I received this newsletter at church yesterday, and I thought I'd share it with you.
The Church Around the World
News about how God is moving worldwide!
MARCH 2004
(c) 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
HAITI...UP CLOSE
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, is located on the island of Hispaniola, next to the Dominican Republic. The country has a population of 8 million, and over 6 percent have HIV/AIDS. Functional literacy may be as low as 30 percent. Voodoo, a mix of West African spiritualism and witchcraft, pervades Haitian culture and society. A lack of study materials in their heart language, Creole, as well as the pervasive poverty have kept many Haitians from turning away from voodoo pracitices to the truth of God's Word. However, Haitians have recently gained access to discipleship Bible study materials in Creole. The materials were made available through the Bible League.
PRAY:
That Haiti will find true liberty and social change through the power of the gospel.
That the powerful spirits of voodooism will be bound in Jesus' name.
That godly leaders will rise up to govern this nation.
Afghan Women Still Face Harships
The plight of Afghan women has improved little in the two years since the fall of the Muslim Taliban. Rape, forced marriages, and domestic violence occur frequently. Most women are forced to stay home and wear body-shrouding burkas. Although the new Afghan government ended the former ban on women working or going to school, the edict has little power in rural areas. Police randomly pick up girls and force them to take virginity tests. The new constitution will ban forced marriages and other forms of discrimination and will reserve seven Parliament seats for women. It will also guarantee equal health care and education. But these guarantees carry little weight outside the capital of Kabul.
Soccer Spreads the Word
A touring professional soccer team made up of Christian players has opened the door for outreach to the huge population of children and young people in Ethiopia. In northern Ethiopia one SIM Youth Center is running a daily full-sports and recreation program. Two to three hundred children and youth attend regularly. While they are drawn to the recreation, they also receive training in English, HIV/AIDS awareness, and computer literacy.
North Korea Allows Church to Open
Although the North Korean government bans free worship, political leaders there are letting two Russian Orthodox priests open a church in Pyongyang and have sent four North Korean academics to Moscow to train as Orthodox priests. Some see this as a political move to nurture North Korea's relationship with Russia. Russian president Vladimir Putin is an Orthodox believer.
PRAYER...
Muslims went on an anti-Christian rampage and burned and looted homes in Al-Ayat, 30 miles south of Cairo. Christians there wanted to convert a small building they own into a church. The mob burned four homes belonging to Christians and looted six others. Eleven Christians were injured, including an 18-month-old baby. They also destroyed eight shops owned by Christians.
Western Christians have been invited to train new Chinese charity CEOs as the government seeks to minimize its involvement in social services to the poor. Officially China allows charities, but many of these groups are founded, owned, and run by the government according to Christianity Today. Team Resources, a Christian consulting firm based in Atlanta, will launch its first formal class training Chinese nonprofit leaders. Although the Chinese economy is growing rapidly, the need for services to the poor remains. Millions of workers at state-owned farms have lost their jobs. Many peasants now head to the cities where they cannot find jobs or adequate social services.
PRAISE...]
Russian Orthodox Cuts Ties with Episcopal Church
The Russian Orthodox Church suspended all ties with the U.S. Episcopal Church over the Episcopal ordination of an openly homosexual bishop, stating that homosexuality is a sin and that it "cannot condone the perversion of human nature." According to the Orthodox Church's patriarch, "Homosexual contact has always been considered a grave sin by the Christian Church, and biblical passages that condemn homosexuality are clear and unequivocal." The two denominations had previously enjoyed a 200-year history of friendly relations.
Islam in Conflict with Christianity in Africa
In 1900 there were 8 million Christians in Africa--10 percent of the entire population. In the year 2000 there were more than 350 million Christians--48 percent of the population. Evangelicals have grown from 1.5 percent in 1900 to 15 percent in 2000. The church has grown most rapidly in Mozambique, Zambia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Islam is the greatest challenge and threat to Christianity in Africa. There are an estimated 320 million Muslims--41 percent of the population. The Muslim-Christian fault line, stretching from Senegal across the Sahara and Sahel through Nigeria, Chad, and Sudan to Ethiopia, runs through areas of confrontation and increasingly aggressive Islamic activities. Bitter guerrilla warfare in Algeria, terrorist attacks in Kenya, and jihad against Christians in the Sudan are only some of the flashpoints. Muslim mobs in northern Nigeria burned down 13 Christian churches. The evangelical church in Africa has grown so fast that more than 100 million Christians there do not own a copy of the Bible.
Collegians Interested in Spirituality, Not Church
College students show a broad interest in spirituality, but involvement in church declines during their college years, according to a recent study. Only 29 percent of college juniors said they regularly attend religious services--compared to 52 percent who attended regularly as freshmen. Few students said that their spirituality had increased while in college. Despite the students' interest in spirituality, 62 percent said their professors never encouraged discussions of religious or spiritual matters.
THIS MONTH you can...
Do something about the HIV/AIDS crisis by sponsoring a child who has lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. Just $30 per month provides:
Nutritious food, clean water, and health care
Trained volunteers to monitor children's emotional, physical, and spiritual care while caring for sick or dying parents.
Biblically-based education and practical life-skills training
To learn more about sponsorship, visit www.worldvision.org or call World Vision toll-free at 888-511-6598.