Christians in Germany have written a strong letter of protest to the Sudanese government after a bomb incident last week. According to IDEA News, a German church delegation got caught in a bomb attack on a school in Southern Sudan on March 14th. Bishop for the German Protestant Church Rolf Koppe is condemning the incident, which claim the life of one Sudanese worker and injured 11 others. The Germans were not injured. Koppe is asking the German government to get involved.
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Meanwhile, an American church building project is helping a church congregation in Russia. Brian Smith is the pastor of the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Canton, Michigan. Smith says their plan is to assist a church connected with SEND International. “We had made a decision when we were going to expand our facility, that we would tithe 10-percent of what was given to the building to help build other churches. The campaign ended up raising about $900,000 so we’re going to give away about $90,000 to other churches. We decided to support really three other ministries, the primary one being to build a church in Divnogorsk, Siberia.” Smith explains this particular church has a need, not unusual in Russia. “They’ve got about 150 worshipers that were meeting basically in a public building, but then the Russian authorities really was cracking down on that. So, they need to build their own facility. They have bought the land. They’re planning, this Spring, to begin construction.” Smith says they’re sending a work team to help.
We begin today in civil war battered Sudan where another Christian hospital has been bombed. According to Voice of the Martyrs Todd Nettleton a VOM sponsored hospital was bombed by the radical Islamic Government. Nettleton explains. “Also affected was an organization that we have partnered with called Far Reaching Ministries. One of their Sudan workers, a man named Tombek Marcello Daniel was killed in the bombing. Also in the area another person was killed and others were wounded. It does seem like in recent weeks there has been an increase in the bombing.” This is the third bombing of a hospital in the last two weeks. Nettleton says it’s not having an impact on evangelism. “In terms of the church growing it is not having an impact. And, really, in some ways it’s encouraging people to seek out Christ and to be thinking of eternal things which leads them to questions and the answer is obviously Jesus Christ.”
Next, American Leprosy Mission is getting involved in flood relief in the African country of Mozambique. ALM’s President Chris Doyle says, while they don’t have programs in that country, some of their partnering agencies do. The flooding has left more than 500 people dead and nearly a half-million people homeless. Doyle says they’re raising money to help the suffering. The money raised will go to help leprosy effected communities in Mozambique, giving them opportunities to share the Gospel.
Book of Hope is preparing for their annual Hope Celebration in order to set their sights on their goals for this year. BOH’s John Young says their mission is to influence the future of the world’s youth by providing them with the hope of God’s Word. “We gather once a year, when we bring country directors and folks that work with us around the world to just rejoice in what God is doing, and rejoice in the fact that there is hope for youth and children around the world. It’s just an incredible thing to be able to have the mandate to go and preach the Word and to reach the lost.” Young says despite political turmoil in many of the countries they work in, there are open doors. Of the 26 countries represented, all have committed to distributing the Gospel in unprecedented numbers. “This year marks a milestone for us. In September, we’re looking to distribute our 100-millionth copy to date, of the Book of Hope-so, we’re really excited about that. We need to pray for laborers-pray that God would bring those that have a heart for youth and children to be a part of the ministry.”
Meanwhile, a group committed to Bible translation is renewing its pledge to see that everyone has Scripture in their own language. Jaars, which is Wycliffe’s technical support division, introduced their Vision 2025 plan. Jaars President Jim Akovenko explains the vision. “Vision 2025 is our focusing on the remaining task of the 3,000 language groups who yet do not have any word of scripture in their own language, in a language they fully understand. And, it’s a focal point for us internally as well as to get the word out to the churches world-wide.” Akovenko says it’s awesome to consider getting scripture into every language by 2025. He says communicating that need is challenging. “Because we have the Bible so prevalent in our society here, the idea that there are cultures that don’t have one written word in their language is a big step. So, the challenge is to communicate the need and then to seek out specialists.” Pilots, maintenance workers and computer specialists are some of the positions needed.
Topping today’s news, the voting for the Russian Presidency has already begun, although the official election is still more than a week away. At this point, acting President Vladimir Putin is considered the heavy favorite, despite vague proposals he’s shared during the campaign. Far East Broadcasting Company’s Rudy Wiens says: “At the moment, everybody’s waiting for March 26th, when the presidential election will be held. People hope that after that date, life will return to normal.” Wiens says once the presidential election is settled, they can get a better feel of what kind of leader Putin will be. Until then, FEBC is using the Gospel to address the difficulties facing the people. “In our programming, we mention the war because the war is impacting not only the people in Chechnya, but throughout Russia. There’s lots of suffering on all sides, and for that reason, we, as Christians try to get involved more on the humanitarian side. What we talk about is Christian love to the refugees, to their enemies and ask God for wisdom.”
Next, while the Russia people get ready for Presidential elections next week, Russian Christians are expecting continued religious freedom there. Pastor Alexander Shestov is from Saint Petersburg and is in the United States this week. Speaking through an interpreter, he says religious freedom isn’t in the hands of the government. “I think it depends on the will of Jesus Christ because of these changes in the freedom of conscious are so great. We see in this the clear divine will. If God has begun this work I do not believe that He will stop it until His second coming. The people have a great spiritual thirst. “Shestov says churches are needed to meet that thirst, but the poor economy is making that task difficult. “Our goal is to found 10,000 churches before Christ comes again. Because, only with 10,000 churches in Russia will we be able to do the titanic revival that needs to happen in Russia. And, this is not possible for me, myself to do this.” Shestov says without funding from the west, it won’t be possible.
After yet another day in detention, Pastor Li-Dexian has been released. Voice of the Martyrs reports that the evangelist was arrested earlier this week while preaching, after several weeks harassment-free evangelism. He traditionally speaks twice each Tuesday in the village of Hua Du and has been imprisoned several times as a result. Due to the number of arrests, other Christians have been willing to step in to help fill the gap and continue the work of sharing the Gospel message with the Chinese.
Elsewhere, Mexican immigrants who get into trouble in the United States are shipped to the border town of Tijuana where Greg and Kathy Saracoff, missionaries with Latin America Mission, are working to reach them. LAM’s Ken MacHarg reports. “Greg Saracoff says because Tijuana is the dumping ground for Mexicans deported to Mexico from the U-S the number of alcoholics and drug addicts is double that in other parts of Mexico. He and Kathy have opened a Christian rehabilitation center for men to dry them out and introduce them to Christ. He says that the way they count their successes is that they have 14 Latin Americans on their staff and half of them have been brought off of heroin through the center. Greg says that the Bible is the foundation of their work and the center’s clients are hearing the Gospel. For Mission Network News, I’m Ken MacHarg in Tijuana, Mexico.”
