AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* AMERICAN CHURCHES LOSING BUILDINGS AS BANKS FORECLOSE
* NORTH KOREA’S COLLAPSING ECONOMY OPENS DOOR FOR CRIMINAL
GANGS
* ‘RELIGICIDE’ EXTERMINATING IRAQI CHRISTIANS
* THE BIBLE BEATS MANCHESTER UNITED AND JUSTIN BIEBER ON
FACEBOOK CHARTS
* CHINA’S PRISONS
* SWEDISH CHRISTIANS MINISTERING TO
REFUGEES

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AMERICAN CHURCHES
LOSING BUILDINGS AS BANKS FORECLOSE

America’s mortgage crisis is far from over and home owners are not
the only ones in the red. Churches across the country are losing
their properties at an alarming rate. Higher Ground Empowerment
Centre is a small church in the heart of Atlanta, the neighbourhood
Martin Luther King, Jr. once called home. Dexter Johnson became its
pastor in 1994. The name Higher Ground was given to the Church to
mark its rise from ruin after a 2008 tornado knocked down its
steeple, ripped off its roof, and left the congregation without a
sanctuary for more than a year. But now, a legal storm is threatening
to take away that renovated building.
Membership of Higher Ground declined in the 20 months it was
displaced. Giving also decreased as some congregants lost their jobs
in the economic downturn. The value of the church building also
dropped, leaving members with a $1 million mortgage for a building
valued at much less. Johnson explained, “We continue to occupy the
building as our lawyers appeal our case in the Courts. Johnson
continues to pray for a future for the 108-year-old church. “We don’t
want to just see it disappear, be lost in foreclosure” Johnson said.
The matter will play out in court in the next 60 to 90 days. It will
take a $600,000 miracle to keep the building open. Other church
buildings in the area also have foreclosure notices on them. Pastor
Darryl Winston found his church’s belongings dumped in the parking
lot last July. Winston said “It has been a major learning curve for
us. We believed that we were going to be able to work out something
with the bank”, he said. “They didn’t gain by allowing the building
to be vacant. We wouldn’t gain by being misplaced.” Greater Works
members are now meeting in an Atlanta hotel, but are seeking to
purchase property that will allow them to continue their expansive
ministry to a struggling Southeast Atlanta.
More than 100 church buildings are up for sale in metro Atlanta, and
about a third of those are foreclosure properties. Prudential Realtor
Rick Azert is known for his ability to close church building deals in
the Atlanta area, which has not been an easy task in recent
years. “No lender wants to be known as the folks that kicked the
church out. And I don’t blame them,” he said. “I would say last year
was the worst. It was a complete struggle to get anything done.” The
tough church building market has turned the veteran realtor into a
bit of a finance teacher for preachers.
“When your financial secretary is somebody who’s only financial
background is keeping their check book, then you may have some
problems,” Azert said. “The Lord is in charge and the Lord is going
to take over. But the Lord said, ‘Go get a goal. Go write it down and
make a plan on how you can make it happen and run it like a
business,'” he told CBN News. “It says that in the Bible. It may not
say it that way, but that is what it says.” Business sense led
Rolling Hills Baptist Church to put its building on the market a year
ago — even without the threat of foreclosure.
“We could afford to pay those bills,” Pastor Frank Mercer said. The
church was only $150,000 away from paying off its mortgage when
Mercer asked his congregation to sell the building and use the
proceeds to fund missions work at home and abroad. As a result, the
church is on the road during the week with more than 55 missions
projects completed this year. Members meet at a movie theatre for
Sunday services. “I don’t necessarily mean that every church should
sell their property,” Mercer said. “But for us, it would have been a
sin not to.”
Source:
CBNnews.com
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NORTH KOREA’S
COLLAPSING ECONOMY OPENS DOOR FOR CRIMINAL GANGS
North Korea has long been an important link in Asia’s crime networks
and as the country’s economy deteriorates, illegal activities are
expanding. Criminal networks have always been active in the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Traditionally the North
Korean government itself has been a major participant in narcotics
production and distribution, people trafficking and currency forgery.
The DPRK’s involvement in organized crime dates back to the 1970s,
when North Korean diplomats were first intercepted carrying hashish
and opium out of the country. Back then, drug production was carried
out on a relatively small scale.
In the 1990s, poor harvests reduced poppy supply, and domestic
economic conditions deteriorated. Around this time the government
became involved with methamphetamine production and distribution.
Motivated by the need for foreign exchange, Pyongyang has also been
implicated in a range of counterfeiting activities, covering
pharmaceutical products, cigarettes and currency forgery. Many
analysts believe the DPRK to be the source of fake $100 bills which
have appeared in America, although this claim has not been proven.
