Zprávy HCJB 14.6.2009 - 20.6.2009

 Pákistánský křesťan zavražděn za to, že se napil čaje z muslimského hrnku
   International Christian Concern zjistila, že radikální muslimové z čajového kiosku v sobotu 9. května ubili křesťana za to, že použil hrnek vyhrazený muslimům. Mladý muž jménem Ishitiaq Masih si ve stánku u silnice v pákistánské obci Machharkay objednal čaj během zastávky autobusu k občerstvení. Když Masih šel čaj zaplatit, majitel stánku zpozoroval, že má řetízek s křížkem, chytil ho a volal ostatní zaměstnance, aby přinesli něco, čím by ho mohl zbít za to, že porušil nařízení vyvěšené na stánku varující nemuslimy, že musejí své náboženství oznámit předtím, než budou obslouženi. Masih si nápisu předtím nevšiml. Vlastník a 14 zaměstnanců ho bili kameny, železnými tyčemi a klacky, několikrát ho bodli kuchyňskými noži i když prosil o smilování. Ostatní cestující a někteří kolemjdoucí nakonec zasáhli a vzali Masiha do zdravotního střediska ve vesnici, kde ale Masih následkem utrpěných zranění skonal. Masihova rodina věc okamžitě oznámila policii, ta dosud v případu nepodnikla nic. Zdroj: International Christian Concern, Evangelical News
 
 Iránští křesťané nahlížejí na pronásledování jako na „součást jejich vyznání
   Následování Krista platí křesťané v Iránu vysokou cenou. Iránská vláda kontroluje kostely a pronásleduje dřívější muslimy, vězní je za „zločin“ opuštění islámu. „Vyhlášky omezující práva křesťanů platí od revoluce v roce 1979. Jsou nyní prosazovány přísněji, než dříve,“ řekl představitel Open Doors v Iránu zvaný jen Sandra. „Křesťané se nesmějí setkávat s muslimy aby s nimi mluvili o víře; muslimům není dovoleno vstoupit do křesťanského kostela,“ dodal Sandra a připomenul, že iránský prezident Mahmúd Ahmadinežad „zákony uplatňuje přísněji aby muslimy odradil od konverze ke křesťanství.“ Sandra také uvedl, že muslimové někdy přicházívali do kostelů a žádali ze zvědavosti Bibli. Nyní je to vzácnější, protože kostely hlídá tajná policie. Na otázku jak se iránští křesťané vyrovnávají s pronásledováním odpověděl, že „pro ně je to normální. Při rozhovoru se ani nezdá, že by považovali za potřebné o tom mluvit. Pronásledování a diskriminaci iránští křesťané vnímají jako součást křesťanského života – jak to Ježíš předpověděl.“ Zdroj: Open Doors USA, Evangelical News
 
 Všechny zprávy v angličtině
   BRAZIL’S COMMUNICATIONS MINISTRY CONSIDERS ADOPTING DIGITAL RADIO STANDARDS

Sources: Shortwave Central, Radio World, Microsoft Watch, The Inquirer, HCJB Global Brazil’s announcement in late May that its Communications Ministry would seek input on a national digital radio broadcasting standard brings new encouragement for the growing adoption of the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) standard in the AM, FM and international radio bands.
Brazilian Communications Minister Helio Costa announced a 180-day public consultation period to select the best digital radio system for Brazil. In its blog site, Shortwave Central called the announcement a “major breakthrough” for the DRM Consortium that anticipates contributing to the dialogue.

At the mid-May congress of the Associacăo Brasileira de Emissoras de Radio y Telivisăo (ABERT) in which Costa announced the 180-day consultation period, seven experts representing the DRM Consortium made presentations. In addition, ABERT conferees could listen to the latest generation of DRM receivers with live digital shortwave programming originating from Radio Station HCJB in Ecuador, CVC in Chile and Radio France International in French Guyana. All three broadcasters are part of the DRM Consortium of broadcasters and receiver and transmitter manufacturers.

The National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB) reported earlier last month that getting DRM-compatible radio receivers onto store shelves is a priority. The association’s resolution applauded efforts to roll out digital receivers, but said many models are priced “beyond what the market can bear in Africa, Asia and other countries outside North America and Europe.”

Allan McGuirl Jr. of Canada-based Galcom International said his company’s engineers are working to develop a low-cost, no-frills DRM receiver. Galcom manufactures fixed-tuned, solar-powered radio receivers for many religious broadcasters.

The open global DRM standard was recently selected by the governments of India and Russia for the broadcasting bands in those countries. While it remains to be seen which digital radio standard authorities will embrace, Brazil’s government has been a vocal advocate of open source software. Mexico is also considering the adoption of DRM standards.

