Story number 1 for 12 Jan 2001

Topping the news, the governors of Nigeria’s seventeen southern states are asking for more provincial autonomy, a sign that some believe means there are growing regional strains over the northern states’ conversion to Islamic law. Gospel Revival Ministries’ Rich Brown says the friction has also had an impact on their outreach. “In the past, when we’ve made converts in the north, many times, we’ve had to ship them to the churches in the south to give them a chance to get founded in the faith, to separate from the pressures of the Muslim community to draw them back into the Muslim faith.” Brown adds that, under the circumstances, their work in the area has been an encouragement to believers. “Our pastors and evangelists have a heart to proclaim the Gospel and set people free. They understand the consequences. Their church groups are more like New Testament church groups, in that they’re very close in kinship.”