WORLDWIDE PHOTOS LTD The Religious Media Agency

WEEKLY NEWS REVIEW

May 1, 2003

INDEX

AUSTRALIA: 1. CHRISTIAN SURFERS’ “JESUS PRO-AM” (Chrstn Surfers NSW) 2. EXTENSION OF ARCHBISHOP’S RETIREMENT AGE (Angl Media Sydney) 3. VISION VALLEY’S AWARD FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE (Wesley Mission) 4. BAPTIST MISSIONARIES REACT TO SARS (Global interAction) 5. YEAR OF THE CHILD LAUNCHED (Worldwide Photos) 6. ANNUAL GATHERING MEETS IN FIVE LOCATIONS (Churches of Christ)

OVERSEAS: 7. BAN ON IBAN BIBLE LIFTED (CWM) 8. CYCLONE KILLS 33 PEOPLE IN INDIA (CWM) 9. ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ COLLAPSES IN SERVICE (Agapa News) 10. AMERICAN ANNUAL NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER (Ntnl Day of Prayer) 11. CHURCHES DISAGREE ON STATE RELIGION (ENI) 12. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR VIETNAM (Open Doors) 13. MILLIONS EXPECTED IN ANNUAL ‘TV-FREE’ WEEK (AgapePress) 14. LONDON’S ONLINE CONFESSIONAL (Assist News Service) 15. OUTREACH WITH CD-ROMS HELPS CHURCHES (Baptist Press)

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1. CHRISTIAN SURFERS’ “JESUS PRO-AM” (Chrstn Surfers NSW) Christian Surfers Australia will be conducting their Jesus Pro-Am 2003 at Maroubra Beach, Sydney, over Saturday and Sunday (3-4 May). The Jesus Pro-am is an annual surf festival for amateurs and professionals, “with a great atmosphere”. Divisions include: Opens, Womens, Cadets (U/16), Family tag team, Air division. There is a $7000 total prize pool, with the Major prize, a trip to Fiji.

2. EXTENSION OF ARCHBISHOP’S RETIREMENT AGE (Angl Media Sydney) At the request of the Anglican Standing Committee, Diocesan Secretary Mark Payne notified all clergy and Synod representatives of the Diocese of Sydney of the Standing Committee’s decision to extend the retiring age of the Archbishop. He said: “I am writing at the request of the Standing Committee to inform you that on 28 April 2003 the Standing Committee resolved to extend the retirement age of Archbishop Peter Jensen by 5 years until his 70th birthday on 11 July 2013. The decision was made under clause 5(1)(a) of the Retirements Ordinance 1993 which allows the Synod or the Standing Committee to extend the retirement age of the Archbishop to an age not beyond 70 years.” The decision, supported by 32 members of the Standing Committee with 10 members against, was made after extensive debate.

3. VISION VALLEY’S AWARD FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE (Wesley Mission) Wesley Mission’s Vision Valley has won a major industry award for customer service. Vision Valley scored an incredible 97.3% customer satisfaction score to triumph in the highly recommended award for Excellence in Customer Service as part of the 2003 Australian Achiever Awards for Sydney’s Function, Conference, & Exhibition Services category. The award was presented to Vision Valley Manager Matt Davidson, who credited the Excellence in Customer Service honour to the hard work of his 95 staff. “Receiving the Australian Achievers Award for Excellence in Customer Service validates the work we do here at Vision Valley,” said Mr Davidson. Vision Valley was commended for their quality recreational and camp facilities, which attract groups from local communities, as well as groups from as far as Hong Kong, Japan and Europe. “The Australian Achiever Awards is an indication of a well run business where satisfied customers are a sign that a business is healthy and worthy of praise,” said Geoff Harwood, Director, Australian Achiever Awards.

4. BAPTIST MISSIONARIES REACT TO SARS (Global interAction) All staff of two of the three teams working in Central Asia with “Global interAction” (formerly the Australian Baptist Missionary Society), plan to return to Australia on the 9th May. Special circumstances in regard to the SARS epidemic have made this decision by the Directors necessary. For a majority of these staff members, their planned return to Australia has simply been brought forward by a month. This has been a difficult decision for the Directors, made in consultation with the Medical Registrar and the Officers of the mission. In this circumstance, there are compelling reasons for both staying and leaving temporarily. However, on balance, the mission is confident that the correct decision has been made.

5. YEAR OF THE CHILD LAUNCHED (Worldwide Photos) On Wednesday, April 30, up to a hundred supporters, church representatives and children, attended the official launch of the “Year of the Child 2003” project in Government House, as guests of her excellency the Governor, Dr Marie Bashir. The National Director Earl Roberts opened his speech, addressing the children’s choir members, with the words: “This is all about your future”. He continued: “While children occupy only 25 per cent of our population, they represent 100 per cent of our future.” Mr Roberts explained the Year of the Child project hopes to place a showbag into every home to help strengthen families in raising their children. Professor Bashir commented that children deserve basic human rights and admired the concern for a better society in which to care for “our most valuable natural resources, our children.”

6. ANNUAL GATHERING MEETS IN FIVE LOCATIONS (Churches of Christ) The Annual Gathering of the Churches of Christ in Victoria and Tasmania has always been “different”. This year, the Convention will certainly be different – it will be held in five different venues. The Ministry Summit will be held in the Doncaster Community Church of Christ, on May 2; the Annual Dinner will be held in Northcote, also May 2; The Convention Program will be in the Glen Waverley Secondary College, Saturday May 3; the Women’s Day will be on Saturday, May 10 in the Blackburn Community Church of Christ and the Youth Vision Celebration will be in the Crossway Baptist Church May 17. The 150th Anniversary of the commencement of the Prahran Church, now Stonnington, will also be celebrated, as well as the ordination of new ministers.

