NewsBytes - Jan/Feb 2012

1. MISSION-NET 2011 (EUROPE)
2. USA: PASSION 2012
3. UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR SYRIA
4. PHILIPPINES: OVER 1200 KILLED IN CHRISTMAS DISASTERS
5. THE CHURCH IN MONGOLIA
6. SOMALIA: BELIEVER FLOGGED
7. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICANS: A QUARTER OF WORLD’S CHRISTIANS
8. HIGH PRIORITY GIVEN TO BIBLE TRANSLATION FOR SOUTH SUDAN
9. INDIA’S JANUARY “BRIDES” OF THE GODS
10. NEWSPAPER EVANGELISM OFFERS HOPE IN NEPAL
11. BURMA CHRISTIANS FLEE ATTACKS
12. KUWAITI PRINCE EMBRACES CHRIST
13. UNDERGROUND CHURCHES RAIDED IN NORTH KOREA
14. COUNTRIES WITH MOST MARTYRS IN 2011
15. BIBLE A BESTSELLER IN NORWAY
16. “CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED” TAKES OFF IN CUBA
17. HISPANIC ATTENDANCE & GIVING IN US CHURCHES
18. UK: YEAR OF PRAYER LAUNCHED
19. IN FACT: PEOPLE GROUPS STILL UNREACHED
20. RESOURCES:
    Mission Kids Safety Net * Mission Resources for Families * Materials for Teaching Missions to Kids * Mission Trip Resources in Spanish * Short Term Service Directory (UK)

1. MISSION-NET 2011 (EUROPE)

The only pan-European mission congress for young people takes place every two years and the mandate for the 28 Dec.2011 to 2 Jan.2012 Mission-Net was “Transforming Our World!” More than 2650 young and eager Christians from over 40 nations in Europe and 15 Non-European countries gathered in the city of Erfurt in East Germany to seek God’s plan for their lives. A Global Market exposed participants to more than 120 European mission organisations. Among the array of challenging workshops and speakers was OM Founder George Verwer, who delivered a powerful New Year’s Eve message. [MISC. REPORTS]

2. USA: PASSION 2012

On 2-5 January, 42,000 college age students in the US began the year in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome for one of the country’s largest youth evangelistic events, called Passion 2012. Founder Louie Giglio challenged students to advance the gospel of Christ in all they did; other speakers included John Piper and Beth Moore. One goal was to raise a million dollars to fund 7 projects for prevention, rescue, and restoration of today’s modern slaves; participants gave US$3.1 million instead, not pledges but actual money. [CHRISTIAN POST, 5 Jan.]

3. UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR SYRIA

The international response to the violence in Syria is mounting as the total death toll from clashes between Assad's regime and civilian rebels has now surpassed 5,000. In the midst of the turmoil, E3 Partners has seen tremendous church growth. The ministry has repeatedly heard of Muslims knocking on the doors of Christians in the night, looking for someone who is not taking part in the violence. Muslims all across the Middle East are hungry for Truth, says E3’s Tom Doyle, and many have already come to Christ underground. Pray for the future: Syria’s 0.1% Christians have not been cared for under President Assad, but if a strictly Islamic government takes over in his place, Christians will almost certainly face direct persecution. [MISSION NETWORK NEWS, 4 & 9 Jan.]

4. PHILIPPINES: OVER 1200 KILLED IN CHRISTMAS DISASTERS

Missions are rushing aid to help rebuild broken lives, homes and churches on the southern island of Mindanao after Typhoon Washi killed over 1200 during the Christmas holidays. Flash floods in the middle of the night caught many people unaware. Many families lost children who panicked and were swept away in the early hours. One missionary pastor said, "The situation is overwhelming . . . so many deaths and thousands still missing. Some are from our own church. We have buried most of the dead and are moving on to do what we can do to help survivors.” [MISSIONS INSIDER, 6 Jan. 2012]

5. THE CHURCH IN MONGOLIA

20 years ago, the remote former Soviet country of Mongolia had just a handful of Christians. Today there are an estimated 50,000. Phenomenal church growth has taken place since the doors opened in 1990 and according to the Mongolian Evangelical Association, there are about 600 registered churches of 70 denominations throughout the country. These fellowships are already sending out Christian workers; in fact, Mongolia has the highest ratio of Christian workers to Christians of any country. There are about 400 long-term international missionaries within Mongolia, most of whom work as professional volunteers in relief and development. [JCS INT’L & MISC. SOURCES]

6. SOMALIA: BELIEVER FLOGGED

A Somali woman who converted from Islam to Christianity was reportedly paraded before a cheering crowd and publicly flogged on January 11 as a punishment for embracing a “foreign religion.” Christian agency Compass Direct News cited witnesses saying that 28-year-old Sofia Osman, arrested in November, received 40 lashes on December 22 "while jeered by spectators". After she fainted her family took her away. Somalia, 99.7% Muslim, has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Two decades of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people, according to Western observers and aid groups. [BosNewsLife, 11 Jan.]

7. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICANS: A QUARTER OF WORLD’S CHRISTIANS

About one-fourth of the world's Christians live in Europe today, compared to two-thirds 100 years ago. Another one-fourth, 516.5 million Christians, live in sub-Saharan Africa. These findings, published by Pew Forum, show that Nigeria has the greatest number, with over 80 million Christians, followed by the Congo and Ethiopia. The United States has the highest number of Christians (247 million) followed by Brazil (176 million). The world total stands at around 2.2 billion. [THE AFRICA REPORT, 3 Jan.]

8. HIGH PRIORITY GIVEN TO BIBLE TRANSLATION FOR SOUTH SUDAN

Wycliffe Associates is assisting Bible translators in newly independent South Sudan with logistical, financial and personnel support. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July, which has opened new doors for religious freedom. "There are more people without the Bible in the Sudan region than in any other area of Africa," said Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe. 29 languages in South Sudan have no Scripture--approximately 20% of the population--and 6 projects are currently underway. He added that translation needs in all of Sudan are great, with 21 million Sudanese waiting for the Bible in a language they can understand; Wycliffe is making this one of its top priorities for the coming years. [RELIGION TODAY, 9 Jan.]

9. INDIA’S JANUARY “BRIDES” OF THE GODS

Every January, poor parents give several thousand of their daughters in mass marriages to the Hindu goddess Yellamma at temples along the Maharashtra-Karnataka state borders. These children, called devadasis, are forced to begin a life of prostitution at age 11 or 12 and are never allowed to marry. Many are trafficked to the big cities. Although the practice is officially outlawed it is still widespread. Few girls ever hear the name of Jesus Christ but some organisations are working to reach out to them. Says David Dass, executive director of the India Gospel League, a devadasi who discovers a relationship with Christ becomes a powerful witness in her community: a witness against the practice that enslaved her and for the Saviour, who set her free. [ASSIST NEWS SERVICE, 12 Jan.]

10. NEWSPAPER EVANGELISM OFFERS HOPE IN NEPAL

In Nepal, Christians number only about 4% of the population and recent upheaval caused by failed efforts to draft a new Constitution has disrupted ministries. But AMG International has found one way to present the hope of truth to people through newspaper evangelism. Placing gospel messages as paid advertisements in local newspapers allows them to enter homes where Christians might never be allowed. To those who respond to the ads, AMG's team sends a Bible and correspondence courses. They also encourage respondents to begin attending church. AMG's ad appeared in a magazine with a circulation of 45,000 copies. There were 775 responses over a 7-month period, and through the correspondence and follow up, 233 people made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. More than half of those are now engaged in further Bible study. [MNS, 13 Dec.’11]

11. BURMA CHRISTIANS FLEE ATTACKS

Churches and Buddhist monasteries in a mining area of Burma's northern Kachin state have taken in nearly 1,000 refugees, many of them Christians, since New Year's Day, after the Burmese military reportedly attacked a Baptist church and killed several people. Some 90% of the roughly 56 million people in Burma, also known as Myanmar, are Buddhist. A bishop in Burma said tens of thousands of Christians have already fled their homes since fighting resumed on a full scale in June. On the positive side, a ceasefire was signed on 12 January between the government and predominantly-Christian Karen people, who have suffered greatly in the last 60 years.  [BosNewsLife, 10 Jan., MNN, 13 Jan.]

12. KUWAITI PRINCE EMBRACES CHRISTIANITY

Prince Abdollah Al-sabah, who comes from a royal family that currently governs Kuwait, has become a believer in Jesus Christ and says that if he is killed because of an audio recording he made about his decision, he believes he will meet Christ face-to-face. ASSIST News Service reports that in a recent recording on a Christian Arabic TV station the prince denounced his Islamic faith and said he’d become a Christian. He stated that the truth in the Bible had guided him to “the right way”. Islam is the official religion in Kuwait and almost the entire population is Muslim, with Christians making up only 4%. [RELIGION TODAY, 13 Jan.]

