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World Missions News, Ideas, and Resources
Updated: 2 hours 34 min ago

Uganda: Police Rescue 40 Christian Children from Kidnapping Scam

Source: Morning Star News, February 26, 2023

Police in Uganda have arrested two people in connection with the kidnapping of 40 Christian children lured by a Muslim posing as the leader of a Christian charity offering free education, sources said.

In Arua, in northwest Uganda’s West Nile Sub-Region, initial investigations alleged that 27-year-old Siraji Sabiri, a Muslim, had lured the children to a hotel with promises of school scholarships and was possibly planning to sell them to a rebel militant group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Police rescued 40 children from the hotel on February 2.

A pastor in Arua first learned of the alleged scam from church members who told him a Christian organization was registering children for scholarships for a school in Luwero District, in central Uganda. Sabiri is a resident of Wakiso District, near Luwero.

Read the full story. Another article reports that a pastor invited to participate in a religion debate by mosque leaders in Uganda was attacked after his arguments ostensibly led to 37 Muslims accepting Christ.

See also Uganda Threatens to Close UN Human Rights Office (Human Rights Watch).

Israel: Opposition to Messianic Ministry

Source: Middle East Concern, February 24, 2023

Messianic Jewish believers request prayer after Channel 14 TV, World Israel News (both media with a right-wing audience) and anti-missionary organization Yad L’Achim targeted the HaTikva (Hope) Project, claiming the work is a cover for missionary activity.

The humanitarian work of the HaTikva Project includes dental clinics in Jerusalem and Haifa which provide subsidized care to Israelis of all backgrounds who would be otherwise unable to afford treatment. Jerusalem Municipality and local welfare departments refer needy people to the clinics.

The right-wing media found people opposed to the ministry, including the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Arieh King, who is quoted as saying that the cooperation with the municipality was a “disaster” and that he hopes to stop “this damage to our nation.”

The HaTikva Project team has consulted a lawyer regarding the opposition and factually incorrect reporting. They request prayer for wisdom to know how to respond and that the negative publicity will not harm the ministry.

Read the full story. Another MEC article reports a number of attacks against the Armenian Christian community in Jerusalem. Pray for peace.

And, in news from Iran, MEC and other sources report that imprisoned Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, once sentenced to death for apostasy, has been released, as have several other Christian converts.

Turkey: Antakya (Antioch) Church Prepares to Rebuild after Earthquake

Source: The Christian Post, February 26, 2023

Antioch, where believers were first called Christians, is among the cities devastated by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Among the hundreds of buildings that suffered significant damage is a church that was razed to the ground.

“Nothing is left,” Pastor Elmas Akin of Antakya Mesihçiler Kilisesi church in Antakya, the modern form of Antioch and the capital of Hatay Province in southern Turkey, told CBN News. “And this has been our church for 23 years. All those years of love and caring for everyone. Everything is gone completely.”

Despite the devastation, Pastor Elmas says there’s hope. The church building had been rented, and the congregation prayed for God to provide them with their own church building, she said, adding that a year ago, they found a plot of land and started constructing a new church building.

The church is now meeting in the new building though it’s still under construction. “There’s no more Antioch left, but there will be a new Antioch,” Elmas said. “God has already given us the building for it, and there’s no damage to that church.”

Read the full story. As a variety of other sources continue to report, the Christian community in the region is actively involved in providing aid and relief to those most affected.

Read Four Ways Your Church Can Help After the Turkey and Syria Earthquakes (The Better Samaritan blog).

Indonesia: Reli Finds Faith in Christ at the Flourish Café

Source: International Christian Concern, February 14, 2023

Flourish Café in West Java, Indonesia, opened in 2021, motivated by the owner’s Christian faith and desire to reach out to women victims of human trafficking. Every Saturday, the owner held a “discover the Bible and Quran” study at the cafe to prompt discussion about the two books. As a result, some of their employees came to faith in Jesus Christ.

[One of them, Reli, reports] “From week to week, I became more and more interested in studying the Bible because so many words in it touched my heart. I installed the Bible app on my phone to read it throughout the week. I told one of my Christian friends about my interest in the Bible. She told me now, if you pray, pray to Jesus Christ. I prayed to Jesus, and several times in a dream, someone wearing a robe came and said, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.’ I believe that Jesus appeared in my dreams.”

“In December 2021, I decided to be baptized because I had complete confidence to follow Jesus. But, until then, my family and husband did not know I believed in Jesus. They are not pleased that I converted and wish me to return to the Muslim faith. I pray that my parents and husband also believe in Jesus.”

