The latest fighting in Indonesia comes at the end of a year of continuous
violence that plagues an area once known as a haven of religious harmony.
Voice of the Martyr’s Todd Nettleton says: “The Muslims are not going to give up
until they hold a majority on some of these islands, and the frightening thing is that the
government has not really taken any steps to stop this. It makes it much more
dangerous to be a Christian and much more of a challenge for Christian groups to
operate in an environment that is obviously a tinderbox.” Nettleton adds that the future
of evangelism is somewhat uncertain, but: “We can pray for these brothers and sisters
that the gold that is in their lives will show through and will win others to Christ. And
then, pray for safety for our couriers, and pray for wisdom that we’ll know how best to
help.”
News Archives
Elsewhere, Farms International is expressing thanks to God for the work
accomplished through 1999. They are now serving the poor in seven countries
through eleven micro-credit programs with a new program set to begin in Ecuador with
the Quichua Indians. The group adds that it is exciting that five of the countries they
work in are in the “10/40 Window”, a region of the globe that is the least evangelized.
Their work helps churches to be able to reach out to where traditional missionary work
is limited.
We begin today in Indonesia where fresh ethnic and religious clashes erupted on the country’s ravaged spice islands. The violence has been linked to this week’s outburst elsewhere in Indonesia. Voice of the Martyrs’ Todd Nettleton says: “The violence is beginning because Muslims are attacking Christians. It’s an organized plan to force Christians off of the islands, where, up till now, they have been a majority. It started out in Ambon, and now it seems to be spreading to other islands in western and eastern Indonesia.” Nettleton adds that prayer is needed because: “There have been reports of churches being burned, there have been people being killed. We have just had a courier that has delivered some aid to Christians who have been displaced. We try to provide support to churches to help them rebuild, to help them continue to serve the Lord. I think we can pray for the safety of these people, further, we can pray for their witness.” Nettleton says despite the trouble, national workers have no plans to evacuate.
Next, nearly 12-million people remain homeless in India in the wake of the cyclone that hit India in October. The storm clobbered the shores of Orissa State, setting back industrial development in the region by 20 years. Operation Mobilization’s Peter Dance says they’re doing what they can to help. “OM has really got quite a few we’re sending in – about 150 people to minister and work in one particular area. Obvious we can’t reach the whole state, but we are moving in to see houses built, to see wells dug, to help them plant their crops.” According to Dance, helping them physically is an open door to show the predominately Hindu peoples the Gospel. “Going into one particular area, working there for a long period of time, seeing all of it come together – the whole well-being of whole person, we’re going to share the love of Christ, in that way show that we care and that Christ cares for them.”
Laos’ government is reportedly stepping up its disapproval of evangelistic outreach. The Far East Broadcasting Company’s Hmong director says there has been a substantial increase in arrests of people who listen to FEBC’s radio programs. The problem has become serious enough that the central Evangelical Church of Laos has advised its Hmong believers to stop listening to FEBC in order to avoid arrest. FEBC asks believers to pray for Christians in Laos as they grow in faith.
Elsewhere, missionaries around the world are advised to take Y2K precautionary measures. The general director of the Society of International Ministries says they have suggested that their missionaries in the world’s 139 developing countries avoid air travel and keep a week’s worth of supplies and cash. Still, the best form of action is prayer as many missionaries are sharing the Gospel in countries that are vulnerable to technology disruptions.
Topping the news today, Christian workers appear safe, but cautious in the wake of a military coup in the Ivory Coast last week. Ironically Lutheran Bible Translators Bill Behrend says most of their staff is in the Ivory Coast for safety concerns. “We have really gone to the Ivory Coast as a safe haven. The people who are there in the Ivory Coast are either have been in Sierra Leone or Liberia. Both of those countries have severe domestic disruption in the past years and we were able to find a place in Ivory Coast so we could transport some of the translators there and to continue the work.” According to Behrend, LBT is in the process of returning to these counties, but the transition has been delayed by the coup. “Because you have to be concerned about the safety of the people who are there. Certainly, for the time that the violence is going on, no one can really do any work during that period of time and there’s the distractions of being worried about a repeat of some unpleasant experiences from before. So, we pray very much for the restoration of calm in Ivory Coast.”
Meanwhile, increasing hostilities between Hindus and Christians have forced some evangelical mission groups to rethink their efforts in that country. Operation Mobilization is one such group. O-M’s Peter Dance says they’ve had to adjust their implementation of Project Light a four year effort to reach 100-million Indians with the Gospel. ” We’ve had to change our strategy in backing off from on the street open air evangelism to much more quietly to our neighbors, but they’re moving ahead in various ways even more so and much more united than they have been ever.” Dance says despite the violence, many Christians are moving forward with boldness. “Most of the Christ nationwide says that we are actually not going to be quiet. You’re not going to put us down. We are going to continue to share the love of Christ through schools, through education, through medical help and preaching the Gospel both to our neighbors and in the street.”
World Relief is committed to helping the evangelical churches of Venezuela meet the needs of their citizens following the recent mudslide that killed 30-thousand people. National churches are working to give survivors a means of hope. The churches have access to emergency provisions and World Relief is helping to distribute those supplies while providing temporary shelter and trauma counseling. They also plan to continue to help meet the long-term needs for housing and jobs.
Meanwhile, the Russian observance of Christmas is being used to evangelize the people of Russia. That’s the word from John Creech, the Russian Director of O-M-S International. Creech, who is staying at D & D Missionary Homes in Florida, explains. “They are a nation that is struggling to maintain its Russian identity. And, the celebration of Christmas on January 7th, that is not in sync with the rest of Christianity celebrating on December 25th, really gives them, the Christian missionary, this opportunity to get together with non-believers and say, you know what this holiday is all about and then open up a door to share the Gospel of Christ.” O-M-S International is an evangelistic, church planting ministry. They started in Russia in 1993 with the CoMission project. Creech is asking people to pray that God will call more indigenous workers to help disciple new believers.
