Category: News Briefs

Source: The Christian Post, December 5, 2022

The US-based ministry Mission Aviation Fellowship is urging Christians to pray for the release and safety of one of its pilots, Ryan Koher, and two South African volunteers who have been detained for nearly a month in Mozambique on suspicion of supporting insurgent activity.

Koher, 31, and two South Africans—77-year-old W.J. du Plessis and 69-year-old Eric Dry—were detained in the coastal city of Inhambane on November 4 while they were loading supplies into the aircraft to be taken to church-run orphanages in the Montepuez district in the troubled Cabo Delgado Province.

“I urge Christians around the world to pray for Ryan’s safety and swift release, and call on those in power both in Mozambique and here in the U.S. to do everything they can to resolve this wrongful detainment,” MAF President and CEO David Holsten said in a statement [December 2].

Read the full story or the MAF press release. A Christianity Today article includes more background and some good pictures. Thanks for praying for these men. Koher’s wife Annabel and their two sons have now returned to the US, in accordance with MAF security protocols.

Source: Pioneers-USA, November 15, 2022

Karim’s search for God [began] when he was serving a sentence in a Moroccan prison. Islamic spiritual leaders visited him and gave him lectures about what a bad person he was. “There was little grace,” he says, “only a wide chasm between me and the expectations of Islam.” Their words seemed meaningless. He struggled with the rigidity and lack of compassion he saw in spiritual leaders and was longing for something different.

After he was released, Karim searched the internet for answers and, finding a media outreach website in his language, filled out a simple contact form. To Karim’s surprise, a local believer named Elias sent him a message the very same day.

Elias invited Karim to download a copy of the Bible on his phone and begin reading it. As he did, Elias was there to explain the parts he didn’t understand. “I had so many questions,” says Karim. “How can you say Christ is God? How can I become a Christian? What is the difference between Jews, Christians, and Muslims?”

Read the full story. Also from Pioneers, read Googling Jesus: Nine Amazing Stories of Digital Media Outreach.

Source: Mission Network News, November 18, 2022

A foreign minister of Bangladesh says the country has been left alone to help 1 million Rohingya refugees [who fled to the country from Myanmar]. International funding to help the refugees has decreased every year.

Greg Kelley with World Mission says, “They truly are a stateless people group, which makes the situation all the more tragic. …the likelihood of them getting back into Myanmar is very low. Bangladesh doesn’t want them growing and has shut off the numbers of officially recognized refugees.”

“Meanwhile, babies continue to come out of these camps and the population of Rohingya is growing exponentially.”

The full story briefly describes World Mission’s ministry in the refugee camps, where they recently conducted secret baptisms. Most Rohingya in the camps practice Islam.

Source: Lausanne Movement, November 23, 2022

Data from the most recent edition of the European Values Survey indicates that 61% of Swedes, 53% of Dutch, 51% of Brits and Norwegians, and 50% of Czechs say they do not believe in God.

When it comes to church attendance, only one in 20 Swedes, Norwegians, and Finns are in church on a given Sunday, and one in 40 Danes. 63% of French, 61% of Czechs, and 60% of Britons never attend a religious service.

It has taken over 300 years, but gradually Europe has been transformed, as philosopher Charles Taylor puts it in A Secular Age, “from a society where belief in God (was) unchallenged and, indeed, unproblematic, to one in which it is understood to be one option among others, and frequently not the easiest to embrace.”

Read the full story to learn about three myths (that Europe is Christian, that Europe is atheist, and that Europe is post-Christian) and how the millions of Christians who have migrated to Europe over the last 50 years are changing things. Europe is not post-Christian, the author says, but pre-revival. Lord, bring revival.

See also Why Europe? from Greater Europe Mission, which asserts “Europe contains less than 2% of committed followers of Jesus Christ. We believe Europe is the least reached continent in the world.”

Also read Five Signs of Christian Revival in Europe (Christianity Today) and pray for Revive 22, a conference for university students seeking God for revival which is coming up at the end of the month in Germany (IFES).

Source: International Christian Concern, December 1, 2022

I was born and raised in a [Kurdish] Muslim family in Iran. I only studied until junior high school. Then, I was expelled because I could not afford school tuition. At that time, my father became ill, and because I was the eldest of seven children, I had to replace my father as the breadwinner for my family.

As [I belong to] an ethnic minority in Iran, the government doesn’t care about my rights. For example, I do not have an ID card because the government does not provide it. Because I don’t have an ID card, I can’t work in Iran.

In 2013, I had the idea of moving to Australia to change my life. There is an agent who can make an illegal passport for me, and I had to pay around US$3,500. They said I could go to Australia by sea. At the port, the police stopped me, saying that if I wanted to go to Australia, I had to go through immigration.

At immigration, they said that I needed to go through the UN agency UNHCR and this meant I essentially had to live in prison for about 16 months. And to reach Australia, one of the countries I had to go through was Indonesia. I got a placement in jail in Indonesia. After that, I was transferred to a refugee camp in another city in Indonesia. I chose to live in Indonesia instead of continuing on to Australia.

In Indonesia, I met an Afghan named Adam. He taught me about Christianity, who God is, and the Christian faith. I became a believer in Christ.

In early 2022, my friend Hassan came to Indonesia. He was my neighbor in Iran. In September, police [in Iran] shot Hassan’s son for participating in a demonstration against the government’s obligation to wear the hijab. He survived but was scared for his life. The police are looking for Hassan’s son, but he has fled to a village in Iran.

I’m so grateful for my life now. I used to be a devout Muslim. When I learned about Christ, my heart felt peace and joy, which I had never felt before. Then, finally, I found what I was looking for.

Read the full story.

