A ministry of HCJB World Radio

Today’s News Headlines:

DETAILS OF ATROCITIES IN NORTHERN NIGERIA COME TO LIGHT RUSSIAN POLICY PAPER MAY THREATEN NON-ORTHODOX CHURCHES FOOD SHORTAGE DEEPENS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA CHURCH LEADERS CULTIVATED IN CHINA DESPITE ONGOING PERSECUTION BIBLE SCHOOLS HAVING ‘AMAZING INFLUENCE’ IN CHINESE PROVINCE * CHRISTMAS PARTY AT QUITO DUMP ATTRACTS 3,100 POOR PEOPLE

Today’s News Stories:

DETAILS OF ATROCITIES IN NORTHERN NIGERIA COME TO LIGHT Violence in Nigeria has been a major news story in recent weeks with riots centered on the Miss World competition resulting in more than 200 deaths. This week a report came from a representative in Nigeria detailing some of the results. Along with the many deaths and injuries, he reported that 102 churches in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna were burned down and two pastors killed as the rioters attacked anyone suspected of being a Christian. All of the churches in Lemu Road, Kaduna, were either burned or vandalized by Muslim rioters. This isn’t the first time that violence has erupted in Kaduna. In February 2000 riots led to the deaths of more than 2,000 people. Earlier this year, Voice of the Martyrs opened a new office in Kaduna after the previous office was destroyed in the riots. At the opening of the office, many believers told about the high cost of discipleship in Nigeria. (Voice of the Martyrs)

RUSSIAN POLICY PAPER MAY THREATEN NON-ORTHODOX CHURCHES A leaked Russian policy paper on the prevention of “religious extremism” could seriously threaten non-Orthodox churches and groups in the country. Details of a 15-page draft paper to be discussed by a joint session of three government bodies in January, came a day after reports that foreign missionary workers are facing stiff resistance from local authorities. Russian media reports say the document mentions first the Roman Catholic Church, accusing leaders of “winning over individual priests and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church as converts to Catholicism.” But the document also singles out Protestants. “Under the pretext of providing humanitarian aid, many new Protestant organizations are fostering self-alienation from the Russian state within various sections of the population,” reported the Gazeta newspaper, quoting the draft paper. The Moscow-based Slavic Center for Law and Justice and the Institute of Religion and Law called the draft paper “scandalously incompetent and anti-constitutional.” While Russian authorities say the new policy is in the interests of “national security,” human rights watchers are concerned that it will lead to an “increase in inter-confessional and inter-ethnic tension within our country.” The paper also warns about “foreign pseudo-religious communities,” including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Moonies, Scientologists, Satanists, Eastern religions and Islamic extremists. (Assist News Service)

FOOD SHORTAGE DEEPENS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Executives of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) gathered at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) World Headquarters in Baltimore Dec. 3 to launch a global campaign to help save more than 34 million people at risk of starvation in Sub-Saharan Africa. “What we now see in Africa is a looming food crisis of great proportion,” said CRS Executive Director Ken Hackett. Populations throughout the continent are suffering from massive food shortages caused by drought, flooding and restrictive government policies that threaten to mushroom into a disaster comparable to the Ethiopia famine in the mid-1980s. USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios said the situation has reached crisis levels. “When you see faces of emaciated children on television it’s too late; you’ve failed. The time to act is now,” he said. Leaders at the meeting unveiled the “Baltimore Declaration,” a unified pledge of non-governmental organizations and the WFP to help prevent famine from taking hold in parts of southern, eastern and western Africa. “This is truly a unique gathering, and we commit ourselves to this declaration and to averting a famine in Africa,” said Hackett. “We plan to carry this out with full intensity.” (Catholic Relief Services)

CHURCH LEADERS CULTIVATED IN CHINA DESPITE ONGOING PERSECUTION While new reports indicate a dismal picture for some believers in China, the good news is that the church is cultivating more leaders. Vernon Brewer of World Help describes how his ministry is responding to the need. “We are actively involved in helping to print and distribute Bibles to the underground house churches. We have heard indirectly from the pastors that at least 50 percent of all the Christians in house churches do not have a copy of the Bible. We’re also involved in helping partner with them in providing training centers.” However, Brewer says the underground church is still struggling and needs prayer. “The government is trying to intimidate the pastors of the underground church to register [so the government can better control their ministries]. The persecution is still very strong and very great, especially for the underground church at this time.” (Mission Network News)

BIBLE SCHOOLS HAVING ‘AMAZING INFLUENCE’ IN CHINESE PROVINCE A Christian leader in China who built a Bible school with Christian Aid Mission’s help in 1994 tells of the continuing influence of the school both among trainees and in the community. The school and church hall — built in an unnamed province in just 52 days — has become a model for biblical training in the country. Using the school as an example, trainees have started 30 other Bible training centers. In the past seven years, thousands of Christians have been trained for leadership, meeting the needs of more than 6,000 churches in that province. “The influence of the Bible schools is truly amazing,” said the leader. “The number and impact of cults and false teaching has markedly decreased … the relationship between the unregistered underground churches and those officially registered with the government is improving … the spiritual lives of believers are maturing … and established Bible schools are upgrading their level of teaching and are sending out teachers to train disciples in other places.” The leader added that while believers are “still facing much pressure and many hardships and difficulties,” their hearts are stirred and encouraged by the support and prayers of Christians overseas. (Christian Aid Mission)

* CHRISTMAS PARTY AT QUITO DUMP ATTRACTS 3,100 POOR PEOPLE More than 3,100 poor Ecuadorians received both spiritual and physical nourishment as they attended the sixth annual Christmas party at the Quito City Dump, Saturday, Dec. 7, led by HCJB World Radio partner ministry Extreme Response International.

Attendees who glean a living at the dump in Zambiza heard a clear gospel presentation via drama and puppets, ate a hot nutritious meal, played carnival games, made crafts and received a Christmas gift of more than 15 pounds of staple food items. More than 1,300 “Operation Christmas Child” boxes from Samaritan’s Purse were also handed out along with bags of Christmas goodies. The event was made possible through donations from people worldwide and more than 150 volunteers from six countries.

The Christmas party is a celebration of the ongoing ministry that takes place at the dump year-round. In Ecuador, Extreme Response works with local leaders to provide medical attention, counseling, basic hygiene and clothing through its “thrift store.” Out of these humanitarian efforts has grown a Bible study that meets Friday afternoons.

Ramiro Baez, the “Dump Pastor,” said that two days after the dump party he was having lunch at a small roadside restaurant near the HCJB World Radio compound in Quito when he was approached by a 9-year-old boy, begging for something to eat.

Baez bought the boy lunch and asked if he could sit with him. As the boy sat down his face lit up, and he said, “I know you! You are the man from the Christmas party at the dump. Would you tell me more about Jesus?” Baez continued with tears in his eyes, telling how in the middle of lunch, this little boy accepted Christ.

At the party everyone received a flyer with the plan of salvation and a few sentences from the event’s sponsors and why it is held. The last page of the leaflet includes telephone numbers of each member on the “dump pastoral team.”

The Monday after the party, a lady called Baez, explaining that she was at the party and read the flyer. She was a teacher in an impoverished area of Quito and asked if he could come to her school to put on a program for the children. “They are so poor and have nothing,” she said.

“I can come,” Baez replied. “But we don’t have any more gifts or food to hand out.” The teacher said it didn’t matter. She just wanted him to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Baez is scheduled to visit the school on Dec. 19.

HCJB World Radio, in partnership with Extreme Response, is empowering nationals to minister to the poor in Africa, the Caribbean and South America. (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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