MOB OF 500 HINDUS IN INDIA ATTACKS CHURCH, BURNS BIBLES

U.N. RAPPORTEUR PROBES FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN SRI LANKA

WIFE OF EVANGELIST ORAL ROBERTS DIES OF HEAD INJURY AT AGE 88

BELIEVERS ACROSS U.K. BEGIN 10 DAYS OF CONCENTRATED PRAYER

ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC RUSSIAN BUILDING OPENS MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY

VOLUNTEERS FINISH 80-HOUR BIBLE READING MARATHON AT U.S. CAPITOL

Today’s News Stories:

MOB OF 500 HINDUS IN INDIA ATTACKS CHURCH, BURNS BIBLES A crowd of nearly 500 Hindu villagers attacked a house church in Mangalwarapete, a village in southern India’s Karnataka state, on Sunday, May 1. Assailants molested some of the women among the 60 people present at the Sunday service and burned Bibles and other Christian literature. The mob also beat Pastor Paulraj Raju of King Jesus Church until he bled profusely. His wife and an elder of the church were also seriously injured in the attack. Pastor Charles Isaac of the Evangelical Free Church Urban Movement of India said the attackers identified themselves as members of the Hindu fundamentalist group, Bajrang Dal, and the nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party. Raju, who remains in the hospital recovering from his injuries, was also beaten by local people in January. He was later arrested by police on charges of “attempting to convert Hindus.” He was released on March 3. (Compass)

U.N. RAPPORTEUR PROBES FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN SRI LANKA Asma Jahangir, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief is presently in Sri Lanka to probe the issue of religious liberty. Jahangir met with members of Buddhist organizations who feel Western religious rights advocates fail to see the issue of conversion in its “proper Asian context.” The newspaper quoted the country’s highest-ranking Buddhist cleric as saying that anti-conversion legislation is an “urgent requirement, since Buddhists are being converted to other religions at an unprecedented rate.” On Wednesday, May 4, Jahangir met with members of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) and with several Christians who have suffered persecution. The NCEASL reiterated its commitment to work for a just solution to these problems through “dialogue and mutual understanding.” (Compass)

WIFE OF EVANGELIST ORAL ROBERTS DIES OF HEAD INJURY AT AGE 88 Evelyn Lutman Roberts, wife of evangelist Oral Roberts, died Wednesday, May 4, in California at the age of 88. Evelyn, who had been in generally good health, died at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif., a day after falling in a parking lot and injuring her head. She played a vital role in her husband’s worldwide evangelistic ministry from its beginning in 1947 and was instrumental in helping him establish Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, Okla., and other outreaches of the Oral Roberts Ministries. She also served as a trustee for the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. She was the author of several books, including her best-selling autobiography, His Darling Wife. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, a son and a daughter, 13 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. A memorial service is scheduled for Christ’s Chapel on the campus of ORU Monday, May 9. (Christian Etailing/Assist News Service)

BELIEVERS ACROSS U.K. BEGIN 10 DAYS OF CONCENTRATED PRAYER Christians in the U.K. are celebrating this year’s Prayer Week with 10 days of 24-hour-a-day prayer starting Friday, May 6 — an event being broadcast live via UCB Europe. Prayer Week, which has its roots in Wales, takes place across the U.K., but is now spreading to other countries. The 10 days of prayer lead up to the first Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday, May 15. Organizers say the goal is to establish 24-7 prayer watches in every nation of the world. The prayer will focus on the spiritual and social transformation of churches, communities and nations. “All our programming will be live with guests, programs and regular news updates,” adds UCB Europe Radio Broadcasting Manager Andrew Urquhart. “We will also have staff members reporting back — not just in the U.K. but in other continents as well. We want to join with Prayer Week, not only to report on what will be a fantastic time of prayer and fellowship, but to change our nation.” (Assist News Service)

ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC RUSSIAN BUILDING OPENS MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY Peterhof in St. Petersburg, Russia, is now a museum. Built by Peter the Great as a royal summer residence, it will be celebrating its 300th birthday this summer. Russian Ministries will be using this as evangelistic opportunity, says Maxim Baronov, the organization’s regional director in St. Petersburg. “There will be a festival that will reach young people. And at the festival we will be inviting youth groups and popular music bands to sing and share about God.” Baronov expects 22,000 people to attend the event. The outreach will focus on issues such as homelessness, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS. “We will invite [staff members from] social centers who work with the street kids or drug addicts,” he said. “We have more than 300,000 drug addicts in our city. We will [distribute] invitations so that many people will know about this festival.” (Mission Network News)

VOLUNTEERS FINISH 80-HOUR BIBLE READING MARATHON AT U.S. CAPITOL The 16th annual “Bible reading marathon” wrapped up on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Thursday, May 5, after 80 hours of continuous reading out loud by volunteers. They started with “In the beginning” on Monday morning and recited the last “Amen” on Thursday afternoon — the National Day of Prayer. Among the many readers was William Murray, son of American Atheists founder Madalyn Murray O’Hair. He says his mother, brother and daughter were murdered by their fellow atheists, but he’s working to preserve religious liberty as chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition. Murray’s reading from the book of Ezekiel involved God’s judgment on a nation’s idolatry. (AgapePress)

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