Read the full story.

What about finding Christ in a tea house? When the Aroma of Christ Smells Like Oolong describes how Chinese ministries are using tea—bubble tea or the other kind—to reach Asian youth in North America (Christianity Today).

Ukraine: Invasion Passes Grim One-Year Milestone

USA: Nigerians Find New Home in Indiana

Source: Assemblies of God News, February 17, 2023

Although he had pastored and planted Pentecostal churches in Nigeria for a quarter century, Paul Adeymo fled his native land in 2018, narrowly escaping death en route to a prayer meeting when attacked by Fulani herdsman.

Adeymo, his wife, Lola, and their three children—Joseph, Blossom, and Timothy—applied for asylum in the U.S. In part, Paul and Lola sought to move because Joseph, the oldest child at 24, has cognitive challenges. Medical facilities didn’t exist near his Nigerian home to effectively help him.

Despite not knowing anyone in the Hoosier state, the entire family immigrated to Indianapolis in 2018.

“I did research and found this is the best place to live,” Adeymo says. “We didn’t have to break the bank to survive. But I didn’t know how cold it would be. Yet the cold has not killed us.”

The Adeymos initially lived in low-income apartments near an Assemblies of God multi-ethnic congregation of 1,100 weekly attendees in the Indiana capital. Dozens of other Nigerians who live in the complex attend Lakeview Church, and the Adeymos began worshiping there as well.

Adeymo now is in the early stages of pioneering a church in Indianapolis for Africans.

The full story offers Pastor Adeymo’s perspective on violence in Nigeria and insights on ministering to immigrant Africans, as well as briefly describing Lakeview Church’s transformation from a previously all-white congregation to one that better reflects and connects with its now-diverse neighborhood. A good read.

Things continue to be rough for Christians in Nigeria. See 10 Prayers You Can Pray for Nigeria’s Christians (Global Christian Relief).

Most Dangerous Places, Liturgy for Life Abroad, and More

In this issue:

  1. Data: Angriest (and Happiest) Countries, Dangerous Places
  2. Book: Last Words of the Martyrs
  3. Prayers: Liturgies for a Life Abroad
  4. Training: Frontier Filmmaking Seminar Online
  5. Events: March Conferences, Training, and More

Read or share the email edition or scroll down for more.

Data: Angriest (and Happiest) Countries, Dangerous Places

Sources: Various

Global Emotions

In 2022, Lebanon was ranked as the angriest country in the world, reported a recent story from Mission Network News, “The top five angriest countries last year include Turkey, Armenia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, with Lebanon in first place.”

They were quoting Gallup’s annual Global Emotions report, which assesses the emotional temperature of some 100 countries and presents findings in an interactive format. It includes both highs and lows, so you can see the least angry places, the places where more people report smiling or laughing, and more. Fascinating. Check it out.

Dangerous Places

Every year, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) releases its Global Peace Index report. This report measures how dangerous or safe a nation is based on 23 different indicators, including political terror, deaths from internal conflict, and murder rate.

Read Most Dangerous Countries in the World 2023 (World Population Review). I bet you have visited at least one or two of them, though maybe not recently. And you may find more data you can use on the World Population Review website.

The latest IEP report, released in June, says global peacefulness has reached its lowest level in 15 years.

Book: Last Words of the Martyrs

Source: International Christian Concern

Last Words of the Martyrs: Life-Changing Spiritual Lessons from Believers Who Paid the Ultimate Price, by Jeff King (self-published), 2023. 182 pages.

Jeff King, since 2003 the president of a group serving persecuted Christians, tells and reflects on the stories of Christians who were martyred and those they left behind. He shares scripture and his own struggles to respond to what he sees and hears, and he calls on readers to turn from comfort and self-sufficiency to depend on God the way the persecuted do.

This is a short and well-crafted book though a challenging one. Nearly all the stories focus on Christians who were victims of Islamic extremists. The author paints a very dark picture of Islam and says we are currently in history’s third wave of Jihad. But he also explores how the intense suffering of the persecuted is key to the growth of the Church.

Learn more or purchase from International Christian Concern or elsewhere; looks like Amazon has a better price. Note that the book website includes a book trailer and other resources, including a study guide for small groups.

See also When Faith Is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians (Voice of the Martyrs, 2021). That one is more of a devotional, it seems, but I have not read it.