13. UNDERGROUND CHURCHES RAIDED IN NORTH KOREA

Since the unexpected death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on 17 December and the succession to power of his third son, Kim Jong-un, the underground Christian church has faced increased persecution. The new regime, apparently fearing the kind of uprising that swept the Middle East, has searched out and discovered 7 underground churches. Believers worldwide are urged to pray for this situation. [ANS, 12 Jan.]

14. COUNTRIES WITH MOST MARTYRS IN 2011

Nigeria, Egypt and Iraq lead the list of places where martyrdom has been heaviest in the past year. Open Doors researchers say Northern Nigeria had a total of 300 confirmed martyrs – those who lost their lives as a result of their identification with Jesus Christ – although the true total is thought to be in the high hundreds. Barely a month goes by in Nigeria without reports of militant Islamic groups attacking entire Christian villages or bombing churches. Egypt ranked second with a minimum of 60 believers killed, followed by Iraq with 38 confirmed deaths. Many Christians who die as a result of persecution are not counted as martyrs. The number of persecuted Christians in the world today runs into the hundreds of millions. [OPEN DOORS, 4 Jan.]

15. BIBLE A BESTSELLER IN NORWAY

The first Norwegian translation of the Bible for 30 years has become the surprising bestseller of 2011. People across Norway queued in the streets overnight to get their hands on it and bookshops sold out within hours of its launch. The new edition has topped the book charts there nearly every week. Stine Smemo Strachan, from the Norwegian Bible Society, said: “We only printed 25,000 to start but by the end of the year it had sold 79,000 copies.--It's just incredible.” Eight out of ten ethnic Norwegians are members of the State Church of Norway. [DAILY MAIL, 4 Jan.]

16. “CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED” TAKES OFF IN CUBA

A year ago, a generous gift enabled enough “Christianity Explored (CE)” materials in Spanish to be printed for 1,000 Cuban leaders and 4,000 course members. At least 240 people who have taken the course have so far professed Christ as a result. CE is also being used by several denominations to disciple new Christians since 80% of Cuban Christians have been believers for less than 10 years. Dozens more churches would love to introduce CE if the materials were available. A typical wage in Cuba is less than US$23 per month. [www.cubaparacristo.com, EVANGELICALS NOW, Jan.]

17. HISPANIC ATTENDANCE & GIVING IN US CHURCHES

Church attendance among US Hispanics has plummeted from 54% to 33% between 1991 to 2011, and Bible reading among this group declined from 55% to 30% in the same period. The percentage of unchurched US Hispanic adults has doubled from 20% to 40%.

Regarding general giving in the US church as a whole, only 7% of Christians give 10% or more of their income to the Lord's work. Americans now give a lower percentage of income than they did during the Great Depression. [FACTS COMPILED BY GARY FOSTER, PRESIDENT OF GARY D. FOSTER CONSULTING]

18. UK: YEAR OF PRAYER LAUNCHED

Alpha and 24-7 Prayer have joined forces to organise Kingdom Come 2012, a year of prayer across the UK and Ireland. Said Alpha’s Nicky Gumbel, “Prayer is the power behind our vision to see the re-evangelisation of the nations and the transformation of society and so I’m thrilled that in 2012 we are going to be praying like never before.” [www.kingdomcome.alpha.org]

19. IN FACT:

6,645 of the people groups of the world have no opportunity to hear the gospel. [EAST ASIA’S BILLIONS]

20. RESOURCES:

• Missionary Kids Safety Net [http://www.mksafetynet.net/index.html] is a resource to and advocate for current and former MKs and Third Culture Kids who have been hurt or damaged by their experiences within the missionary environment.
• 7 free resources to motivate families for world mission: http://harvestministry.org/free
• One Mission resources to teach kids about missions: www.onemissionsociety.org/omk/free-resources
• Free mission trip resources in Spanish: http://www.plsal.org/missiontrips.html
• Christian Vocations, a ministry of Global Connections, offers churches and individuals in the UK an excellent Short Term Service Directory 2012, listing gap year placements, summer teams and career breaks. www.christianvocations.org
   

*NewsBytes is compiled monthly by Debbie Meroff of Operation Mobilisation (OM International), based in London, England. HTML version and back copies available from http://news.om.org/newsbytes. Material may be freely copied and forwarded. Items do not necessarily reflect OM’s position and questions should be directed to the original news source. For a free e-mail subscription send a ‘subscribe’ message to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

OM’s role in the Church is to mobilise people to share the knowledge of Jesus and His love with every generation in every nation. OM pioneers and leads initiatives to redeem lives, rebuild communities and restore hope in over 110 countries.