Next, an evangelical relief and development agency is asking people to help
them meet the needs of the mudslide victims in Venezuela. The disaster killed
more than 30-thousand, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. International Aid of
Spring Lake, Michigan is preparing to send more relief supplies. Agency spokesman
Jerry Deykstra. “Those numbers were higher than Hurricane Mitch hit Central America
over a year ago. Our first shipment should get there next week. And, were now
preparing six other shipments and they will go out within the next week or so. And,
those items include blankets, clothes, medicines, personal care items, food, cleaning
materials.” Deykstra says they’re asking people to help with shipping costs. He says
has they deliver this aid, people hear the Gospel. “It presents a real opportunity to help
people and also to spread the Good News of salvation. We’re partnering with the
evangelical association of Venezuela. And, we’re going to be partnering with them and
we’ll be meeting with them next week as we travel down there.”
News Archives
We begin today in Kosovo where Christian relief and development is in
desperate need of your prayers. World Concern’s Kelly Miller says while there is
an abundance of supplies, the distribution system is a huge problem. Miller says while
starvation isn’t a problem yet, hunger is. “There are pockets areas still within Kosovo
that are receiving little or no aid. That doesn’t necessarily mean there is starvation.
There’s very, very difficult conditions. And, for those that are living in the villages many
of those places still today it’s difficult getting to them to provide that food security.”
Miller says proclaiming the Gospel is their motivation. “Our mandate is to share the
love of Christ with families world-wide. And, in this situation it doesn’t get much more
tangible than the food and the hygiene items. When you’re providing food and your
providing aid on a regular basis, that question is why are you here. That’s the question
that comes up and that’s the open door to share about your faith.”
Reaching out to the blind around the world is the key for one mission group in
their Great Commission effort. Christian Blind Mission’s President Allen Harkey
says there are more than 45-million blind people around the world and, in most cases
it’s treatable. Harkey says, because of the need, they’re spearheading the Vision 2020
plan. “God placed on my heart the challenge to eliminate avoidable blindness from our
world by the year 2020. We have come up with a strategy that promises to actually
make Vision 2020 a reality in our life time.” CBMI is currently working in 107
countries, with more than 10-thousand national workers. Harkey says they’re using
medicine to share the Gospel in hard to reach countries. “We are working in places
that are unreached with the Gospel. And, frankly, we’re able to get in to places that
purely evangelistic organizations can not go, because we’re providing medical help,
medical relief.” However, the plan can’t be successful without additional financial
support.
We begin today in Kosovo where Christian relief and development is in
desperate need of your prayers. World Concern’s Kelly Miller says while there is
an abundance of supplies, the distribution system is a huge problem. Miller says while
starvation isn’t a problem yet, hunger is. “There are pockets areas still within Kosovo
that are receiving little or no aid. That doesn’t necessarily mean there is starvation.
There’s very, very difficult conditions. And, for those that are living in the villages many
of those places still today it’s difficult getting to them to provide that food security.”
Miller says proclaiming the Gospel is their motivation. “Our mandate is to share the
love of Christ with families world-wide. And, in this situation it doesn’t get much more
tangible than the food and the hygiene items. When you’re providing food and your
providing aid on a regular basis, that question is why are you here. That’s the question
that comes up and that’s the open door to share about your faith.”
61-hundred delegates of the Baptist World Congress recently gathered in
Melbourne, Australia. Newly elected Baptist World Alliance President – Billy Kim –
addressed the crowd, emphasizing the importance of prayer. Kim is the pastor of a
large South Korean church and is also involved in other Christian organizations. He
urged Christians to be committed to daily prayer because the lack thereof leads to lack
of spiritual power.
Meanwhile, Christians from Latin America will be the people who have the
most success in reaching the Muslim world for Christ. That’s the word from
CAM International’s Doctor Ron Blue. “Some of our Spanish-speaking people are
the most adept from reaching Muslim people. So, we have a lot of Spanish speaking
missionaries who have learned Arabic and are working in places like Morocco and
Saudi Arabia. There is a definite affinity, of course people even look alike and they
relate well. They’re not a threat. We from North America are a threat to Muslim
people.” According to Blue, more missionaries will be coming from Latin America than
in any other area of the world. “This is God’s work. He’s going to penetrate that 10/40
window that a lot of people are fixated on, but they’ve missed the open door. Latin
America, the open door to reach that closed window. And, in our area, especially
Central America, Guatemala have become a great leader in missions.”
An increased number of protests have been directed toward the Federal
Communications Commission after recently limiting the amount of preaching
that a public television station can air. Several U-S congressmen filed a letter of
protest to the FCC Chairman saying that the policy that was implemented amounts to
an unconstitutional restriction of religious speech in the United States. Officials with the
National Religious Broadcasters say if the FCC decision is upheld as many as 90
stations would have to comply.
Next, Trans World Radio is celebrating a major broadcast milestone. TWR’s
Richard Greene says they are now broadcasting over 14-hundred hours of Christian
programming each week in 155 languages. “This is a major milestone for us because
every new language which we add to our broadcast schedule that means somewhere,
someone in the world is able to listen to the good news of Christ in their own language,
one that they can understand. And so we are very excited.” Bible teaching programs
are aired from 13 primary transmitting sites worldwide, by satellite networks, over
local stations and via the Internet. Greene says they expect their growth to continue.
“Each region has a goal to add new languages so that more people can be brought into
a personal relationship with Christ. And so those languages are especially in areas of
the 1040 window.”
We begin today’s newscast in Saudi Arabia where 15 Christians were arrested
for worshiping Christ in the privacy of their own homes. Terry Madison of Open
Doors Ministries says the arrests took place January 7th. Madison says this isn’t a
surprise for that Muslim nation. “They have, for a number of years, topped our biannual
world watch list where they list the most repressive countries in the world toward
Christian belief and toward believers. And, this event is an indication that they have not
changed that policy.” Five of those in custody are under 12. Madison says we need to
pray that God will use the remnant of Christians who are there. “It’s difficult to
suppress the Holy Spirit. And when people are in fellowship as the Christians in Saudi
are, you have to believe that the Lord is using them by the manner of life, the fruits of
the spirit and the other evidences of a transformed life that somehow the message gets
out.”
Next, while the number of children around the world is growing at an incredible
rate, Evangelism Explosion is taking steps to reach them for Christ. Sam
Lamerson is the Director of Kids E-E. Lamerson says because we live in a
post-modern culture, it’s important to reach people when they’re young. ” We realize
that many people, by the time they’re 20-25 years old their presuppositions are already
settled. And, it’s much more difficult to share the Gospel with them. And, so we feel
that we want to get to them before those presuppositions against absolute truth and
against the Bible set in.” According to Lamerson Kids E-E clinics teaches two groups
of people how to share the Gospel. “Kids E-E has as its primary focus teaching adults
to share the Gospel with kids and teaching children to clarify the Gospel in their own
minds so that they can go out and share it with others.” All of the Kids E-E clinics are
held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
