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Today’s News Headlines:

RELIGIOUS TENSIONS BOIL IN MALAWI AS MUSLIM MOB ATTACKS CHURCHES AUTHORITIES AGAIN HALT CONSTRUCTION OF CHURCH IN VIETNAM MINNESOTA PASTOR, 2 JOURNALISTS TO FACE TRIAL IN LAOS CHRISTIAN RELIEF AGENCY BRINGS HOPE TO FAMINE-PLAGUED ETHIOPIA HUNDREDS OF STREET KIDS IN BRAZIL HEAR GOSPEL VIA BIBLE CLUBS STUDY: ABORTION SUPPORT DECLINING AMONG WOMEN IN U.S.

Today’s News Stories:

RELIGIOUS TENSIONS BOIL IN MALAWI AS MUSLIM MOB ATTACKS CHURCHES Seven churches and offices of the U.S.-based charity, Save the Children, were attacked by a Muslim mob June 27-28 in Malawi’s first religious violence in modern times. Army units were deployed across the East African country following the violence on Friday and Saturday which saw extensive damage to property and three people injured. The disturbance was centered on Mangochi, a predominantly Muslim district 110 miles northeast of the commercial capital of Blantyre. A crowd of about 200 Muslims went on the rampage, breaking windows and doors in local churches. Muslims were protesting that the government had allowed the U.S. to secretly extradite five suspected al-Qaeda terrorists from Malawi. On Sunday, June 29, army units were deployed across Malawi, arresting 13 suspects. Malawi President Bakili Muluzi vowed not to tolerate religious violence; however some Muslims in Mangochi remained defiant, claiming that the president had failed them. Save the Children USA Malawi Director Justin Opuku said the charity was targeted because of its American connections. The growing Muslim population has become more vocal since the events of 9/11 and the U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, but this is the first significant religiously motivated violence to hit Malawi. (Barnabas Fund/ Religious Liberty Prayer List)

* 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. 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, in 2000.

AUTHORITIES AGAIN HALT CONSTRUCTION OF CHURCH IN VIETNAM For the second time in three years, authorities in Thu Thiem district of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) halted the construction of a church building. This time, however, they did not destroy the initial construction as Christians involved showed increased sophistication in their organization of the building project and in subsequent protests against government interference. At 4 a.m. Monday, June 9, building materials were transported to the building site. One group of Christians gathered to pray at the site while another group constructed the building’s frame. By 5 a.m. the frame of the temporary building had been completed. Two hours later an estimated 200 police arrived on the scene. Pastor Truong Van Nganh and Nguyen Hong Quang, a Vietnamese Mennonite activist, peacefully engaged the authorities. The police left after realizing they could not legally stop the building project. However, officers reportedly sent a gang of troublemakers to the scene to cause problems. The gang tried unsuccessfully to provoke the praying Christians. Authorities then ordered electricity to the area cut, but the Christians had brought their own generator. The incident ended when authorities seized and hauled away all the building materials but did not destroy the frame. Investigations continue. The Thu Thiem congregation belongs to the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) which was legitimized by the Vietnamese government in April 2001. (Compass Direct)

MINNESOTA PASTOR, 2 JOURNALISTS TO FACE TRIAL IN LAOS A Hmong pastor from St. Paul, Minn., who was arrested in Laos June 3 while trying to document human rights abuses and religious persecution, is scheduled to face trial Friday, July 4. Naw-Karl Mua, 44, who leads the Light of Life Lutheran Church, was to face undisclosed charges, along with two European journalists. Authorities have been holding the men on accusations of cooperating with bandits in the killing of a security official. “We are very worried and also surprised by the speed of this process which leaves little time to prepare a defense,” said Thomas Renaut, a spokesman for the trio’s support committee. Mua served as a guide and translator for the journalists. Meanwhile, prayer and public awareness is being credited in helping the plight of five Christian Laotian families who were ordered evicted from their homes recently. On June 9 the families were given 10 days to leave their village. But after Christian Aid Mission sent out an e-mail prayer alert concerning the families, national authorities decided that the eviction order was illegitimate. “I see the Lord’s mighty intervention in all of this,” a source said. “Please keep praying that we will see religious freedom in Laos.” (Religion Today)

CHRISTIAN RELIEF AGENCY BRINGS HOPE TO FAMINE-PLAGUED ETHIOPIA Famine is again rearing its ugly head in Ethiopia, a country plagued with drought. Beth Allen of Food for the Hungry says the situation is desperate, jeopardizing thousands of lives. “What we have in Ethiopia is a repeat performance of a year of ‘inappropriate’ rainfall. By inappropriate, I mean in some areas there have been droughts, and some areas there have been floods. The U.S. government and other organizations are estimating that approximately 13 million people will not have enough food to eat in the coming year.” Allen says working with the local church is important to the ministry’s outreach. “Part of our agenda is to get churches reaching out into their communities and to be a part of solving their problems. No. 1, identifying what the problems are in the community, and No. 2, helping to solve those problems in a Christ-like manner — using the Bible, putting it into practice. Friendship evangelism is very important too.” (Mission Network News)

HUNDREDS OF STREET KIDS IN BRAZIL HEAR GOSPEL VIA BIBLE CLUBS Street children in Brazil are the focus of ministry for Bible Centered Ministries (BCM) International, an outreach that uses Bibles clubs and other methods to lead people to Christ. BCM’s Maria Gusmao says the need for this type of outreach is staggering as Brazil is home to more than 20 million street kids. “The street kids are all over the place,” she says. “Wherever you walk, you will meet them. They’re in the streets asking you for food and asking for money. They will even steal from you if you’re not careful.” Gusmao says the ministry has had success in sharing the good news with young people. “Right now we have 19 Bible clubs in different slums . . . and we are reaching more than 500 street kids. Our goal for this year is to have 20 Bible clubs.” However, funding and more workers are needed to expand the program. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel in Portuguese to Brazil via shortwave from Quito, Ecuador, and maintains a world office and radio studios in Curitiba. Portuguese broadcasts, which have been on the air continuously since 1947, generate more listener letters than any language service at HCJB World Radio in Ecuador. The ministry’s Portuguese programs also air on local radio stations across Brazil.

STUDY: ABORTION SUPPORT DECLINING AMONG WOMEN IN U.S. Support for abortion among American women is declining, indicates a report released recently by a pro-abortion organization. The study by the Center for the Advancement of Women showed that 51 percent of women now believe abortion should be legally prohibited in most cases. The survey found 17 percent believe there should be a total ban on abortion, while 34 percent say it should be outlawed except in the cases of saving the mother’s life and pregnancy as a result of rape or incest — up 3 percent from the results reported in 2001. Overall, the survey found 68 percent believe there should be more restrictions on abortion. The new study also found abortion is not as important to women as previously. Of 12 issues listed in the survey, “keeping abortion legal” ranked 11th as a “top priority.” Shannon Royce, consultant to the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said she was “delighted” with the result of the study. “It shows we are making progress in winning back the hearts and minds of American women. We look forward to the day when Roe vs. Wade is . . . a part of the sad history of our nation.” (Religion Today)

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