A ministry of HCJB World Radio

Today’s Headlines:

SEVERE DROUGHT IN SUDAN PUTS 500,000 AT RISK OF STARVATION RELIGION LAW IN BELARUS JEOPARDIZES FUTURE OF HOUSE CHURCHES ESCALATING COSTS CAUSE FINANCIAL CRUNCH FOR MANY MISSION AGENCIES FOUL LANGUAGE ON AMERICAN PRIME-TIME TV REACHES ALARMING LEVELS U.S. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS PROMOTE ‘MARRIAGE PROTECTION WEEK’ * HCJB WORLD RADIO PARTNERS ADD PROGRAMS IN 2 NIGERIAN LANGUAGES

Today’s News Stories:

SEVERE DROUGHT IN SUDAN PUTS 500,000 AT RISK OF STARVATION Severe drought is again affecting Sudan with the lack of rain, civil war and inadequate harvests putting more than 500,000 people at risk of starvation. Aid workers have not been allowed to access some of the refugees, while those who have been reached are camped beneath trees with almost no food or water. Refugees are filling up the schools and pushing out local children. Local people have provided food and shelter to some of the refugees, but they are also reeling from drought and food shortages. Despite the ongoing fighting, humanitarian access to the region has improved significantly since a cease-fire was signed on Sept. 6 between the government and rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army. In response to the need, the Evangelical Free Church of Sudan is raising money to purchase supplies. A shipment of grain was sent to the Lopit Mountain region from northern Uganda two months ago. A similar effort in 1998 prompted hundreds of unchurched people to start attending Evangelical Free Churches in Sudan. (Mission Network News)

RELIGION LAW IN BELARUS JEOPARDIZES FUTURE OF HOUSE CHURCHES With the law banning registered religious communities in Belarus from using residential properties as their legal addresses without “specific authorization,” numerous house churches face the risk of failing to gain re-registration or being liquidated by court order. Aleksandr Sakovich, head of the charismatic Full Gospel Church, said its 10 registered churches in the capital city of Minsk, attended by an estimated 5,000 people, are unable to worship together, and many congregations split up to meet in private homes. He said there have been no cases of these groups being prosecuted for doing so, but this could change if the law is enforced. Of the 64 registered Full Gospel churches in Belarus, only five have their own buildings. (Forum 18 News Service)

ESCALATING COSTS CAUSE FINANCIAL CRUNCH FOR MANY MISSION AGENCIES Mission agencies around the world are facing incredible financial needs, forcing ministries to cut back outreach such as OC International. Harold Howell, vice president of operations, says that while donations have been about the same, costs are climbing. “In the last two years we’ve had close to doubling our costs that we have to pay for medical and benefits, life insurance and those types of things. . . . We don’t see any end in sight, but yet we have to guarantee our people a certain level of support on the field.” Howell says the runaway costs have other implications. “We can’t support all the ministry objectives they want to do in the field once they get there because the money’s not there to support them.” (Mission Network News)

HUNGRY RUSSIANS FIND PHYSICAL, SPIRITUAL HELP VIA FEEDING MINISTRY Even though Russia is experiencing an economic upturn, prosperity has not reached the majority of people. Ukrainian evangelist Slavik Radchuk says that Russia’s economy is improving with jobs paying up to $300 per month — a vast improvement from the $15 to $30 per month people received just a few years ago – but not everyone is enjoying the new economics. The leader of a ministry stationed in western Russia said that the homeless and hungry are being reached through its feeding ministry which offers soup and porridge for dinner and provides haircuts and shaves for men. While they are being treated, they listen to God’s Word. Some repent and accept Christ as their Savior. The ministry is helping those who come regularly to find work, and some help with church construction. But many wander off and never return. The feeding program takes place outdoors, but with colder weather approaching, the leader said he doesn’t know the ministry can continue unless it obtains an additional building. (Missions Insider)

