Today’s Headlines:

MUSLIM MOB BURNS CHURCH IN ACEH, INDONESIA, PASTOR IN HIDING

WATER WELL CHALLENGE CONNECTS U.S. CHURCHES WITH AFRICAN VILLAGES

Today’s Top Stories:

MUSLIM MOB BURNS CHURCH IN ACEH, INDONESIA, PASTOR IN HIDING

A Muslim mob in Aceh, Indonesia, set fire to a church building Friday, Sept. 1, sending the pastor and his wife into hiding. Pastor Luther Saragih, leader of an Indonesian Evangelical Mission Church, distributed letters to local villages, inviting Christians to a revival service. A Muslim resident somehow received a copy and edited it to appear that Muslims were invited. He distributed the letter to more than 3,000 Muslims. As 500 Christians arrived for the service, a large crowd of irate Muslims also showed up. Police detained Saragih and scolded him for organizing the service while another pastor delivered a short sermon before the event was cut short. Later that night a mob of more than 100 men used gasoline to set fire to the building. The mob also attempted to burn a neighboring building used as a church kindergarten. The mob came after Saragih and his pregnant wife in a nearby house, but they were able to flee to the jungle. Christians have been sheltering the couple following reports that local police and Muslim leaders are continuing to search for the couple. (Compass Direct)

WATER WELL CHALLENGE CONNECTS U.S. CHURCHES WITH AFRICAN VILLAGES

WorldServe International is launching a new program called the Living Water Challenge to create partnerships between U.S. churches nationwide with rural African villages that lack a clean water supply. Each church that takes part of the challenge sponsors a water well in an African community. WorldServe water projects also include evangelism and church-planting efforts in partnership with African churches to deal with both the physical and spiritual needs of the community. Around the world, 1.1 billion people lack access to clean water and basic sanitation. Poor water quality is the No. 1 killer in the world today with 80 percent of all sickness attributed to this. Women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa often walk up to eight miles each day in search of water for their families. (Religion Today)