Today’s Headlines:

COUPLE ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED ‘FORCED CONVERSION’ IN INDIA

HIGH COURT IN INDIA ASKS OFFICIALS TO ENFORCE ANTI-CONVERSION LAW

YWAM TEAM TO OFFER COMFORT TO LONDONERS FOLLOWING BOMBINGS

EFCA TO OPEN INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY CENTERS ACROSS U.S.

FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY PRESIDENT TAKES ON MORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Today’s Top Stories:

COUPLE ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED ‘FORCED CONVERSION’ IN INDIA

Hindu villagers have accused a Christian couple in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state of attempted forced conversion. Jagdish and Grace Nayak were arrested on Tuesday, July 19, in the village of Jeet Nagar in the Indore district. Dharmendra Chaterjee invited them to his house for prayer. After they finished praying, Chaterjee called his neighbors into the house and accused the Nayaks of enticing his family to convert to Christianity in return for education, healthcare and other benefits, including money for a family wedding. The Nayaks were detained by villagers, including members of the Dharma Raksha Samiti (DRS), or Religious Protection Committee, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu extremist group. Police then took them into custody. A police inspector said he believed the complaint was a planned attempt by the DRS and the RSS to keep the Nayaks away from the village. (Compass)

HIGH COURT IN INDIA ASKS OFFICIALS TO ENFORCE ANTI-CONVERSION LAW

The High Court in eastern India’s Orrisa state of has asked local officials to examine complaints of forced conversions and ordered strict enforcement of the state’s anti-conversion law. A public litigation was filed by Ananta Kumar Satrusalya and 268 others from 19 villages in Orissa’s Gajapati district. The petitioners claimed that Christian missionary organizations were “forcibly converting tribal and low-income people in the district.” The High Court has directed police in Gajapati district to register cases of alleged forced conversion and submit the charges immediately. The Freedom of Religion Act of 1967 prohibits “conversion by the use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means.” The act describes a forced conversion and outlines penalties which could be imprisonment for one to two years and a fine equivalent to $US115 to US$230. Hindu fundamentalist organizations view the High Court’s order as proof that forced conversions are occurring. B.D. Das, a member of the Christian Legal Association of India, refuted that saying, “the High Court has merely issued notice . . . that district administrators should inquire to see if the complaints of forced conversions are based on facts.” (Compass)

YWAM TEAM TO OFFER COMFORT TO LONDONERS FOLLOWING BOMBINGS

A six-member team from Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in New York will travel to London Sunday, Aug. 7, to offer comfort following the recent attacks. They will attempt to set up prayer stations outside the entrances of the King’s Cross, Edgeware and Liverpool Street subway stations where the deadly bombings took place. Churches in London as well as members of the YWAM London team will continue with the prayer stations after the departure of the YWAM New York Metro team. “We will be going to London representing the people of New York City to say thank you for all the support we received from Londoners during the time of 9/11,” said Nick Savoca, leader of the New York group which initiated the prayer stations. “I think London will respond much like New Yorkers did.” Prayer stations launched in New York City in 1992 but gained prominence after the 9/11 attacks, offering strength and hope for New Yorkers struggling to cope with the tragedy. The prayer station concept has since spread across North America and in countries such as the Philippines, India, New Zealand, Netherlands, Singapore, Niger, Russia and Kenya as well as throughout Central and South America. (Assist News Service)

EFCA PREPARES TO OPEN INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY CENTERS ACROSS U.S.

Compassion Ministries, the humanitarian arm of the Evangelical Free Church of America, is preparing to launch what it calls international ministry centers throughout the U.S. Snyder said he would like to see centers on the east and west coasts as well as the Rocky Mountain region. Having an effective humanitarian ministry is strategic evangelistically, Snyder said. “The centers facilitate the ministry of our missionary personnel around the world, particularly in countries [where access is restricted]. Ministries of compassion make a tremendous inroad for us to be able to get involved in these places.” (Mission Network News)

FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY PRESIDENT TAKES ON MORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Food for the Hungry President and Chief Executive Officer Ben Homan has been appointed chairman of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA). His experience with Food for the Hungry has taken him to more than 25 countries in the past three years. He is also president of the Association for Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations. Andrew Natsios, administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said he has “every confidence that [Homan] will execute these new responsibilities to the benefit of the ACVFA and USAID.” Homan will lead meetings which focus on topics selected from a wide range of issues and challenges that affect the relationship between the official foreign assistance program and the private voluntary community. He will chair ACVFA’s next public meeting set for Wednesday, Oct. 19, in Washington, D.C. (Assist News Service)