883 CHRISTIANS FROM ‘BANNED’ ERITREAN CHURCHES REMAIN IMPRISONED

RELIGION ‘IGNORED’ AT THIS YEAR’S WORLD EXPOSITION IN JAPAN

SCRIPTURE DISTRIBUTION WORLDWIDE DECLINES FOR 2ND YEAR IN A ROW

SOLDIERS IN U.S. MARINE REGIMENT CREDIT PRAYER FOR SAFETY IN IRAQ

LOCAL CHURCH IN SLOVAKIA DISCIPLES 20+ NEW GYPSY BELIEVERS

SURGEONS ABOARD MERCY SHIP IN LIBERIA BRING HOPE TO AFRICAN WOMEN

Today’s News Stories:

883 CHRISTIANS FROM ‘BANNED’ ERITREAN CHURCHES REMAIN IMPRISONED Evangelical sources in the East African nation of Eritrea have released a list documenting that 883 Christians are being held in prisons and military camps. The detainees are members of banned, non-government-sanctioned church groups in Eritrea. Of these, 16 are pastors. After being coerced into signing a pledge to stop attending religious services, a handful of prisoners have been released. Yemane Gebremeskel, director of the Eritrean president’s office, discounted the claims, saying the prisoners “are held for five hours and then let off with a warning.” Meanwhile, 11 Protestant churches have applied for official registration since they were forcibly closed down three years ago, but so far none of them have been approved. Only Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches enjoy government recognition, along with Islam. (Compass)

RELIGION ‘IGNORED’ AT THIS YEAR’S WORLD EXPOSITION IN JAPAN Religion plays only a minute role in this year’s world exposition, Expo 2005, in Japan. Visitors will look in vain for churches or temples on the Expo grounds in the Aichi region near Nagoya. The only exception will be Saudi Arabia’s presentation of Islam in its pavilion. The Christian faith is absent as are other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. The German weekly magazine, Die Zeit, commented, “Religion, the major controversial issue of our times, is being ignored in Nagoya.” By contrast, religion was prominently featured at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany, where Protestant and Roman Catholic churches presented the “Christ Pavilion.” Evangelicals also operated a “Pavilion of Hope” as an evangelistic project. Expo 2005 opened on March 25 and goes to Sept. 25. Approximately 15 million spectators are expected to view the exhibits with 120 countries represented. The theme is “Nature’s Wisdom.” (Assist News Service)

SCRIPTURE DISTRIBUTION WORLDWIDE DECLINES FOR 2ND YEAR IN A ROW Scripture distribution worldwide continues to drop, reported the United Bible Societies (UBS) in Reading, England. A total of 390.5 million Bibles, New Testaments, Scripture portions and selections were distributed in 2004, down 10 percent from 2003, and a drop of 32 percent from 2002. Last year the most significant decline was recorded in the distribution of New Testaments, falling 13 percent to 12.6 million copies compared to 14.4 million in 2003. However, distribution of complete Bibles increased 16.6 percent to almost 25 million copies. Bible portions were also in higher demand. The UBS fellowship comprises 141 Bible societies or offices working in more than 200 countries and territories. (IDEA)

SOLDIERS IN U.S. MARINE REGIMENT CREDIT PRAYER FOR SAFETY IN IRAQ Soldiers in the 8th Marine Regiment indicate that prayer has made a significant difference in the war in Iraq. Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 19, 2003, and the regiment was scheduled to launch into Iraq the next morning. Shortly before launch, Capt. Seth MacCutcheon, a Christian and commander of the Combined Anti-Armor Tank platoon (CAAT), consisting of 16 Humvees loaded with rockets, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns, asked Chaplain Don Rogers to pray over his vehicles. The job of the CAAT platoon was to find and destroy enemy armor before the enemy could attack the battalion. Rogers understood the seriousness of MacCutcheon’s request. “When Seth asked me to pray, I laid hands on every vehicle . . . more than 70 Humvees and trucks — praying that the vehicles would not be hit and for safety of the men who would ride in them,” Rogers said, in a report from Charisma magazine. Glenn Thomas, author of “God Saw Them Through,” detailed an account of the 2nd Marine Battalion’s experiences in Iraq while more than 50 churches and 2,000 believers prayed for these soldiers regularly. Thomas documented more than 40 specific answers to prayer and 35 miracles of protection. No marines in the regiment died during the offensive even though they saw some of the heaviest fighting of the war. (Religion Today/Charisma News Service)

LOCAL CHURCH IN SLOVAKIA DISCIPLES 20+ NEW GYPSY BELIEVERS A group of 20 to 30 Roma Gypsies living in Slovakia’s Cinobana village recently came to Christ. “Their enthusiasm for their new faith compelled them to meet together almost every day,” said Pavel Sinko, executive director for International Needs Network-Slovakia. The new believers asked for discipleship from the leaders of Sinko’s church because they didn’t have a leader with a “mature knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.” Their questions range from the Bible and doctrine to Christian growth. Four of the church leaders visit the village regularly and are helping ground the new believers in their faith. Sinko’s church also transports the new believers to local Sunday-morning services. Now the Roma believers are reaching out to the community with Christian concerts and speakers. In the last two months, about 120 people have attended these outreaches. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio is working with Trans World Radio in an effort to put Czech and Slovak programs on a 24-hour satellite service by September 2005. A weekly 15-minute Slovak program began airing on an FM network of 15 stations in Slovakia in 2003. Programs are also available on the Internet (http://www.hcjb.org).

SURGEONS ABOARD MERCY SHIP IN LIBERIA BRING HOPE TO AFRICAN WOMEN Two Australian surgeons are among volunteers serving with the global charity Mercy Ships, providing free surgeries for a handful of millions of women in Africa suffering from an incapacitating vaginal condition. Dr. Judith Goh and Dr. Hannah Krause of Melbourne are spending three weeks on the Mercy Ship Anastasis during its first visit to the war-torn West African nation of Liberia. They will work with another surgeon from Scotland providing free onboard surgery. The condition, resulting at childbirth from prolonged or obstructed labor, is virtually unknown in the developed world but now affects more than 2 million women worldwide. Few hospitals in Africa carry out the remedial procedure that involves extensive pelvic reconstructive surgery, and the cost of such an operation is prohibitive for most families. Mercy Ships offer a range of healthcare services free of charge. There are now three ships in the fleet. (Mercy Ships)

* HCJB World Radio works in partnership with ELWA, a ministry founded by SIM in Monrovia in 1954, to air the gospel across the country and West Africa. The radio station was destroyed twice by civil war, first in 1990 and again in 1996. ELWA most recently went back on the air in 1997 with a small FM transmitter. Then in 2000 HCJB World Radio provided a low-power shortwave transmitter, again enabling the station to cover the entire region. ELWA broadcasts the gospel in 10 languages and plans to add more as resources become available.

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