DAWN Fridayfax 1999 #17

News from Austria, Germany, Benin, Philippines

In this issue:
Austria: From wheelchair to the dancefloor
Germany: God hears teenagers' mothers' prayers
Benin: Voodoo or Christianity?
Church growth in the South Philippines

Austria: From wheelchair to the dancefloor

Winfried Fuchs, International Director of the Full Gospel Businessmens' Fellowship International (FGBMFI), was speaking about his life at an FGBMFI meeting in Ried/Innkreis in Austria on 6 March 1999. He encouraged his audience to commit themselves to personally follow Jesus; seven people responded, including Andrea, a young woman in a wheelchair. Later, Mr. Fuchs had the impression that Jesus wanted to physically heal a number of those present. Andrea listened closely; for 12 years, she had suffered from a painful disease which finally confined her to a wheelchair. Winfried suddenly turned to her and said "Stand up and walk!", reaching out his hand to help her stand. The visitors could hardly believe it as Andrea stood up and started to walk! Unsteady at first, she walked around the room a few times, tearfully rejoicing in the miracle. After the meeting, she went to a local night club with a friend; others in the club who knew her could not believe their eyes! A medical examination revealed that the once dead nerves have been regenerated.

Source: Guenther Peham, Bahnhofstrasse 7, A-4731 Prambachkirchen, Tel/Fax (+43)-07277-3859; via Helmut Leinfellner, e-mail:helmut.leinfellner@tuwien.ac.at

Germany: God also hears teenagers' mothers' prayers

Lia, a 15-year-old Christian teenager, has a non-Christian boyfriend, Simon. One day, she asked her mother Bruna, also a Christian, whether she can go to the 'Blue Pig' disco. Bruna answered "Decide for yourself!" Lia and Simon headed for the disco, returning home a few hours later. "So, how was it?" asked Bruna. Lia told her that they weren't allowed in, and that when she asked why, the bouncer said "No reason. It's enough that I don't want to let you in." The pair went for a pizza instead. Later, Lia asked her mother "Did you pray?" Bruna admitted it. "Yes, I prayed 'Lord Jesus, if you don't want them to go to the disco, you can prevent it.'"

Source: Gudrun Nessler, DMG, fax (+49)-7265-919109

Benin: Voodoo or Christianity?

Matthew Kerekeou, once Communist dictator and subsequent committed Christian, was re-elected President of Benin in 1996. Since then, the situation in the country with a strong Voodoo tradition has continued to change to Christianity's advantage. In January, at Kerekeou's invitation, German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke held meetings in Cotonou, the capital (500,000 inhabitants), which were attended by 600,000 people.

Angels guard the church

In one village in the southwest of the country, Voodoo believers had intimidated members of a Christian church. Some 15 men armed with machetes forced their way into the church one Sunday morning, and warned the Christians never to come again. The next Sunday, the violent Voodoo believers were again there, but waited a little way from the church, not coming closer. The reason for their hesitance was only revealed later: "They saw large, muscular men in white clothes guarding the building," says Marti Roman, a missionary for the American independent church Assemblies of God. "I believe they were angels," he says. The number of Assemblies of God fellowships is currently doubling every three or four years; pastors target particular villages, sending evangelistic teams which start a house church. Once the house church has reached a certain size, they buy a church building. There are now at least 260 registered AoG fellowships in the country, each of which has between 2 and 6 satellite fellowships, according to Roman.

Jesus is stronger than witchcraft

In Akpome, Voodoo believers made land available for a church - but with a small catch: they placed idol figures on the land, which they believed would prevent a church ever being built. The Christians took no notice, simply knocking the idols over and building the church, much to the locals' astonishment, according to a "Baptist Press" report. In another village, an evangelist refused to take part in Voodoo rituals, so the witch doctors placed a curse on him. The evangelist, however, was not affected: the plan backfired, and one of the witch doctors died mysteriously a few days later. When the villagers asked the evangelist where he recieved his power, he told them "from Jesus Christ". "We want to know more about this Jesus," they told him.

Source: Religion Today

Church growth in the South Philippines

"Living Word Ministries", a church planted as recently as 1986 in the South Philippine town Cebu, is experiencing unusual growth: they now have an attendance of 3,000 people in the ex-cinema where they meet every Sunday. Led by pastor Mel Caparos, the mother church has planted 21 other fellowships, which have a total attendance of 2,000, according to Dr. Ross Ceniza, one of the leaders of the church.

In 1976, Swiss missionaries from Thalgut near Berne planted the "Full Gospel Ministries" church on the southern Philippine island Mindanao. The church now consists of 20,000 people in 156 local fellowships. The movement is led by Marilou Navarro, a dynamic woman known everywhere as "Pastora". The movement's center is in Surigao City.

Source: Christliches Zentrum Thalgut, Tel. (+41)-031-7711419

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