FOUL LANGUAGE ON AMERICAN PRIME-TIME TV REACHES ALARMING LEVELS Prime-time network television features increasing amounts of foul language, shows a study by the Parents Television Council. The use of various kinds of foul language — from curses to offensive epithets to sexually suggestive language — were examined by analysts viewing prime-time series on major broadcast networks during the first two weeks in November in 1998, 2000 and 2002. “It’s easy to be dismissive of foul language on TV, but it does have an impact,” concluded the executive summary of “The Blue Tube: Foul Language on Prime Time Network TV.” The report added that the “entertainment industry needs to get serious about reducing the flood of vulgarity coming into the family home via the broadcast airwaves.” Across the board, analysts found that foul language during the “family hour” (8 to 9 p.m.) increased by 95 percent between 1998 and 2002. It increased by 109 percent during the 9 p.m. hour and 39 percent during the 10 p.m. hour. The Los Angeles-based council, founded in 1995, is dedicated to improving the quality of entertainment programming, especially on television. (Religion News Service)

U.S. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS PROMOTE ‘MARRIAGE PROTECTION WEEK’ Stepping up their opposition to same-sex marriage, 25 U.S. conservative groups have proclaimed Oct. 12-18 as “Marriage Protection Week” in which voters will be urged to support legislation favoring traditionally structured families. “Traditional marriage is the stable model for our society,” said Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition. “Any attempt to elevate same-sex marriages to that same plane will have grave consequences for our nation.” The rights movement for same-sex couples gained momentum recently on the heels of a landmark Supreme Court decision that decriminalized private, consensual sexual relationships among same-sex partners. Marriage Protection Week supporters want to “rally churches to this last stand in defense of the institution of marriage,” Lafferty said. The campaign will target religious groups and voters across the country through radio broadcasts and public events. “In a time such as this, we must stand with the truth. Calling something a ‘marriage’ doesn’t make it one,” she said. (Religion News Service)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO PARTNERS ADD PROGRAMS IN 2 NIGERIAN LANGUAGES Christian programs are now being broadcast in all three of Nigeria’s major languages through a cooperative effort involving HCJB World Radio, In Touch Ministries, the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) and local radio partners. Broadcasts in Hausa and Yoruba were launched at the beginning of this month, adding to existing broadcasts in Igbo.

Friday, Oct. 3, marked the beginning of the weekly Hausa broadcasts that are being put together in cooperation with In Touch Ministries of Atlanta, Ga. The programs, produced at the ELWA/ECWA studios in Jos in Nigeria’s Plateau State, air on Kaduna State Radio in the northern part of the country. This station operates on AM and FM, and is in the center of an area with 34 million Hausa-speaking people. HCJB World Radio’s role was to link the producers with the radio stations.

HCJB World Radio’s worldwide broadcasting coordinator said that while Hausa is not a “World by Radio” language, it is “strategically important as it is spoken by a large Muslim population in northern Nigeria.” World by Radio languages are those spoken by at least 1 million speakers with no access to Christian broadcasts.

On Sunday, Oct. 5, the first weekly programs in Yoruba, also produced at the studios in Jos, began airing in Nigeria. These programs, produced in cooperation with In Touch Ministries, are carried on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria’s AM station in Ibadan, broadcasting at 657 kHz.

Yoruba speakers, numbering more than 30 million, were the first to hear the gospel in Nigeria a century ago. Yoruba also is not a “World by Radio” language. In both cases ECWA will follow-up and answer listeners’ questions.

This brings to three the number of languages involving HCJB World Radio partners in Nigeria: Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. Programs in Igbo, spoken by 15 million Nigerians, began airing to the country via shortwave in 2000. (HCJB World Radio)

FREE WORLD WALL MAP: Full-color, 22-inch by 34-inch world wall map. To order, e-mail your name and mailing address to .

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

Editor’s Note. Feel free to forward this to any interested friends. Our lists are distributed for information purposes and to encourage prayer. HCJB World Radio does not necessarily endorse or support the activities on which it reports. _______________________________________________ HCJBDaily mailing list

with subscribe in the subject line.

— Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).