News headlines for January 15th 2003

(India)–We begin today in India where the Gujarat government is introducing an anti-conversion Bill, entitled the Freedom of Religion Bill. The proposed legislation integrates the strongest provisions of similar bills enacted in four other states. When asked how the bill could be constitutional, Mission India’s[1] John DeVries said: “It fits under the constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion if there is no coercion to change, but they have to now prove if they want to become a Christian to the police that they’re not being coerced to do this. So, the police now begin to monitor all conversions.” DeVries says because enforcement may become subjective, the bill’s passage could be problematic for their work. As to the effect on the ministry, DeVries stated: “We really, honestly, don’t know. It’s very much in the hands of the Lord. We only know that when you persecute Christians, the church grows like weeds.”

(Croatia)–Elsewhere, Croatia’s success story, in the days since war, is its transition into modernity and recovery. World Bible Translation Center’s[2] Roger Massey agrees. He believes change is the way of life now, paving the way for the launch of their newest easy-to-read work last month. “The Translation Center released its Croatian New Testament in a downtown library in Zagreb. This is important because, following the war between Serbia and Croatia, we had to wait for the political climate and the language to settle down.” Massey says the challenge was getting the New Testament ready for a globally aware age group quite unlike its predecessor. “This is a Scripture that’s for the cell-phone generation. If something is not up-to-date, if something is not modern in their speak, they tend to discount it, disregard it as not useful.” Please pray for the churches as they familiarize themselves with this new tool, and pray that people’s hearts will be open.

(Siberia)–Christmas in Russia is January 7th. SEND International’s[3] Carl Kresge says their teams in Eastern Siberia helped the children of Ulan Ude (oo-LAHN oo-DAY) celebrate with a special event that reached over 600, most of whom were unchurched. “It was put on, actually, by an organization that is registered with the government for the purpose of reaching out to orphans and lower-class children. It was, at least a first opportunity for us to really present the Christmas story and the Gospel to a lot of Buryat children.” Kresge says their workers have a burden for the Buryat people (boo-re-aht) because they are the least evangelized in the area, despite the presence of established Russian Christians. “Their traditions and their churches really haven’t reached out very successfully to the Buryat people. So, we’re looking for that key that would really break open the hardness of the Buryat heart to the Gospel.”

(Costa Rica)–Next, Latin America Mission[4] members are praising God for the new three-story clinic that is being opened in Costa Rica. This new clinic will offer poor families much needed dental and medical services. Missionaries continue to collaborate with national leaders in other Latin American communities to help further develop medical missions throughout the area. LAM uses their ministries as an opportunity to help meet needs and then share the Gospel of Christ.

(International)–And, May 4th is Compassion Sunday this year. It is a day set aside to help pastors and sponsors to present, discuss, pray about and commit to following Jesus’ mandate to care for the poor. Compassion International[5] is working to do this by linking impoverished children with sponsors worldwide. Through the project, the children will be given opportunities for better health, improved education, and the chance to hear about Jesus in terms they can understand.

[1] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=MNI [2] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=WBTC [3] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=SEND [4] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=LAM [5] http://www.gospelcom.net/mnn/media/group.php?agencyAb=COMP ———————————————————————

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