12 February 2007 Daily Update from HCJB Global

Today’s Headlines:

TEENAGE STEPDAUGHTER OF CUBAN PASTOR DETAINED, INTERROGATED

MINISTRY EVALUATES U.S. SEMINARY TRAINING FOR CHINESE PASTORS

NRB NAMES ONEPLACE.COM THIS YEAR’S BEST BROADCAST WEBSITE

Today’s Top Stories:

TEENAGE STEPDAUGHTER OF CUBAN PASTOR DETAINED, INTERROGATED

Source: BosNewsLife

On Monday, Feb. 5, Cuban authorities detained the 13-year-old stepdaughter of Delmides Fidalgo L ³pez, a Christian pastor and president of the evangelical group, Christian Movement of Cuba (CMC). Leyani Dom ­nguez Vel ¡squez was detained for the second time in less than one week in the town of Buenaventura in Holguin province. During the one-hour interrogation officials allegedly tried to force the girl to accuse her stepfather of molesting her. Cuban Human Rights Foundation lawyer Juan Carlos Gonz ¡lez Leiva added that authorities threatened to “transport her to Havana to put her through a lie detector test if she did not acquiesce.” The CMC is a group of pastors and other Christians dedicated to preaching the gospel and drawing attention to alleged human rights violations in Cuba.

* HCJB Global Voice continues to air Spanish programs to Cuba via shortwave from South America. Hundreds of listeners have enrolled in the ministry’s Bible Institute of the Air, a Spanish correspondence program incorporating radio broadcasts. In addition, numerous pastors’ workshops held in conjunction with Leadership Resources International have been held in Cuba since the mid-1990s.

Source: China Aid Association

House church activist Hua Huiqi was formally arrested by the Beijing Public Security Bureau on Thursday, Feb. 8, on charges of obstructing justice. The charges came nearly two weeks after he was detained by authorities on Jan. 26. Hua and his 76-year-old mother, Shuang Shuying, were beaten by police at that time, and Hua was tortured by having ice-cold water poured over him in below-freezing weather. His mother was formally arrested on Friday, Feb. 9, for willfully damaging public and private property. China Aid Association President Bob Fu, one of Hua’s former co-workers, said the charge against him is “totally baseless, and it’s clear a step of revenge against Hua’s Christian ministry to the oppressed.”

MINISTRY EVALUATES U.S. SEMINARY TRAINING FOR CHINESE PASTORS

Source: Mission Network News

Erik Burklin of China Partner Ministries (CPM) says a partner’s report shows that the situation for Christianity in China is improving, resulting in more house church leaders being able to get training and start training schools for emerging Christian leaders. CPM is facilitating this by sponsoring Chinese students at U.S. universities. “We help with their living expenses, and then we partner with seminaries, such as Denver Seminary, that have committed to pay for the tuition,” Burklin said. “So together we give the opportunity for a Chinese person to come to our country to get theological training.” However, CPM is re-evaluating the effectiveness of the program which has sponsored five individuals so far. “Our main concern is that even though this is a ministry that we would like to make available to Chinese leaders, a majority of these individuals then, once they have received the education, do not return to China,” he said. Regardless, Burklin believes leadership training is critical to future church growth in China. CPM has trained more than 3,600 future pastors in 16 different Chinese cities during 45 pastoral training courses since 1991.

NRB NAMES ONEPLACE.COM THIS YEAR’S BEST BROADCAST WEBSITE

Source: Christian Newswire

National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) has named the website OnePlace.com the “Best Broadcast Website” for 2007. The award will be presented at an awards ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 17, during the association’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla. The award recognizes excellence in design and content, creativity in presentation and effectiveness in fulfilling its mission. OnePlace, owned by Salem Web Network, offers access to the ministry and teaching of more than 200 speakers, pastors and Bible experts such as Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Kay Arthur, Hank Hanegraaff and Greg Laurie. “For nearly a decade OnePlace.com has been providing a first-class experience for listeners all over the world to hear the best Bible teaching available online when and where they want it,” said Rick Killingsworth, vice president of the Salem Web Network. “OnePlace.com represents the best of what can happen when today’s technology and the timeless good news of the gospel are effectively combined.”

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