Story number 2 for 25 Dec 2000

Next, Christmas is a time for reaching out to the lost in the northern African country of Chad. David Hodges with TEAM says Christians there don’t place an emphasis on giving gifts during the holidays. “They don’t exchange presents, instead they focus on God’s gift to us: Jesus Christ. The churches hold programs on Christmas Eve and they have singing, reciting verses, drama and preaching. And then they have another service on Christmas day and often they share a meal with all who come.” Hodges says despite a highly Muslim controlled country, they do have some freedom to share their faith. “The other special event that occurs around Christmas time is an evangelistic campaign “Chad for Christ.” That takes place between Christmas and New Years. Each year a different section of the country is picked and churches rally to donate money and food and evangelists and during that last week they travel to the area and preach the gospel and witness as much as they can.”