In This Issue: China’s Christians, Prayer in South Africa, and More
- SOUTH AFRICA: How God Worked through Prayer
- AFGHANISTAN: Motive for Killings Still Uncertain
- PAKISTAN: Millions of Flood Victims
- NORTH AFRICA: “Why Have You Done This for Us?”
- CHINA: Official Survey “23 Million Christians”
Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!
World News Briefs, edited by Pat Noble, are published twice a month.
SOUTH AFRICA: How God Worked through Prayer at the World Cup
Source: Joel News International 740, August 11, 2010
On Sunday, August 29, Christians in South Africa will hold a Day of Thanksgiving for the Soccer World Cup 2010. In the last six months many churches and believers prayed for this event and there were multiple prayer initiatives in and around the stadiums. 24/7 prayer watches covered each of the ten stadium cities, while many [additional] prayer groups prayed consistently. There are many amazing testimonies all over the country of how God worked, people received Christ as savior [and] others were healed physically and emotionally.
“We acknowledge that all the credit and glory must go to God alone. He is a prayer-answering God and he is a ‘rewarder of those who diligently seek him’,” says Bennie Mostert of the prayer movement Jericho Walls. “It is public knowledge that crime was curbed in a significant way,” reports Sarah Gerhart of OCI International.
“Many feared that human trafficking would be a big problem, but exactly the opposite happened… CNN stated that ‘no one is interested in sex’ (prostitution). One high-profile escort agency reported a drop of 80 percent in business. All over the country police [also] confirmed a significant drop in crime and especially violent crime.”
“Literally thousands of churches reached out to local people and foreign visitors.”
>> Editor’s note: Readers might also be interested in a report from organizers of the (South-Africa born) Global Day of Prayer. See A New Season (PDF).
AFGHANISTAN: Motive for Killings Still Uncertain
Source: Compass Direct, August 12, 2010
The killing of a team of eye medics, including eight Christian aid workers, in a remote area of Afghanistan [on August 6] was likely the work of opportunistic gunmen whose motives are not yet clear, the head of the medical organization said today.
The ten medical workers were found shot dead next to their bullet-ridden Land Rovers. The team of two Afghan helpers and eight foreigners worked for the International Assistance Mission (IAM) [and] were on their way back to Kabul after having provided medical care to Afghans in one of the country’s remotest areas.
In initial statements last week the commissioner of Badakhshan, where the killings took place, said it was an act of robbers. In the following days, the Taliban took responsibility for the deaths.
“There are all these conflicting reports, and basically our conclusion is that none of them are true,” [IAM Director] Dirk Frans told Compass. “This was an opportunistic attack where fighters had been displaced from a neighboring district, and they just happened to know about the team. I think this was … a chance for them to get some attention.”
A new wave of tribal insurgents seeking territory, mineral wealth, and smuggling routes has arisen that, taken together, far outnumber Taliban rebels, according to recent U.S. intelligence reports.
>> Full story.
>> See pictures and learn more about each of those killed in the NY Times slide show, A Shared Sense of Purpose.
PAKISTAN: Millions of Flood Victims
Source: Open Doors, August 13, 2010
Christian church groups in Pakistan are asking the worldwide Christian community to pray for [the millions of] people who have been affected by the country’s worst flooding in 70 years. The flooding has resulted in the deaths of over 1600 Pakistanis, the homeless of millions, and the loss of billions of dollars in destroyed crops.
Open Doors has received the following statement from church leaders in Pakistan:
“Many people have lost their homes, and the safest areas for them to congregate have been mosques. Ramadan (the month of fasting for Muslims) has begun and we are deeply aware of how vulnerable Christians are at this time. We are concerned that Christians will be sidelined in relief efforts, and are working to provide immediate assistance.
“We hope to set up relief centers to provide clean water and medical services. Also, we plan to run counseling centers and set up biblical training centers to train Christians in some of Pakistan’s most vulnerable regions so we can prepare a strong Christian presence for the future.”
>> Full story with prayer points.
>> See also UN: Pakistan Disaster ‘Worse than 2004 Tsunami’ (BBC).
NORTH AFRICA: “Why Have You Done This for Us?”
Source: Baptist Press, August 6, 2010
For months, Islamic authorities had ignored the tiny house church “Ibrahim” started with a handful of former Muslims in a dusty, desolate village on the outskirts of town. But the 26-year-old Arab farmer’s brazen evangelism had become a problem. The church was growing, and it was now turning too many heads and winning too many souls for authorities to overlook.
Barred from their homes, the believers and their families survived in ramshackle tents near the county border.
A year later they received a surprise letter from Karim granting them permission to return home. What’s more, they’ve come full circle with [Karim] the chief who once tried to destroy them.
The church recently finished drilling a well at the village where the persecution began. Karim is baffled by the church’s actions. Ibrahim believes the well has done much to repair their relationship and demonstrate Christ’s love.
“Why have you done this for us?” the chief asked Ibrahim.
Amine, one of the believers who was persecuted with Ibrahim, answered Karim with a Bible reference about loving others more than yourself.
“Every day I thank God for the well,” Karim said. “If you don’t have water, you can’t work, you can’t live. I’m very happy with Ibrahim and Amine for helping bring us this gift.”
* names changed.
>> Full story with pictures.
>> In other news from this region, see New Arabic NIV Study Bible Awaits Printing (Mission Network News).
CHINA: Official Survey “23 Million Christians”
Source: The Christian Post, August 12, 2010
Christians in China now number just over 23 million, according to the results of the Communist country’s first official faith survey. Although that figure amounts to only 1.8 percent of the total population, it represents 73 percent of China’s religious population.
The figures were contained in the newly published Blue Book on China Religions, compiled by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, an academic unit under the control of the Chinese government, according to China Daily.
The academy looked at the responses of over 60,000 questionnaires carried out in more than 300 counties across China.
Among the Christians interviewed, 69 percent of them said that they had converted to Christianity because they or their family members had fallen ill. A staggering 70 percent of those describing themselves as Christian were female and 67 percent of all Christians surveyed said they had been baptized.
>> Full story with picture.
>> Also see Ex-Communist Christian: China Should Become ‘New City on a Hill’ (The Christian Post) and read In The Land Of Mao, A Rising Tide Of Christianity (NPR), part of the special series New Believers: A Religious Revolution in China.
Mission Events
New on the Missions Catalyst calendar:
September 11 – Bridges One-Day Seminar (Irvine, CA, USA). Hear about reaching Muslims from Fouad Masri, president of Crescent Project.
September 17 – Free Seminar on Tentmaking (Pasadena, CA, USA). Provided by Global Opportunities.
September 24 to 25 – Mission ConneXion Inland Northwest (Spokane, WA, USA). Featuring 75 workshops, 100 exhibitors, great speakers. All free.
>> View the whole calendar. And don’t forget to let us know about events that should be added!
Questions, comments, submissions? Contact us.
