Zprávy HCJB 17.5.2009 - 23.5.2009

	Volební výsledky v Indii jsou pro křesťany důvodem k oslavě
	Oddechnou úlevou si mohou křesťané v Indii po volebním debaklu hinduistické nacionalistické strany v celoindických i místních volbách ve státu Orissa, který byl loni dějištěm protikřesťanského žhářství a krveprolévání. Koaliční vláda Spojená pokroková aliance (UPA) vedená sekulárním Indickým Národním Kongresem získala 262 z 543 křesel v parlamentu východoindického státu Orissa, přestože i podle nejoptimističtějším průzkumů to mělo být nejvýš 215 křesel. Nová celoindická vláda v čele s premiérem Manmohan Singh složila slib v pátek 22. května. Jde o druhé období vlády UPA vedené levostředovým Indickým Národním Kongresem známým většinou pod názvem Kongresová strana. Až trapná porážka hiduistické extrémistické strany Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) je překvapením. Ebenezer Samuel z misie Serve India Ministries je výsledky voleb potěšen. „Statisíce lidí po celé Indii i ve světě se modlily,“ řekl tento misionář. „Děkujeme Bohu, že naše modlitby vyslyšel. Určitě to povede k růstu křesťanství v příštích pěti letech.“ Zdroj: Compass Direct News, Ecumenical News International, Mission Network News. Viz též související článek.
	V roce 2007 dosáhly příspěvky amerických církví rozvojovým zemím 8,6 miliardy dolarů
	Podle průzkumu dosáhly v roce 2007 příspěvky amerických církví rozvojovému světu částky 8,6 miliardy dolarů. Agentura provádějící tento průzkum mezi všemi denominacemi vycházela i z údajů publikovaných v ročence „Index světové dobročinnosti“ vydané Ústředím pro světovou prosperitu při Hudsonově Institutu. 74 procent amerických sborů vykázalo dary v průměru 11 960 dolarů pro mezinárodní pomocné a rozvojové organizace se sídlem v USA. Vedle toho přímo do zahraničí odešlo z 89 000 sborů v USA celkem 3,3 miliardy dolarů. Asi 34 procent sborů hlásilo, že věřící z jejich sboru byli v zahraničí na krátkodobém misijním pobytu a asi 73 procent z těchto sborů na tyto cesty poskytlo 759 milionů dolarů. Jiných 30 procent sborů podpořilo dary ve výši 1,4 miliardy dolarů dlouhodobé misie zaměřené na pomoc a rozvoj. Z takto poskytnutých prostředků směřovalo 36 procent do Latinské Ameriky a karibské oblasti, 29 procent do Asie a Tichomoří, 21 procent do subsaharské Afriky, 9 procent do Evropy a do střední Asie, 5 procent do severní Afriky a na Střední Východ. Pokud jde o tématické zaměření, 34 procent šlo na vzdělání, 26 procent na zdravotnictví, 22 procent na odstranění následků katastrof, 17 procent na rozvoj ekonomiky a půl procenta na demokratizaci a vládní systémy. Zdroj: Christian Newswire, Evangelical News
	Všechny zprávy v angličtině
	ECUADORIAN HOSPITAL STEPS UP VIGILANCE AS FLU CASES SURFACE IN ECUADOR Sources: HCJB Global, El Comercio Ecuador’s Ministry of Health said cases of the influenza virus H1N1 have risen to eight just days after a report of the nation’s first case. The first incidence of the illness was confirmed on Friday, May 15, by Ecuadorian Health Minister Caroline Chang. The parents of Adriana Elías, the first person in Ecuador to be diagnosed with the illness, challenged whether their 12-year-old daughter, a student at Colegio Americano in Guayaquil, indeed had the virus. They claimed in a media briefing that she suffered from rinopharynitis, not influenza A (H1N1), commonly referred to as swine flu. The Health Ministry in Quito responded by apologizing if the family had not received sufficient information on the illness. The ministry’s director general, Carmen Laspina, rejected the parents’ claims that their child suffered from rinopharynitis. She said testing at Izquieta Pérez (Hospital de Infectología) is reliable, and Chang later reconfirmed the diagnosis of the first case by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control. The Health Ministry reported that of the newer flu cases, one came as a result of contact with Elías at Colegio Americano. The ministry on Wednesday confirmed seven new cases (six in Guayaquil and one in Quito) of influenza A (H1N1). To help prevent its spread, previous guidelines and precautions still apply. For example, when news of the flu outbreak in Mexico broke in late April, HCJB Global Hands’ Hospital Vozandes-Quito posted “Cover Your Cough” signs to educate patients and visitors about taking basic steps to help prevent the spread of respiratory infections. At the nearby Alliance Academy International (AAI) in Quito, teachers have been informed of their responsibility and are aware of their role in working to prevent this disease. “We will be providing disinfectant gel in each classroom and are keeping close communication with the nurses’ office for updates and effective prevention information to be used for our benefit,” said AAI Director David Wells. Hospital Vozandes-Quito continues to serve as a sentinel site in Ecuador for the detection of the H1N1 virus as well as other emerging strains of influenza. This surveillance is taking place in collaboration with the