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Today’s Headlines:

CHRISTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST FOUND GUILTY IN MALAYSIA SITUATION IN BOLIVIA ‘TENUOUS’ AS LEADERSHIP CHANGES HANDS CHURCHES WORLDWIDE TO JOIN IN PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS 75,000 ARAB CHILDREN LEARN ABOUT JESUS AT SUMMER BIBLE SCHOOLS AMERICANS SPEND 50 TIMES MORE ON FAST FOOD THAN HELPING POOR KIDS SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST MEMBERSHIP WORLDWIDE SURPASSES 13 MILLION

Today’s News Stories:

CHRISTIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST FOUND GUILTY IN MALAYSIA Christian human rights activist Irene Fernandez has been sentenced to one year in prison after exposing human rights abuses at immigration camps in Malaysia. She was found guilty on Thursday, Oct. 16, by the Kuala Lumpur Magistrates Court of “maliciously publishing false news” after releasing a memorandum at a press conference in 1995 on alleged torture and death in immigration detention centers. Her trial, which began in June 1996, has been the longest criminal trial in Malaysian history. Fernandez was arrested two years after releasing a report in 1994 that accused immigration camp guards of beating and sexually assaulting detainees. She has been released on bail pending an appeal at the High Court. Fernandez is a Roman Catholic of Indian background with three children aged between 18 and 22. She is head of the Tenaganita rights group that assists workers and helps run HIV awareness programs. Tina Lambert, advocacy director at Christian Solidarity Worldwide, called the sentence a “travesty of justice” and pledged the organization’s support for her appeal. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

SITUATION IN BOLIVIA ‘TENUOUS’ AS LEADERSHIP CHANGES HANDS Bolivia still teeters on the edge of bedlam, despite the exit of former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada who resigned on Friday, Oct. 17, in the midst of civil unrest. While a new cabinet was assembled hastily on the weekend and former Vice President Carlos Mesa moved into the leadership, the quick change of power leaves the country in a “tenuous” political situation, says Grace Ministries International’s Sam Vinton. Mesa came in to power following violent protests to the former leader’s plan to export natural gas from the landlocked country through either Chile or Peru to North America. The new president has only a short time to show that he can get the situation under control, he said. “If he doesn’t deliver in so many weeks or months, whatever limit they set, these people will do the same thing again,” Vinton said. “We need to pray that the Lord will, in some way, work through these new leaders.” He added that the unrest has had little impact on the ministry in Bolivia because it is isolated from the trouble areas. The indigenous church is moving ahead in spite of substantial obstacles, he said. “We’re seeing the Bolivian believers move on by starting some new churches and put up some buildings which is what we’re aiming for in any of our ministries.” (Mission Network News/Associated Press)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local radio partners to plant local AM and FM stations in the Bolivian cities of Santa Cruz, Tarija and Tupiza. Four stations with eight transmitters in four cities (La Paz, Caranavi, Santa Cruz and Sucre) are also affiliated with the ALAS, the ministry’s Latin American satellite radio network that makes Spanish programs available to local stations 24 hours a day.

CHURCHES WORLDWIDE TO JOIN IN PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS Thousands of congregations across the U.S. and worldwide will join together in the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church Sunday, Nov. 9. Observed since 1996, this is the largest prayer event of its kind in the world. More than 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. “The world is becoming more and more hostile to Christianity,” says Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA. “It is critical that we stand together in unity in support of our persecuted brothers and sisters worldwide. And praying for those suffering for their faith is the most important action believers can take.” (Open Doors)

75,000 ARAB CHILDREN LEARN ABOUT JESUS AT SUMMER BIBLE SCHOOLS This summer more than 75,000 Arab children heard about Jesus, learned to pray, studied Scripture verses and sang praises to God. Arab Christians in Egypt started this initiative at the start of 2000, encouraging and training church leaders to run Bible schools for children. The vision has now spread to neighboring Sudan and other countries. (World Prayer News)

AMERICANS SPEND 50 TIMES MORE ON FAST FOOD THAN HELPING POOR KIDS U.S. residents spend nearly 50 times as much money on fast food as they do on helping children in poverty, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the Barna Research Group. The survey, sponsored by Compassion International, indicated that the average U.S. household spends about $240 a year on fast food. At the same time, a typical household spends only $5 year on helping poor children. The survey shows that six in 10 Americans don’t think it’s their job to help poor children overseas.” Although it is a disappointment that so many Americans don’t feel responsibility for children in poverty, I believe more people would participate if they knew who to trust and knew what to do,” said Wess Stafford, president of Compassion, a major Christian child development organization. “When one sees the faces and hears the stories of children in poverty, an individual knows that every child is worth helping. Every child deserves to have hope.” Two-thirds of respondents indicated that the parents of poor children and the government of a child’s country should bear “a lot” of responsibility to help poor children. Only 13 percent would put that burden on individuals. Stafford said the Barna survey indicates that Americans need more understanding of the nature of poverty. “It is estimated that half of the world’s population — more than 2 billion people — are under the age of 25. About the same number live on less than $2 a day. I believe Americans are a very giving people,” Stafford said. “They want to help. They just don’t know the extent of the problem, who to trust or how they can get involved.” (Mission Network News)

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST MEMBERSHIP WORLDWIDE SURPASSES 13 MILLION There are 13,325,270 baptized members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as of June 30, 2003, reported Bert Haloviak, director of the church’s office of archives and statistics. This represents a net increase of 573,097 members, or about 1,569 members per day. “In 2002 there was one Seventh-day Adventist for every 494 people living,” he said. “There is now one for every 480.” If the present trend continues, “there should be one Seventh-day Adventist for every 341 people on our planet at the end of 2010,” Haloviak added. More than 13 congregations were formed daily last year. In that period, Adventist members contributed more than $4.8 million a day to help proclaim the gospel message around the world. The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the official name of the world church’s governing organization, celebrated 140 years of operating during this fall’s annual business meeting. (Adventist News Network)

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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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