North Korean military units, have also been linked to human
trafficking of women.
Due to its one-child policy there are around 120 males for every 100
females in China. As a result, North Korean women are being
trafficked to China as brides and prostitutes. Recent deteriorating
economic conditions have weakened the government’s state industries,
allowing organized crime to assume a greater role in illegal
activities. Government cadres have become increasingly corrupt, and
organized gangs are operating with greater freedom in the country.
Foreign customs agents have noticed a reduction in officially
produced narcotics coming out of the country, but a steady increase
in privately manufactured product.
The supply of black market military hardware by the DPRK has
diminished as state factories have been forced to close, while
traditional criminal rackets such as counterfeit goods,drugs and
prostitution have expanded. As state-provided rations have tailed
off, black markets for legal goods have expanded. The collapse of the
state health system has increased the use of “medicinal
methamphetamine.” Rising poverty is contributing to increasing
domestic demand for drugs and forcing more women into
prostitution. Criminal gangs have been converting abandoned
industrial facilities into narcotics laboratories.
“The increasing lawlessness in the DPRK is consolidating the
country’s position in Asian criminal networks. As conditions
worsen, criminal networks have become more entrenched rapidly
increasing major domestic problems as well. Without China
intervening, the international community can do little to control the
latest developments. China is becoming more concerned by the
situation as more migrants and narcotics are crossing the border,
however they are yet to articulate a workable strategy for containing
the issue. Until economic stability returns to the country, the trend
of growing organized criminal activities in the DPRK is likely to
continue.
Source: Intercessors
Network
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‘RELIGICIDE’
EXTERMINATING IRAQI CHRISTIANS
More Christians have fled Iraq in recent months than ever before.
Carl Moeller with Open Doors USA says extremists are calling for the
complete extermination of believers in the country. “We’ve been
calling this a ‘religicide’ and we see this now unfolding in a very
shocking way,” says Moeller. The number of Christians in Iraq has
dropped dramatically in the last few decades, dropping from 850,000
believers in 1991, to 550,000 believers in 2003, to 345,000 believers
in early 2010. Now perhaps less than 250,000 Christians call Iraq
home, a number which includes those who have been permanently
displaced from their homes.
The loss of so many believers in one year can be attributed largely
to one significant event: “Last October, 60 Christians were killed in
a terrorist attack by al-Qaeda-linked groups in Baghdad,” Moeller
reminds us. As a result, “We’ve now seen an additional perhaps up to
95,000 Christians leave the country since that attack.” At the
current rate of the exodus, Iraq will not have any Christians left in
three years, according to an Open Doors’ field worker. To some, it
might seem outlandish to suggest that an entire religious population
would be wiped out from a nation, but believers have reason to fear
the threat of total extermination.
“Their families are threatened. Even young children are being killed.
Extremists want to eliminate Christians from Iraq,” said Moeller.
More than that, Iraq has a history of “religicide,” which most
notably occurred with the country’s Jewish population. “The Jewish
community in Iraq 60-70 years ago in the 1930s and 40s was thriving
and vibrant,” says Moeller. “Then, systematically, as our friends at
the Simon Wiesenthal Centre have pointed out to us, they were
targeted by extremist Muslims in the region for extermination from
that community. Now I can say, categorically, there’s no Jewish
community that is of any size in Iraq.”
Even amid some of the worst persecution in decades, Iraqi Muslims are
still coming to Christ. Moeller says “the suffering of believers is a
witness to the truth of the Gospel, and many are drawn to Christ as a
result. However we must not stand by as believers are hunted.”
Christians everywhere have a responsibility to pray. “As Christians,
we should be there because these are our brothers and sisters in
Christ.” Open Doors continues to petition U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton to work with the Iraqi government to implement a
comprehensive plan of action to protect the vulnerable community of
Christians in Iraq.
Please pray:
* for our fellow brothers and sisters in Iraq. Pray for their safety
but also for courage to share the Gospel with those who are seeking.

* that the government would put an end to this “religicide” and that
ultimately the Lord’s sovereign will would reign in Iraq.
* for the equipping and training of leaders for ministry to the Iraqi
people and for the breaking of bondages that hinder this process.
Iraqi people.
