Lausanne World Pulse – News Briefs

AROUND THE WORLD: World Vision International President to Retire in 2010
World Vision International (WVI) president, Dean Hirsch, announced he will retire in September 2010. Hirsch has served as chief executive since 1996. WVI board chair Denis St. Amour noted that the organization has seen its revenue grow from 550 million USD to 2.4 billion USD under Hirsch. Hirsch has also made public advocacy an integral part of WVI’s work and mounted major campaigns responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the Asian tsunami, child mortality and malnutrition, and the recent food crisis. St. Amour added that Hirsch returned WVI’s focus to children in need. (World Vision International)

AROUND THE WORLD: NIV Bible Version Available for Download to Cell Phone
First published in 1979, the New International Version (NIV) is currently the most popular English Bible translation in the world. Now the NIV will be downloadable to cell phones, thanks to a partnership between Ecumen, a company that provides downloadable Christian content, and United Kingdom Christian publisher, Hodder and Stoughton. Cost to download is approximately 15USD. For more information, go to: www.ecumen.com or www.hodderchristianbooks.co.uk. (ASSIST News)

AZERBAIJAN: Global Advance Conference Well Received
Global Advance (GA) recently held a well-received Frontline Shepherds Conference in Azerbaijan. This is the second conference GA has held in the country. It carried a lively atmosphere not present during the first conference, which was held two weeks after 11 September 2001. Enthusiastic church leaders have asked the GA team to return in the future, saying the training received accurately addressed their needs. Outside of the Russian Orthodox Church, there are approximately ten thousand active Christians in this country of over eight million people. (Global Advance)

BELARUS: Belarusians Seek Help from EU in Struggle for Religious Freedom
On 27 May 2008, Belarusians presented a petition, which calls for the revision of a 2002 law restricting religious freedom, to European Parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering. The Belarusian government had rejected the petition, which was signed by 50,400 people, saying it was not carried out properly. An additional petition was also filed by Belarusians asking the European Union to take action on the issue of religious freedom in their country. Stuart Windsor, national director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, remarked that little has changed in Belarus since the days of the Soviet Union; however, Christians there are gathering across denominational lines to demand their right to worship freely. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

COLOMBIA: Christians Meet with Left-Wing Rebels over Church Closures
Netherlands-based Open Doors International recently met with Colombian left-wing rebels to discuss the closure of more than 130 churches in the country as well as death threats against Colombian Christians. Both left-wing rebels and right-wing paramilitaries have forced church closures, according to Open Doors, an organization devoted to helping persecuted Christians. Commanders of the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) can order Christians put to death for violating rebel orders. FARC rules prohibit preaching against violence. Ongoing conflict in Colombia has killed an estimated forty thousand people in the last decade alone. FARC founder Manuel Marulanda recently died of a heart attack; however, it is unclear how his death will affect the situation of Christians as well as scores of hostages held by rebels. Under Marulanda, FARC grew to seventeen thousand members, controlling large parts of the country. Some believe rebel forces have weakened with several top leaders killed and one commander deserting in the past year. (Bos News Life)

INDIA: Five Thousand Tribal People Attend Rural Convention
Five thousand people from various tribes gathered in rural Maharashtra, India, recently for Christian fellowship and worship. The 2-day conference, which was organized by native missionaries from Gospel for Asia (GFA), witnessed attendees traveling by foot and other simple means in order to reach its location about thirty kilometers from the nearest town. Along with mealtime fellowship, worship songs in different tribal languages were shared during an evening meeting that continued late into the night. The conference ended with a pledge to share the gospel with many more of the area’s people in the coming days. (Gospel for Asia)

LATIN AMERICA: WEA Theological Commission Deepens Latin American Connections
In April, the World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission (TC) furthered connections with Latin America during an extensive tour by its executive director, Dr. David Parker. The tour covered five countries: Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Guatemala, and included visits to seminaries and universities, and meetings with theological groups. Planning to hold its annual meeting in Latin America in 2009, the TC also hopes to appoint a Spanish-speaking theologian to its top board to represent the area’s fast-growing Christian community. Next year’s meeting will also involve a consultation to address important issues facing the Church in Latin America. This year’s TC meeting will be in Bangkok, Thailand. (World Evangelical Alliance)