Prayers: Liturgies for a Life Abroad

Source: Liturgies for Life Abroad

Sometimes we just don’t have the words. Praying back Scripture and the prayers of others can help.

Liturgies for a Life Abroad provides written prayers for those who find themselves living a life outside of their passport country and making a home in Christ. It includes both short “breath prayers” and longer liturgies by Heather Fallis. Lots of insight but minimal commentary make these relatable and sharable.

Follow the account on Instagram or Facebook.

For more resources to help us (and those we care about) thrive in cross-cultural life, explore and follow Global Trellis.

Training: Frontier Filmmaking Seminar Online

Source: Create International

Are you one of those people who gets worked up about the low quality of many Christian films? The Frontier Filmmaking Seminar Online is a fairly new, amazing way to train believers who want to follow the example of Jesus, using stories to increase peoples’ hunger and thirst for God’s kingdom. This eight-week online course has now trained more than 100 people from dozens of countries to create video stories with excellence. Many expat workers point national believers toward this class in order to equip them for better media creation.

The next course is coming up quickly, starting March 3 and going to May 2. The cost is US$250. Some scholarships are available.

Create International is a global ministry of Youth with a Mission (YWAM).

Learn more or sign up. Looks like there is an in-person version of this course coming up this summer. Can you make it to Mozambique?

Events: March Conferences, Training, and More

Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar

March 1-2, MOVE Conference (Marietta, GA, USA). An annual event sponsored by Johnson Ferry Baptist Church but designed for anyone passionate about local, national, and international missions.

March 3-5, The Gathering (Tulsa, OK, USA). An annual gathering of missional professionals to plan, pray, and prepare to reach 15 of the last unreached people groups. Sponsored by Priority 15.

March 3 to May 2, Frontier Filmmaking Seminar (online). Learn to make cross-cultural evangelistic films with Create International.

March 6 to April 1, COMPASS (Palmer Lake, CO, USA). Language and culture acquisition provided by Missionary Training International.

March 6 to May 22, Encountering the World of Islam (St. Louis, MO, USA). Also available in other formats and languages; new online classes start several times a year. 

March 6 to July 9, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). New online classes begin regularly.

March 9, How May We Best Care For and Honor Women Serving Overseas? (online). Webinar from Missio Nexus.

March 12, Call to Prayer Virtual Prayer Gathering (online). Join others to engage the Muslim world through prayer on the second Sunday of each month. Special guest: Dr. Nabeel T. Jabbour.

March 13-17, Storytelling Training (online). Get hands-on experience with oral Bible storytelling with five three-hour sessions provided by Story Runners.

March 16-18, Christian Community Health Conference (Covington, KY, USA). Provided by the Christian Community Health Foundation.

March 16-18, IMPACT Conference (Atlanta, GA, USA). The annual event from Indo-Malay Partners in Action.

March 18 to April 18, 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World (international). Consider using materials from pray30days.org or 30daysprayer.com.

March 20, The Most Important Prerequisite: Passion for Jesus (online). Hour-long webinar from Frontiers USA; join live or watch the replay a week later.

March 20-24, Kairos Course (Louisville, KY, USA). An interactive overview of the plans and purposes of God. This intensive version of the course is offered in partnership with Team Expansion. Offered again October 16-20.

March 22-23, Men and Women Leading Together: Pursuing Godly Partnerships (Kansas City, MO, USA). Event organized by the Women’s Development Track at Missio Nexus.

March 23-25, Ralph D. Winter Memorial Lectureship (Pasadena, CA, USA and online). Beyond Contextualization: Crossing Religious and Cultural Boundaries. Event sponsored by Frontier Ventures.

March 24-25, The Journey Deepens (Beaverton, OR, USA). Retreat provided by MissionNext to help you deepen your walk with God and discern next steps.

March 26 to April 21, Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry (Union Mills, NC, USA). Followed by a Language Learning Accelerator course from April 23 to May 5. Provided by the Center for Intercultural Training.

March 27-31, Abide Debriefing (Joplin, MO, USA). Help for moving forward with hope and momentum; from TRAIN International (events held throughout the year).

March 31 to April 1, The Mobilized Church Workshop (Roanoke, VA, USA). From Sixteen:Fifteen. Offered in various locations throughout the year.
View the complete calendar, updated regularly. We welcome your submissions.

