politics of racial and other forms of division. It calls for the creation of a true union of all U.S. citizens. It also invites all of us around the world to examine our own contexts and to do the same.” “Ours is not to point fingers at your new administration and say ‘Fix it’,” added U.S. board members of the World Council of Churches in a Jan. 20 letter to Obama. “Rather, ours is to roll up our sleeves and partner with you to help bring about the changes that are so desperately needed for the U.S. and the world to more closely reflect God’s vision for humankind and all of creation.” Faith once again figured into Tuesday’s presidential inauguration, although the event didn’t go without a pre-inauguration challenge by a collection of groups and individuals to keep “so help me God” out of the inaugural ceremony. A judge refused to grant the request. Obama chose the Bible used at President Lincoln’s first inauguration for his own swearing-in. It was the first time a president has used the historic Bible at an inauguration since it was first used by Lincoln himself in 1861. An openly homosexual Episcopal bishop from New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, delivered the invocation for the opening inaugural event on Sunday with Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California giving the inaugural invocation. Civil rights leader Joseph Lowery delivered the benediction. Sharon Watkins of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) preached at the National Prayer Service in Washington, D.C.’s National Cathedral. Obama has spent more than 20 years as a member of the United Church of Christ. ROOF OF BRAZILIAN MEGACHURCH COLLAPSES, KILLING AT LEAST 9, INJURING 100 Sources: Ministry Today, CNN At least nine people were killed and more than 100 injured when the concrete roof of the Brazilian megachurch, Reborn in Christ Church, collapsed the evening of Sunday, Jan. 18. The downtown São Paulo church, one of the largest congregations in the country, had held a youth service less than an hour earlier attended by hundreds of churchgoers, but most had left the building. Another service for adults was scheduled to begin minutes later. Miguel Jodas, a Fire Department spokesman, told Brazil’s Record TV that injuries ranged from lesions to head injuries and fractures. Witnesses said they felt a strong wind followed by a blast after which the roof collapsed “like dominos.” Swarms of church members crowded the scene, many of them praying for loved ones as bodies were pulled out. Authorities said it could take weeks to determine why the roof suddenly gave way. In 1999 the church was temporarily shut down because of a termite problem in the rafters, but church leaders said the building was up to code. “It’s premature to start laying blame,” said Ronaldo Marzagao, São Paulo’s public security secretary. Reborn in Christ started with a group of people meeting in the back of a pizza parlor in 1986. Today it’s the hub of a worldwide evangelical movement that claims nearly 2 million members, 1,200 satellite churches and several high-profile supporters, including Brazilian soccer star Kaka. INCESSANT FLOODING AFFECTS BRAZIL, DISPLACING 140,000+ PEOPLE Source: Baptist World Alliance A series of thunderstorms and torrential rainfall have resulted in severe flooding that has left scores dead and has caused widespread damage, mainly in southern Brazil. The storms, which began in November and have continued into January, have claimed the lives of more than 140 people. The latest has displaced an estimated 60,000 people, adding to the almost 80,000 who were displaced in December. “I am asking you to pray for southern Brazil because since November it has rained almost every day and is consequently causing severe damage within the south,” Mayrinkellison Wanderley told the Baptist World Alliance. Wanderley is with the Brazilian Baptist Convention’s World Missions Board and the Baptist World Alliance Emerging Leaders Network. Areas of the country affected include the southern Santa Catarina state and the central state of Minas Gerais. * HCJB Global Voice broadcasts the gospel in Portuguese to Brazil via shortwave from Quito, Ecuador, and maintains a world office and radio studios in Curitiba. Portuguese programs, which have been on the air continuously since 1947, generate more listener letters than any language service at Radio Station HCJB in Ecuador. The ministry’s Portuguese programs also air on local radio stations across Brazil. ROUNDUP: MINISTRIES BRING HOPE TO GAZA AMID FRAGILE CEASEFIRE Sources: Mission Network News, Open Doors, Christian Newswire, ELCA News Service While a fragile weeklong ceasefire in Israel’s Gaza Strip remains in effect, Christian ministries are providing a message of hope to people living in the imperiled region. SAT-7, a Christian satellite television for North Africa and the Middle East, is broadcasting a message of peace.. “SAT-7 wants to serve as a peacemaker, or at least encourage people to be peacemakers,” said spokesman David Harder. “We’re encouraging people to find that Christ is the only answer for peace. He’s the only way you can really have peace. We’re also encouraging people to be peacemakers because one person can make a difference.” Among others, the Palestinian Bible Society (PBS) is offering help for the victims of the war. Open Doors is co-supporting the relief consisting of food supplies and other necessities. The PBS also realizes that not only Palestinians are suffering in this situation. A recent PBS newsletter stated: “We also understand the suffering that the Israelis are going through in the different settlements and cities of the south; the continuing shelling of missiles over civilians with only 15 seconds’ pre-warning is horrifying and unacceptable.” Labib Madanat, development director of the United Bible Society in Israel and Palestine, said the Anglican hospital in Gaza, which is near PBS’s closed bookshop, remains operational. “But it lacks medicines and daily necessities,” he said. “The doctors are in need of everything.” Lack of reliable power in Gaza is also a concern. An Open Doors field worker said that even though churches in Gaza have stopped gathering because of the dangerous situation, believers try to stay in touch and pray with each other by telephone. From outside Gaza, Christians try to call family and friends to exchange the latest news and to pray and encourage each other. Meanwhile, 44 North American Lutheran bishops recently visited the small Palestinian village of Beddo in West Bank, northwest of Jerusalem, an area where the Israeli separation barrier cuts through