UNIDENTIFIED ATTACKERS DAMAGE CHURCH, PASTOR’S HOME IN SRI LANKA

MISSIONARIES AT BAPTIST COMPOUND IN UGANDA ESCAPE GUN BATTLE

CHRISTIAN RELIEF AGENCY JOINS AIDS FIGHT WITH LARGE FEDERAL GRANT

JERRY FALWELL LAUNCHES FAITH AND VALUES COALITION IN U.S.

10,000+ SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS MARCH AGAINST VIOLENCE IN JAMAICA

FAST-FOOD CHAIN FOUNDER DEFENDS CLOSING RESTAURANTS ON SUNDAYS

Today’s News Stories:

UNIDENTIFIED ATTACKERS DAMAGE CHURCH, PASTOR’S HOME IN SRI LANKA In the early-morning hours of Monday, Nov. 1, attackers broke down the doors of an independent church in Korakandamulla, Matugama, Sri Lanka, then continued their rampage in the pastor’s living area. In front of the two young children, the men slapped the pastor’s wife and cut off her hair with a sword, and then set fire to some furniture. A week later a group of Buddhists staged a demonstration in Matugama. Delivering a petition to the divisional secretary against various churches in the area, they stated that the “patience and tolerance” of the Buddhists was reaching an end. They threatened serious violence unless action was taken against “Christian fundamentalists” and distributed handbills calling on Buddhists to rise up against churches in the area. A similar protest is reportedly planned for Sunday, Nov. 14, in Udugampola in the Gampaha district. (Voice of the Martyrs/National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka)

MISSIONARIES AT BAPTIST COMPOUND IN UGANDA ESCAPE GUN BATTLE Missionaries with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board were recently forced to flee their home when Ugandan army forces confronted Karamojong warriors who had taken up positions on a hill behind the missionary compound. The family of John and Linda Witte had grown accustomed to the gunfire often heard while living among the warring Karamojong people, but a recent skirmish took place in their own front yard. Government troops fired across the house, and the missionaries were caught in the middle. The Wittes’ four children had to crawl on the ground to avoid the gunfire while explosions were heard in the distance. Several hours later, a break in the fighting enabled the family to flee. Friends from the village helped them evacuate safely through the bush on foot to a waiting aircraft six miles away. The experience built a bond between the Wittes and their village friends, and they hope it will provide them new opportunities to share the gospel with the Karamojong people. (Mission Network News)

CHRISTIAN RELIEF AGENCY JOINS AIDS FIGHT WITH LARGE FEDERAL GRANT Food for the Hungry (FFH) has won an $8.2-million, five-year grant from the U.S. federal government aimed at preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. What’s unusual is that there are no strings attached, says FFH spokesman Ben Homan. The money will be used to mobilize faith-based and community organizations toward abstinence-based education. “We want to multiply impact,” he said. “The way you multiply impact is to have grassroots support and grassroots volunteers to reach communities and countries. [The best way to do this] is working through the churches.” The ministry will be working in three African countries and Haiti — areas where churches have become more vocal about the AIDS issue. “This is an opportunity for the church to draw closer to the people in their own communities,” Homan said. “People need the compassion and love of Christ.” The funding comes from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a $15-billion federal government initiative focusing on 15 countries that are experiencing the greatest HIV/AIDS prevalence. The U.S. Agency for International Development will oversee the program. (Mission Network News)

JERRY FALWELL LAUNCHES FAITH AND VALUES COALITION IN U.S. Evangelist Jerry Falwell announced on Wednesday, Nov. 10, the formation of the Faith and Values Coalition, a national organization designed to maintain the national momentum gained through “values voters” who swept President George W. Bush back into office on Tuesday, Nov. 2. “Following the sweeping re-election of President Bush and a new generation of conservative lawmakers nationwide, a new organization, Faith and Values Coalition (TFVC), has been launched,” said Falwell from his headquarters in Lynchburg, Va. Falwell, 71, will serve as national chairman of the coalition for the next four years. Mathew Staver, founder, president and general counsel of the Liberty Counsel, will serve as vice chairman; Falwell’s son, Jonathan Falwell, will be executive director; and author/theologian Tim LaHaye, will be board chairman. Falwell said the three-fold platform of the new organization is the confirmation of pro-life U.S. Supreme Court justices and other federal judges; the passage of a constitutional Federal Marriage Amendment; and the election of another conservative president and other conservative politicians in 2008. (Faith and Values Coalition)

10,000+ SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS MARCH AGAINST VIOLENCE IN JAMAICA More than 10,000 men, women and children affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica marched through the streets of Kingston and St. Catherine, Saturday, Nov. 6, bearing a message of hope and family unity. The march, said to be the largest ever on the Caribbean island, kicked off a summit aimed at countering a steep rise in violence in Jamaica in the past 12 months. “Members from [across] the island came in buses, cars and motorcades to march with signs and banners in order to create a consciousness to end spousal abuse, child neglect and to encourage men to stand up for integrity and decency,” said Pastor Eric Nathan who helped organize the event. The summit, “Men — Agents of Change,” took place at the conclusion of the four-mile march. Thousands gathered in the park to hear a message from local church leaders. Nathan said the goal of the summit was to encourage Jamaican boys and men to get an education as a way of putting an end to violence. He challenged the men to commit to volunteering two hours each week, mentoring inner-city boys. Church organizers are already planning another summit for 2005. (Adventist Press Service)

* Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., worked with Tarrant Baptist Church in Kingston to install a 500-watt FM transmitter, antenna and studio.

FAST-FOOD CHAIN FOUNDER DEFENDS CLOSING RESTAURANTS ON SUNDAYS The founder of the third largest fast-food chicken restaurant chain in the U.S. says his faith in Christ guides every aspect of his life. Truett Cathy, 83, says he has never regretted closing Chick-fil-A restaurants on Sundays. Last year Cathy testified before a congressional subcommittee about business ethics. “My statement to them was that there’s no such thing as business ethics; there’s [only] personal ethics,” he said. “This closing on Sundays, I testified there, is the best business decision I’ve made.” Fast-food restaurants typically earn 20 percent of their sales on Sundays. When asked to explain his statement, the Georgia native told them: “I felt we’ve honored God in our business, and it’s helped us attract the caliber of people that appreciate having Sunday off.” Cathy, a member of First Baptist Church of Fayetteville, Ga., has taught Sunday school to teenagers for more than 50 years. (AgapePress)

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