World News Briefs: Turkey and Syria, Eritrea, Nigeria, Australia

  1. Turkey and Syria: Join Us in Prayer
  2. Eritrea: “Like a Giant Prison” Following More Arrests
  3. Nigeria: February 25 Presidential Election—This Is a Spiritual Battle!
  4. Australia: A Heartfelt Plea for More Christians in the Outback
  5. World: Can We Have Some Good News?

Read or share the email edition or scroll down for more.

Turkey and Syria: Join Us in Prayer

Source: Brigada Today, February 11, 2023

There have been earthquakes with higher magnitudes (more profound shaking). And obviously, there was the December 26, 2004 earthquake centered in Sumatra, and the 2005 quake in Kashmir. There was the Ancash quake (Peru) in 1970, the Great Tangshan quake (also 1970), the 2008 quake in Sichuan, Yogyakarta 2006 (Indonesia), the 1990 Manjil-Rudbar earthquake, the 1988 Armenian earthquake, and Haiti in 2010. But the [February 6] quake in Turkey and Syria has to rank one of the top-ten deadliest earthquakes of this century and among the top 20 of the last 100 years.

As you’re reading this, would you please pause with us for prayer for those who have lost loved ones, those who are homeless (in the dead of winter), and all who are injured (with hospitals overwhelmed)? We might not have been in the disaster, but we can ask God to be present for the healing.

Read the full story. Looks like Turkey’s death toll for this earthquake has now surpassed that of the huge quake of 1939 (Middle East Eye).

An eyewitness says, “The sorrow and despair across the whole country are almost palpable. Entire families have been lost. Almost everyone across the country knows someone who was personally in the earthquake.”

Pray with the latest Prayercast video and read ministry reports.

This event is getting much coverage. A few that caught our eyes:

Eritrea: “Like a Giant Prison” Following More Arrests

Source: Release International, January 30, 2023

Another wave of Christians has been arrested in Eritrea, bringing the total imprisoned for their faith to more than 400. One former prisoner describes systematic torture and a vision of Christ that sustained her.

A partner of UK-based Release International, which supports the persecuted church, reports that 44 Christians—39 women and five men—were seized as they were gathering in their homes. The group is being held at Mai Serwa prison on the outskirts of the capital, Asmara.

“Eritrea is like a giant prison,” says Release International partner Dr. Berhane Asmelash. “The country is filled with jails. It is like North Korea.” He estimates 415 Christians are now in prison for their faith.

The complete article includes the story of Twen, a woman arrested when she was just 21 years old and held for 16 years until her recent release.

Nigeria: February 25 Presidential Election—This Is a Spiritual Battle!

Source: Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin, February 1, 2023

On February 25, Nigerians will elect a new president amid gross insecurity, escalating Islamic terror, and soaring ethnic and religious tensions. Normally a two-horse race, this year is different with four leading candidates hailing from the four corners of Nigeria and its three leading tribes. Three are Muslim, one is Christian. Many fear the presidential election could cause the country to blow apart. Should that happen, it would trigger a crisis of monumental, even genocidal proportions, especially for Nigeria’s long-suffering Christians in the volatile mixed Middle Belt and predominately Muslim North.

Labour’s Peter Obi—an ethnic Igbo from the southeast and the only Christian among the four main candidates—is leading in the polls but unlikely to win in the first round, meaning Nigeria is heading for its first-ever presidential runoff. Analysts anticipate that thugs in the southwest and fundamentalist Muslims across the north will attack polling stations in opposition strongholds and Igbo residential areas to depress voter turnout there. Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna have been identified as states where the risk of electoral violence is extreme.

Read the full article and pray. RLPB is doing a whole series on Nigeria.

Australia: A Heartfelt Plea for More Christians in the Outback

Source: Eternity News, February 14, 2023

An Anglican minister in Alice Springs has made a heartfelt plea for more Christian workers to move to the troubled outback town in central Australia in the face of a threatened exodus of long-term residents.

Kristan Slack, who is Rector of the Anglican Parish of Alice Springs, said his church has been praying for Christians to move to Alice Springs to encourage workers worn down by the crisis in violent crime that has reached the national spotlight.

“We’ve been praying that God would send Christian workers into these places because even other staff need it as well. They need to see that Jesus brings hope and difference and change. If you want to make a difference, move to Alice, especially Christians, because we just need Christians to be light across all of society. There’s so much work to do. There are so many jobs of so many kinds in every field, but it’s expensive both to get here and to live. It’s hard to find houses, and then you might be afraid.”

Read the full story and another from Eternity News, this one describing how Bible translation is restoring a town, language and culture.