Read Kurdish Church Growing Despite Increased Regional Tension (INcontext International). It includes background on who the Kurds are and why Iran would blame them for the current unrest.

Stories in this edition deal with pressures and new opportunities that come with migration—shaping life for everyone from refugees in Texas and migrant workers in the Middle East to a U.S. church that travels to New York to meet Central Asians.

1. World: The Most-Translated Film Ever Now in 2,000 Languages
2. Qatar: As the World Cup Opens, Ministry Opportunities Abound
3. South Asia: Thrown into Slavery, and Set Free by Jesus
4. Myanmar: Kachin Bible School Shelled by Burmese Army
5. USA: One Student Leads Arkansas Church to Reach Uzbek Diaspora

Read or share the email edition or scroll down for more.

Source: Christian Newswire, November 1, 2022

The most translated film of all time is now available in its 2,000th translation: Zo, a language spoken by approximately 65,000 people globally, including refugee and immigrant communities in 28 US cities.

Myanmar, where Zo is mainly spoken, is a primarily Buddhist country, and people report experiencing discrimination for their religious beliefs. Access to economic opportunities can be drastically limited. As a result, many of the Zo people are now scattered around the world.

Though a Zo translation of the Bible was completed in 2019, it hasn’t been printed in Myanmar yet, and many of the Zo are unable to read. This translation of JESUS provides a way for Zo speakers to have access to the story of Jesus in their language in a format they can understand.

First released in 1979, JESUS gives an authentic portrayal of one of the most influential figures in human history. Since then, Jesus Film Project has partnered with thousands of translators, recording teams, voice actors, and partners to make JESUS and other Jesus-centric videos available to everyone and everywhere in every language. JESUS has been seen by more than 10 million people around the world and remains the only film to be dubbed into more than 2,000 languages.

Read the full story or watch the 3.5-minute video Jesus Speaks Zo, also below. Encouraging!

On the Jesus Film Project website, you can watch or download Jesus-centric videos in many languages, all for free.

See also a story about a mobile app helping ordinary believers spark disciple-making efforts in many languages and a story about planting gospel seeds through business cards (Mobile Ministry Forum).

Source: INcontext Ministries, November 2022

One and a half million fans from all over the world are expected to visit Qatar to watch the World Cup finals, which start November 20. It is the first Arab nation to host the tournament. Qatar has built seven stadiums specifically for the finals, as well as more than 100 new hotels, a new metro, and new roads.

[According to an article in The Guardian], “Evangelical Christianity is quietly flourishing among migrant groups in the Gulf as churches provide low-paid workers facing horrific abuse with aid in times of crisis, according to pastors and parishioners across the region.”

“In Qatar, home to 2.1 million migrant workers who make up about 75% of the population, Google Maps lists scores of Pentecostal churches. Yet, as with other Gulf nations, many churches choose to remain as underground ‘house’ churches for fear that conditions may change.”

One can safely assume that many of these believers have been faithfully interceding for this upcoming World Cup and the many opportunities it could present, both for them and those visiting Qatar. However, it is also important to remember these brothers and sisters in Christ—who face possible repercussions should their activities become known to Qatari authorities—remain in Qatar after the World Cup is over.

Read the full story with prayer points.

By the way, the world population has now reached 8 billion. An AP article includes analysis, stories, and striking photos illustrating the effects of population growth. See also 8 Billion Reflecting the Imago Dei (J.D. Payne).

Source: Beyond, November 2, 2022

Bahar and his paternal uncle, Navi, traveled to a faraway province in their South Asian country in search of work.

Not long after arriving, they had a dispute with some local people. Because Bahar and Navi were poor migrant workers who spoke a different language, they were handed over to corrupt officials. They were immediately thrown into slavery and forced to work long hours.

They were beaten daily and told they would be killed and chopped up into pieces if they didn’t obey.

For 45 days, Bahar and Navi prayed to their Hindu gods, pleading to be released from their slavery. But nothing happened.

Then Bahar said, “I have heard of someone named Jesus, and that if people pray in his name, he answers them.” So they started praying to Jesus, asking him to make a way for their escape. Jesus immediately spoke to them and told them he would rescue them. He told them which day to leave, how to escape, and where to go. Encouraged, they began to pray more earnestly. Six days later, on the exact day Jesus had said, they were able to escape and begin the journey home! Bahar and Navi knew Jesus had saved them.

Read the full story and its sequel about this family freed Once from Prison, Once from Hunger, Once from Sin.

See also 7 Facts about Hindus around the World. Some may surprise you (Pew Research Center).

Source: International Christian Concern, November 4, 2022

[On November 3] a Baptist seminary in northern Myanmar was attacked by the Tatmadaw (Burmese Army), injuring four men in the dormitory.

One local resident said that this kind of attack by the military threatens the Christian Bible School and the entire Kachin nation.“They (Military Council) hate our Kachin people so much,” he told 72 Media. “This is why we are being targeted and attacked. This looks like a planned shooting. My heart hurts so much. Since this happened, we Kachin people must be careful.”

More than 90 percent of the ethnic Kachin in Myanmar adhere to the Christian faith. They also have one of the most robust militaries among the ethnic armed organizations in Myanmar, making them a constant target of the Tatmadaw.

Ever since the junta mounted a coup d’état in February 2021, the brutal military regime has continued a reign of terror against civilians with indiscriminate shelling and burning of villages, schools, and religious buildings. More than 2,400 people have been killed, and over 16,000 people have been jailed and tortured by the Tatmadaw.

Read the full story.

See also Myanmar’s Christians Fight for Peace (Christianity Today).

In other news from this region, a pastor in Laos was tortured and killed for spreading the gospel amid rapid church growth in the country. He leaves behind a wife and eight children (Morning Star News). Pray for them!