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Today’s News Headlines:

UZBEK POLICE ACCUSE CHURCH LEADERS OF ‘ILLEGAL RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY’ MARTIN LUTHER MONUMENT TO BE INAUGURATED IN PUBLIC SQUARE IN CHILE NIGERIAN CITIZENS SPEAK OUT AGAINST REPRESSIVE ISLAMIC LAW EVANGELISTIC OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND AS CHAD EMERGES FROM CIVIL WAR BIBLE READING OUTREACH EXPANDS INFLUENCE WORLDWIDE ONLINE * HCJB WORLD RADIO PARTNER IN HONDURAS BEGINS CHRISTIAN BROADCASTS

Today’s News Stories:

UZBEK POLICE ACCUSE CHURCH LEADERS OF ‘ILLEGAL RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY’ The leaders of a Protestant church in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in northwestern Uzbekistan, have been charged with “participation in the activity of illegal religious organizations” and could face up to three years in prison if convicted. This follows a police raid on the Mir (Peace) Presbyterian Church in Nukus, attended by some members who came from a traditional Muslim ethnic background. Police also accused church leaders of luring minors into their activities. However, the parents of the children who attend the church have all signed declarations saying they do not object to the religious education of their children. Entry to the church office is now forbidden by the police. Officers also confiscated a computer and religious literature. Some suspect that the crackdown on the church may be linked to the fact that it’s in the final stage of gaining official registration in Uzbekistan. It is unclear when the investigation will be completed and when the church leaders will face trial. (Keston News Service)

MARTIN LUTHER MONUMENT TO BE INAUGURATED IN PUBLIC SQUARE IN CHILE Exactly 485 years after the publication of Martin Luther’s famous “95 Theses,” a monument commemorating the reformer will be inaugurated in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, Oct. 31. Martin Breitenfeldt of the Evangelical Faculty of Theology in Santiago said the area near the corner of Recoleta Ave. and Paragua St. will be named Reformation Square. “It is the first time that a public space in Latin America will be dedicated to the impeller of the evangelical movement and his inheritance,” he said. “For the celebration, massive participation of evangelical believers from numerous churches is expected, plus the presence of representatives of the different sectors of Chilean society and the embassies of the countries in which the reformation started.” In Chile, celebrating Reformation Day is a tradition not only marked by Lutherans, but of evangelicals from many denominations. A new religion law in Chile recently gave Protestants “legal equality” with the Roman Catholic church in the country. (Assist News Service)

NIGERIAN CITIZENS SPEAK OUT AGAINST REPRESSIVE ISLAMIC LAW Political and religious leaders in Nigeria continue an intense debate over the implementation of Islamic law (sharia) by 12 of the country’s 36 states. Some Muslim politicians appear to agree with Christian leaders that the imposition of sharia is undemocratic. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governor of the state of Lagos where 60 percent of residents are Christians, told a gathering of journalists and religious leaders that members of the Muslim community have been pressuring him to introduce sharia. He rebuffed the attempt. Tinubu, a Muslim, expressed sadness that some politicians are deliberately dismantling the Nigerian state. “The nation’s crisis can be traced to the desperation of people who want to gain power,” he said. In the three years since states introduced sharia, more than 100,000 Nigerians have been displaced, and more than 3,000 have died in riots. (Compass)

EVANGELISTIC OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND AS CHAD EMERGES FROM CIVIL WAR Two new outreaches are hoping to touch the hearts of the people of the West African country of Chad. Book of Hope’s Bob Hoskins said that as the country recovers from civil war and faces incredible economic turmoil, opportunities for the gospel abound. “Some of our colleagues got a license for what’s called Hope Radio,” he said. “On Nov. 15 the station will begin broadcasting from N’Djananja, the capital city of Chad. In connection with the launch of Hope Radio, we’re launching the Book of Hope distribution in the schools there.” While Chad is predominately Muslim, Hoskins explained to government leaders that the Book of Hope, based on the Bible, can help in the battle against AIDS and drug and alcohol abuse. “I said, ‘I know you don’t believe Jesus as God as I do, but your Koran says that Jesus is one of the greatest of the prophets, and His teachings are acceptable in Islam. And so these are the teachings of Christ on ethics and morality. Because of the need and because of that rationale, they’re accepting it.'” (Mission Network News)

BIBLE READING OUTREACH EXPANDS INFLUENCE WORLDWIDE ONLINE A ministry that encourages English-speaking people to read through the Bible in one year is making it easier for people to read the Scriptures in other countries. Bible Pathway Ministries’ Karen Hawkins says the organization’s reading-through-the-Bible material is already online, and it’s growing. “In January we will have German online, making it our 11th language online. And we will add six more Indian languages soon after that.” Hawkins says having the material online is important. “We are even receiving e-mails from Arabic-speaking countries now,” she says. “Often there are no pastors or anyone who has had Bible training, particularly in the Islamic-controlled countries. Many of them have never had Bible school, and this helps them.” For details, visit BiblePathway.org. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO PARTNER IN HONDURAS BEGINS CHRISTIAN BROADCASTS A Christian AM radio station started with HCJB World Radio’s help in the central Honduran city of Siguatepeque is broadcasting the gospel in the area for the first time, culminating a two-year process. “Radio El Shadday began test broadcasts on Oct. 18, and an inauguration will be held in a few weeks after some technical glitches are solved,” says Anabella Cabezas, HCJB World Radio’s radio planting administrator for Latin America. The equipment was purchased with help from the ministry’s Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind.

Milton Pumisacho, an Ecuadorian engineer with ALAS, a Spanish satellite radio network operated in partnership with Trans World Radio, will travel to the city to install a downlink, connecting the station to the network, as soon as he obtains the necessary visa.

The process to plant a radio station in the city with an area population of more than 75,000 began about two years ago when a friend of HCJB World Radio visited the partner church and met with interested people. The church then applied for and received a broadcasting license that was approved in April 2001. “Their vision is to cover the central part of Honduras with the gospel,” Cabezas says. “The Christian programming will be directed to every social group in the areas, becoming an affiliate of ALAS in the process.”

The church initially applied for an FM station, but all of the frequencies were taken. However, the government then approved the AM frequency of 1370 kHz. A 1,000-watt AM transmitter is now on the air. “AM has the advantage of reaching further into the rural area around Siguatepeque,” Cabezas said. The sponsoring church, Ministerio El Shadday, is the umbrella for Radio El Shadday. The church is part of Iglesia de Santidad (Holiness Church), a denomination with 200 congregations scattered across Honduras. She added that the partnership is somewhat unusual since the church obtained not only a radio license, but a UHF channel for closed-circuit TV. (HCJB World Radio)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * James A. Ferrier HCJB World Radio U.S. Ministries Communications Director E-mail: Phone: 1-719-590-9800 Fax: 1-719-590-9801 Web: http://www.hcjb.org http://www.beyondthecall.org * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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