World: Can We Have Some Good News?

Source: Christian Today, January 16, 2023

If you can’t bear to watch or read the news, you’re not alone.

Newly published research shows that more than seven out of ten news publishers are concerned about increasing levels of “news avoidance.”

More and more people are turning away from the news because it’s just too difficult to take. And that may present an opportunity for Christians to present our life-giving gospel message.

How guilty are we of scrolling past bad news on our social media feed, switching off the TV or radio, or pausing a podcast when the subject matter becomes tough to take? [But it’s] important for Christians to be aware of events and trends across the globe, to enable us to pray intelligently and support organizations and people working to make the world a better place.

In a world that is turning away from bad news, we have good news to offer. Our mission is to present this good news in ways that can catch the attention of a distracted world that’s tired of the gloom and looking for something better.

Read the full story. and see a resource it references, the journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2023 report (The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism).

Here’s some good news: Asbury Revival Passes 100 Consecutive Hours: People Don’t Want to Leave (Christian Headlines, from several days ago). This is also an event getting lots of coverage both in Christian news sources and on social media. You might appreciate the updates from Asbury New Testament professor Craig Keener.

What World Travelers Should Know Before They Go

Skills Not Taught in Bible School

By Marti Wade

G.K. Chesterton was famously asked what book he’d want with him if stranded on a deserted island. Everyone may have expected the outspoken Christian to say, “The Bible,” but he answered, “Thomas’ Guide to Practical Shipbuilding.”

Maybe you’ve experienced this tension: a head and heart full of Bible knowledge to sustain you, a story to tell to the nations (and a strategy for doing it), but a sad lack of practical skills you didn’t know you’d need when God led you to serve in a culture far from home. Knowing your way around a spreadsheet, a Greek lexicon, or the New York subway system may not so quickly apply in your journey to the nations.

Or on the other hand, you may have discovered that what you learned growing up on the farm, from your scout leader or grandparent, or in that shop or home economics class has served you well.

So how does one get those practical skills?

The days of “jungle camp” and other in-depth, hands-on pre-field training experiences may have passed for many. But a lot of young missionaries get a taste of what they’re in for on a short-term (or medium-length) mission trip. They may also be able to count on a solid orientation when they arrive on the field, and/or a mentor to walk with them as questions and conundrums arise.

A local friend or host family may be a big help. They know the ropes and can take care of the newcomer. They will also soon see that the rookie doesn’t know how to use the stove or the toilet, greet people, or flag down a taxi.

Can We Help?

What does this sad gap in daily life skills mean for us as mission mobilizers? As we seek to inspire and equip Christians for God’s global purposes, what practical skills may they already have that we can affirm? What experiences can we encourage them to seek out now to be better prepared for months and years to come?

Three Things People Need to Know

Here are three items on my list. Can you help me flesh out the list with added items or your own hard-won experience? I’ll include your input in What World Travelers Should Know Before They Go, Part 2.

1. How to Feed Themselves

Those who starve do not get far. A season in Central Asia helped me learn my way around a tea service, how to handle bread (which is considered sacred), and methods for eating gracefully with my right hand rather than utensils. Stick around very long, though, and you need to know more.

The best way to learn to make the “national dish,” whatever it may be, is from a local. In some places, hiring a cook (or an all-around house helper who can cook) makes perfect sense. But someone who only knows how to microwave processed foods with instructions in English on the box might wish they’d learned to make meals from scratch before leaving home.

Action Step: Mobilizer, take that would-be missionary under your wing. Get them a copy of More With Less or The Expat Cookbook. Give them some assignments or invite them over to make some dishes together. If possible, send them off knowing how to cook a few things that remind them of home using local ingredients.

Next up…

2. How to Get Around

It’s not wise to drive in another country without enough language and cultural fluency to navigate a traffic stop or accident. And many a mission worker never feels up to the many challenges of driving a car in another land. Fair enough. Using public transportation offers its own hurdles but is a good place to start.

And what about a motorbike? A Pew study from a few years back claimed 87% of households in Thailand have at least one scooter or motorcycle, followed by 85% in Vietnam, 85% in Indonesia, and 83% in Malaysia. (See Countries with Highest Motorbike Usage.) Interesting, huh?

The recent book Global Christianity points out that there are 10,000 missionaries in those four countries! I bet a lot of them have stories about their moped mishaps. They could probably sit around the campfire for a long time telling those tales and talking about how glad they are they survived so long.

