WORLDWIDE PHOTOS Ltd The Religious Media Agency

WEEKLY NEWS REVIEW

January 30, 2003

INDEX

AUSTRALIA: 1. SIR ALAN WALKER DIES – AGED 91 (Wesley Mission) 2. AMP HELPING WOMEN IN NEED (Mission Australia) 3. BIBLES FOR BUSHFIRE VICTIMS (Bible Society NSW) 4. MODEL CHURCH ON PUBLIC DISPLAY (Bankstown Express) 5. SALVOS ON THE JOB IN CANBERRA (Slvtn Army News) 6. DR MOYES RETURNS TO AIR FOR 2003 (Wesley Mission)

OVERSEAS: 7. NO TO ‘WAR ON ISLAM’ (Christian Herald) 8. CHURCH WELCOMES YEAR OF THE SHEEP (Taiwan Church News) 9. A BATTLE . . . WHERE GOOD WINS (The Baptist Messenger) 10. SEX SELECTION AS “SOCIAL CONTROL” (SPUC) 11. CHILDREN NEED A ‘CHAMPION’ (Christian Herald) 12. VIETNAM: FIRST STEP TO FREEDOM? (Christian Herald) 13. PRAYERS SOON TO BE ANSWERED? (Christian Herald) 14. CELEBRATE NATIONAL MARRIAGE WEEK (Premier Radio UK) 15. CHURCH FUNDRAISING UNDER SCRUTINY (Challenge Weekly)

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1. SIR ALAN WALKER DIES – AGED 91 (Wesley Mission) Theologian, evangelist, broadcaster and former Superintendent of Wesley Mission (formerly the Central Methodist Mission), Sydney, the Rev Dr Sir Alan Walker AK OBE, MA, DD died Wednesday morning at an aged care centre on Sydney’s north shore. Sir Alan was 91 years old. Sir Alan became Superintendent of Wesley Mission in 1958 and took a strong and committed stand on many social justice issues. He will also be remembered for the establishment of the telephone counselling service Lifeline in March 1963. Sir Alan was the former Director of World Evangelism for the World Methodist Council and had a distinguished ministry marked by many awards and honours. He is survived by his wife Lady Winifred Walker and children Lynette Sue, the Rev Bruce Walker, David Walker and the Rev Dr Christopher Walker.

2. AMP HELPING WOMEN IN NEED (Mission Australia) Mission Australia is expanding its vital transport services for those in need, with a new van generously donated by AMP Foundation, to support inner city homeless women and families. The new AMP Mission Australia van is operating seven days a week, 365 days a year, transporting women and families in need to services where they can access accommodation, medical, legal, financial and employment support. Ms Lesley Butt, Manager of Women’s, Mental Health and Family Services at Mission Australia said: “The van has given us new opportunities. Women and families who were unable to catch public transport, as it is expensive and often inconvenient, are now driven to and collected from appointments,” Ms Butt said. AMP Financial Planner, Angelica Jacob, represented AMP Foundation at the launch of the van, commented: “I’ve seen the wonderful work Mission Australia does and I am delighted that AMP Foundation was able to provide Mission Australia with such a great resource.”.

3. BIBLES FOR BUSHFIRE VICTIMS (Bible Society NSW) The State Director of the Bible Society in New South Wales, Daniel Willis, has announced that their prayers go out to all those who been affected in any way by the devastating bush fires in New South Wales and especially Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. Mr Willis said: “If you have lost your Bible or know of people who have, we wish to provide you, at no charge, with a replacement.” Please contact the NSW Bible Society office on (02) 9267 6862 or e-mail:

4. MODEL CHURCH ON PUBLIC DISPLAY (Bankstown Express) Ethel Lee, aged 91, has built a church from recycled goods and the Mayor of Bankstown in Sydney’s inner west, Helen Westwood, has personally taken delivery of the model church and placed it on display in Bankstown Council’s civic building. The Picnic Point grandmother was recovering from a heart problem when she was “inspired to build something”. Over twelve months she worked on her project, never very sure how it was going to finish – a building of some sort or a church. Because of her convalescence she was not able to go along to her church, but it was certainly on her mind. Gradually the model took shape and now, through a friend’s suggestion, the model church has gone on display for all to see at the Council’s customer service centre. Perhaps it might even remind people that full size churches exist!

5. SALVOS ON THE JOB IN CANBERRA (Slvtn Army News) Under the State Disaster Welfare Plan, The Salvation Army’s main role was to feed those affected, particularly evacuees and Emergency Services personnel. Salvation Army volunteers provided food at the four evacuation centres to serve the needs of evacuees and in the field to firefighters. Clothing and non-perishable food and other household items are also available from Salvos Stores in Canberra. A voucher is supplied by officers of The Salvation Army at the Disaster Recovery Centre. In a press release, prepared by Media Director, Pat Daley, “People requiring advice and assistance or simply a listening ear can ring the Salvo Care Line on 1300 36 36 22. This toll-free number is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.”

6. DR MOYES RETURNS TO AIR FOR 2003 (Wesley Mission) Wesley Mission’s Superintendent the Rev Dr Gordon Moyes will return to host his Sunday Night Live program on Sunday, February 9th on Radio 2 1611 AM, “The new voice of Sydney’s West”. Sunday Night Live is broadcast from 7pm to 10pm each Sunday evening. “The program will be engaging, challenging and as always will be great radio,” said Dr Moyes. “The program will continue to consist of the Sunday evening service from Wesley Theatre, with a relevant and contemporary message plus in-depth interviews with significant community leaders and popular stories from my early ministries.”

