SHATTER THE SILENCE June 30, 2002 VOLUME 6, ISSUE #4

********************************* PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH ********************************* Our mission is to awaken followers of Christ and concerned others to the plight of persecuted Christians, calling the Church to compassionate prayer and action.

Contents: 1. A.M. ROSENTHAL RECEIVES PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM 2. BIBLE LEAGUE: OFFERING THE HOPE OF GOD’S WORD TO THE PERSECUTED 3. THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHILD: THE POWER OF ONE! 4. JUBILEE CAMPAIGN SEEKS GREATER ACTION FROM INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT 5. WANTED: 500,000 INTERCESSORS FOR 200 MILLION PERSECUTED BELIEVERS 6. WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE AND CHURCHES JOIN TOGETHER FOR 2002 IDOP

1. A.M. ROSENTHAL RECEIVES PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM A.M. Rosenthal, a Pulitzer prize winning, New York Times journalist and advocate of the persecuted church, was recently selected to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role to “highlight the suffering of oppressed peoples, especially religious minorities.” According to the official Whitehouse website and press release, (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/06/20020620-16.html), “the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor. It was established by President Truman in 1945 to recognize civilians for their service during World War II, and it was reinstated by President Kennedy in 1963 to honor distinguished service.” Please join the President of the United States in celebrating the life and work of Mr. Rosenthal, and thank God for his incredible contribution to “Shatter the Silence.”

2. BIBLE LEAGUE: OFFERING THE HOPE OF GOD’S WORD TO THE PERSECUTED Persecuted Christians often do not ask for their persecution to stop. Rather, they ask for prayer and the hope that only God’s Word can give. With Bible League’s persecuted church program, you can educate your church congregation, Bible study, or youth group about persecution worldwide. With this knowledge, we pray that hearers will be moved to take action and partner with the Bible League in providing Bibles to these persecuted countries. Our program, which can be used at any time and does not just focus on the International Day of Prayer, uses a devotional with 21 different country selections, a poster, video, and bulletin or take-home sheets to help you make a difference in these persecuted areas. If you have used Bible League’s programs in the past, a new version will be released in September of this year. Simply check our website, http://www.bibleleague.org, email us at , or call toll free 866-TBL-INFO for more information.

3. THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS AND THE CHRISTIAN CHILD: THE POWER OF ONE! Across Muslim Communist, and Hindu nations and areas hostile to Christ, Christian children are holding up the cross of Christ. Their examples of love and bravery are a standard and challenge to the American church. LINK International is a free, eight page quarterly newsletter published for kids by The Voice of the Martyrs (http://www.persecution.com). LINK International activity books and the video, “Stephen’s Test of Faith” are available in the VOM bookstore. Call 1-800-747-0085 for prices and details.

4. JUBILEE CAMPAIGN SEEKS GREATER ACTION FROM INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT Jubilee Campaign commends the Indonesian government for finally arresting Laskar Jihad leader, Jaafar Umar Thalib, in early June. However, Jubilee calls upon the Indonesian government to protect the Christian community from the continued presence of Laskar Jihad militants in Central Sulawesi and in Ambon and to preserve the frail peace agreements, known as Malino I and II. Many violations of these agreements have occurred since their signing in December 2001 and January 2002. Jubilee Campaign currently supports 230-orphaned children in Maluku whose innocent eyes have been privy to unspeakable violence since January 1999. Please contact Jubilee Campaign for full reports, http://www.jubileecampaign.org.

5. WANTED: 500,000 INTERCESSORS FOR 200 MILLION PERSECUTED BELIEVERS Christians In Crisis is a global ministry of prayer, advocacy, and aid for the persecuted church. God has given CIC a vision of raising 500,000 prayer intercessors to pray daily for the 200 million plus persecuted Christians in today’s world. God is also raising up Christians In Crisis Houses of Prayer worldwide in which Christian families gather to pray for the families suffering under the hand of persecution. CIC would like to challenge you to become a part of the army of intercessors that God is using to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for His Name’s sake. Prayer is the least and the most that we can do for them. Visit the CIC website at http://www.chrisiansincrisis.org, or contact them at P.O. Box 293627, Sacramento, California, 95829 to sign up and join CIC’s Intercessory prayer force.

6. WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE AND CHURCHES JOIN TOGETHER FOR 2002 IDOP The Religious Liberty Commission of World Evangelical Alliance is once again taking a leading role in the worldwide International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This year, WEA is working closely with Dr. Leith Anderson and the National Association of Evangelicals to maximize church and denominational involvement in this year’s November 10 Day of Prayer. Materials to help plan your church services or Bible study groups will be available from World Evangelical Alliance in September. Watch for information on the WEA website: http://www.worldevangelical.org. Also, WEA presents an annual report on religious freedom to the United Nations. This year’s report is available online at the WEA website. ————————————

SPONSORING MINISTRIES OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH:

Bible League – http://www.bibleleague.org Christians in Crisis with Pastor Wally – http://www.christiansincrisis.com Compass Direct – http://www.compassdirect.org International Christian Concern – http://www.persecution.org Iranian Christians International – http://www.farsinet.com/ici Jubilee Campaign – http://www.jubileecampaign.org Make Me Your Voice – http://www.kentamplin.com Open Doors with Brother Andrew – http://www.opendoorsusa.org The Voice of the Martyrs – http://www.persecution.com World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission – http://www.worldevangelical.org World Help – http://www.worldhelp.net ————————————

Please pass this newsletter on to your friends and church members!