U.S. Navy Tropical Disease Research Laboratory in Lima, Peru. Chang said hospitals have necessary medical supplies and the antiviral drug Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) for treatment of influenza A (H1N1). Surcos High School in Quito suspended a trip to the Dominican Republic planned for 20 seniors. The decision complied with a May 5 decree by Ecuador’s Education Ministry to suspend student trips abroad in an effort to avoid the risk of infection. The basketball and soccer teams of Cotopaxi Academy in Quito also saw the cancellation of travel plans to Trinidad and Tobago. “It’s a measure to safeguard the integrity and well-being of the students,” said the school’s director, William Johnston. PROMINENT MISSIOLOGIST RALPH WINTER DIES AT 84 IN CALIFORNIA Sources: Assist News Service, Mission Exchange, U.S. Center for World Mission One of the most significant missiological thinkers of the 20th century, Dr. Ralph Winter died of cancer the evening of Wednesday, May 20, at his home in Pasadena, Calif. He was 84. Family members and staff gathered at Winter’s bedside during his final hours. “It was a bittersweet time with three of his four daughters and his wife, Barb, around the bed, singing to him [when he died],” said Greg Parsons, general director U.S. Center for World Mission (USCWM) which Winter founded. Winter, who launched the USCWM in 1976 and the William Carey International University a year later, became well known for his 1974 address to the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. He created a seismic shift in mission strategy with his call to evangelize people groups outside the focus of established mission efforts. Peter Wagner, president of the Global Harvest Ministries and chancellor of the Wagner Leadership Institute, noted that “history will record Winter as one of the half-dozen men who did most to affect world evangelism in the 20th century.” As a missionary to Guatemala with his late wife, Roberta, from 1956 to 1966, Winter became a key leader of the Theological Education by Extension (TEE) movement throughout Latin America. Winter, along with others, promoted TEE concepts around the world and helped forge a network of extension educators. At Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of World Mission, Winter taught mission history and leadership training. In 1968 he and Roberta started the William Carey Library which emphasizes publishing missionary literature. Later he helped launch the American Society of Missiology and the International Society of Frontier Missiology. Many believe Winter’s address to the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in 1974 changed the face of missions. “His paper became a watershed,” Parsons said. Prior to his address, many believed churches could be encouraged to complete the Great Commission by reaching their own people. “He was constantly thinking outside the box,” added Dale Kietzman, a professor at William Carey. “He did this to such an extent that you weren’t sure what the box was anymore.” In 1976 Winter left a tenured position at Fuller Seminary, taking a step of faith to found the USCWM and William Carey International University. His Perspectives course, first written at Fuller in 1973, was further developed at his new campus and proved a significant mobilization tool with more than 70,000 graduates today. Other ministries launched under his leadership include the Global Prayer Digest and Missions Frontiers Bulletin as well as World Christian Foundations, a curriculum for field missionaries. Roberta passed away from cancer in 2001, and Winter was later remarried to Barb. In September 2008 he received a Lifetime of Service Award from the North American Mission Leaders Conference in Denver. Although his body was weakened by cancer, he used the occasion to present an 8,000-word paper titled, “Three Mission Eras and the Loss and Recover of Kingdom Mission, 1800-2000.” Among his many accomplishments, Winter also founded the Institute for the Study of the Origins of Disease, Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship and the Presbyterian Center for Mission Studies. Memorial services are tentatively set for Saturday, June 27. RESULTS OF ELECTIONS IN INDIA GIVE CHRISTIANS REASON TO CELEBRATE Sources: Compass Direct News, Ecumenical News International, Mission Network News Christians in India are heaving a sigh of relief after the rout of a Hindu nationalist party in national and state assembly elections in Orissa, a scene of anti-Christian arson and carnage last year. