Category: News Briefs

Source: Jubilee Campaign, February 13, 2017

This week Jubilee Campaign is highlighting cases of religious persecution and discrimination in Pakistan in light of World Day of Social Justice, February 20.

Though justice has not yet been brought to Asia, believers worldwide still pray for her freedom. Efforts have been made in the US to urge Pakistan to repeal their blasphemy laws. In June 2015, Congressman Joe Pitts and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee introduced H.Res. 290 “calling for the global repeal of blasphemy laws.” The resolution calls on the President and State Department to make repealing blasphemy laws a priority topic when dealing with countries with such laws. It also urges for Pakistan to be designated as a Country of Particular Concern by the State Department.

» Read full story.

Source: International Mission Board, February 14, 2017

The world has watched in horror over the last several years as millions of people have been displaced from their homes in South Sudan as a result of civil war. It’s easy to wonder what good can come from children and families being forced from their homes, torn from any sense of safety and security.

But in God’s amazing grace, he is redeeming the stories of these lives, one by one, calling refugees to himself, and sending them back out to share the gospel with the nations. Abuk, a disciple of Christ and an IMB missionary, is one of them.

Abuk is subtly redefining what many people believe missionaries to be. Her humble spirit and inspiring story shows how they are ordinary followers of Jesus.

As a young girl, Abuk was displaced with her family and landed in Amarillo, Texas, right in America’s heartland. Abuk has now embarked on a journey to obediently answer God’s call to return to Africa to make disciples. Through her obedient response to the call to the nations, Abuk is subtly redefining what many people believe missionaries to be. Her humble spirit and inspiring story shows how they are ordinary followers of Jesus, each with his or her own story of redemption [and] part to play in God’s mission.

» Read full story and watch a related five-minute video.

» See also this encouraging story about ministry among refugees and immigrants in the UK from World Outreach (Nations Magazine).

 

1. CANADA: First Inuit Bible Translation Conference
2. UK: Prayer-based Relational Network Equips “Ordinary” Christians for Ministry to Muslims
3. UGANDA: Pastor, Eight Others Missing
4. TURKEY: The Christmas Visitors
5. VIETNAM: 28 Days of Prayer

Source: United Bible Societies, January 27, 2017

The Inuit people inhabit the rugged Arctic terrain on the north coast of North America from Alaska to Greenland, including the Canadian Arctic and Labrador. Though this is a single ethnic and linguistic family, by historical criteria there is not one, but rather several distinct Inuit languages spoken across the Arctic today. The indigenous peoples continue to initiate translation of the Bible into their “heart language.”

Christianity was embraced by many Inuit peoples of the North; in fact, there are several churches today that are thriving in Inuit communities. Today, there is a resurgence of indigenous languages and cultures, and in the church, a corresponding desire for Scripture that speaks to cultural expression and a vibrant indigenous faith community.

In this moment of renewal and eagerness to preserve indigenous language and cultivate Scriptural translations for the whole community, the Canadian Bible Society (CBS) is hosting the first ever Inuit Bible Translation Conference taking place in Toronto, January 30 to February 3, 2017.

» Read full story with pictures and prayer points.

To learn more, see related article from the Canadian Bible Society.

» Another story from the world of translation: Critical Shareholders describes Wycliffe Germany’s free, annual “parents weekend,” serving the needs of translators’ families back home. What a great idea!

Source: Lausanne Global Analysis, January 19, 2017

Over the last year or so, Christians across the UK have been confronted with a sudden escalation of media accounts of the actions of extremist Muslims, with stories of terrible atrocities and bloodshed in Iraq and Syria. What has shocked them even more is that British Muslims by the hundreds have gone out to these war zones to give their support to ISIS and other extremist groups. Many Christians have focused on the effects of Islamization and on the persecuted church, responding with fear and alienating themselves from face-to-face interaction with their Muslim neighbors.

In this context, a new phenomenon networking both agencies and churches has proved to be a catalyst to unity and prayer. This prayer-based relational network is called Mahabba (“love” in Arabic); and it has flourished over the last four years, mainly because of the unprecedented opportunity in the UK. Its emphasis is on motivating and mobilizing “ordinary” Christians rather than just “specialists” to reach their Muslim neighbors. The model is a prayer-based relational network which equips local churches with mentoring and training materials, and which helps church leaders to train ordinary members of their churches to relate to Muslims in love and be able to explain the gospel clearly.

» Read full article and see also the rest of the January issue of Lausanne Global Analysis.

