Today’s Headlines:

UNKNOWN GUNMEN MURDER 2 LUTHERAN PASTORS IN EL SALVADOR

ABSTINENCE MESSAGE SAVES LIVES, GROWS CHURCH IN UGANDA

2 CONFERENCES ADDRESS NEEDS OF RUSSIAN CHILDREN, AIDS CRISIS

ONLINE SPIRITUALLY BASED DATING SERVICE PARTNERS WITH YAHOO!

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Today’s Top Stories:

UNKNOWN GUNMEN MURDER 2 LUTHERAN PASTORS IN EL SALVADOR

Two Lutheran pastors in El Salvador were murdered on Saturday, Nov. 4, by three unknown young people. The couple, both ordained pastors in the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod, were attacked as they left the Montes de Pensbert congregation. Francisco Carrillos, 65, and his wife, Jes ºs de Carrillos, 57, were serving the Pan de Vida and the Montes de Pensbert congregations in Jayaque. The two pastors were described as “tireless defenders of human rights.” Among other responsibilities, Francisco was president of La Cruz Verde (the Green Cross) in Jayaque which includes medical charities and organizations providing healthcare to the local people. The couple is survived by two adult children. “This tragic news serves to impress upon us again the serious and increasing violence afflicting society in El Salvador,” said Rev. Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. (Lutheran World Information/El Diario de Hoy)

ABSTINENCE MESSAGE SAVES LIVES, GROWS CHURCH IN UGANDA

Living among the devastation resulting from the AIDS pandemic, Ugandan Pastor Andrew Mwenge attributes the fact that he is still alive to Christ. “Most of the people I grew up with in the village are not alive,” he said. “If it was not for Christ, I wouldn’t be here. I know that for a fact.” Mwenge was speaking to an audience in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Nov. 1, at events related to LifeWay Christian Resources. AIDS has reduced Uganda’s average life expectancy from age to 42 from 54. Mwenge, 45, believes he has had three “bonus years” and remains determined to make the most of each day. When missionaries Larry and Sharon Pumpelly first introduced the True Love Waits movement to Uganda, it became a catalyst for bringing people together to address the AIDS problem and spread the message of biblical purity to schools, youth groups, communities and other places. In the 12 years that followed, Uganda’s HIV/AIDS infection rate dropped from to 6 percent from about 30 percent, making it a model for other African nations. Mwenge, pastor of Kampala Baptist Church, one of the largest churches in Uganda, also directs the country’s True Love Waits movement. (Baptist Press)

2 CONFERENCES ADDRESS NEEDS OF RUSSIAN CHILDREN, AIDS CRISIS

Russian Ministries is hosting two conferences to address the needs of the estimated 1.5 million orphans and children who roam the streets of Russia and the rapid rise in HIV infections in the region. “The Eastern European Summit for Children at Risk” is being held Nov. 10-14, and the “HIV and AIDS Forum of Good Practice and Networking” will follow Nov. 15-17. The first event will look primarily at the orphans and post-orphanage transition into society. The second conference then builds on this to address the exploding AIDS crisis in Eastern Europe. Anita Deyneka of Russian Ministries explains, “Above all, the reason we’ve been behind and promoting and organizing these two conferences is we hope that we can do more together than any of us can do individually as organizations. So with the networking and partnerships, we hope that we can do something much more massive and meaningful to help these situations.” Russia’s population is declining at a rate of between 800,000 and 1 million a year. Without a change, HIV will ravage the already-suffering country. (Mission Network News)

ONLINE SPIRITUALLY BASED DATING SERVICE PARTNERS WITH YAHOO!

Multi-faith spiritual media company and online community Beliefnet, Inc. has joined with the online dating service, Yahoo! Personals, to create the largest spiritual online dating service. Beliefnet’s popular Soulmatch dating site will now allow customers to search the entire Yahoo! Personals database and sort by religious and spiritual preferences. “For so many people, finding a soul match means connecting on a deep level — seeing what’s on the inside as well as on the outside,” said Steven Waldman, chief executive officer and co-founder of Beliefnet. “We want to help people who believe that spiritual connection is an important part of building a great relationship.” The partnership will integrate Beliefnet’s online community of more than 9 million members with Yahoo’s dynamic dating site which attracts more than 5 million visitors per month, allowing spiritually focused users more chances to meet matching singles with similar beliefs. (Religion News Service)

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