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Today’s News Headlines:

LOCAL BAPTIST CHURCH IN UZBEKISTAN REFUSES TO BOW TO CLOSURE ORDER OPPRESSIVE REGIMES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA HAMPER MISSION WORK LIBERIA’S CIVIL WAR FAILS TO STOP CHURCH-PLANTING ACTIVITIES 103 COME TO CHRIST AT EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN IN NORTHERN INDIA MODERN TRANSLATION OF GOSPEL OF JOHN RELEASED IN MYANMAR ‘COWBOY CHURCHES’ REACH OUT TO OVERLOOKED SEGMENT OF U.S. SOCIETY

Today’s News Stories:

LOCAL BAPTIST CHURCH IN UZBEKISTAN REFUSES TO BOW TO CLOSURE ORDER Members of a local Baptist church in the Uzbekistan capital of Tashkent are refusing to shut down the church despite ongoing pressure from the government. The United Church of Evangelical Christians/Baptists in the Tashkent suburb of Chirchik was ordered to close by the country’s Justice Ministry in July, but it continues to operate. Khairullo Khaidarov of the regional justice administration said the church has “flouted the laws of Uzbekistan and has not responded to our requests to bring the church’s documents and its activity into line with the laws of Uzbekistan.” Officials say that the church’s registration papers issued in 1998 were only “temporary” and that it needs re-register to be allowed to function. Church members, however, deny any wrongdoing, saying they have done all they can to comply with the government regulations. “On Nov. 20 we sent out our views in a complaint to the Justice Ministry, but they simply haven’t responded,” said pastor Stanislav Kim. He accuses authorities of trying to close down his church on trumped-up grounds. (Keston News Service)

OPPRESSIVE REGIMES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA HAMPER MISSION WORK Communist government authorities in Laos — listed by Open Doors as the world’s third-largest persecutor of believers — accuse Christians of causing religious division and try to tightly control their activities. As a result, ministries such as FARMS International have been stymied for the time being, says spokesman Steve Salowitz. “There are three countries [in Southeast Asia] that are restricted,” he said. At least one potential outreach planned for the area has been canceled “because you don’t want to bring unwanted persecution or unwarranted persecution upon people. “In one of the countries there’s been cross-border activity where the people are actually benefiting from our programs,” Salowitz said. “They would like to do more, but we have held off with doing any more there.” FARMS International serves the church by equipping poor families so they can support themselves. (Mission Network News)

LIBERIA’S CIVIL WAR FAILS TO STOP CHURCH-PLANTING ACTIVITIES A church-planting ministry in Liberia is making remarkable headway despite hardships in a land ravaged by more than 10 years of civil war. James Cuffee, who came to the Lord in 1978, began Christ Evangelical Fellowship Ministries in 1983. In the next 19 years he succeeded in planting one church per year with a total of 2,873 baptized believers. Four of the churches are in the Monrovia area; the rest are in rural counties. The ministry also assists 67 orphans and operates two primary schools and one junior high school. But this success often comes at a cost. On a recent evangelistic outing, for example, the hired driver refused to take the rented vehicle beyond a certain point. So Cuffee and his companions got out and walked seven hours to reach their destination where they baptized 71 new believers. Cuffee and his 12 fellow missionaries preach the gospel to many still steeped in witchcraft and idol worship. During a recent crusade, three young men heard the gospel and willingly brought their fetishes to be burned to ashes. “We’ve been worshiping these things since childhood,” they said. “Sometimes we sacrificed animals and even offered human blood to increase our power. Now we have the true power in Jesus Christ.” Fighting continues in the northern part of the country. “Many persons have been killed, property looted and destroyed by this senseless war,” Cuffee said. “This has displaced more than 1 million people in rural Montserrado, Bong and Margibi counties. The economic situation is deplorable. Almost 90 percent of our people are jobless. The government cannot pay its workers.” (Christian Aid Mission)

103 COME TO CHRIST AT EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN IN NORTHERN INDIA An evangelistic campaign in northern India late last month touched stony hearts and brought 103 souls to Christ. “Sinners, praying with tears, were forgiven,” said the mission leader. “The lost were found and the sick healed. Mockers and those once bitterly opposed to the gospel now give testimonies to Christ’s saving grace. . . . Many backsliders returned to the Lord. The gospel broke down the stony hearts of the people bringing them to the Savior. Christians also made a deeper commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ with a number of young people coming forward to offer their lives for Christian service.” The group has planted congregations in six villages. In one village three families of non-Christian background came forward to commit their lives to Christ and were baptized. The new believers gather regularly for worship, joined even by some of their unbelieving neighbors. The ministry works in remote areas outside of the range of public transportation. (Christian Aid Mission)

MODERN TRANSLATION OF GOSPEL OF JOHN RELEASED IN MYANMAR In the Himalayan country of Myanmar (formerly Burma), a contemporary translation of the Gospel of John was released this month. Walk Thru the Bible’s Roger Massey believes it will serve as a “great tool for a spiritually hungry people.” However, there is also a need for caution, he says. “We understand that Myanmar is a great deal like China in its views on Christianity and birthing and planting new Christian churches in the area, so much of the work has to be done carefully.” Releasing the Gospel of John will be instrumental to the small but growing churches, Massey adds. “The government would be quick to move in and close down new works. It’s much like the problems that churches are facing in Russia and Eastern Europe when new Christians groups go in and start to try to establish a beachhead. But what we’re mainly concentrating on is getting the Word of God into this area in an easy-to-read format.” (Mission Network News)

‘COWBOY CHURCHES’ REACH OUT TO OVERLOOKED SEGMENT OF U.S. SOCIETY Church planter Ron Nolen threw his lasso, and a “cowboy church” was started — the Cowboy Church of Ellis County,” reported the Baptist Standard. “There is an enormous number of ‘Old West Culture’ people here who hold true to good old Western values — ‘a man keeps his word’ and so on,” says Nolen. “This group, mostly working class, was largely ignored by the middle-class Baptists who were often only looking for a higher standard of living.” But Old West culture people can be found everywhere. Country music is one of the key signs. They don’t necessarily own horses, but their values and culture unite them: family, a home, commitment. There are 2,186 country radio stations in the U.S. — almost twice as many as the 1,128 pop stations.” More than 300 people attended the first service at the Cowboy Church on Easter 2000. Attendance now averages 500, and many of the members are involved in home groups. Nolen has since started a second “cowboy church” and advises several others in the U.S. “There are millions of people with these values,” he says. “If we reach only 125,000 of them in the next 10 years, we’ll need around 400 churches with 300 members to disciple them. This is one of the largest people groups which has been overlooked by churches in the U.S.” (Friday Fax)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * James A. Ferrier HCJB World Radio Web: http://www.hcjb.org http://www.beyondthecall.org * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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