U.S. MISSIONARY ARRESTED IN DUBAI FOR DISTRIBUTING BIBLES

RADICAL HINDUS FAIL TO HALT BIBLE SCHOOL GRADUATION IN INDIA

SITUATION IMPROVES FOR CHRISTIANS IN PAKISTAN DESPITE VIOLENCE

LONDON CHURCHES BRACE FOR ‘MYSTERY WORSHIPERS SUNDAY’

MINISTRY DISTRIBUTES MORE THAN 1 MILLION SETS OF ‘RESURRECTION EGGS’

DENOMINATIONS MAKE PLANS TO LAUNCH MISSIONS-ORIENTED CRUISE LINE

Today’s News Stories:

U.S. MISSIONARY ARRESTED IN DUBAI FOR DISTRIBUTING BIBLES A Southern Baptist church member from Myrtle Beach, S.C., is under house arrest in Dubai and awaiting a higher court hearing after being accused of distributing Bibles in a predominantly Muslim area. A youth minister at First Baptist Church in Myrtle Beach told the South Carolina-based Sun News that 72-year-old Vivian Gilmer was charged Monday, Feb. 21, while on a missionary trip to Dubai — a city in the United Arab Emirates. Gilmer was on the second leg of her missionary journey (including a trip to India) before she was told she could not openly distribute Bibles in a Muslim-controlled country. “As missionaries, you understand the risks,” fellow missionary Jackie Owens said. “No one hopes to get arrested, but it is always a possibility.” Despite the arrest, the church has not stopped missionary trips to India and Dubai, said Rev. Bruce Crawford. Gilmer is staying in Dubai with two other missionaries, one of whom is Marie Bush of Waxahachie, Texas, and also under house arrest. The missionaries, both working with the Tommy Cox Evangelistic Association, have not been allowed to leave the country. Authorities confiscated the passports of both Bush and Gilmer. (WorldWide Religious News/Christian Post)

RADICAL HINDUS FAIL TO HALT BIBLE SCHOOL GRADUATION IN INDIA Emmanuel Ministries International (EMI) graduated 5,000 Bible school students in Kota in India’s northwestern Rajasthan state Sunday, Feb. 27, much to the chagrin of hard-line Hindus. Members of the Rashtria Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a radical anti-Christian Hindu organization, abducted about 270 believers when they arrived at the Kota train station on Saturday, Feb. 19. They interrogated and beat the believers who planned to attend a convention and the graduation ceremony, telling them, “Leave here, or we will kill you.” The Christians were then taken to the local police station where they were beaten with iron rods and bicycle chains. After being held hostage for 18 hours, they were put onto a southbound train. In another incident, a band of 60 to 70 demonstrators from Bajrang Dal tried to stop busloads of 600 believers from reaching the convention site. Police escorting the buses did nothing to halt the demonstrations until some protesters began hurling rocks at police. Then the police charged the demonstrators with their nightsticks and disbursed the crowd. Those traveling to the event were finally allowed to complete their journey, and the meetings were held without further incident. At the commissioning service the morning of Feb. 27, EMI President Dr. Samuel Thomas warned the graduates that “just as natural children are not born without pain or tribulation, spiritual children must be willing to bear pain and suffering — even martyrdom.” Virtually every student stood up and shouted, “Hallelujah!” (Assist News Service)

* “The Voice of the Great Southland,” the shortwave station operated by HCJB World Radio-Australia since January 2003, airs more than 108 hours of weekly Christian programming in 11 languages, including nine spoken in India (English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Nepali, Malayalam, Chattisgarhi, Hmar and Meeitei). Programs in these languages are produced at HCJB World Radio’s studio in New Delhi. Programs also air via FEBA Radio’s transmitters in three languages (Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi and Mundari).

SITUATION IMPROVES FOR CHRISTIANS IN PAKISTAN DESPITE VIOLENCE In Pakistan the war on terror hasn’t crippled an educational ministry which is building a Christian school in Toba Tek Singh in the mostly Muslim nation. “People have very little access to education here, and if they do get educated — especially through the government schools — it’s compulsory that they learn Islam as well,” explains Kevin Turner of Strategic World Impact. “We’re using this as an opportunity to educate poor Muslims and Hindus who want to attend the school, and by this we use it as a means of outreach to show them the love of Christ.” While laws prevent some religious freedom, and Christians are persecuted, conditions have improved. “Christians [in this area] have never had it better,” Turner says. “They’ve never had more freedom because [Pakistani President Pervez] Musharraf is not afraid to stand up against the Islamic religious leaders of the country. So it’s actually working out quite well for believers here, relatively speaking.” (Mission Network News)

LONDON CHURCHES BRACE FOR ‘MYSTERY WORSHIPERS SUNDAY’ Churches in London, England, are bracing for the first-ever “Mystery Worshiper Sunday” on April 24 as more than 50 volunteers will visit churches undercover and file a report on such things as comfort of pews, warmth of welcome, length of sermon and style of music. “Our volunteers go to a place of worship they have never been to before and experience the service as an outsider,” explains Simon Jenkins, editor of Christian website, http://www.shipoffools.com, and creator of the Mystery Worshiper. “For the church being visited, the only clue is the calling card dropped discreetly into the collection plate — bearing the picture of a masked man in Lone Ranger pose,” Jenkins said. The feature has proved so popular since its launch in 1998 that the concept has been expanded to cover entire cities. The ministry will be enlisting a small army of Mystery Worshipers who will visit the churches of one major city on a specific Sunday and report back. The reports will be published simultaneously two weeks later. (Assist News Service)

MINISTRY DISTRIBUTES MORE THAN 1 MILLION SETS OF ‘RESURRECTION EGGS’ FamilyLife, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ, announced that it has distributed more than 1 million sets of “Resurrection Eggs,” an Easter product created in 1996 that tells the biblical story of Easter through 12 object lessons. The products have been sold and distributed to thousands of retailers, churches and individuals across the U.S. and worldwide. “This year our goal is for 1 million children to be exposed to Resurrection Eggs at the ‘World’s Largest Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt’ on Saturday, March 26,” said FamilyLife President Dennis Rainey. “Together we can reach millions more with the life-changing message behind Resurrection Eggs.” (Christian Etailing)

DENOMINATIONS MAKE PLANS TO LAUNCH MISSIONS-ORIENTED CRUISE LINE Christians from various denominations are coming together to form the JWJ (Journey with Jesus) Cruise Line, says spokesperson Darlaine Scott, “On board there will be a wealth of activities similar to what you would find on a traditional cruise,” she explains. “However, JWJ cruises will also include worship services, seminars, Bible studies, Christian entertainment and speakers from various denominations sharing encouraging messages for the enrichment of the body of Christ.” JWJ is being formed as a charitable nonprofit organization and is looking for Christian entertainers, ministers and lay workers to donate their gifts and talents in support of the mission. All profits will be distributed to missions that minister to people’s needs and spread the good news of Jesus Christ, Scott says. (JWJ Cruise Line)

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