FARMS INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP WITH RWANDAN CHURCHES

TIBETAN REFUGEES IN NEPAL FIND CHRIST IN FACE OF PERSECUTION

650,000 VIEW ‘JESUS’ FILM VIA SOUTH AFRICAN MAN’S EFFORTS

GOSPEL REACHES FORMER KHMER ROUGE STRONGHOLD IN CAMBODIA

CHILDREN’S BIBLE CLUBS IN INDIA EXPERIENCE RAPID GROWTH

* HCJB WORLD RADIO-UK USES PRIZE MONEY TO PROMOTE CHRISTMAS EVENTS

Today’s News Stories:

FARMS INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP WITH RWANDAN CHURCHES FARMS International is launching a partnership with the Evangelical Friends Church in Kigali, Rwanda — a poor country in central Africa that continues to recover from genocide a decade ago while facing possible war with neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s a pilot project with six churches in the city involving small business loans to families in those churches, explains ministry spokesman Nathan McLaughlin. “They are going to [start] a number of businesses that will allow them to alleviate the heavy poverty,” he said. “And through tithing to their churches, they’ll be able to become independent and take the gospel to the country of Rwanda through their own means and their own support.” McLaughlin added that this is one step toward lasting peace in a country that continues to feel the aftereffects of civil war. “There has been a big push by the international Christian church to really help bring political stability and economic stability to that country,” he said. Working through local churches, FARMS provides loans and technical support for income generating projects and spiritual training for families. (Mission Network News)

TIBETAN REFUGEES IN NEPAL FIND CHRIST IN FACE OF PERSECUTION When Chinese communists invaded Tibet in the 1950s, thousands of people fled to the neighboring countries of Nepal and India where native missionaries began the difficult task of sharing the gospel with them. Years of Buddhist tradition formed the Tibetans into tight-knit communities with a strong distrust of outsiders and those who convert to Christianity face persecution by their own relatives. Along with internal opposition, Tibetan Christians and missionaries face trouble from Maoist insurgent fighters in Nepal. Despite such obstacles, native missionaries are seeing their work among Tibetan refugees begin to bear fruit as relationships are developed. In communities where there were only a small number of believers four years ago, missionaries report that people are coming to Christ each month, and many Tibetans are being trained to reach their own people for Christ. Indigenous ministries are now conducting missionary training programs for scores of Tibetan Christians each year. (Christian Aid Mission)

650,000 VIEW ‘JESUS’ FILM VIA SOUTH AFRICAN MAN’S EFFORTS A South African Christian’s burden to reach his native country has resulted in more than 650,000 people hearing the message of Christ since 1990. Using an old projector and portable generator, Jan Schlebusch, who works for an engineering firm, travels the roads of South Africa as well as neighboring countries of Namibia and Botswana to show the “Jesus” film. “I have shown the film approximately 700 times, and approximately 650,000 people attended the showings [since 1990],” he wrote in a Dec. 2 report. Schlebusch has shown the film in 11 languages, including Afrikaans, English, Portuguese and several local dialects. He said that every night he doesn’t show the film he has trouble sleeping, because he knows that when he shows it, someone will come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Before each showing, Schlebusch asks local pastors to follow up those who respond, personally paying for their time and services. (Mission Network News/Jesus Film Project)

GOSPEL REACHES FORMER KHMER ROUGE STRONGHOLD IN CAMBODIA New hope has come to the Anlong Veng area of Cambodia, once infamous as the last stronghold of communist dictator Pol Pot and his feared Khmer Rouge soldiers. One indigenous ministry that sent a team of missionaries and church planters to Anlong Veng has established seven churches as well as a home and school for orphaned children. Many of those coming to Christ in the area are former officers of the once-feared Khmer Rouge. The leader of the ministry, once a prisoner of the Khmer Rouge, reported, “The churches of Anlong Veng are committed to expanding God’s territory among former communist comrades.” Two formerly feared military leaders, Gen. Tith and Col. Ung Khorn, are now believers, serving the Lord as missionaries and pastors. Christians who once suffered the brunt of Khmer Rouge cruelty are embracing former officers and actively showing them the way to salvation. (Christian Aid Mission)

CHILDREN’S BIBLE CLUBS IN INDIA EXPERIENCE RAPID GROWTH The growth of children’s Bible clubs throughout India is cause for celebration, says John DeVries of Mission India based in Grand Rapids, Mich. The ministry’s main strategy is to support indigenous church workers. “We have about 750 national Indian missions that we work with and we train their members to do a two-week Bible club program for children and then a follow-up program — kind of an after-school club program.” DeVries says the mission recently took some visitors to a village near Hyderabad to see the progress of one of the children’s Bible club ministries. “The demand for the children’s Bible club and the ongoing after school club was so great, that the families of the village had decided to limit themselves to only one child per family. They were sort of ‘rationing’ themselves out because we didn’t have facilities, and the mission we partnered with didn’t have room for them.” (Mission Network News)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO-UK USES PRIZE MONEY TO PROMOTE CHRISTMAS EVENTS Christian churches in West Yorkshire are running an advertising campaign on local commercial radio stations for the first time this Christmas through an effort spearheaded by HCJB World Radio-UK. Pulse (FM) and Pulse Classic Gold (AM) are airing three commercial announcements for two weeks starting today. The purpose of the ads is to challenge listeners in West Yorkshire to “ask Jesus for something else this Christmas — go to your local Christian church.” The ads also mention a website (differentchristmas.com) where listeners can find out about special Christmas events and services being held at churches in their area. The advertising campaign was funded with  £3,500 (US$6,791) in prize money that HCJB World Radio-UK won in October for one of ministry’s special Easter productions. “We are excited to be able serve the churches in this way,” said HCJB World Radio-UK Program Director Colin Lowther, who also presents Pulse Classic Gold’s award-winning Sunday breakfast show. “It will be great if just one extra person visits a Christmas service this December as a result of hearing the ads.” (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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