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Today’s News Headlines:

PAKISTANI COURT UPHOLDS LIFE SENTENCE FOR TWO CHRISTIANS SERBIAN YOUTH CONCERT MARRED BY GRENADE ATTACK, THREATS INTERNET OPENS RESOURCES TO LATIN AMERICAN PASTORS MINISTRY USES INTERNET TO HELP LATIN AMERICAN PASTORS UZBEK PASTOR TO ASK FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM BBC’s PROPOSED ANIMATED CARTOON `POPETOWN’ DRAWS PROTESTS OPERATION MOBILIZATION ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP

Today’s News Stories:

PAKISTANI COURT UPHOLDS LIFE SENTENCE FOR TWO CHRISTIANS A Pakistani court has upheld the conviction of two Christians accused of committing blasphemy against the Islamic holy book. The two Christians received life sentences–the maximum penalty–for desecration of the Koran under Pakistan’s 295-B blasphemy law. They are expected to appeal the Lahore court decision to Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Pakistan is known to be hostile toward Christians. (Voice of the Martyrs)

SERBIAN YOUTH CONCERT MARRED BY GRENADE ATTACK, THREATS During a music concert organized at Vrdnik, Serbia, (90 kilometers or 60 miles northwest of Belgrade) by the local Church of God Pentecostal, the power line was cut with an axe, and someone threw a hand grenade near the stage. After the concert ended one person drove his car into the park of spectators, threatening organizers and saying that he was armed. The incidents occurred on the evening of August 8 during a concert by a German Pentecostal band from Heidelberg. More than 300 young people attended the event, and no injuries were reported. The police are investigating the incidents, and a Vrdnik city councilor expressed his regrets. The Vrdnik Church of God organized five youth camps this year, with a total of 300 participants from all around Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. They often host foreign visitors, like the German youth group. (Forum 18 News)

MINISTRY USES INTERNET TO HELP LATIN AMERICAN PASTORS Mission agencies are challenged as they try to disciple church leaders in remote or inaccessible areas of Latin America. CAM International’s Aaron Sandoval explains how the Internet opened new doors for their outreach. “CAM International has realized the value of the Internet as a tool for sermon outlines, study guides, articles, things that could be put to use immediately in the church.” The ministry is using the Internet to provide these resources to pastors in some areas of Latin America who do not have access to Christian materials. Team members took distribution as a matter of prayer. Sandoval says they found the answer staring them in the face. “Just about every little town in Latin America has an Internet caf ©. So, taking advantage of that infrastructure, we’ve been able to use it and put some of these materials directly in their hands.” (Mission Network News)

* Through Apoyo, a joint ministry of HCJB World Radio and Leadership Resources International, more than 5,000 pastors and church leaders across Latin America participated in pastors’ training workshops and conferences last year. Hundreds of churches benefited from teacher training workshops, family conferences and other seminars and Bible studies. Apoyo also launched Training National Trainers, a strategic three-year program that equips national pastors to train emerging national church leaders for the ministry. Although Apoyo’s main ministry has been in Latin America, it is expanding into Asia, Africa and beyond.

UZBEK PASTOR TO ASK FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM Pentecostal pastor Bakhtier Tuichiev, from Andijan in eastern Uzbekistan, has decided to ask a democratic country for political asylum as Protestants are enduring intolerable conditions in Andijan. Tuichiev stated that authorities in Andijan refused to register his church and officials told him in private conversations that they would not register the church because they were not interested in the spread of Christianity. Tuichiev claimed that the work of the church in Andijan is impossible without registration. He said he had been repeatedly warned that he would be subject to administrative and even criminal sanctions as a pastor. In February 2002 he first received authorization for his church to operate, then had the authorization taken back. In September his church was visited by a group of people claiming to be BBC and CNN journalists, but who appear to have been National Security Service (ex-KGB) officers, as both the BBC and CNN had no knowledge of these “journalists.” (Forum 18 News)

* HCJB World Radio airs weekly Uzbek broadcasts to Uzbekistan via shortwave. An estimated 15 million Uzbek-speaking people are within range of the broadcasts. Uzbek is also one of four languages that HCJB World Radio airs to Afghanistan from an AM station outside the country.

BBC’S PROPOSED ANIMATED CARTOON `POPETOWN’ DRAWS PROTESTS Nobody has seen it yet — it is still in production — but already 25,000 people have signed a petition calling on the BBC not to go ahead next year with the screening of a series of animated cartoons called “Popetown.” According to the BBC’s publicity material, “Popetown is a sitcom about the office politics that exist in any workplace — with the bizarre twist that the company is the Vatican and the CEO happens to be the pope.” The series depicts main character “Father Nicholas” and his “daily struggle against the insane and chaotic bureaucracy of Popetown, where the reporter is a fame-obsessed nun, cardinals are corrupt and mysteriously wealthy, and the pope is a childish 77-year-old whose every fickle whim must be indulged.” This description left the organizer of the petition, Kathy Goble, speechless with indignation. “I think the BBC has sunk as low as it can get,” she said. She said she would feel just as indignant if they were poking fun at the chief rabbi or a prominent Muslim leader rather than the pope. (Religion News Service)

OPERATION MOBILIZATION ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP After more than 46 years at the helm, the founder of Operation Mobilization is stepping down as the organization’s president. George Verwer, 65, will pass on the torch at a special meeting in Keswick, England on August 22nd. Peter Maiden will be his replacement. “He’s a more quiet, steady person than myself,” said Verwer. “He’s a great Bible teacher. He’s a leader in his local church, but he’s a great visionary, he’s got a pastor’s heart, and he’s a leader.” OM now has 3,500 workers in 90 nations. Verwer says he will continue his focus on reaching the unreached. “So few of the Lord’s people seem to see this (evangelism) as a priority and really get in on the action, whether its praying , giving or going. In a world of 6 billion people, we need more active mobilizers and participants.” (Mission Network News)

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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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