HCJB Global and its partner ministries have been actively developing DRM transmitter and receiver technology for the past decade. The mission is also implementing the technology in its server and modulator development at the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart, Ind., and in the upgrade to its HC100 (100,000-watt) shortwave transmitters. HCJB Global is working with a digital radio receiver project at LeTourneau University.

In addition, brothers Marco and Stephan Schaa in Germany have developed the Pappradio RF front-end receiver. Marco, director of HCJB Global’s German World Office, says the office is distributing the inexpensive, cardboard-mounted device that works with a computer to receive DRM signals. For more information, visit the German-language website, www.pappradio.de.

KEY TRANSLATOR OF NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION DIES AT 84

Source: Christian Newswire
Rev. John Stek, 84, a scholar who helped translate the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, died on Saturday, June 6. Stek gave nearly 45 years of his life to translating the NIV and later Today’s NIV. He joined the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT) in 1965 and later served as its chair for 15 years. “Only we who have served on the committee know how great is the influence that John Stek has had on the NIV and the TNIV,” said CBT Chair Douglas Moo. “His ability to find the right English wording to communicate the meaning of the original text was quite remarkable.” A specialist in the poetic structure of the book of Psalms, Stek directed his scholarly ability and considerable knowledge of Hebrew into the task of Bible translation. He had an ongoing passion for those who would benefit from a clearer presentation of the biblical text. IBS-STL Global sponsors the committee.

OUTREACH TO MILITARY OFFICERS HAVING ‘INCREDIBLE, MEASURABLE IMPACT’

Sources: Breaking Christian News, Assemblies of God News
In San Antonio, Texas, missionaries Dave and Jan Hall and Ken and Peggy Krake of the Foreign Armed Forces Network (FAFN) minister to military officers from around the globe. Every year military personnel from more than 100 nations come to further their training in the U.S. Whenever the U.S. has a defense accord with another country, military personnel from that country can be sent [to the U.S.] for specialized training in their fields. San Antonio is a major hub for training of foreign officers. Wayne Clark, pastor of First Assembly in San Antonio, said of FAFN, “The impact is incredible … measurable. One officer called me aside after the Halls befriended [an officer] and invited him to church. He was leaving the next week,” Wayne explained. “He bowed and said, ‘I am a man in submission to your God.’ I will never forget that experience as long as I live. It stands my hair up to know what he was saying.” Hospitalit y also plays a big role in the ministry, added Ken. “We introduce the students to American culture and values,” he said. “The best way to counteract the misconceptions about America and Americans is to open your home.”

UGANDAN BISHOP URGES GOVERNMENTS TO BE MORE ‘FAITH LITERATE’

Source: Tearfund
Rev. George Katwesigye, the bishop of Kigezi in Uganda, has challenged government donors to be more “faith literate” and to release the largely untapped potential of the local church in tackling the sanitation crisis in the world’s poorest countries. Katwesigye recently released Tearfund’s new report, “Keeping Communities Clean: The Church’s Response to Improving Sanitation and Hygiene.” “While toilets and taps are things that many in the developed world take for granted, millions of people worldwide, including almost half of the people in my own country, lack access to clean water and a safe place to go to the toilet,” Katwesigye said. The U.N. estimates that 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation and 900 million people are without clean water. “The impact of this crisis has a human face,” he added. “Every minute three children under the age of five die because of poor sanitation or dirty water. It is a scandal and entirely preventable.” The Tearfund report argues that the local church is strategically placed to help tackle the sanitation crisis and calls for governments to work more closely with church groups.

* HCJB Global Hands helps provide clean drinking water and sanitation to rural areas of Ecuador and beyond. In Ecuador, community wells with hand pumps and community potable water systems with a spigot or connection for each home are built to meet this need. Health/hygiene teaching, water system maintenance training and follow-up help improve the health benefits and assure sustainability. In each project, the benefiting community provides the manual labor and the majority of the resources needed. Pastoral and church lay leadership training is provided in conjunction with these projects. Water projects completed in 2008 benefited some 2,000 Ecuadorians. In February an HCJB Global team helped supply a water well for Hateka, a community outside of Accra, Ghana.