7. NO TO ‘WAR ON ISLAM’ (Christian Herald) The Bishop of Stafford is to begin talks with Muslim leaders to assure them that any war in Iraq is not a war on Islam. The Rt Rev Christopher Hill said he was concerned that war-rhetoric would have a negative effect on local Muslim communities. Writing of Christian concerns over whether or not military intervention in Iraq would constitute a ‘just war’, he said: “Many Muslims will see this as a crusade – the word tragically used by President George W Bush after 11 September 2001.”

8. CHURCH WELCOMES YEAR OF THE SHEEP (Taiwan Church News) The annual celebration of the New Year is upon us. This year February 1st on the “solar” calendar is “January 1st” on the “lunar” one. Many church leaders have urged believers to see service to God as glorious, to work with joy and to put away grudges. Kao Chun-ming (former General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan), Tsai Ling-min (current General Secretary of Taiwan’s Baptist Association) and Lai Rong-hsin, (current Bishop of the Taiwan Episcopal Church), recommended that Taiwan’s Christians learn from the character of the sheep, listen for the voice of God, and be the flock of God’s Kingdom, laying hold of the leadership of God as they seek peace and joy. Traditionally the new year festival is a time of blessing and togetherness for Taiwan’s families. The ideal is for a family, no matter how far its members have scattered, to reassemble for the holiday.

9. A BATTLE . . . WHERE GOOD WINS (The Baptist Messenger) In just a few days, hundreds of concerned Christian citizens in the United States will fill the halls of the Oklahoma statehouse to help legislators understand that every child deserves the right to live. “Rose Day”, Feb. 5, is held annually during the early days of each legislative session. The goal is to take enough roses to every state Senator and Representative so that their offices are filled with the aroma of life. For too long, Christians were stonewalled, lied to or ignored by many public servants. John Yeats, editor of the Baptist Messenger, says: “Perhaps we will soon see the day when the value of every human life from the womb to the tomb is a non-negotiable.”

10. SEX SELECTION AS “SOCIAL CONTROL” (SPUC) The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has condemned proposals to allow so-called “sex selection”, describing sex selection as “a method of social control”. SPUC made its comments in its response to a consultation by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The main reasons for SPUC’s opposition to sex selection are “Sex selection is a method of social control, an unworthy motive for human parenting and for medicine. There is no moral “right to choose” the sex of one’s child or any other characteristic. Sex selection treats children as if they are commodities or lifestyle accessories. Sex selection on medical grounds may in fact mean the killing of embryonic children with an unwanted sex-linked inherited condition.”

11. CHILDREN NEED A ‘CHAMPION’ (Christian Herald) Part two of the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie was published on Tuesday (28 January) but The Children’s Society had already called for a raft of measures to protect those least able to help themselves. The charity’s chief executive, Bob Reitemeier, said: “Everybody was shocked by the tragic death of Victoria Climbie. Organisations like The Children’s Society are looking closely at what can be done to prevent a case like this ever happening again.” The guardians of the eight-year-old Ivory Coast girl, who died after being kept in a bath, beaten and fed scraps of food like a dog, have been convicted of her murder. A jury took four days to convict Marie Therese Kouao and her boyfriend Carl Manning in one of the most appalling cases of child cruelty heard by the Old Bailey. Both defendants have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The child was repeatedly beaten, burnt with cigarettes and scalding water, tied up and forced to sleep naked in a bath with only a bin liner to cover her.

12. VIETNAM: FIRST STEP TO FREEDOM? (Christian Herald) Twenty-seven years after forcibly shutting down the Nha Trang Theological Seminary, authorities have granted permission to the Evangelical Church of Vietnam-South to open a class for training church leaders. The Church, representing more than half of Vietnam’s 1.2m Protestants, received official recognition, after some 27 years of existing in legal limbo. Most of Vietnam’s Protestant leaders see it as a very small step on the road to religious freedom.

13. PRAYERS SOON TO BE ANSWERED? (Christian Herald) UCB (United Christian Broadcasters) Europe now believes it will eventually be able to get a national broadcast licence. Chief executive officer Ian Mackie said: “We have received the first sign that the Lord may be opening that door at last.” That “sign” was a letter from Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) which said: “There is no longer a strong case for the ban on religious bodies holding national digital sound programme service licenses. We therefore propose to remove this restriction.”

14. CELEBRATE NATIONAL MARRIAGE WEEK (Premier Radio UK) Following the success of their recent “Sing Your Hearts Out For the Lad” Christmas Campaign, Premier Radio in the United Kingdom, is now offering a “FREE 2003 Marriage pack”. National Marriage Week takes place between 9th – 15th February and Premier, in association with the Mothers Union, has created a stimulating church pack to help churches become involved. The pack contains a marriage rededication service, prayers, statistics and ideas on how to raise the profile of marriage in your church and community. “If you would like to receive a FREE pack visit Premier Radio at their website: http://www.premier.org.uk/lifeline/lifeline_resources.html

15. CHURCH FUNDRAISING UNDER SCRUTINY (Challenge Weekly) Some Pacific Island churches in New Zealand, are being blamed for shaming their parishioners into giving, even if they cannot afford to. The practice of reading out the amount of money each family donates to the whole congregation is also being criticised. Some South Auckland families are known to have mortgaged their homes, go without food or become bankrupt rather than miss a payment to their church. Former National MP Arthur Anae highlighted this issue last week by saying he was “disgusted” that some churches put heavy pressure on parishioners to give big amounts of money to the church.

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