Today’s Headlines:

MOB BRUTALLY BEATS PASTOR IN NORTHERN INDIA FOR PREACHING CHRIST

STATE IN INDIA CONTINUES TO TIGHTEN CONTROL ON CONVERSIONS

INDEPENDENT CHURCH IN RUSSIA DISBANDS TO AVOID ‘LIQUIDATION’

MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP ADDS NEW, LARGER PLANE IN CENTRAL ASIA

PASTOR SAYS WALES DESPERATELY NEEDS ‘SPIRITUAL AWAKENING’

Today’s Top Stories:

MOB BRUTALLY BEATS PASTOR IN NORTHERN INDIA FOR PREACHING CHRIST A Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor ministering in northern India where there are many anti-Christian groups is recovering from his injuries after being brutally beaten while on the way to a local market Friday, June 17. Pastor Kiran, 28, was making a routine trip into the city to buy household items when he was attacked. “Walking down the city street, Kiran noticed a group of GFA Bible college graduates who were home for a week’s vacation before beginning full-time ministry among the unreached,” stated a report from GFA. “Eager to see how they were doing, he approached and greeted them. What Kiran did not realize was that his friends were being interrogated by 12 youths who strongly opposed Christianity. When the youths saw Kiran and recognized him as a missionary in the area, they grew even more angry and began to raise their voices against Christianity and Christian work.” The five Bible college graduates managed to escape, but Kiran was trapped by the mob, now numbering about 75. They immediately threw him down and dragged him around. “For three hours they repeatedly beat and shoved Pastor Kiran,” GFA reported. “Then they brought him to a public gathering place, intending to break his legs and hands with an iron rod. But they were unable to locate one.” The attack finally ended when the leader of an anti-Christian group intervened, asking the youths to leave him alone. Kiran lay on the ground unconscious for half an hour before coming to and boarding a bus to his village. While Kiran is recovering from injuries to his neck, elbow, leg and arm, he is faithfully continuing his ministry. (Assist News Service/Gospel for Asia)

STATE IN INDIA CONTINUES TO TIGHTEN CONTROL ON CONVERSIONS Officials in India’s north-central state of Madhya Pradesh say their anti-conversion law will be amended to check the conversion of tribal people to Christianity. The decision follows a report by Narendra Prasad, a retired director general of police, claiming missionaries were forcibly converting large numbers of people. His report blamed Christian missionaries and government laxity for the “huge” numbers of conversions. Prasad also blamed Christian missionaries for last year’s confrontation between Christians and groups opposing conversions in the district of Jhabua. (Compass)

INDEPENDENT CHURCH IN RUSSIA DISBANDS TO AVOID ‘LIQUIDATION’ Bair Kara-Sal, pastor of an independent charismatic church in the Russian republic of Tuva, said he is hopeful the church will be registered anew following local government attempts to liquidate it. Officials complained that the Sun Bok Ym church in the regional capital of Kyzyl had violated its charter by sending its pastor to a neighboring region and failed to inform the department of its new address. Officials of the Justice Ministry’s Federal Registration Service, set up last October, began moves to shut down the church via the courts, so the church decided to disband to avoid this fate. Kara-Sal ascribed his optimism to a promise made in court by local justice department officials not to oppose a new registration application, duly submitted by the church in early July. Founded by South Korean missionaries from the Full Gospel association in 1995, Sun Bok Ym is Tuva’s largest Protestant church with a congregation of about 150. (Forum 18 News Service)

MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP ADDS NEW, LARGER PLANE IN CENTRAL ASIA Obstacles are becoming open doors in Central Asia for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) as the ministry enters a country that has been traditionally difficult for Christians to serve in. “We’ve found that through the use of aviation, we’ve been welcomed into this country,” says MAF President Kevin Swanson. “It’s turning out to be quite a blessing as we support people who are doing medical, humanitarian and educational work, and it’s an opportunity to bring the gospel to a rather dark corner of the world.” MAF’s newest addition to the Central Asia fleet is a larger passenger plane that will help meet the needs of people in remote areas. “Primarily, it will be transporting people,” he explains. “Transportation in Central Asia is very dangerous, and many of the workers that we transport couldn’t go to the places that they serve without the use of the aircraft.” (Mission Network News)

PASTOR SAYS WALES DESPERATELY NEEDS ‘SPIRITUAL AWAKENING’ “The church in Wales is in an appalling state, spiritually,” says Peter Leavers, pastor of Antioch Church in Colwyn Bay and founder of Heart Cry for Wales, a ministry devoted to bringing revival back to Wales. “Only 5 percent of our population attends church,” he said. “There are not many evangelical congregations . . . in Wales. We need a spiritual awakening.” Heart Cry for Wales began a decade ago when Leavers invited 700 pastors throughout the nation to meet for a day of prayer. About 50 clergy from various denominations showed up. Since then, he’s organized more than 60 prayer gatherings. Many times in the last 10 years, Leavers said he and his small band of praying pastors have felt like Gideon’s army. At the most recent gathering, just a dozen people showed up. “The church has ceased to be relevant,” he said. “People have discounted Christianity because they don’t believe it has anything to show them. But it has to affect their lives.” Despite the state of the Welsh church today, Leavers remains hopeful. “There is a Welsh spirituality that wants to go deeper,” he said. (Assist News Service)