Source: Mission Network
News
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THE BIBLE BEATS
MANCHESTER UNITED AND JUSTIN BIEBER ON FACEBOOK
CHARTS
Figures reveal that more people are actively engaging with the Bible
than any other page on social media site Facebook. With more than 6
million ‘fans’ it has beaten other hugely popular pages including
those of sports teams like Manchester United and celebrities like
Justin Bieber. Jane Pleace, who oversees The Bible’s Facebook
page, expressed her excitement at seeing the Bible’s message
spreading across this social media platform. “‘As churches grapple
how to get people to read the Bible, United Bible Societies is
helping nearly seven million people read the Bible daily, using the
social networking site Facebook,” said Jane.
“‘The Bible’ page has over 6.7 million fans and nearly one million of
them get involved each week by writing comments on the page wall and
re-posting Bible verses on their personal pages. United Bible
Societies has shared Scripture over 239 million times on Facebook in
the last month alone! It is wonderful to see people leaving comments
saying how they ¢â‚¬â„¢ve been touched by a particular Bible passage we’ve
posted on our page. The Bible page is helping to reach a new
generation with the gospel message. 51% of Bible page fans are under
25 years old. Jane explains.  ¢â‚¬Å“We love to debate with people who hold
different viewpoints, ¢â‚¬  says Jane,
 ¢â‚¬Å“Young people come to the Bible page with deeply thoughtful and
searching questions about the Christian faith. We have the
opportunity to address each question individually. We have been
blessed to see some of these young people come to faith. ¢â‚¬  The page
also attracts its fair share of atheists and Muslims. We try to
demonstrate God ¢â‚¬â„¢s love in our responses by showing a genuine interest
in everyone. I ¢â‚¬â„¢m proud of all the volunteers who respond to provoking
questions with good-humour and a generous spirit. For some people,
this is their only contact with Christians, so it ¢â‚¬â„¢s important they
know we are a loving and accepting community.  ¢â‚¬ 
Source: United Bible
Societies
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CHINA’S
PRISONS
There are believed to be around 670 prisons in China holding 1.5
million prisoners. “In some prisons, prisoners are held two to a cell
and each cell has its own balcony. In others, cell-mates sleep
communally on a raised platform or on the floor. Some cells do not
have enough room for all prisoners to lie down at once. Many are so
crowded that there is less than one square meter per prisoner. There
is no furniture in the cells and the lights are on 24 hours a day.
Lice and mosquitoes abound and many prisoners suffer from scabies. In
some prisons, prisoners must sit silently most of the day. All
prisoners who are able to work must do so.”
Chinese officials admit that torture takes place. Families of
prisoners are often ostracized even though they have done nothing
wrong themselves. The children of prisoners are described as among
“the most neglected people in China”. The State takes care of less
than 1,000 prisoners’ children, while the other 600,000 are cared for
by relatives. They are often left to fend for themselves or treated
as slaves. Fifty years ago many church leaders were imprisoned for
their faith for up to 20 years. Today sentences are more likely to be
a few months or even fines rather than imprisonment. It is not known
exactly how many Christians are in prison.
Please pray:
* for those in prison in China. Pray that they might have
opportunities to hear the Gospel, turn from their wrongdoing and find
renewed hope for their lives. Pray too for their families to find
peace and hope in the Lord Jesus.
* that God might revive the consciences of those police and other
officials who are involved in torture or other ill treatment of those
in prison. Pray that they might be convicted of their wrongdoing and
cease harming the prisoners.
* that Christian prisoners might not give way to fear but keep
trusting in the Lord and His good promises to them. Pray that they
might have compassion on the other prisoners around them and on their
guards, and that the Lord might give them the right words to speak on
every occasion.
* that the Holy Spirit might be powerfully at work in China’s
prisons, convicting of sin and drawing many to repentance and
salvation.
Source: Intercessors
Network
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SWEDISH CHRISTIANS
MINISTERING TO REFUGEES
Swedish Christians are playing a huge role in helping refugees
integrate into their society. Statistics reveal that 70,000 Iraqi
Christians have immigrated to Europe to escape religious persecution,
nearly half of them settling in Sweden. “When they come to Sweden,
the first thing many Christian Iraqis do is go to the church. Some do
it because they are strong believers, but also because they want to
meet other people, get help in dealing with the Swedish
administration, understand society, and find work,” said refugee Isam
Kalka, a member of the Association of Young Chaldeans.
He further explained that Swedish support for him and his fellow
Chaldean Christians is informal and spontaneous, provided by the
members of the community who feel a strong sense of solidarity and
joint identity through their Christian roots. “Benyamin Atas, the
Turkish archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Sodertalje,
agreed with that assessment, saying when refugees arrive in Sweden,
the Church, where the doors are almost always open, is the only thing
they know. Iraqi Christians in Sweden recently demonstrated outside
the country’s parliament to draw attention to the persecution
of their people still living in Iraq.
Source: Intercessors
Network

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