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Today’s News Headlines:

SPATE OF BOMBINGS IN INDONESIA PUTS CHRISTIANS ON ALERT CHRISTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST REARRESTED IN CUBA AFTER PROTEST SOCIAL MINISTRY ENHANCES EVANGELISTIC OUTREACH IN INDIA CHINESE MINISTRY TO PRINT 30 MILLIONTH BIBLE PROTESTANT, CATHOLIC CHURCHES CONTINUE TO SHRINK IN GERMANY MISSIONARIES IN SPAIN REPORT INCREASED OPENNESS TO GOSPEL

Today’s News Stories:

SPATE OF BOMBINGS IN INDONESIA PUTS CHRISTIANS ON ALERT Indonesian police have not ruling out a link between a spate of recent bombings. Authorities believe the terrorist acts are the latest attempt to destabilize the country. Christian Aid Mission’s John Lindner says the ministry is seeing developments that may become a concern for their workers. “We have been concerned about the terrorist activity of radical Muslims in Indonesia for quite some time,” he said. “It hit our shores a year ago, so we can expect more of this.” Linder urges Christians to pray. “The radicals are targeting Christians specifically, and more recently, those who are associated with Western countries such as the U.S. and Australia. A document was recently uncovered that was an instruction manual on how to do jihad [holy war] in Indonesia.” (Mission Network News)

CHRISTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST REARRESTED IN CUBA AFTER PROTEST A Christian human rights activist who was released from prison in Cuba on Oct. 31 after serving a three-year sentence has been rearrested. Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet was detained by police on Dec. 6 at a home in the Lawton district of Havana. He was attending a meeting of the Friends of Human Rights when state security agents blocked the entrance and prevented him and 11 other individuals from entering or leaving. All were arrested and are being held at the 10th unit of the National Revolutionary Police in Havana. Biscet, 41, is a devout Christian and founder of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights which promotes the defense of human rights through non-violent means. He has been detained 26 times and was only recently released from Cuban prison after serving a three-year sentence for “dishonoring public symbols, public disorder and inciting delinquent behavior” after he organized a peaceful silent march in support of human rights and freedom for political prisoners in his neighborhood. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

* HCJB World Radio continues to air Spanish programs to Cuba via shortwave from South America. Hundreds of listeners have enrolled in the ministry’s Bible Institute of the Air, a correspondence program incorporating Spanish broadcasts. In addition, many pastors’ workshops sponsored by Apoyo, a joint training ministry with Leadership Resources International, have been held in Cuba since the mid-1990s.

SOCIAL MINISTRY ENHANCES EVANGELISTIC OUTREACH IN INDIA A ministry in India is finding that its social and educational ministries are bearing much fruit when combined with a spiritual emphasis. A ministry started 30 years ago that asked to be unnamed for security reasons cares for 95 children of leprous parents in a children’s home. Living apart from the parents prevents the children from contracting the same dread disease and also gives them an education, that otherwise would pass them by. Most of the children come from non-Christian families. “We are seeing amazing results in the lives of these children that I have not seen even in children from traditional Christian homes,” said the ministry’s director. Along with the children’s home, the ministry also operates two elementary schools. The biggest one teaches 1,800 “day scholars” from mostly Sikh and Hindu homes and employs 70 teachers. A third school is scheduled to open in March 2003. The ministry also runs a daily dispensary with a retired public health person. A Christian doctor is joining the team and plans to begin operating a mobile health clinic in February. Amid all this social and educational ministry the mission group has been able to plant 45 churches with a total constituency of more than 4,800 believers. “This year we started church fellowships in two new places with full time workers, and our churches are growing rapidly,” the director said. (Christian Aid Mission)

* In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in three languages: Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi and Mundari. HCJB World Radio also broadcasts 11/2 hours of English programming daily to India via shortwave from South America. The ministry is investigating potential opportunities to help launch local Christian stations in key cities across India.

CHINESE MINISTRY TO PRINT 30 MILLIONTH BIBLE The Amity Printing Company, a joint venture between Amity Foundation and the United Bible Societies, will print its 30 millionth Bible this month, says ministry spokesman Peter Dean. A celebration is planned for Dec. 11. The Amity Foundation in Nanjing, China, was set up on the initiative of Chinese Christians for the purposes of promoting health, education, social service and rural development projects in China. The company gives priority to the printing of Bibles and other publications entrusted by church organizations. It began printing Bibles in 1987 with 27 million printed in the last three years alone. In addition to Bibles, the company also prints hymnals and other books and literature for the China Christian Council and its seminaries. Dean said that Amity Press has always kept up with production demand for Bibles from the Chinese churches. Everyone can purchase copies of Bibles from the churches, and twice in his knowledge permits have been granted to publish more Bibles in the same year, on occasions when initial estimations proved to be low. He said that the press has enough capacity and the ability to quickly respond and cope with any increase in Bible demand. (Assist News Service)

PROTESTANT, CATHOLIC CHURCHES CONTINUE TO SHRINK IN GERMANY The Protestant churches in Germany is shrinking faster than the Roman Catholic Church, indicate recent statistics from the country’s 24 main Protestant denominations which counted 26.34 million members last year, a loss of 1 percent. The number of Catholics fell by 0.6 per cent to 26.66 million. The falling church membership is due partially to the falling population in Germany as deaths continue to outpace births. In addition, nearly 190,000 Protestants and 130,000 Catholics cancel their church membership every year. In 1986, Germany had nearly an equal number of Protestants and Catholics — about 30 million. A recent international study shows declining confidence in churches. In Germany only 39 percent of the population trust the churches. This places them at the end of the scale behind institutions such as the police (86 percent) and the armed forces (70 percent). Prominent businessmen, politicians and artists blame two major factors for this result: the church dabbles too much in politics and neglects the proclamation of the gospel message. “The church has a unique message, but church leaders often do not dare talk about forgiveness and salvation,” said Peter Barrenstein, director of McKinsey Consulting in Germany. (Evangelical News Agency IDEA)

MISSIONARIES IN SPAIN REPORT INCREASED OPENNESS TO GOSPEL Spain has always been known as a graveyard for missionaries and for being resistant to the gospel. But missionaries are now reporting that the time may be at hand for a revival in that European country. “Spain is living a key moment,” says Dayana Elasmar of Latin America Mission who has worked with church planting in the Extremadura region. But she warns that church growth is slow. An typical “large” church has between 50 and 100 members, and churches often grow at a much slower rate than in Latin America, Elasmar says. Only 650 towns in Spain have evangelical churches, leaving 7,000 towns and cities without an evangelical witness. (Mission Network News)

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