7. BAN ON IBAN BIBLE LIFTED (CWM) The Malaysian government has lifted the ban on Bup Kudus, the Iban-language Bible, but advised parties to exercise care when translating religious works. A Malaysian news service reported on 26 April that acting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the issue of the use of the word Allah Tala for God in the Iban language had been resolved. He said the book was banned because the Islamic Development Department felt the use of Allah Tala, which was similar to Muslims’ Allah Taala, was inappropriate. “When I consulted the Council of Churches, I was told the word had been used by the community as a reference to God for a very long time,” said the acting prime minister. “Since the word is found in the Iban Bible only, I don’t see the reason why it should be banned.”

8. CYCLONE KILLS 33 PEOPLE IN INDIA (CWM) A cyclone hit districts of Assam, India, on 22 April, killing 33 people and rendering thousands homeless, ACT International reported. The multi-hazard prone Dhubri district, bordering Bangladesh, was worst hit by the storm, which reached speeds of 200km per hour. Emergency teams confirmed 33 casualties in eight of the most severely affected villages. This toll could rise as the search for more bodies continues and some seriously injured are fighting for their lives in health centres. Newspapers report that around 4,000 houses have been damaged and nearly 1,800 livestock lost by what is being described as the worst storm to hit the state in 40 years. Hundreds of acres of crops have been destroyed, trees have been uprooted and damage has been caused to communication and power networks.

9. ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ COLLAPSES IN SERVICE (Agapa News) Evangelist Anne Graham Lotz says nothing like it has ever happened to her before. The 54-year-old daughter of Rev. Billy Graham fainted Saturday while preaching to more than 6,000 people in Lexington, Kentucky. After sitting on the platform steps for about five minutes, Lotz retook the stage and delivered the rest of her sermon while seated in a chair. She said it is a reminder that death or the second coming of Jesus could be a heartbeat away. Unlike her father, who preaches only one sermon per day, Anne Graham Lotz typically preaches three sermons and leads a Bible study at her seminars.

10. AMERICAN ANNUAL NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER (Ntnl Day of Prayer) As America experiences war, millions of people plan to gather at courthouses, in businesses, around school flagpoles, inside places of worship and stadiums to participate in the 52nd annual National Day of Prayer on May 1. President George W. Bush and all 50 governors are expected to sign proclamations setting aside the first Thursday in May as a day of intercession for the nation. Shirley Dobson, Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, said: “We are in desperate need of the Lord. But, how can we arrogantly ask for His blessings and wisdom when we live contrary to God’s standard of righteous living?” This year’s theme, “Righteousness Exalts A Nation,” is based on Proverbs 14:34. The National Day of Prayer tradition predates the founding of the United States when the Continental Congress issued a proclamation setting aside a day of prayer in 1775.

11. CHURCHES DISAGREE ON STATE RELIGION (ENI) A proposal to declare Christianity to be Kenya’s state religion is generating heated debate among the country’s churches. The proposal comes from a group called the Kenya Church, which includes Methodists in the country and a number of Pentecostal churches. It comes as Muslims are calling for the entrenchment of Islamic courts in the country’s constitution. But the Roman Catholic Church and most mainstream Protestant denominations are urging that religion and the state be kept separate.

12. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR VIETNAM (Open Doors) Sunday, May 4 has been designated as the International Day of Prayer for Vietnam. This year, special prayer for Vietnam’s children is encouraged. “Fifty-one percent of Vietnam’s population is less than 24 years old, which means that over half of the population was born after 1975 and the fall of Saigon,” a Vietnam watcher told Open Doors. “Thirty-two percent are between 11 and 14 years of age.” This means that the majority of Vietnam’s people have only known life under a communist regime, with its inherent limitations on religious freedom. This sector will have great influence in the coming years. Let us pray that they will turn their hearts toward Jesus, and so change the direction of their country.

13. MILLIONS EXPECTED IN ANNUAL ‘TV-FREE’ WEEK (AgapePress) Televisions are being unplugged all across America during “TV-Turnoff Week.” National co-ordinator Frank Vespe of “TV-Turnoff Network” says this is their ninth year to urge families to unplug their televisions for seven days. “It’s simply seven days in which millions of people across the country, and even around the world, are going to take a hiatus from TV,” Vespe says — adding that those who participate will find that life is much better without the influence of television “and they’re going to see what life is like when they live a little more and watch a little less TV.”

14. LONDON’S ONLINE CONFESSIONAL (Assist News Service) London’s Premier Radio has announced their popular online confessional is up and running again, once more offering web surfers the chance for a meaningful experience with God over the Internet. Once a web surfer logs on to the site they are shown a series of promises from the Bible concerning the act of confessing your sins to God. The website (http://www.theconfessor.org.uk) offers visitors the choice between considering your sins silently or, if it helps, you may type them into the space provided. The website also offers Scriptures to consider after making your confession and a final prayer.

15. OUTREACH WITH CD-ROMS HELPS CHURCHES (Baptist Press) Church outreach just got technologically interactive. Congregations are now making door-to-door visits with customised, interactive CDs describing their churches. LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention is working with an award-winning multimedia company, ReachingFAITH, to produce interactive CD-ROMs customised with information about individual churches. The CD-ROM helped Hyde Park Baptist Church in Lumberton, New Carolina, solve an “identity problem,” said Mike Pittman, minister of music and outreach. “I’m always looking at innovative ways to make our church known to the town,” he said. “Everybody knew where we were located, but they didn’t know our name. The CD-ROM is a tool that’s relatively inexpensive, and it’s something we can give out to the community. It’s a kind of interactive business card.”

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