Action Step: Got a friend heading somewhere motorbikes rule the road? Help them get off to a safer start. A friend told me she took a two-day motorcycle endorsement course before she left the U.S. to serve in Southeast Asia. “My parents were the ones who thought of it and paid for me to take the class before I went,” she says. “Best going-away present they could have given me!”

And that leads to…

3. How to Do Basic Repairs

“I know someone who met Don Richardson many years ago,” adds my friend. “He was in awe of this missionary giant and asked him what he wished he’d known before going to the field, expecting something brilliant and deep about missiology or the character of God. Don’s answer was, ‘I wish I had learned to repair small engines!’”

While many modern life skills may be less relevant in some contexts, a basic ability to use tools and make repairs comes in handy worldwide. Basic plumbing and electrical know-how may also be essential in places where people still fix things rather than throwing them out.

This is not my strong suit. Any mechanical skills I had in the decades I was single have gotten rusty since I married a man who knows what he’s doing. But you may be different. You may know things, things you can teach your mission-minded pal who may not have grown up with such knowledge. Give it some thought.

Action Step: Why not encourage your friend going into missions to contact folks in the field and ask what would be helpful to learn before they go? Maybe they could head to a local college that offers community classes. Or you could design a course together using free YouTube videos, online articles, or _______ for Dummies books.

What Else Does a World Traveler Need to Know?

I raised the question on Facebook. A savvy colleague jumped in to add the following:

“Cutting hair, driving a manual transmission car, speaking softly, packing efficiently, how to avoid getting pick-pocketed and other basic personal security tips, journaling, basic first aid, staying nutritionally healthy, basic internet security.”

Wow. I am pretty sure he could have continued for quite a while in that vein. What would you add? My two bits: how to build a fire that won’t go out and how to hand wash and mend clothing—skills I’ve seen short-termers struggle with.

Conclusion

The point is not to become omnicompetent so you never embarrass yourself, depend on others, or experience frustration in another culture. That’s not even possible. Nor should we encourage people to set their sights on avoiding all inconveniences or living just like they did in their home country. The fact is that every expatriate will have to adapt, shelving old skills for a season and dusting off or developing new ones.

The point is this: Let’s not send people to the field handicapped by a lack of practical skills “everyone knows” in the place they go, skills they may currently lack but could get a head start on before leaving home.

On a final note, this may also be a sneaky way to involve more people in your mission mobilization efforts. Tap folks in your church or community who may not realize they have something to give on the mission front. Teaching a missionary to bake bread, ride a motorcycle, or change a tire could be just as valuable as getting themselves a passport or writing a check to a mission agency.

Got a story from your own experience or a word of wisdom for those mobilizing and mentoring tomorrow’s missionaries? Send it my way, and we’ll fold it into Part 2.

Satan Clubs in Public Schools, Bibles for Panama, and More

In this issue:

  1. USA: Satan Clubs in Public Schools on the Rise
  2. Turkey: Tell Me the Truth! Dead or Alive?
  3. Jamaica: The Surprising Story of America’s First Missionary
  4. Panama: A Persistent Dream to Bring People God’s Word
  5. Pakistan: More Than 100 Killed in a Revenge Suicide Bombing

Read or share the online edition or scroll down for more.

USA: Satan Clubs in Public Schools on the Rise

Source: Mission Network News, January 26, 2023

Last year the United States saw a rise in the number of Satan clubs opening in public schools by The Satanic Temple (TST) as an “alternative” to the thousands of Good News Clubs started by Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).

To the surprise of many, however, CEF upholds the right of Satan clubs to be present in public schools. Spokesperson Lydia Kaiser explains the ministry’s position: “While we abhor everything they stand for, we acknowledge they also have the right to free speech and clubs which are able to follow the school’s rules in order to meet on school property after school… Parents are actually the gatekeepers because all children must have a signed permission slip to attend any club.”

Kaiser explains when parents protest vigorously against the formation of after-school Satan clubs, sometimes schools either close down all religious clubs or refuse to grant permission to the Satan club to meet. This results in TST suing the school district, winning, and using those funds for further mischief.

It also results in promoting the unconstitutional public perception that no one, Christians included, may express religious faith in the public arena.

Read the full story. It includes several suggestions for parents.

In other news from the USA, organizers of the evangelistic campaign He Gets Us plan to spend $1 billion dollars to promote Jesus over the next three years, including funding pro-Jesus Superbowl commercials. An article for Religion News Service asks, “Will anyone care?”

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