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Today’s Headlines:

RADICAL HINDUS IN INDIA INTERRUPT SERVICE, BEAT PASTOR SAUDI PRINCE ORDERS RELEASE OF 2 JAILED EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS 5 ORTHODOX VIGILANTES IN GEORGIA GET SUSPENDED SENTENCES BROADCASTING MINISTRIES UNITE TO SPREAD CHRISTIAN RADIO IN AFRICA CHRISTIAN ATHLETES CHALLENGE RUSSIANS TO JOIN BIBLE STUDY PROGRAM * JOURNALIST AT PARTNER STATION IN DEM. REP. OF CONGO WINS AWARD

Today’s News Stories:

RADICAL HINDUS IN INDIA INTERRUPT SERVICE, BEAT PASTOR Violence against Christians continues in India, says David Shibley of Global Advance. Hindu terrorists recently attacked a pastor who attended one of ministry’s Frontline Shepherds conferences. “Pastor Sukh Deve is a young pastor in Nagpur, India. He serves Christ faithfully in a small, but growing congregation,” says Shibley. Deve traveled back to his home church in Maharashtra State where radical Hindus interrupted his meeting. “Sukh Deve calmly welcomed those who had intruded into the meeting. He said they were welcome to stay, but that the congregation was going to continue to pray in the name of Jesus. He also said that he was committed to protecting his congregation as the shepherd of the flock. Well, that enraged the terrorists and they stormed the platform. They viciously beat him.” Shibley says this isn’t an unusual story, but persecution is serving to purify the church. “These men literally put their lives on the line. When they have paid such a dear price for the gospel they’re certainly not going to turn back.” Shibley adds that with the mass exodus of Dalits (those outside the caste system) from Hinduism, “many are looking for a new faith or a new religion, and many are coming to Jesus Christ.” (Mission Network News)

SAUDI PRINCE ORDERS RELEASE OF 2 JAILED EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS Two Egyptian Christians who had been imprisoned for leading a house church were ordered released Tuesday, Nov. 4, by a Saudi prince. Sabry Awad Gayed, a pediatrician, and Eskander Guirguis Eskandar, a carpenter, were arrested and jailed on Oct. 25 in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. When brought before the prosecutor, they learned they stood charged with evangelism and “establishing a temple [non-Muslim place of worship].” The two Coptic Christians began meeting privately for worship in homes with other expatriate Christians after taking jobs in Saudi Arabia several years ago. After receiving a written complaint that the two had been jailed “for apparently no reason,” Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, who serves as Saudi Arabia’s second deputy prime minister and minister of defense, reviewed their file this week, leading to their release. It is unclear whether Saudi authorities will allow the two Christians to continue in their job contracts, or if they will be deported to Egypt. (Compass)

5 ORTHODOX VIGILANTES IN GEORGIA GET SUSPENDED SENTENCES After four years of unpunished violence by Orthodox extremists, religious minorities have welcomed the suspended sentences handed down Tuesday, Nov. 4, on violent self-appointed Orthodox vigilante Paata Bluashvili and four associates. The five were sentenced only for their violent attacks on two Jehovah’s Witness meetings, although they have been involved in a string of attacks on Jehovah’s Witnesses and Protestants. But Bluashvili is unrepentant. “We have material proving that we are 100-percent innocent,” he said. Lawyer Manuchar Tsimintia said that while he is not “overjoyed” with the verdict, the “conditional sentences mean that if they do anything at all now they will immediately be sent to prison.” Malkhaz Songulasvili, head of the Baptist Church in Georgia, also welcomed what he called the belated bu t expected verdict. “This is a very positive sign — this is the first time anyone involved in religious violence has been punished.” Nikolai Kalutsky, the Tbilisi-based pastor of a Russian-language Pentecostal denomination, greeted the sentences. “This is the first verdict of this type,” he said. “This verdict will we hope bring people to their senses and help to restrain such violence in future.” The trial of the five, which began at Rustavi City Court in April, related to seven violent attacks on Jehovah’s Witness meetings in Rustavi and Marneuli. The attackers injured “dozens of people” while threatening and insulting hundreds more. (Forum 18 News Service)

BROADCASTING MINISTRIES UNITE TO SPREAD CHRISTIAN RADIO IN AFRICA United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) International and Radio Pulpit have joined forces to establish UCB Africa, a non-profit company. The first meeting of the newly formed ministry took place on Monday, Sept. 29, at Radio Pulpit’s offices in Pretoria, South Africa. “This joint venture was conceived under God’s direction,” said Dr. Roelf Petersen, the ministry’s newly elected executive director. “I believe that UCB Africa will play a leading and facilitating role in developing African Christians as professional broadcasters and to pioneer new Christian broadcasting ventures to allow Africa to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. UCB International, based in Auckland, New Zealand, is a corporate body linking affiliated Christian broadcasting organizations and ministries worldwide. Radio Pulpit is an independent, interdenominational, Christian media organization based in South Africa. (Assist News Service)

CHRISTIAN ATHLETES CHALLENGE RUSSIANS TO JOIN BIBLE STUDY PROGRAM Bible correspondence classes may be the key to seeing more people come to Christ in Russia. Bible Mission International has been offering these programs for seven years, but now the ministry is taking a new approach, says spokesman Mark Reimschisel. “They’re kicking off a program right now where they’re going to be interviewing high-profile athletes and asking them how their faith has impacted their life. We’re very excited about this potential, and we’re hoping that we’ll have about 15,000 students who will begin studying through this program.” However, Reimschisel says this won’t be enough to meet the demand. “We’re sure that the 15,000 copies that we have printed will be gone within the first couple of weeks. We would like to have printed several hundred thousand copies, but the issue is limited resources.” (Mission Network News)

* JOURNALIST AT PARTNER STATION IN DEM. REP. OF CONGO WINS AWARD Jacques Kalume M’Vita, a journalist at HCJB World Radio partner ministry Radio Kahuzi in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, has won a prestigious international contest for excellence in reporting on the issue of tolerance.

M’Vita won the award for his story, aired in French, that exposed the plight of women in the war-torn country. “One of the choice weapons of war is the violation of women and young girls,” said Harold Smith of Believer’s Express Service, Inc., a ministry based in Eastanollee, Ga., that supports the radio outreach. “This weapon is continuing even now throughout this area of the world.”

The award from the International Federation of Journalists included a prize of 1,000 euros (US$1,150) plus additional cash in lieu of a plane ticket to Dakar, Senegal, where the award was presented on June 26. The contest is open to journalists in five regions of the world. This was the second broadcasting award that M’Vita has won in the last year as he topped a separate contest sponsored by the British government in 2002.

“We are very proud of Jacques and the level of broadcasting professionalism that he has achieved under the training of missionary Richard McDonald who manages the station,” Smith said. The station, founded in 1992, broadcasts via FM (91.1 MHz) and shortwave (6250 kHz) in five languages: English, French, Lingala and Swahili. The station is among the first to be established via HCJB World Radio’s “radio planting” ministry, helping local believers start Christian stations. More than 200 partner stations around the globe are now on the air through this ministry. (HCJB World Radio)

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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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