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Today’s News Headlines:

AID WORKERS PREPARE TO ENTER IRAQ AS ‘REFUGEE CRISIS’ FAILS TO EMERGE JIHAD ATTACKS CONTINUE TO CLAIM LIVES OF NON-MUSLIMS IN NIGERIA TURKMENISTAN POLICE INTERROGATE, THREATEN BAPTIST CHILDREN IRANIAN CHRISTIAN CONVERT IN CANADA FACES DEPORTATION FUNDING LACK MAY FORCE ARABIC SATELLITE TV MINISTRY TO MAKE CUTS COPENHAGEN’S COZY ‘CAFE CHURCH’ DRAWS YOUNG PEOPLE TO CHRIST

Today’s News Stories:

AID WORKERS PREPARE TO ENTER IRAQ AS ‘REFUGEE CRISIS’ FAILS TO EMERGE Since an expected “refugee crisis” in Iraq has failed to materialize, relief organizations are preparing to enter Iraq as soon as it’s safe enough. World Vision’s Steve Matthews says the plan was to deal with war victims’ needs in two phases. “Phase 1 was to deal with refugees in some of the six countries surrounding Iraq. But there are probably not more than 1,000 refugees,” he said. “Phase 2 of World Vision’s program is go inside Iraq, and it looks we’re probably going to be working in an area that is biblically known as Ninevah.” The assistance is presented as a gift from God. Matthews urges believers to pray for safety as aid workers prepare to enter Iraq. “This is the most volatile moment for us because there will be a vacuum inside Iraq,” Matthews said. “It’s expected there will be very volatile situations.” (Mission Network News)

JIHAD ATTACKS CONTINUE TO CLAIM LIVES OF NON-MUSLIMS IN NIGERIA Violence in predominantly Christian Plateau state in Nigeria has continued unabated since the first major outbreak in Jos in 2001 when more than 2,000 people died in inter-religious violence. Non-Muslim settlements now suffer attacks almost weekly. At 2 a.m. Friday, April 4, armed Muslims attacked the village of Fobur in Langtang, killing a woman and burning several houses. The group returned the next day to raid the village of Zambwar where 30 homes were set on fire. On April 7 the Wereng village near Jos was attacked by armed insurgents. Three weeks earlier Hausa Fulani Muslims killed more than 22 villagers with 16 injured and 28 missing during a massive attack using sophisticated weapons on the town of Kadarko in the Wase Local Government Area. Survivors described how they were awakened at 5 a.m. by shouts of “Allahu Akbar” (God is love) and “We are going to finish off the infidels.” The attackers are described as heavily armed, numbering up to 2,000 and wearing white headbands. Religious violence has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 Nigerians since it erupted in 1999. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

* HCJB World Radio, together with partners In Touch Ministries, SIM and the Evangelical Church of West Africa, began airing weekly half-hour programs in the Igbo language in 2000. The programs air via shortwave to Nigeria’s 15 million Igbo speakers.

TURKMENISTAN POLICE INTERROGATE, THREATEN BAPTIST CHILDREN In addition to recent raids by secret police on churches in Turkmenistan, the Baptist church in Balkanabad is facing new pressure. Children have been interrogated in school about “internal church life and their Christian education in their families.” The younger children were banned from attending services while the older ones were threatened with prison. A church service in a private apartment was again raided on April 1. It is unclear why the Baptists are being threatened for attending unregistered religious services that are not technically illegal in Turkmenistan. (Forum 18 News Service)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with Back to the Bible to air Christian Turkmen programs. Twice-weekly broadcasts began airing from an undisclosed site outside of Turkmenistan in 2001, moving to daily programming in January 2003.

IRANIAN CHRISTIAN CONVERT IN CANADA FACES DEPORTATION “Nancy,” an Iranian convert to Christ, faces deportation from Canada on April 24 after failing to convince an Immigration and Refugee Board judge that she is a Christian despite clear testimony from her and her pastor. Wanting to protect her family in Iran, Nancy asked that her real name not be published. In 1999 Nancy was introduced to Christ by a friend in Tehran and converted to Christianity in the summer of 2000. When her husband was questioned about her church attendance, Nancy fled to Montreal to live with her sister-in-law. While there she attended a Pentecostal church where she was baptized. She later became an active member of Ascension Lutheran Church in Montreal. The immigration judge, H ©l ¨ne Panagakos, repeatedly admitted in her ruling that she was not familiar with Protestant Christianity, but when Nancy had trouble naming some Catholic terms, the judge rejected her claim that she had become a Christian. Canadian officials further noted that even if Nancy were a Christian, she does not face a “significant risk of persecution” in Iran. However, Muslims in Iran who leave Islam are considered “apostates” and can face the death penalty. Nancy’s family in Iran is already under surveillance by authorities. (Voice of the Martyrs)

FUNDING LACK MAY FORCE ARABIC SATELLITE TV MINISTRY TO MAKE CUTS While many followers of the dominant Muslim religion in North Africa and the Middle East are searching for answers, funding challenges for outreach in this area couldn’t come at a worse time. SAT 7’s Christian satellite television for this region is facing a $1.2-million shortfall. That may mean pulling the plug on the analog satellite delivery. “If we drop the analog satellite we could likely lose about 70 percent of our viewers throughout North Africa,” said SAT 7’s Debby Brink. Since 9/11 we’ve had a 90-percent increase in responses.” Brink says without the funding, an incredible missionary voice will be lost. “You cannot send missionaries in to speak with people. It’s too dangerous. It’s not allowed. It’s illegal in many countries. But satellite television is the only source of uncensored information getting into this region, and people are tuning in.” (Mission Network News)

COPENHAGEN’S COZY ‘CAFE CHURCH’ DRAWS YOUNG PEOPLE TO CHRIST They sit around small tables, enjoy a hot drink and worship God. It’s called the Caf © Church — a place where people come to praise God in a relaxed atmosphere. They come from mixed denominational backgrounds while some are not members of any church, and others have never attended a church service. The Caf © Church in Copenhagen, Denmark, which started in 1998 grew out of a youth church-planting movement in the country. Pastors Bettina Wiik and Frank Rechter knew that caf ©s were a popular meeting place for young people and came up with the idea of combining a cozy environment with a worship atmosphere. People are introduced to the church during “caf © nights,” a time for talking together and listening to various bands. “They ask questions and say, ‘Is this your church? I want to try it,'” Wiik explains. Sermons focus on people’s needs and finding what the Bible says about those needs. Topics include such things as health and lifestyle and the state of the world. Contemporary music also attracts young people to the church, and prayer plays a key role in the services — typically held on Saturday afternoons. “That’s the Danish way of life,” Rechter says. Several other caf © churches have developed in Denmark and across Europe. (Adventist News Network)

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