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government led by the secular Indian National Congress party won 262 of the 543 seats in eastern Orissa state’s parliament, although the most optimistic poll forecasts had estimated only 215 seats for the ruling alliance. The new federal government, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will be sworn in today (Friday, May 22), representing a second term for the UPA, led by the left-of-center Indian National Congress, commonly known as the Congress Party. The embarrassing defeat for the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came as a surprise. Ebenezer Samuel of Serve India Ministries is pleased by the results. “Hundreds of thousands of people across India and the world have been praying,” he said. “We are so grateful to God for answering our prayers. This will definitely benefit the growth of Christianity in the next five years.” WORLD GOSPEL MISSION PREPARES TO BUILD SECONDARY SCHOOL IN UGANDA Source: Christian Newswire Men with Vision, the ministry of World Gospel Mission (WGM) that connects men (and women) with missions, has agreed to build a secondary school on Buvuma Island, Uganda, for its 2009 annual project. Located on Lake Victoria, Buvuma Island is the largest in a chain of islands. After the WGM Uganda team and Africa Gospel Church began reaching out with the gospel in 2001, several churches were planted. As a result of church growth, a primary school was started. “Children who wouldn’t have had the chance to go to school, particularly children orphaned by AIDS, are being educated and taught about Jesus,” said Men with Vision Director Bill Bucher. “In order for the children to complete their education, a secondary school (the equivalent of a high school) is needed. Most of the children are being raised in extreme poverty, and being able to complete secondary school will give them a significant boost in life opportunities. Life is hard for these kids,” said Bucher. “No running water or electricity, living in poverty, no education--it traps you into a life of just trying to survive.” U.S. RELIGIOUS GIVING TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TOPPED $8.6 BILLION IN 2007 Sources: Christian Newswire, Evangelical News A national survey of U.S. religious giving found that religious congregations gave $8.6 billion to the developing world in 2007. Survey results of congregations of all denominations, combined with other data, was released in “Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances” published annually by Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Prosperity. A total of 74 percent of U.S. congregations reported an average donation of $11,960 to U.S.-based international relief and development organizations. About 89,000 congregations contributed $3.3 billion directly to programs in foreign countries. Roughly 34 percent of the congregations reported that people from their congregation went abroad on short-term mission trips and about 73 percent of these congregations provided a total of $759 million in support for these trips. Another 30 percent of congregations supported longer term mission trips for relief and development by providing $1.4 billion in donations. For the totality of religious giving, 36 percent of contributions went to Latin America and the Caribbean, 29 percent went to Asia and the Pacific, 21 percent to sub-Saharan Africa, 9 percent to Europe and Central Asia, and 5 percent went to North Africa and the Middle East. A total of 34 percent of contributions went to education, 26 percent to health and medical projects, 22 percent for disaster relief, 17 percent for economic development, and half a percent to democracy and governance. SOJOURNERS MAGAZINE AWARDED TOP HONORS BY RELIGIOUS PRESS Source: Assist News Service Sojourners magazine, a monthly publication that addresses issues of faith, politics and culture from a biblical perspective, has been recognized by two leading religious press organizations for excellence in magazine publishing. The magazine is published by Sojourners, the largest network of progressive Christians whose mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church and the world. Both the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) and the Associated Church Press (ACP) recognized Sojourners with their respective highest honors in the general interest magazine category at their recent joint convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The publication received the “Award of Excellence” from the ACP and for the first time was also presented with the “Best in Class” award by the EPA. Sojourners magazine received a total of 25 honors, including six first-place awards, five second-place awards and 11 third-place awards. CHRISTIANS SHOW SUPPORT FOR ERITREA’S BELIEVERS WITH DAY OF PRAYER, PROTEST Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the Evangelical Alliance and Release Eritrea will join forces with a Day of Prayer in Birmingham, U.K., Saturday, May 23, to uphold victims of religious repression in the East African country of Eritrea. This event will be followed on Thursday, May 28, by a day of action when the organizations will join Church in Chains (Ireland) and others in a protest outside the Eritrean Embassy in London to draw attention to the human rights crisis in the nation. This month marks the seventh anniversary of a crackdown on Eritrea’s churches. About 3,000 Christians have