MYANMAR: GFA Aid Received in Yangon
Gospel for Asia’s (GFA) first shipment of relief supplies reached Myanmar in May 2008 and was received by the GFA/Believers Church. GFA’s local churches and its national leader have a good relationship with government leaders as a result of previous service during the country’s times of need. Despite media reports of aid supplies being diverted, GFA has assurances that shipments will reach the victims. The Myanmar government has also granted permission for GFA to open medical clinics in its four hundred churches within the country. In Rangoon, GFA’s Bible college is serving as a shelter, although its buildings are badly damaged. Storm toll estimates vary from 78,000 to 127,000 dead and as many as 2.5 million people left homeless. GFA’s five hundred native missionaries in Myanmar will continue to serve victims long term. In addition to GFA’s efforts, World Vision International (WVI) and Samaritan’s Purse (SP) also continue to send aid, with WVI raising more than ten million USD and SP sending sixty tons of supplies from Thailand into Myanmar. (Gospel for Asia)

PHILIPPINES: Fast-Growing Church Ministers to Filipinos at Home and Abroad
Founded in 1981, the Free Believers in Christ Fellowship (FBCF) is one of the fastest-growing evangelical churches in the Philippines, a predominantly Roman Catholic nation. With its beginnings in Bible studies done in a small business office, the FBCF now reaches into China, Hong Kong, North America, Europe, and the Middle East. FBCF’s founder, Bishop Moses Chungalao, and assistant senior pastor William Guzman, say that rather than proselytizing, the church’s growth can be attributed to the working of the Holy Spirit, responding to invitations people make to hear the gospel and passionate examples of service to God. Guzman oversees 263 established churches in the Philippines, with registered members numbering about ten thousand. Meanwhile Chungalao, now in London, concentrates on the fellowship’s overseas mission work, which encompasses fifty-seven churches and outreaches catering to Filipino migrant workers in Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. (Ecumenical News International)

SUDAN: Border Area Taken by Northern Forces
International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington, D.C.-based human rights group, reports Northern Sudanese troops have taken control of Abeyi, an oil-rich border area of conflict between Khartoum government forces (SAF) and the Southern Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army. This takeover is in direct violation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and South. Indications are that ninety percent of homes in the area were burned down and thousands of people have been displaced. ICC says the SAF has begun ethnic cleansing in Abeyi, displacing the South Sudanese and moving in North Sudanese. A referendum is slated to be voted on in 2011, whereby the people of Abeyi will decide whether to be part of North or South Sudan. (International Christian Concern)

UNITED KINGDOM: UK Celebrates Global Day of Prayer
As one of at least 201 nations participating, the UK marked the fourth annual Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday with events in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Under the theme “Your Kingdom Come, on Earth as in Heaven,” thousands of Christians of all denominations and traditions gathered in London’s Millwall Stadium, praying particularly for communities plagued by violent crime. Inspired by 2 Chronicles 7:14, South African businessman Graham Power founded the Global Day of Prayer movement almost ten years ago. London organizers hope to hold their event at Wembley Stadium in 2010. (ASSIST News)

UNITED STATES: World Mission Centre Launches Arabic Translation of Live School
In March 2008, the World Mission Centre (WMC) introduced the Arabic translation of its Live School curriculum, a practical training tool used to equip indigenous people for the task of spreading the gospel. After a presentation with three hundred Arab church leaders attending, WMC was inundated with requests for Live School course sets. However, presenters had only ten sets to pass out. WMC is appealing to individuals and churches to help fund production of more sets. The next scheduled Live School translation will be into Swahili. (Live School)

UNITED STATES: Leaders of Homeless Missions Gather Together
The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM) held its 95th annual convention in Dallas, Texas, 23-28 May 2008, with approximately 650 rescue mission leaders attending. The conference addressed the latest methods in providing care for hungry, homeless, abused, and addicted individuals. Founded in 1913, AGRM represents about three hundred rescue missions, collectively working in areas of rehabilitation, education, job training, and life-skills programming. Often working without government funding, these missions serve forty-two million meals and provide fifteen million nights of lodging each year. In addition, more than eighteen thousand people graduated from addiction-recovery programs run by the missions. (Association of Gospel Rescue Missions)

ZIMBABWE: Open-air Prayer Meetings Banned
As Zimbabwe faces waves of politically-motivated violence, police have imposed a ban on open-air prayer meetings in parts of the country. Churches in Bulawayo, a coalition of churches in the nation’s second largest city, reports open prayer meetings may take place only on church premises. Churches in Bulawayo has been openly critical of President Robert Mugabe, as have other religious groups, such as the Christian Alliance. Groups such as Churches in Bulawayo and the YWCA are providing shelter for families displaced by violence. (Ecumenical News International)