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Today’s Headlines:

JAPANESE AID WORKER RELEASED FROM CHINESE PRISON AFTER 8 MONTHS SRI LANKAN CHRISTIANS PETITION AGAINST PROPOSED ANTI-CONVERSION BILL ANTI-CHRISTIAN MOB THREATENS CHURCH IN SOUTHERN INDIA MINISTRY PLANS TRAINING CENTER FOR CHILEAN CHURCH LEADERS OLYMPIC OUTREACH BEARS SPIRITUAL FRUIT EVEN BEFORE GAMES BEGIN * HCJB WORLD RADIO EYES POTENTIAL MEDICAL MINISTRIES IN AFRICA

Today’s News Stories:

JAPANESE AID WORKER RELEASED FROM CHINESE PRISON AFTER 8 MONTHS Japanese aid worker Takayuki Noguchi was released from a Chinese prison Monday, Aug. 9, after serving his eight-month prison term for attempting to assist two Japanese-born North Korean refugees, reported Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Chinese security forces arrested the three on Human Rights Day (Dec. 10, 2003) in the town of Nanning in Guangxi province after trying to help the two North Koreans escape to China. The two refugees were repatriated to North Korea where they were expected to face harsh reprisals from authorities. Noguchi and his organization, Life Funds for North Korean Refugees, had been pleading for intervention to secure the protection of the refugees from repatriation. Noguchi’s sentence arose from his refusal to cooperate with the authorities to secure his own release unless given assurance of the refugees’ safety. (BosNewsLife/Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

SRI LANKAN CHRISTIANS PETITION AGAINST PROPOSED ANTI-CONVERSION BILL Christian groups in Sri Lanka have submitted 22 petitions to the Sri Lankan Supreme Court in the past week, challenging the constitutionality of a proposed law severely restricting religious conversions. Members of the Buddhist JHU party, who had introduced the bill, also presented petitions in favor of the potential law. The court is expected to give its decision to the speaker of the parliament as early as Thursday, Aug. 12. If the court rejects the legislation, a second even more restrictive law could be tabled. Christians throughout Sri Lanka have been working together in opposition to these bills. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, general secretary of the JHU party, insists that many Catholics support the legislation despite press releases to the contrary from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Godfrey Yogarajah, general secretary of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, describes the proposed law as a violation of basic human rights and urges those who support the bill to reconsider. “We are already fragmented racially,” he said. “Do we need religious fragmentation as well?” (Voice of the Martyrs)

ANTI-CHRISTIAN MOB THREATENS CHURCH IN SOUTHERN INDIA An estimated 300 members of a radical anti-Christian group raided a Gospel for Asia (GFA) church in southern India’s largely unreached Karnataka state, Sunday, Aug. 8. They disrupted the service and issued threats against the pastor, Ramzan, accusing him of forcibly converting people to Christianity. They also yelled accusations against Christians and distributed anti-missionary propaganda. Local authorities did nothing to stop the incident. Previously, many Christian workers fled the area because of warnings from those opposed to Christianity. However, the pastor stayed and continued to lead the church. Karnataka is one of India’s most spiritually destitute states. Out of a population of 53 million, just 2.1 percent are Christian. (Gospel for Asia)

* “The Voice of the Great Southland,” the shortwave station operated by HCJB World Radio-Australia since January 2003, airs more than 59 hours of weekly Christian programming across South Asia. Programs go out in nine languages: English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Nepali, Tamil, Chattisgarhi, Hmar and Meeitei. Most of the programming in the Indian languages is produced at HCJB World Radio’s studio in New Delhi. Additional releases from Australia, primarily in English, reach the South Pacific, Southeast Asia and East Asia.

MINISTRY PLANS TRAINING CENTER FOR CHILEAN CHURCH LEADERS SIM is raising money to establish a special training center for rural Chilean church leaders. The Metrenco Training and Retreat Center is on the edge of native Mapuche reservations where the indigenous language is still spoken. This proximity offers an ideal opportunity for language and culture exposure and it is hoped the center will strengthen the leadership in the Mapuche church. The Metrenco Center offers a Bible school for rural lay pastors. Plans are also being made to offer “Great Commission” retreats for local churches, as well as mission camps for students. Two international mission groups are looking at a partnership for missionary training courses. (Mission Network News)

* ALAS, HCJB World Radio’s Latin American satellite radio network, provides Christian Spanish programming to 69 downlinks in 13 countries. These include outlets in 17 cities of Chile that are part of the Radio Armon ­a network.

OLYMPIC OUTREACH BEARS SPIRITUAL FRUIT EVEN BEFORE GAMES BEGIN As Christians prepare to share the gospel at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Aug. 13-29, AMG International’s Paul Jenks says the early evangelistic efforts are already bearing fruit. At the Cosmo Vision Center, headquarters for dozens of ministries that are part of the “Flame 2004” outreach, construction workers from India have been especially open to Christianity. “We’ve had about 170 of those workers come to the Cosmo Vision Center and have heard the gospel,” he says. “More than a dozen of those have given their heart to Christ already, and four have actually been baptized at a local church.” One of AMG’s efforts will be at a church near the Acropolis. “Bottles of water will be given out and then attached to every bottle of water is a tract with not only the gospel message, but an invitation to come to our bookstore to receive either a free copy of the Olympic New Testament, or a copy of the special edition of the ‘Jesus’ film,” Jenks says. Workers with the Jesus Film Project will be handing out a special edition of the film on video and DVD called, “More Than Gold.” It is available in 40 different languages. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO EYES POTENTIAL MEDICAL MINISTRIES IN AFRICA Two key members of HCJB World Radio’s healthcare staff in Ecuador recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Sub-Saharan Africa where they investigated an expansion of the mission’s medical ministries to that needy region.

Healthcare Director Sheila Leech and Miriam Gebb, a community development nurse, embarked with Lee Sonius, director of HCJB World Radio’s Sub-Saharan Africa region, from the regional headquarters in Abidjan, C ´te d’Ivoire, to Impfondo, Republic of Congo, a remote jungle city of 50,000.

In the city with no electricity or public water supply, the trio met with Dr. Joe Harvey, a missionary with Global Outreach Mission who plans to start the country’s first Christian hospital. Harvey and his associates have been given a former communist training camp on 20 acres with 28 buildings that are being renovated for the proposed opening in October.

In addition to requesting help with staffing, setting up and managing the healthcare facility, Harvey asked HCJB World Radio to help install an FM station on the compound so patients could hear Christian programming during their stay.

The team then traveled to Malawi, including a visit to the Kindle Orphanage Project. This ministry seeks to identify AIDS orphans within 26 surrounding communities and works with those communities to ensure that the children receive proper care and attention. An orphanage will also be available for emergency or last-resort cases. The staff requested training and advice as well as physical help with the erection of ministry buildings.

In all, the trio visited 15 ministries in five countries, most of which gave a plea for more personnel. “Our biggest priority should be to pray and recruit,” Leech said. “Pray that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers into His harvest fields.” (HCJB World Radio) * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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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