Palestinian agricultural lands, making way for Israeli settlements to be constructed. The bishops helped plant the first of 500 olive trees near the barrier as a sign of peace. The online radio station www.praylive.com held a 24-hour prayer focus on Thursday, Jan. 22, with an emphasis on lasting peace in the Middle East. Listeners were encouraged to call the station and pray as live intercessors prayed with each caller. Live broadcasts originated from Japan, Africa, the U.K., Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. The website was launched on Thanksgiving Day 2005 to uphold troops in Iraq. * HCJB Global Voice reaches across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe with Christian Arabic programming aired via shortwave, satellite and local stations. An estimated 1 million households tune in to the broadcasts at least weekly. The mission’s North Africa Satellite Service airs programs direct-to-home 24 hours a day. This region has the world’s highest concentration of personal satellite dishes. COATS FOR KIDS PROGRAM AIDS NEEDY CHILDREN IN U.S. CITIES Sources: kofc.org. Christian Newswire The Knights of Columbus is distributing thousands of coats to needy children as part of the organization’s Coats for Kids program. The charity has purchased 7,800 coats from OshKosh B’gosh and London Fog and will distribute them through local Knights of Columbus councils in several U.S. cities, beginning in Washington, D.C. The distribution began on Monday, Jan. 19, which was designated as the National Day of Service. Coats will also be distributed in Detroit and Chicago this month. The Knights of Columbus is a lay Catholic organization of more than 1.7 million members worldwide. STUDY: RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS FAIL TO PREPARE CLERGY FOR SEXUALITY ISSUES Source: Crosswalk A new study of 36 prominent seminaries and rabbinical schools shows that future pastors are largely left to decide sexuality issues on their own as most degree requirements fail to include any sexuality-based course. The Christian Post reported that the study was conducted by Union Theological Seminary in New York and the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing. The study measured content in curriculum, institutional commitment to sexuality and gender equity, and advocacy and support for sexuality-related issues. “With so many congregations embroiled in controversy over sexual orientation issues, or struggling to address teenage sexuality, or concerned about sexual abuse, there is an urgent need for ordained clergy who understand the connections between religion and sexuality,” said Debra W. Haffner, director of the multi-faith Religious Institute. ARTHUR BLESSITT SUBJECT OF NEW FILM ‘THE CROSS’ Source: Christian Newswire A fascinating new feature film will soon be sweeping the nation . . . and the globe. “The Cross: The Arthur Blessitt Story” which opens nationwide on Tuesday, March 27, is the moving story of the spirited man of faith who spent four decades carrying a 12-foot wooden cross to 315 nations around the world. Why? To share the love of Christ with everyone he met. Blessitt appeared as a guest on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) on Jan. 22. Matthew Crouch, son of TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch, is the director and producer of the film. While journeying with his cross, Blessitt met thousands of people from all walks of life. He also survived multiple dangers, including 52 war zones, firing squads, beatings and jungles. In 1982 Blessitt marched alone through five fighting armies into West Beirut to pray for Yassir Arafat. His experience was covered live by CNN’s Peter Arnett. UPDATE: EGYPTIAN CONVERT HITS SNAG IN BID TO CHANGE IDENTITY TO ‘CHRISTIAN’ Source: Compass Direct News An attempt by an Egyptian convert from Islam to legally change the religion listed on his identification card to “Christian” hit a setback on Tuesday, Jan. 6, when a judge ordered security personnel to remove his lawyer from court. Attorney Nabil Ghobreyal was expelled from the courtroom at Cairo’s Administrative Court following a heated argument with Judge Mohammad Ahmad Atyia. The dispute arose after Atyia refused to acknowledge the existence of legal documents detailing the successful attempt of a Muslim man to convert to the Baha’i faith. Ghobreyal had planned to submit the court records of the decision in support of his case. The convert from Islam who is trying to legally convert to Christianity, Maher Ahmad El-Mo’otahssem Bellah El-Gohary, first submitted his request to alter the religious status stated on his identification card last August. He follows Muhammad Hegazy as only the second Egyptian Christian convert raise d as a Muslim to request such a change. RADICAL MUSLIMS IN PAKISTAN KIDNAP, ASSAULT 2 CHRISTIAN GIRLS Source: BosNewsLife The Washington based human rights group International Christian Concern (ICC) reported that two Pakistani Christian girls, Parcisha, 18, and Sanam, 14, were rescued after being kidnapped on Nov. 30. Two radical Muslims, one a neighbor identified as Muhammad Irfan, allegedly told the girls they were being offered training in cosmetology and beauty shop jobs. Parcisha, the oldest of seven children, convinced her father, Pastor Sharif Alam, to allow them to go with the men so they could learn a trade and be able to help support their impoverished family, ICC stated. Instead, over the next several days the girls were repeatedly raped, forced to convert to Islam and sold to other men as sex slaves, Christian rights investigators said. The girls finally managed to obtain a cell phone, call police and return home. On Wednesday, Dec. 31, dozens of angry Muslims apparently gathered outside the Alam family home, demanding that Alam return his daughters to Muslim authorities. Alam’s son, Sheraz, was beaten severely by the mob. Alam’s son-in-law, Stian AKram Khokhar, is now missing. “The pastor is afraid that Irfan” and another man, identified as Muhammed Mehboob, are using his son-in-law to threaten him to let the case go that has been filed against them,” ICC said. Police officials were not immediately available for comment. The location of the incident was not released, apparently for security reasons. * HCJB Global Hands sent two medical teams from Ecuador to Pakistan following a powerful earthquake on Oct. 8, 2005, that left 80,000 people dead and some 3.5 million homeless. Staff members helped SIM International with relief efforts. © Copyright 2009 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA

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