SURVEY: GROWING GAP BETWEEN INCOME, BUDGET FOR U.S. CHURCHES

Source: Christian Newswire
Your Church magazine recently surveyed nearly 1,100 church leaders to better understand the ways their churches spend money and prioritize budgets, as well as their views of the current economic situation. The results of the survey reveal an increasing gap between income and projected expenses for churches. According to the survey results, tithes and offerings, which comprise an average of 87 percent of the typical church’s budget, have declined for 40 percent of the churches surveyed within the past six months. At the same time, 32 percent say budgets have increased between 2 to 10 percent from last year’s expenses. Your Church magazine convened a roundtable discussion with five church leaders to review the survey results. “Historically, evangelical Protestant churches tend to be tithe-driven,” says Ed Stetzer, president of Lifeway Research, and a roundtable participant. “Effects of unemployment tend to lag a bit for churches that emphasize tithing, but as the unemployment rate continues to increase, more congregations will get hit financially. Churches need to be ready for this impact.”

NAZARENE MOTORCYCLE FELLOWSHIP ROARS INTO GENERAL ASSEMBLY PICTURE

Source: Nazarene Communications Network, Evangelical News
The first-ever Nazarene Motorcycle Fellowship event, The Rockledge Rumble!, will be held on Saturday, June 27, in conjunction with the denomination’s 27th General Assembly and Conventions in Orlando, Fla. Rally events will include a free lunch and a ride along eastern Florida’s “Space Coast.” Nazarene bikers will also learn about a fund established to provide bikes for pastors across the globe to assist them with the spreading of the gospel.

CHINESE GOVERNMENT SHEDS LITTLE LIGHT ON FATE OF KIDNAPPED CHRISTIAN LAWYER

Sources: Voice of the Martyrs, Assist News Service, Christian Newswire
Despite increasing pressure from people worldwide seeking truth about the fate of kidnapped Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, the Chinese government has divulged little information about his whereabouts or condition.

Gao was last seen on Feb. 4 being hauled away by Chinese officials. Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong recently issued the first official response about Gao in reply to a letter from U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. The ambassador said Gao is “currently serving probation” and the “public security authority has not taken any mandatory action against him.”

In response, ChinaAid President Bob Fu called this statement a “blatant attempt to cover up the truth of Gao’s kidnapping and a refusal to release his current whereabouts or condition.”

Earlier, Gao told his wife that if he should be persecuted for speaking the truth, he believed people of justice throughout the world would stand with him. Gao is one of a number of human rights attorneys who have been recently kidnapped, beaten and tortured by Chinese officials for practicing legal defense work.

* HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra broadcasts more than 27 hours of Mandarin programming each week. An additional five hours of weekly programming in Min Nan Chinese (Fujian) also air to China.

PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN MURDERED FOR DRINKING TEA FROM A MUSLIM CUP

Sources: International Christian Concern, Evangelical News
International Christian Concern has learned that radical Muslims running a tea stall beat a Christian man to death Saturday, May 9, for using a cup designated for Muslims. The young man, Ishtiaq Masih, had ordered tea at a roadside stall in Machharkay village outside of Punjab, Pakistan, after his bus stopped to allow passengers to relieve themselves. When Masih went to pay for his tea, the owner noticed that he was wearing a necklace with a cross and grabbed him, calling for his employees to bring anything available to beat him for violating a sign posted on the stall, warning non-Muslims to declare their religion before being served. Masih had not noticed the warning sign before ordering his tea. The owner and 14 of his employees beat him with stones, iron rods and clubs, then stabbed him multiple times with kitchen knives as he pleaded for mercy. The other bus passengers and some passersby finally intervened and took Masih to the Rural Health Center in the village where he died of his injuries. Masih’s family immediately reported the crime to the police, but so far no action has been taken in the case.

IRANIAN CHRISTIANS SEE PERSECUTION, DISCRIMINATION AS ‘PART OF THEIR FAITH’

Sources: Open Doors USA, Evangelical News
Christians pay a high price in Iran for their decision to follow Jesus. The Iranian government controls churches and persecutes former Muslims, arresting them as they commit the “crime” of leaving Islam. “Ordinances curtailing the rights of Christians were in existence since the revolution of 1979. They are now more rigorously enforced than before,” said a representative of Open Doors inside Iran identified only as Sandra. “Christians cannot meet with Muslims in order to share their faith; Muslims are not allowed to visit a Christian church,” she said, adding that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “applies the laws more stringently in order to prevent Muslims from converting to Christianity.” Sandra said in the past, Iranian Muslims sometimes went to a church and asked for a Bible out of curiosity. Now this happens less often as churches are more closely monitored by security forces. When asked how Irania n Christians cope with persecution, she replied, “It’s normal for them. In conversations, it seems not even important for them to mention what they experience. Persecution and discrimination are seen by Iranian Christians as a part of being Christians--just like Jesus predicted in the Bible.”

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