We begin today’s newscast in Chechnya where Russian troops are pushing their way into the southern part of that rebel republic. The fighting has left thousands homeless and separated from their homeland. Russian Ministries’ Sergei Rakhuba just returned from the region. “There are over 250,000 refugees. I saw lots of people who were just begging from help. Not just for financial or material help, for food for clothing for medical help, that’s needed there. But, there were also begging for spiritual help.” Rakhuba says Russian Christians are ministering to the Chechens, who are predominately Muslim people. “Despite their Muslim roots they need help. We work through our original evangelist/church planting centers in the area. And, there’s great opportunity for ministry for these people. Despite their Muslim roots, again, they’re open to Christianity.”
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Elsewhere, four states in India are at the polls in legislative assembly elections. Counting of votes begins February 25th, but already there’s been election-related violence. Global Advance’s David Shibley says despite the trouble, they will continue with plans for evangelistic meetings scheduled for the same time: “We’re certainly not courting any kind of disruption or difficulty. At the same time, we believe that the very future of India is at stake. It is very, very important that the momentum that was gained in the 1990’s, through tremendous evangelistic advance, that that momentum continue in the 21rst century.” Shibley says this is where prayer is most helpful. “The church in the West needs to pray for great breakthroughs for the Gospel particularly in the decision-making arenas of government and education. No one has risen to the challenge of educating the children of India as Christians have historically done, and I frankly believe that will keep a Christian presence in India in the days ahead.”
For the first time in nearly four years, SIM radio station ELWA in Monrovia, Liberia, in partnership with HCJB World Radio, is sending out programs via shortwave. The good news is the station is up and growing, adding a new transmitter, after having been destroyed during Liberia’s civil war in 1996. SIM’s Ron Frazee says it has been an answer to prayer. “Because the country itself is devastated, not much money is available in the country. So, they have one studio operating, broadcasting six hours a day in English and this new transmitter will simulcast those same six hours of English broadcasts. Now, those programs are going to be able to be heard all over Liberia.” Frazee says the broadcasts are sending the message of hope. “They know how much ELWA through the years has been appreciated by Liberian people. So, pray for them that they won’t get weary in their well-doing, pray that they will have what is needed to keep the ministry going, that Liberians who hear the broadcast will be supportive-pray for the spiritual health of those involved.”
A neglected people group in Germany is the target of an evangelistic outreach by international broadcaster Trans World Radio. Beginning this spring prisoners will be able to hear an innovative pilot project called the Remember Me Network. The proposed format will include music, testimonies of prisoners who committed their lives to Christ, and Bible studies written by prisoners for prisoners. If it’s successful it could be translated and adapted into additional languages.
Meanwhile, prayer is needed for Jesus Film evangelistic teams in India. According to the India Missions Association, Jesus Film Project Teams were attacked earlier this month in Tamil Nadu State in southeastern India. According to officials projectors and generators were destroyed. Witnesses say police were not willing to help protect the team or arrest anyone connected to the attack. On January 16th, In a separate case, two other workers were beaten up as they shared the story of Christ.
Next, mission leaders are hoping a teen missions conference will encourage more young people to join the mission field. Urbana 2,000 begins December 27th. Operation Mobilization’s George Verwer, one of the speakers, says more young people than ever before need to commit to missions. “There are parts of the world that never have been emphasized. And so workers are needed just as much as ever before. And, we’re discovering that many missionaries today, even those who are career (missionaries) usually it’s not more than 10 years.” According to Verwer, that means more people are needed to fill those ministry gaps. He says Urbana is strategic in finding them. “Students, especially those who have been away from their local church for a couple of years, urgently need something like Urbana to bring the vision and to bring them the possibility of some kind of more radical decision firstly to the Lord Himself and then to the harvest that the Lord has talked about.”
We begin today’s newscast in Ethiopia where, for the second time in the last two decades, famine is rearing it’s ugly head. Food For the Hungry’s Matt Panos says because of extreme drought and a poor harvest in the region millions are hungry in that country. “People that need immediate food assistance is about 7.7 million and then people who are on the edge – needing food just to exist is another 2.5 million. So, that puts us over 10-million including those with potential risk, so there’s an immediate need.” Panos says because Food for the Hungry is a Christian humanitarian group, they’re helping the physical and spiritual hungers of the Ethiopian people. “We’re trying to take care of right now, in a partnering situation, people who have no food right now. And, we want to give food to them. We feed the two hungers and in many cases you have to feed the first hunger through the belly in order to have any opportunity to feed the second.”
Topping today’s news Egypt is the target of an incredible evangelistic outreach.
On the heels of a two day series of meetings in Cairo that saw more than 150 people
turn to Christ, Sammy Tippit Ministries is planning an even larger event. Tippit says
an 800-church network will support the meetings. “We’re looking at in November of
this year, having all 800 of those churches involved in an evangelistic outreach in which
I would come and preach in one church, and through video distribution all the other
churches would participate. It’s got the potential to be one of the largest outreaches in
the history of the Middle East.” According to Tippit, the people of Egypt are ready for
such an event but prayer is needed. “I know that any time you go into the heart of a
great nation like this that it’s going to be a battle. And, so I would ask people to pray
for us that we would be wise, that God would protect everyone involved in this and
that they would see a great harvest.”
Meanwhile, education is what’s needed in the Middle East. That’s the word from Open Doors with Brother Andrew. Brother Andrew says while Bibles are readily available in the Muslim world, they’re not effective unless people can read. “Take Pakistan, the most populous nation in the entire area, 85-percent is illiterate. So what use is it to me to take Bibles there if people can not read? How can we train leadership for the church if they can not read? Our aim and our work there is to teach people read and we do that with thousands every year.” Brother Andrew says they use scripture in these classes, pointing many to Christ. He says Christians shouldn’t shy away from the Muslim world. “The Koran teaches Jesus as the great physician so, if we would be willing to go to the Muslims and pray with the sick then we would find open doors. And then, a point that is not very well known, but the Koran says that all good Muslims ought to study the Bible.”
Next, Voice of the Marytrs is reporting an answer to prayer. The latest news is
that one of China’s most outspoken house church pastors has experienced three weeks
of relative calm, after nearly three months of continual persecution from the Chinese
authorities. Much of the harassment Pastor Li DeXian experienced included dozens of
arrests, the destruction of his building and literature confiscated. However, VOM says
he was able to preach twice this week at regular church meetings without trouble from
the police.
