Lausanne World Pulse – News Briefs – March News from around the World

AROUND THE WORLD: Religious Freedom on the Decline
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and now Kyrgyzstan have passed very restrictive religious laws, which all but force the evangelical Church into hiding. Unfortunately, the future for the evangelical Church in the former Soviet Union doesn’t look very bright, either. Kazakhstan is also considering strict legislation. While the president of Kazakhstan has sent the matter to the constitutional courts for consideration, Sergey Rakhuba, vice president of Russian Ministries, says, “Knowing how things work there, they just simply follow each other’s example. Most likely, Kazakhstan will follow the example of Kyrgyzstan.” The religion laws require 200 or more people in a church to register with the government. If that’s not done, it’s illegal to meet. In addition, there are restrictions on what can be taught to young people. And evangelism outside the walls of the church is prohibited without a permit. (Mission Network News)

AROUND THE WORLD: Hunger in Families Skyrockets around World
Studies show an increasing number of people are going without basic nutrition. In 2007, close to one in eight Americans struggled to feed themselves adequately, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Bread for the World Institute reports that the number of people going hungry worldwide has increased by seventy-five million in the last two years. Randy Hurst, Assemblies of God World Hunger Day director, says extending compassion to those in need is an ongoing part of the Church’s mission. Learn more about World Hunger Day at: www.worldhungerday.ag.org. (Assemblies of God)

AROUND THE WORLD: New Website to Help Christians Engage with Scripture
The Forum of Bible Agencies International recently launched a new website, Scripture Engagement. The site offers encouraging scripture engagement methods, thought-provoking articles to download, news of upcoming events, videos, books, and links to useful sites and journals. For those using “translating the Bible into action,” all of the hard-to-find articles at the end of each chapter will be posted on this site. Visitors will find ways of engaging with scripture, different kinds of ministry and media, language issues, cultural issues, and more. (Scripture Engagement)

CONGO: Protection for Vulnerable Must Be a Priority
As Rwanda and DRC join forces against rebel militias, protection of civilians must be the priority, warns humanitarian agency World Vision. Thousands of Rwandan troops recently entered eastern Congo as part of a joint military offensive with the Congolese army against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a mainly Hutu group, accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. “Imminent violence may mean more deaths and displacement for people affected by decades of war,” said emergency director for World Vision East DRC Bekele Hankebo. The people of eastern DRC have faced brutal conflict, rape, multiple displacements, and recruitment into armed groups for more than a decade. “Tens of thousands of people remain displaced from their homes,” said Hankebo. “Any further outbreaks of violence threaten to push vulnerable families into an even more vulnerable and dangerous position.”  (World Vision)

COSTA RICA: Relief Work Continues after Earthquake
Relief work continues in Costa Rica after an earthquake claimed more than a dozen lives on 8 January 2009. The count of displaced people is over 3,700. Current needs include personal hygiene items, water purification, and sanitary equipment. Relief workers also continue to search through debris from the magnitude 6.1 earthquake, but road damage has made the sites difficult to reach. Road damage is extensive. Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) missionaries, including Ryan Rought, have been helping to search through debris for victims and have set up shelter points. Some missionaries in the area have been able to visit the relief camps and offer hope there. Since Rought’s regular ministry is in law enforcement in Costa Rica, he has had countless opportunities to share the hope of Jesus Christ with the actual relief workers. (Association of Baptists for World Evangelization)