been imprisoned without charge or trial pending denial of their faith, and some are known to have died subsequent to severe mistreatment and torture. ”With a looming famine, 75 percent of the population malnourished and continuing and egregious violations of human rights, the time for the situation in Eritrea to be brought to the forefront of the international agenda is long overdue,” said CSW National Director Stuart Windsor. “It’s our privilege to stand in solidarity with the Eritrean people, and we will continue to do so until the situation in that country irrevocably improves, and all of Eritrea’s citizens can enjoy the rights and freedoms enshrined in the nation’s constitution.” VIETNAMESE CHRISTIANS CONTINUE TO FACE PERSECUTION, RIGHTS GROUPS SAY Sources: Compass Direct News, AFP, BosNewsLife Amid protests against reported church destructions, the city of Hanoi has ordered one of its districts to stop construction work on land claimed by the Catholic Church. AFP cited Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung as saying the Hanoi People’s Committee has asked agencies to “stop the implementation of the project and construction works on the land of the Ba Giang Lake.” It came after several protests, including a prayer vigil of some 1,000 Catholics to protest the project on land that the Tai Ha Redemptorist parish church claims to have owned since 1928. The move was seen as a surprise turnaround by communist authorities who since March demolished at least one historic church building in the country’s central highlands. Meanwhile, government work crews in March reportedly destroyed a building of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) in the Banmethuot area. Authorities had confiscated the church building in 1975 after the communist victory and had removed its cross. Christians, however, have also reported more positive developments in Vietnam. Last month authorities gave permission to unregistered house church groups to hold a large public Easter-related service attended by 15,000 people at Tao Dan Stadium. CHRISTIANS FLEE PAKISTAN’S SWAT VALLEY AMID ASSAULT ON TALIBAN Source: Compass Direct News Pakistani Christians in Swat Valley are caught between the Taliban and Pakistan’s military as it assaults the stronghold where sharia (Islamic law) rules. Nearly 15,000 troops have been deployed in the picturesque Swat Valley in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province and across the border in Afghanistan. Troops came after months of peace negotiations collapsed between the Taliban insurgents who have imposed sharia in the valley and the central government last month. Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have fled the war-ravaged area for fear of a full military assault. On Sunday, May 10, the army ordered residents to flee Swat Valley during a lull in fighting. Aid groups estimate that as many as 1.3 million could be displaced by the fighting, reported The Guardian. Christians are particularly vulnerable in the mass exodus. Working as poor day laborers, they occupy the lowest rung of the social ladder and have little money for costly transport or to stock up on resources before fleeing. The Taliban had ratcheted up pressure on Christians, other religious minorities and liberal Muslims in Swat to live according to Islamic fundamentalist norms. They were forced to grow beards and don Islamic attire for fear of their safety in an attempt to blend in with Muslim residents of Swat. Many Christians also fled because they couldn’t afford to pay the jizye, a sharia poll tax paid by non-Muslims for protection if they decline to convert to Islam. IRANIAN AUTHORITIES TRY TO SILENCE CONVERT IN U.K. BY ARRESTING HIS FATHER Source: Compass Direct News In an attempt to silence a Christian human rights activist living in England, Iranian authorities arrested and interrogated his Muslim father for six days before releasing him on Tuesday, May 19. Abdul Zahra Vashahi, a retired 62-year-old suffering a heart condition, was arrested on Thursday, May 14, in the southwestern Iranian city of Bandar Mahshahr and interrogated about the human rights activities of his son, a Christian convert who has been living in England since 2003. John (Reza) Vashahi converted to Christianity while in England and in 2008 founded the Iranian Minorities Human Rights Organization (IMHRO). In February the elder Vashahi had received a call from local authorities telling him that if his son didn’t stop his activities they would arrest him instead. The younger Vashahi said the Iranian government began putting increased pressure on his family whom he has not seen in six years. “It is a good example of harassment even outside the country,” Vashahi said. “It shows how far the government will go if we let them. Inside we can’t talk, and we come to Europe and still they want to silence us. It’s a very worrying sign.” © Copyright 2009 - HCJB Global - Colorado Springs, CO USA

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