Source: Morning Star News, January 29, 2017

A pastor in eastern Uganda and eight other Christians are missing two weeks after a Muslim mob attacked a church prayer meeting, locked the congregation in, beat several members, and raped 15 women, sources said.

The approximately 90 Muslims broke into the evening prayer meeting of Katira Church of Uganda, in Katira village, Budaka District at about 8:30pm on January 15 and beat them with clubs and sticks, area sources said. Previously Muslims had only thrown stones at the roof of the church building to disrupt church services of the 500-member congregation, villagers said.

At the evening service, about 80 members were present, and among those who escaped before the doors were locked was a Christian who heard one of the assailants shout, “Away with the pastor who is converting our Muslims to Christianity,” a church leader said.

On the morning after the attack, some church members intent on retaliating gathered, and as tensions mounted police intervened, convening a meeting with Christian, Muslim, and local political leaders on January 22.

Christians were planning to destroy the village mosque in order to send a message that they were not cowards, but Pastor Mukenye pleaded for them to adopt an attitude of forgiveness, and they refrained, he said.

» See full story with picture.

» We were encouraged to read that four teenaged girls in Ethiopia, arrested for distributing copies of a Christian book, are in good health following their release from prison.

Source: Christian Aid Mission, January 19, 2017

Recent terrorist attacks in Turkey led a pastor to limit invitations to his church’s Christmas Day event to his own congregation. Then a multitude of visitors showed up.

God had other plans, he said, as Muslim seekers and Christians from churches in the region arrived.

“There were rumors that ISIS was planning to attack churches during the Christmas season, and therefore with prayer and apprehension we planned to celebrate Christmas only with our own congregation,” the pastor said. “However, the Lord as always did the extraordinary, and the meal we had planned for only 60-70 individuals was shared with hundreds of guests.”

The church members in the undisclosed town on the Black Sea coast gladly offered their seats to the guests, and after [the pastor] delivered a sermon, he noticed a timid young woman trying to tell him something. She had difficulty speaking through her tears.

“I had the impression that she was probably facing a serious problem and wanted me to pray for her, but soon I discovered that hers were tears of joy as she wanted to give her heart to Christ,” he said.

Another person also received Christ that day, and Pastor Matta said his team of indigenous missionaries were encouraged by such signs that the Lord is working in Turkey, where nationalist sentiment has long blocked gospel advance. Rare instances of Turks putting their faith in Christ show that seeds indigenous missionaries sow may produce fruit in two months, 20 months, or many years, he said.

» See full story with pictures; it’s quite encouraging.

Source: OMF International

Vietnam is a vibrant, growing country. With a population of 94 million people, it is the 14th largest country in the world. Eighty million of Vietnam’s people are ethnic Vietnamese. The church among them is small but growing steadily. However, only 1 percent of Vietnamese in the South and 0.05 percent in the North know Christ. The gospel has spread rapidly among some of Vietnam’s minority people groups. But in other minority groups, there are hardly any Christians.

Prayer makes a difference. Join in praying for this country and all its people to have the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. Pray for greater growth of the church among the majority Vietnamese population as individuals and families are transformed by God’s love.

» Join other intercessors in lifting up the people of Vietnam throughout February  (using a variety of tools created for this purpose).

» More from East Asia: an insightful analysis of the Chinese mission movement from China Source.

Pakistan’s first national Christian basketball team shares pre-match prayers. See story below. Image: Pakistan Bible Society.

Missions Catalyst News Briefs 01.18.17

1. WORLD: 50 Countries Where Christian Are Most Persecuted
2. PAKISTAN: First National Christian Basketball Team
3. UGANDA: Sheikh Sent to Kill Pastor Becomes Christian
4. ALGERIA: A Year in Prison Due to Facebook Post
5. GHANA: Saving the Life of an “Evil Child”

Source: Open Doors, January 11, 2017

The 2017 World Watch List is here—ranking the top 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Please use this report to learn more about these countries and how you can be praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters.

Thank you for standing with persecuted Christians in all of these countries.

» A related story from Mission Network News provides helpful analysis (with different angles on the data showing up in a variety of articles published in the last week). A video from Open Doors reminds us “the list isn’t just numbers and figures. It represents those who have decided to follow Jesus, no matter the cost.” Topping this year’s list are North Korea, Somalia, and Afghanistan.

» See also the Human Rights Watch annual report, which summarizes 2016 human rights issues in more than 90 countries worldwide.