A ministry of HCJB World Radio

Today’s News Headlines:

14 STUDENTS IN LIBYA SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BECOMING CHRISTIANS CHRISTIANS TARGETED BY REBEL SOLDIERS IN C ”TE D’IVOIRE THREAT FROM TERRORISTS IN PHILIPPINES DIMINISHED, SAYS PRESIDENT 9 CHURCHES PLANTED IN BURUNDI DESPITE LACK OF RESOURCES BIBLE LEAGUE LAUNCHES EVANGELISTIC MINISTRY IN YUGOSLAVIA ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO BEGINS BROADCASTS IN CAMBODIAN LANGUAGE

Today’s News Stories:

14 STUDENTS IN LIBYA SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BECOMING CHRISTIANS Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) confirmed this week that the 14 students from Nasser University in Tripoli, Libya, who were arrested on Aug. 21 for converting to Christianity have been sentenced to death. This contradicts earlier unconfirmed reports that they had been executed. “Pray for efforts to pressure Libyan authorities to reconsider,” reported VOM. “Pray that God would minister to these students who were given the choice to reject Christ or face death and have chosen Christ.” Even if the students are released, there is concern that they could be killed by their families for leaving Islam. (Voice of the Martyrs)

CHRISTIANS TARGETED BY REBEL SOLDIERS IN C ”TE D’IVOIRE Christians have been targeted by soldiers and their supporters in rebel-held areas during the six-week-old rebellion in C ´te d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), reported the Barnabas Fund. Christians and other non-Muslim groups have been singled out for attack in Bouak ©. The fighting has left hundreds killed and forced thousands to flee. Christian districts of the city have been attacked and devastated while Muslim areas remain untouched. The uprising started with a mutiny of soldiers who were due to be demobilized. This led to a coup attempt that was quickly suppressed in the south but developed into an armed rebellion against the government in the north. Christian ethnic groups comprise most of the population in the southern part of the country, while in the north most of the tribes are Muslim. A temporary cease-fire has been agreed to between the government and rebel forces. French troops are monitoring the cease-fire which leaves the rebels in control of much of the northern part of the country while attempts are made to resolve the situation.

Meanwhile, a team from the C ´te d’Ivoire government has begun a second day of negotiations with rebel leaders in Lome, Togo, as they work to end to the fighting. Tough issues expected to come up in today’s talks include returning government authority to rebel-held areas and disarming the insurgents — something the rebels say is impossible until they are sure their grievances are met. The government is also dismissive of rebel political demands such as the resignation of President Laurent Gbagbo to make way for new elections to replace a violent poll two years ago from which northern opposition leader Alassane Ouattara was banned. Most of the rebel fighters say they want to end years of ethnic discrimination. Gbagbo’s supporters say the rebels are simply hungry for power and have backing from neighboring states. A 2,000-strong West African force is being assembled to replace the French soldiers on the front line. France and Great Britain have agreed to help pay to get the force off the ground within the next 10 days or so. (Religion Today/Associated Press)

THREAT FROM TERRORISTS IN PHILIPPINES DIMINISHED, SAYS PRESIDENT Philippines President Gloria Arroyo has assured the population that while groups of al-Qaida operatives may be present in the country, they do not pose a “significant threat.” While the terrorism risk has not stopped the work of the gospel, it has interfered, says Beth Flores of the International Needs Network. “There is fear, but as Christians we are also praying that God would intervene. We have church planters and evangelists in the south area. And we have churches in that area that are working with Muslims.” Flores adds that despite the security troubles in the south, God’s hand is evident. “When we started with the church planting, God gave us a vision of 200 churches by the end of 2000, and God has answered that prayer. It’s tremendous how God has provided Filipinos who have a vision — Filipinos who are willing to go back to their towns and villages to share the good news of Christ.” (Mission Network News)

9 CHURCHES PLANTED IN BURUNDI DESPITE LACK OF RESOURCES Mission work in Burundi is making steady progress despite the lack of transportation and facilities, says Andrew Nzaniye, director of Evangelical Ministries of Central Africa. He said that showing the “Jesus” film is bringing the gospel to people who are rejoicing in the good news. “Our film teams are climbing mountains and carrying generators and projectors on their heads,” Nzaniye said. “They reach places where people have never seen a car or a motorcycle. The people they witness to are so much excited by the new life they find in Jesus Christ.” So far nine churches have been planted. Walls of the meeting halls have been constructed and now await funds for roofing. Nzaniye was pleased with the progress, considering that the teams lack means of transportation. Each team, he said, needs two bicycles. (Christian Aid Mission)

BIBLE LEAGUE LAUNCHES EVANGELISTIC MINISTRY IN YUGOSLAVIA The Bible League opened a new office in Yugoslavia in September that is focusing initially on making new contacts and preparing Project Philip study materials. Rev. Robert Martin, the ministry’s director for ministries in central/eastern Europe, says churches will begin using the project in January 2003. Through Project Philip believers invite their friends to participate in a Bible study. After completing the studies, they can earn a New Testament and then a full Bible. Throughout the process, participants study God’s Word side-by-side with local Christians. As a result, many have come to faith in Christ. The Bible League will concentrate on reaching Yugoslavia’s Serbian population, comprising about 63 percent of the population. Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of this group is evangelical. Other ethnic groups within Yugoslavia include Albanians, Montenegrins, Hungarians, Slovaks and Romanians. Yugoslavia includes the republics of Serbia and Montenegro along with the two semi-autonomous regions of Kosovo and Vojvodina. (The Bible League)

ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO BEGINS BROADCASTS IN CAMBODIAN LANGUAGE Adventist World Radio is stepping up its presence in Southeast Asia with new programming aimed at more than 12 million people of Cambodia. Shortwave broadcasts in Khmer, the primary language of Cambodia, began airing from AWR’s Guam station on Oct. 27. Khmer is considered a “mission language” by AWR because less than 5 percent of the country’s population is Christian. Cambodia has been ravaged by guerrilla war — a conflict that lasted for almost two decades and killed more than a fifth of the country’s population. Thousands more have been maimed by land mines. In 1975 when the Khmer Rouge regime took power, there were 33 Adventist members, most of whom were killed in the subsequent upheaval. But some Cambodians who had fled to the safety of Thai refugee camps joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. When the war ended in 1993, 600 of these new believers returned to Cambodia. Since then interest in Christianity has grown, and there are now some 4,000 Seventh-day Adventist Church members in Cambodia. (Adventist News Network)

* HCJB World Radio, in cooperation with Campus Crusade for Christ, worked with a local partner to plant Cambodia’s first Christian radio station in 1998. New Life Radio in the capital city of Phnom Penh broadcasts the gospel in both Cambodian and English.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * 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 * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Editor’s Note. Feel free to forward this to any interested friends. Our lists are distributed for information purposes and to encourage prayer. HCJB World Radio does not necessarily endorse or support the activities on which it reports.

Subscription Management. This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list <>. The instructions below will allow you to turn your subscription off while you are traveling, then turn it back on when you return. It also allows you to switch your subscription from one e-mail address to another. Digest and Index subscriptions are available for most of our lists.

Post Archives. Searchable archives are available to subscribers for most of our lists. Access to the archives for this list, if available, requires you to enter both your subscribed email address and a unique confirmation id (which may be obtained by sending email from your subscribed address to <>) at https://mail.pmbx.net:9100/Lists/HCJBDaily.