A ministry of HCJB World Radio

Today’s Headlines:

EGYPTIAN POLICE FREE CHRISTIAN WOMAN AFTER INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES REFUSE FLOOD RELIEF TO CHRISTIANS ‘DIGITAL EVANGELISM’ BOOSTS MINISTRY’S IMPACT IN HOSTILE COUNTRIES CHRISTIAN MONITOR REVAMPS WEBSITE ON CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION ORAL TRADITION BECOMES BIBLE TEACHING METHOD IN PERU * 7,000 ATTEND HCJB WORLD RADIO’S ANNUAL QUITO DAY CONCERTS

Today’s News Stories:

EGYPTIAN POLICE FREE CHRISTIAN WOMAN AFTER INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY A 30-year old woman who became a symbol of suffering endured by Muslim converts to Christianity in Egypt was freed after nearly two months of torture and interrogation, a human rights groups announced Thursday, Dec. 4. The Barnabas Fund, which assists persecuted Christians in mainly Muslim nations, said police decided to free Marian Girgis Makar, the last to be released of 22 converts who were detained in Cairo between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24. Makar, who was “seriously abused” while in custody, was released on bail for 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($162). The converts were also released on bail, but charges against them still have not been formalized. In a statement Wednesday, Dec. 3, her earlier-released husband, Yusef Samuel Makari, 42, said he and his wife were interrogated and beaten while in custody in Cairo. “The conditions were very bad,” he said. “Sometimes we were badly treated and insulted in front of each other. She was tortured more than me.” One of the believers, Issam Abdul Fathr, who was suffering from diabetes, died while being transferred from the police station to the hospital. Makar’s release came amid mounting international pressure and after Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) urged Egypt on Wednesday, Dec.3, to end the torture and interrogation of the young woman. “Up until then it seemed that police were determined to make an example of the Christian convert from Islam,” reported Barnabas Fund. “They even employed a scholar from the Al-Azhar Islamic University in Cairo to help them bring charges [for violating Islamic law].” She and the other converts were originally arrested on charges of illegally changing names and religion on identity cards. (Assist News Service)

VIETNAMESE AUTHORITIES REFUSE FLOOD RELIEF TO CHRISTIANS When central areas of Vietnam suffered from a devastating series of storms and heavy rains in mid-November, most of the people affected received financial assistance and immediate relief from the Vietnamese government. However, 425 Christians in the Quang Ngai province and 654 Christians in the Ninh province were refused help because of their Christian faith, reported International Christian Concern (ICC). The storms destroyed more than 75,000 houses and ruined 260,000 acres of rice. “These Christians already live in dire poverty, and this tragedy has left many hungry and sick,” ICC reported. “Without assistance, many are expected to die. The Vietnamese government routinely persecutes Christians in the rural areas of Vietnam, and this is another example of how Christians are denied the most basic elements needed to survive.” Vietnam is ranked among the world’s worst violators of human rights. An estimated 300 Christian pastors have been imprisoned simply for holding church meetings. (Assist News Service)

‘DIGITAL EVANGELISM’ BOOSTS MINISTRY’S IMPACT IN HOSTILE COUNTRIES While terrorist attacks against believers in Pakistan are on the increase, it didn’t stop American preacher Sammy Tippit from having a successful outreach via his “digital evangelism” system this week. Using this system, Tippit’s partner ministry in Pakistan showed digital videos of evangelistic meetings recorded in Pakistan last spring. The videos featured simultaneous translation in the Urdu language. “There are a number of Christian churches in Pakistan that are trying to reach out and share the gospel with people,” Tippit said. “In one village this week 400 people attended an evangelistic meeting, and 57 people came to know Christ as Lord and Savior.” Working with a team of national church leaders is effective because they can evaluate the safety issues more clearly, Tippit adds. “When the team goes into a hostile area, they’ve got to know who the right people are. They’ve got to have the right contacts, or it can be something very dangerous.” Tippit says digital recordings of his campaigns are now available in 70 languages. The “digital evangelism” system was introduced about a year ago. (Mission Network News/HCJB World Radio)

