News headlines for November 15th 2002

(Central African Republic)–Headlining the news today, civil unrest is forcing evangelical missionaries out of the Central African Republic. The International Ministries Director of the Evangelical Free Church Mission[1] , Tom Cairns says, after weeks of fighting, there is now a lull in the violence. “It appears that this is just that, a lull before further fighting might occur. As a result, missionaries from almost all the evangelical groups and agencies in Bangui have made the decision that they need to leave now, at this point in time. All of them are leaving within the next two days.” Cairns says the E-V Free Church works with the nomadic Fulani peoples. Will they return? “We definitely will plan to return. We definitely will go back to the Fulani ministry. That’s very critical, but we just don’t have any distinct plans right now on when that might be because we have to wait and see what’s going to evolve in the next few weeks.” Pray for safety as the missionaries evacuate.

(India)–Elsewhere, a summit was held this week in Bombay between the 64 leaders
of the lowest caste, the Dalits, and an evangelist. Bibles For The World’s[2]
says there’s a lot at stake. “This group has been trying
to invent a new religion that is not Buddhist, Christian or Islam. They want
o renounce Hinduism, but they have not been able to invent a new one. So, I’m
going to meet with them, and I have met with them before, giving them what
Jesus Christ can do for them.” There are some agencies that believe a mass
religious exit is more political in nature than faith-based. He offers a counterpoint
to that school of thought. “If this group decides to become Christian, a minimum
of five million will be following them. So, it’s a very, very significant and
very important meeting, and I need God to really anoint me afresh to talk to
them.”

(USA)– International Aid[3] has seen a year’s journey from New York to Afghanistan bearing the message of hope. In their annual banquet, keynote speaker Heather Mercer says Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of her rescue from a Kabul prison. In spite of her ordeal, Mercer’s heart remains with the Afghanis. “They were desperately hopeless and really despairing as a nation over their future. I believe that the Afghan people need the opportunity to choose who they want to follow. And, I believe the Afghan people need to know that there’s a God who loves them and cares for them and that there’s hope for their country.” Mercer hopes to go back to Afghanistan soon. Until then: “My prayer is that a government will be established that will love mercy, will do justly and walk humbly with God. We can pray that God would bring many, many more people to go and serve in Afghanistan.”

(Romania)–And, missionary training is important if you want to be effective in sharing the Gospel. That’s the message from Mariana Groze (GROH-zay) from Romania who’s studying with International Messengers[4] . When she returns to Romania, Groze will be working in a home for women who are going through a crisis pregnancy. “I think the training gave me a perspective (of) how to share the Gospel in a better way and how to meet their spiritual needs. Like how to pay attention to what they need and how to do it in an effective way. Not just do what I think (they need).” International Messengers is a four-month intensive training program for the average lay person. Groze tells us about the training she’s receiving. “We have different classes–like, we had pray(er), or evangelism; this week, we’re studying how to preach or teach, so we each have to prepare a lesson or sermon. And, also we had apologetics.”

[1] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=EFCM [2] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=BFTW [3] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=IAI [4] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=IMM ———————————————————————

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