NewsBytes - Mar/Apr 2012

1. CUBA’S CHRISTIANS ATTACKED
2. CHILD SACRIFICE IN UGANDA
3. IRAN’S HOUSE CHURCHES TARGETED
4. IRAQI TEENAGERS STONED
5. PRAYER MONTH FOR NIGERIA
6. HAITI’S “FUN IN THE SON”
7. CHRISTIAN RADIO FOR CROATIA
8. FRENCH CHURCH STATISTICS
9. GREEKS LOOK AT ANOTHER OPTION
10. KAZAKHSTAN: RELIGIOUS CRACKDOWN
11. LABOUR OF LOVE FOR CAMEROON
12. MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA JOURNEY OF HOPE
13. A YEAR AFTER JAPAN’S TSUNAMI
14. REPORT ON MISSIONS & CHURCH PLANTING IN EUROPE
15. MERGER OF MISSION ASSOCIATIONS (NORTH AMERICA)
16. “COURAGEOUS” FILM MAKES MAJOR IMPACT (INTL.)
17. FAITH ON THE MOVE (INTERNATIONAL)
18. IN FACT: COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST LEGAL ABORTION RATES
19. RESOURCES:
    Prayer for Saudi Arabia * Religious Movements, Cults & New Age Info * Mobile Web Stats * Kindle for Missionaries

1. CUBA’S CHRISTIANS ATTACKED

Christian rights activists say they have recently detected an "increase in religious freedom violations" in Cuba ranging from preventing people to attend church services to the seizure of church land, harassment, beatings and imprisonment of church leaders. Christian Solidarity Worldwide said the incidents seem to have increased ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's planned March 26-28 visit. "A number of Catholic human rights activists… have been arrested or violently prevented from attending church services." A pastor of a Baptist church has been repeatedly fined "exorbitant sums of money equivalent to several months’ salary" since December because his church building is not registered. However Cuban officials have allegedly refused to register the church, adding to fears that the church will be forced to shut down. [CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE, 9 March]

2. CHILD SACRIFICE IN UGANDA

In villages and farming communities around Uganda's capital, Kampala, schoolchildren are closely watched; posters in playgrounds and on roadsides warn of the danger of abduction by witch doctors for the purpose of child sacrifice. “Child sacrifice has risen because people have become lovers of money….” explains Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries church. "They have a belief that when you sacrifice a child you get wealth, and there are people who are willing to buy these children for a price." An Anti-Human Sacrifice Police Task Force has been launched in response to the growing numbers of deaths, but UK-based charity Jubilee Campaign says hundreds of cases have not been investigated because of corruption and lack of resources. [BBC NEWS, 11 Oct.’11]

3. IRAN’S HOUSE CHURCHES TARGETED

Iranian Christians have requested prayer following the latest series of arrests of believers which have occurred in several cities, including Ahvaz, Shiraz, Kermanshah and Isfahan. Some were released within a few days but others remain detained. Coordinated raids on house churches resulting in arrest of 27 members occurred on 8, 21 and 22 Feb. Christian convert Leila Mohammadi was sentenced in January to 2 years of imprisonment. Uncertainty remains about the situation of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani. Reports circulating last month suggesting that Yousef's execution order had been signed have not been confirmed. [MIDDLE EAST CONCERN, 5 March, MOHABAT NEWS]

4. IRAQI TEENAGERS STONED

Activists have reported that religious extremists in Baghdad have stoned to death at least 90 Iraqi teenagers with "emo" appearances in the past month after the Director of the Moral Police of the Interior Ministry released a statement saying, "The 'Emo phenomenon' or devil worshiping is being followed by the Moral Police who have the approval to eliminate [the phenomenon] as soon as possible since it's detrimentally affecting the society and becoming a danger." Safiyyah al-Suhail, an Iraqi MP, also said that "some students have been recently arrested because they were wearing American jeans or had Western haircuts." [ASSIST NEWS SERVICE, 12 March]

5. PRAYER MONTH FOR NIGERIA

In 2011 more than 500 Christians were killed in extreme violence in central and northern Nigeria. The attacks by Islamist militants have continued in 2012, the most recent a suicide car bomb attack on a church in Jos, Plateau state on 11 March, killing at least 10. As Nigerian Christians reel from this latest atrocity, Release International has called on the worldwide Church to join a March prayer campaign on behalf of Nigeria's vulnerable Christian communities. For more info see www.releaseinternational.org. [RELEASE INTERNATIONAL, 29 Feb., MISSION NETWORK NEWS, 12 March]

