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Today’s Headlines

EGYPTIAN POLICE ATTACK COPTIC CHRISTIAN CHURCH, DISRUPT SERVICE VIOLENCE NEAR VENEZUELA-COLOMBIA BORDER SLOWS MISSION OUTREACH CHRISTIAN EMERGENCY NETWORK FORMS TO ASSIST IN U.S. DISASTERS ARSON SUSPECTED IN BLAZE THAT DESTROYS NASHVILLE CHURCH GERMAN CHRISTIAN TV CHANNEL ATTRACTS THOUSANDS OF VIEWERS U.S. COUPLE TURNS CORPORATE SURPLUS INTO MINISTRY

Today’s News Stories:

EGYPTIAN POLICE ATTACK COPTIC CHRISTIAN CHURCH, DISRUPT SERVICE A “large number” of armed State and Central Security officers and soldiers attacked St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, in Assiut, Egypt, at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 19. The officer in charge ordered Fr. Abanoub, the church priest, to immediately evacuate and close down the church, but he and the parishioners refused his request, especially since police arrived during Holy Mass. Police officers then attacked Abanoub, took the sacrament from the altar, threw it on the floor and stomped on it with their boots. This angered the parishioners and instigated a confrontation with police forces. The police then surrounded the church and arrested several deacons and young Coptic Christians in an attempt to occupy the church. Abanoub refused to leave and asked the congregation to protect the church from the police. When news of the attack spread throughout the city, thousands of Christians rushed to protect and aid the church. As the scene developed, police forces were surrounded by thousands of angry Christians chanting various cries of defiance such as, “By our spirit, by our blood, we will protect our cross!” and “We will die martyrs defending our church!” Police then ordered the detention of Abanoub, but massive crowd prevented this from happening. It is unclear what motivated security forces to attack the historic church, but local Christians are concerned the policemen have plans to convert the building into a mosque. (U.S. Copts Association)

VIOLENCE NEAR VENEZUELA-COLOMBIA BORDER SLOWS MISSION OUTREACH Guerrilla violence in Venezuela is forcing missionaries out of the jungle and into the cities, says Merrill Dyck of New Tribes Mission who works among the Pume people. He served in the jungle for 25 years before being forced out. “We were in a very dangerous area, close to the Colombian border where guerrillas were kidnapping people and causing grief,” Dyck said. “The warnings came in thick and strong. We suddenly packed up really fast, and 10 days later the guerrillas hit the station.” Tribal church leaders now travel to the city for discipleship, Dyck said. “We rendezvous with the Pume leadership team periodically in a safe location. We get together about three times a year and help them in discipleship and leadership training.” The end goal, says Dyck, is to “give them the whole ball of wax, let them run with it and see the churches totally standing on their own.” While this part of the work is continuing, he says there’s a new threat to the ministry. “An anthropologist is fighting hard to stop Christianity among the Pume . . . and to get them back into the old ways, the ancestral teachings, and give up everything that has to do with Scriptures.” (Mission Network News)

CHRISTIAN EMERGENCY NETWORK FORMS TO ASSIST IN U.S. DISASTERS Following the two-year anniversary of 9/11 and in the shadow of Hurricane Isabel, Christian Emergency Network, the new crisis information cooperative volunteer service of Mission America Coalition partners is now poised and ready to respond to domestic crises in the U.S. The objective of the network is to lead Christians (individuals, ministries, and media) to speak clearly and minister effectively during a national calamity. The network provides coordinated information about relief training, mobilization, crisis counseling, evangelistic tools, and other resources, as well as timely messages from ministry leaders, Christian media programming, and news. Meanwhile, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has issued a church-wide appeal for “significant financial resources” in the wake of Hurricane Isabel that struck the east coast of North Carolina Thursday, Sept. 18, with sustained winds of up to 100 mph. A 10-foot storm surge combined with high tide caused major coastal flooding in North Carolina and southern Virginia. High winds and torrential rain toppled trees and caused widespread inland flooding as the storm raced through Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. (Assist News Service/Presbyterian Disaster Assistance)

ARSON SUSPECTED IN BLAZE THAT DESTROYS NASHVILLE CHURCH The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating a fire that ravaged a prominent Presbyterian church in Nashville, Tenn., during the early-morning hours of Wednesday, Sept. 17. The three-alarm fire caused an estimated $1.5 to $2 million in damage. ATF press agent Mark Leiser said agents entered the charred building late last week. The blaze continued, burning into the daylight hours, destroying the church’s sanctuary, offices and educational space. The only remnant of the steeple is its twisted metal frame and the cross on top — a structure that firefighters feared might collapse. Rev. Jim Kitchens, the newly called pastor of the 400-member congregation, was driving cross-country to begin work in Nashville in early October. ATF agents as well as local firefighters have used the term “suspicious” to describe the fire that appeared to originate near the pulpit. About 75 firefighters managed to confine the fire to the sanctuary and office buildings. Church spokesperson Jane Hines said the church has one of the largest outreach programs in the city, including providing services for senior citizens and homeless people. “Lots and lots of outreach ministry is disrupted by this fire,” she said. “We’ll be able to worship somewhere. But our community ministries have been disrupted.” Nashville police have questioned several individuals about the fire, but no arrests have been made. (PCUSA News)

GERMAN CHRISTIAN TV CHANNEL ATTRACTS THOUSANDS OF VIEWERS Each day an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 Germans are watching Christian programs such as the “Book of Books” on Bible TV, the first 24-hour Christian TV channel in Germany that launched a year ago. The digital channel broadcasts via satellite and cable, offering a variety of programs such as Bible readings, Christian movies, talk shows, documentaries on biblical archaeology and Christian music. Approximately 10,000 viewers have responded to the programs, said Executive Director Henning Roehl. The audience is as diverse as the programs as young secular viewers appreciate music clips while older Christians prefer features and talk shows. The programs are transmitted from Luxembourg. (IDEA)

U.S. COUPLE TURNS CORPORATE SURPLUS INTO MINISTRY A Minnesota couple has turned corporate surplus into a ministry tool, launching a charity that will this year distribute some $300 million in aid to help fight poverty worldwide. Through their Hope for the City ministry, Christian businessman Dennis Doyle and his wife, Megan, distribute millions in excess goods. Hope for the City, acts as a “middle man,” taking corporate surplus and getting it into the hands of organizations that fight poverty.” The goods are provided without charge to organizations that can use them. “We believe that you’re not going to change a city or change people unless you actually work on the core issues behind the problems,” Dennis Doyle said. With that in mind, Hope for the City partners with organizations “who are touching the people and actually making a change in their lives,” he said. Most of the groups benefiting from Hope for the City are Christian ministries, but other faiths and secular organizations are served as well, which opens doors to major corporations. (Charisma News Service)

James A. Ferrier HCJB World Radio

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