CHRISTIAN MONITOR REVAMPS WEBSITE ON CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION Christian Monitor which keeps track of Christian persecution around the world, has revamped its website (http://www.christianmonitor.org) in an effort to make information more easily accessible to visitors worldwide. The ministry compiles information from groups such as Voice of Martyrs, International Christian Concern, Barnabas Fund, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Christians in Crisis, Jubilee Campaign, Christian Freedom International, Open Doors and Frontlone Fellowship. (Christian Monitor)

ORAL TRADITION BECOMES BIBLE TEACHING METHOD IN PERU Oral tradition survives written text when it comes to teaching and history. Using that theory, The Seed Company’s Asheninka project in Peru has moved into a process called “Chronological Bible Storying.” Ministry spokesperson Parke Brown explains. “We’ve been translating 65 stories from the Bible into their language — oral stories that can be shared around the community in sort of a traditional storytelling format that will present the gospel of Christ. Already the church is growing in part due to these efforts and the hope is that through partnerships this same method will open more door.” The goal is to get the gospel to people quicker than trying to translate the entire New Testament — a process that can take many years, Brown adds. (Mission Network News)

* 7,000 ATTEND HCJB WORLD RADIO’S ANNUAL QUITO DAY CONCERTS Nearly 7,000 people attended HCJB World Radio’s annual Quito Day concerts at the National Theater in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 29-30. The concerts, featuring a choir and orchestra and guest musicians, are given to honor the founding of Quito, one of the oldest capitals in the Western Hemisphere, founded on Dec. 6, 1534.

Director Michio Ozaki said he wanted to promote the concerts through more secular venues this year rather than in churches. With this in mind, the choir sang in a shopping plaza and two large malls in the days preceding the weekend concerts. “With Christmas around the corner, you can imagine how busy the malls are, especially on the weekends,” Ozaki said. “The people really enjoyed our mini-concerts and asked for more after we were done. Of course we offered more — via the purchase of tickets for the main concerts in the theater!”

Members of the California musical group, “Two or More,” this year’s invited guests, were interviewed 11 times by several radio stations and a local television station prior to the concerts. “The five of them would cram into a small studio with their three guitars and their African drum and sing their songs,” Ozaki said. “The secular radio stations were blown away with the music of these young guys and urged their listeners to attend the concerts. They could hardly believe that tickets to the concert were only $2.”

A special two-hour program promoting the event on HCJB World Radio’s AM and FM stations and satellite network featured live music from the band and other musicians along with interviews with Ecuadorian composers and past Quito Day concert directors.

“Listeners were able to call in and ask questions or simply greet the people who were present in the studio,” Ozaki said. “More than 140 calls were registered during the two-hour show. Our goal was to have a lot of new people at the concerts this year, especially unbelievers. I think all the interviews and the concerts at the mall were the key to this happening.”

“Two or More” band members Walter, Eddie and Renatto Aguas (brothers whose parents are Ecuadorian) and Arnie Vilches (guitar) and Russ Reeshaw (bass) are fluent in Spanish and gave their testimonies during the 30 minutes between the two segments of each concert. The first half of the concerts focused on Christmas and had more of a spiritual tone while the second half featured national traditional music.

“They came back at the end and sang two boleros (traditional Latin love songs) and topped it off by leading the audience in a typical Ecuadorian song, ‘Chulla Quite ±o.’ We ventured into new territory with these guys. It definitely gave the concerts a new twist with their Latin pop sound.”

HCJB World Radio missionary Kathy Saavedra, who now serves in the Chicago area with Apoyo, a joint pastoral training ministry with Leadership Resources International, returned to Quito to play in the concerts this year. She also brought Joel Bakke, a musician from her church, who sang in the choir and played a piano solo.

Ozaki said that while no follow-up program is in place to measure the spiritual results, the testimony of the band “allowed for the gospel to be presented in a very clear way. Although their Latin rock/pop style might have been a bit ‘too much’ for some, their personal relationship with Christ showed through very brightly. I am convinced seeds were planted.” (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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