A ministry of HCJB World Radio

Today’s News Headlines:

PHILIPPINE MISSIONARY MURDERED IN SUSPECTED SET-UP SHOOTING IN COLOMBIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH LEAVES 2 DEAD, 6 WOUNDED NEW BELIEVERS IN PARTS OF INDIA RISK OSTRACISM, INTIMIDATION BLIND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST NEEDS MEDICAL HELP IN CUBAN PRISON MISSION AGENCIES RESPOND TO GROWING FAMINE IN MALAWI 1 BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE VIEW ‘JESUS’ FILM IN 2002

Today’s News Stories:

PHILIPPINE MISSIONARY MURDERED IN SUSPECTED SET-UP A Philippine missionary working among minority groups on Mindanao Island was shot to death on Friday, Jan. 17. The assistant leader of a Quezon City-based ministry said he had just arrived from the nearest large city on Mindanao after a seven-hour bus ride to meet with two local workers. They excitedly began sharing developments about their work while their wives prepared supper together. One of the women then said she was out of cooking gas, and asked her brother to get a tank of gas from the market. The young man used a motorbike belonging to one of the missionaries. On the way back, he accidentally struck a motorbike driven by a Muslim. As soon as the missionaries learned about the incident, they rushed to the scene. Police had already arrived to settle the case. One of the missionaries stood quietly along the side of the road observing the investigators. To help clarify matters, the two bikers involved in the accident were asked to accompany police to headquarters downtown. After they left, the watching missionary picked up his motorbike to wheel it home. By this time it was dark. Suddenly a man appeared and shot the missionary in the chest. As he tried to regain his footing, the man shot him again in the head at point-blank range with a .45 caliber pistol, killing him instantly. The killer, though still unidentified, reportedly belongs to a militant Muslim sect. The other missionary now wonders if this was a set-up. Both workers had received death threats last November. (Missions Insider)

SHOOTING IN COLOMBIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH LEAVES 2 DEAD, 6 WOUNDED Four gunmen entered St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Colombia during mass on Sunday, Jan. 19, and began shooting — killing two people and wounding six others. Authorities are speculating that one of the victims was the primary target, perhaps settling a grudge. Ten people have been arrested, suspected of involvement in the attack. In recent months Christians in Colombia have faced increasing violence, particularly from guerrilla groups and those involved in the drug trade. This is the latest of a series of attacks in the past year, including a bomb attack last May that killed more than 100 people. (Voice of the Martyrs)

* Together with local partners, HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel on FM stations in four Colombian cities. The ministry also continues to air Spanish programs across the country and all of Latin America via shortwave from Quito.

NEW BELIEVERS IN PARTS OF INDIA RISK OSTRACISM, INTIMIDATION Twenty-three tribal families in a remote village in West Bengal, India, are facing social ostracism and intimidation, fearing for their safety, after converting to Christianity. The Hindustan Times reported that Christian families from the village of Kasundipara have been threatened, relatives have been prevented from visiting, and other villagers have been told not to speak with them. Police in the area have been informed of the threats, but reportedly they are not providing any protection for the families. Militant Hindu groups argue that people have been lured into converting to Christianity through promises of material goods, jobs, free education and healthcare. In some Indian states, laws have been passed to restrict religious conversions. Earlier this month the Gujarat government announced the introduction of anti-conversion legislation similar to that of four other states in India. Christian workers in India have also been facing increasing pressure and violence from militant Hindus, including an American missionary and his Indian colleague who were beaten Jan. 13 in the Kerala state capital of Trivandrum. Four persons were arrested in connection with that attack, and more arrests are expected. Those arrested are from the RSS, a militant Hindu group opposed to Christianity and western influence in India. (Voice of the Martyrs)

BLIND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST NEEDS MEDICAL HELP IN CUBAN PRISON Amnesty International has made an “urgent action request” to give medical attention to Juan Carlos Gonz ¡lez Leiva, a blind Cuban human rights activist and Christian who has been in prison since last March. On Jan. 7 his wife, Maritza, smuggled a letter out of the prison in which he described an intense burning sensation in his stomach and intestines. When Gonz ¡lez was first imprisoned, he was severely beaten by government security agents and suffered a blow to the head, requiring four stitches. He has carried out a number of lengthy hunger strikes to protest his arrest. As a result, his weight has dropped to less than 90 pounds. During his detention he has periodically been denied the right to keep his cane, glasses and Braille Bible. Although Gonz ¡lez was charged with a series of “crimes” in September, he has yet to be brought to trial after almost a year in prison. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

MISSION AGENCIES RESPOND TO GROWING FAMINE IN MALAWI Mission organizations are responding to the situation in Malawi where 3.5 million people are in danger of starvation, especially as harvest prospects look bleak. The United Nations reported that these numbers could get even worse this spring. SIM is one of the ministries responding to the emergency. “We have been asked specifically by the African Evangelical Church, with which we work, to be a part of the relief program,” said spokesman Tim Kopp. “We have been assigned by local district emergency committees to particular areas of the country that are vulnerable.” Kopp says many of the people on their teams are helping face multiple crises. “AIDS is another very critical concern and a contributing factor [to the famine] simply because those who are orphaned or widowed don’t have the resources to conduct adequate farming. That compounds the need for food, because in the end there is nothing,” he says. “However, this provides a wonderful opportunity for sharing the gospel and bringing hope in Christ Jesus.” (Mission Network News)

* In partnership with African Bible College, HCJB World Radio helped plant a Christian radio station in Lilongwe, Malawi, in 1995. The station airs programs in Chichewa and English. HCJB World Radio also helped the ministry begin a hospital and provided training, including seminars dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis. Last year staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., also installed FM transmitters at stations in two Malawian cities, Blantyre and Mzuzu.

1 BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE VIEW ‘JESUS’ FILM IN 2002 The impact of the “Jesus” film continues to spread worldwide as the production was viewed or heard by an estimated 1 billion people in 2002 with 32 million of these indicating decisions for Christ. This brings the cumulative viewership to more than 5.6 billion with 178 million making faith decisions. The film was translated into an additional 96 languages in 2002, bringing the total to 756 (including video and audio versions). The film has now been shown in 236 countries, there are 2,755 Jesus film teams, and more than 40 million copies (film prints, videos, VCDs and DVDs) are in circulation. (Jesus Film Project)

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