6. HAITI’S “FUN IN THE SON”

The Palau Association’s "Fun in the Son," a now annual campaign in the Caribbean region, expands its reach to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, for the very first time this March 24-31. The goal is to bring encouragement, unity, and hope by proclaiming the message of Christ in the capital city. 700 local churches are collaborating and in the days leading up to the festival, mission teams from the U.S. will staff medical clinics, conduct eye glass clinics, and perform evangelistic outreaches to schools, orphanages, tent cities, and more. The culmination of the last day of festivities with music, food and freestyle motocross stunts will be a gospel presentation by Andrew Palau. [MNN, 15 March]

7. CHRISTIAN RADIO FOR CROATIA

After a decade of dreaming and praying, the pieces are falling into place to launch an evangelical radio ministry in Croatia, a small, predominantly Catholic country, independent since the 1991 disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. Although just 0.4 percent of Croatia’s 4.4 million citizens are believers, evangelical Christianity is growing at a rate of 0.6 percent annually, and new churches are emerging. In mid-January, HCJB Global missionary Roger Basick led two weeks of broadcasting workshops for 13 young radio volunteers. Launch of an online station and an FM station is planned for the autumn of 2013. [HCJB GLOBAL, 11 March]

8. FRENCH CHURCH STATISTICS

According to census figures, only 600,000 out of France’s population of 62 million are members of evangelical churches; around 460,000 of this number regularly practice their faith. This reflects a 10-fold increase from 1950. Over the same period, the number of people identifying themselves as Catholic has declined from over 80% to about 64%, with less than 10% of Catholics saying they attend mass or participate in other church rituals. The National Council of Evangelicals in France says there are currently 2,068 evangelical churches in France, and that at least half of them have been created in the last 30 years. Places of worship can range from concert halls to theatres.  [ENI, 13 Feb.]

9. GREEKS LOOK AT ANOTHER OPTION

Some of the earliest Christian missions work began with Paul in Greece. 2,000 years later, evangelical Christians make up less than 1% of the nation although almost all Greeks consider themselves to be part of the Greek Orthodox Church. The economic crisis they have faced over the last few years has caused many to reevaluate and look for something more to life. Campus Crusade for Christ in Greece and JESUS Film Project staff want to offer another option as they work alongside believers from local churches to distribute 100,000 "Magdalena" DVDs in Athens, Volos, and Alexandropolis during the week leading up to Orthodox Easter, April 15. [MNN, 14 March]

10. KAZAKHSTAN: RELIGIOUS CRACKDOWN

The Central Asian country of Kazakhstan has toughened its crackdown on religious freedom, stripping previously recognized religious groups, including Baptists, of their registrations. Religious freedom monitor Forum 18 is reporting that Kazakh authorities have rescinded the legal registrations of 579 "small religious groups" (groups with fewer than 50 adult members) as part of a new religion law passed last October. When questioned by Forum 18 over how Christians belonging to a small group could do things like preach or administer the Lord's Supper without meeting together, Kazakh official Ibrayeva responded tersely, "This is the Law and everybody must obey it. This is not Norway, this is Kazakhstan." [BAPTIST PRESS, 28 Feb.]

11. LABOUR OF LOVE FOR CAMEROON

Cameroon, located on Africa's west coast, is home to 19 million people. Most speak the official languages of English or French, but some 280 language groups blanket the country. 40% of the people are Christians, yet most do not have Bibles in their native tongue. Wycliffe Bible Translators say that most of the languages they work in have never been written before, never had an alphabet, never had even one book in their language. So after a linguist studies the language and produces an alphabet, a system emerges to help the people learn how to read and write. And since many Africans prefer listening to reading, Scriptures are recorded and listening groups set up through the “Faith Comes by Hearing” programme. A number of Cameroonians are taking leadership in the Bible translation process in their country. [EVANGELICAL NEWS, 9 March]

12. MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA JOURNEY OF HOPE

Across the Middle East and North Africa region of 355 million people, less than 1% of inhabitants are Christians. It has been estimated that 95% will never met a Christian. When political revolutions began sweeping through the region in 2011, the unrest helped broadcasters engage listeners, particularly through social networks such as Facebook. HCJB Global’s ‘Journey of Hope’ campaign was launched 1 March to focus on this region. Broadcasts are in Arabic daily via satellite, shortwave and FM stations with programmes also streamed via the internet. A smartphone app allows listeners to ‘travel’ with their favourite programme hosts. For more info see www.hcjb.org/Journey-of-Hope-Pray.  [HCJB GLOBAL, 4 March]

13. A YEAR AFTER JAPAN’S TSUNAMI

Jesus.net Japan was originally launched to provide aid and support to those stricken with grief and confusion from the 11 March 2011 devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and resulted in a nuclear power plant accident. On the anniversary of the disasters, Jesus.net Japan launched a series of smaller websites believing that online evangelism will prove effective within the Japanese culture, where privacy is important. One of the new Japanese websites is called Why Jesus (www.why.jesus.net), which features a 5-week interactive course in which users work with an "e-coach." Once the course is completed coaches set users up with a local church. [CHRISTIAN POST, 12 March]

14. REPORT ON MISSIONS & CHURCH PLANTING IN EUROPE

Eurochurch.net has just released a report based on a year’s research of 35 European countries. Among the findings: In the last 30 years the number of evangelical churches in Bulgaria has increased by 500%. 100 churches have been planted in Oslo in the last 10 years. There are now hundreds of churches in Albania which once was officially an atheist country. A new congregation has been planted in France every week for the last 30 years. One denomination in Greece has planted over 100 new churches in the last 15 years. Click here for a PDF copy of the report.

15. MERGER OF MISSION ASSOCIATIONS (NORTH AMERICA)

Missio Nexus, formed this month through the marriage of CrossGlobal Link and The Mission Exchange, is now the largest evangelical mission network in North America. The new arrangement, announced on the 200th anniversary of the continent’s first ordained missionaries, represents 35,000 evangelical missionaries deployed internationally by more than 200 agencies and churches. Executives say the merger is about increasing effectiveness in carrying out Jesus’ Great Commission. [CHRISTIAN POST, 12 March]

16. “COURAGEOUS” FILM MAKES MAJOR IMPACT (INTERNATIONAL)

The movie "Courageous" about a police officer who commits to Christ had an incredible impact on men across the United States. Jaron Ministries outreach, Code 3 International in Fresno, California, said, "For the 6 weeks of the movie's running in theatres, we ended up being number 1 in all of North America for box office sales just promoting it to law enforcement. We saw God set up 20 follow-up Bible studies." The ministry has just shown the movie to about 4,000 officers in the Philippines, and 1,000 of them responded to a call to make Jesus Christ their Lord and Saviour. Local churches are now providing follow-up. Code 3’s vision is to take the film to other countries. [MISSION NETWORK NEWS, 12 March]

17. FAITH ON THE MOVE (INTERNATIONAL)

Christians comprise nearly half—an estimated 106 million, or 49%—of the world’s 214 million international migrants, according to a new report on religion and international migration by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. According to the study, Faith on the Move: The Religious Affiliation of International Migrants, Muslims make up the second-largest group—almost 60 million, or 27%. A third of Muslim migrants have gone to Europe. In percentage terms, Jews have by far the highest level of migration. About one-quarter of Jews alive today (25%) have left the country in which they were born and now live somewhere else [www.pewforum.org, 8 March]

18. IN FACT:

COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST LEGAL ABORTION RATES are (1) Russia and (2) United States followed by India, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Cuba and Hungary. [UNHDR]

19. RESOURCES:

• New prayer initiative for Saudi Arabia launched 15 March: “Pray4Saudi: Preparing the way for the Gospel of the Kingdom”: www.Pray4Saudi.com
• Watchman Fellowship, an independent Christian research and apologetics ministry, is a good source for facts, articles and resources about new religious movements, cults, the occult and New Age: http://www.watchman.org/
• 10 Surprising Mobile Web Stats for Church Leaders: www.willmancini.com/2011/07/10-surprising-mobile-web-stats-for-church-leaders.html
• Looking for a great gift for the missionary you support? Workers in isolated places with little access to books in English say Kindle is the best invention since email. Check it out on amazon.com.

*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.