DAWN Fridayfax 2000 #18

USA

Ex-President Ford encourages teenagers to go for gold with God

"Ex-President Gerald Ford challenged teenagers in the United States to go for gold with God and change the world with Christ's help," reports Teen Mania's Ron Luce. During a "Teen Mania Stand Up Rally" in Detroit's Silverdome in mid-April 2000, Ford told 50,000 teenagers that his faith had enabled him to fulfil his role as President, which he became after Nixon's resignation in 1974. "I never wanted to be President," he said, "but in the night of my nomination, I thanked God for everything that he had done to prepare me. The fact that God was in my life gave me the faith and knowledge that I could do the job. I am living proof that in America, a broken family is no hindrance to becoming President. The Lord protected me and gave me mentors who gave me integrity and character." According to Ron Luce, although there are signs of decline around the world, the answer lies not in government programmes, but in changed hearts. "These teenagers have something very real to offer to their peers: their faith," he says.
Source: Ron Luce, Teen Mania

Pakistan

50,000 new churches planned

Dr. Rev. W. Johnson is a Pakistani church planter who leads the Pakistan Gospel Assemblies (PGA), a national movement of 1,100 churches. In 1991, he saw a vision of Jesus, who showed him 50,000 towns and villages in Pakistan, and asked him in how many places he wanted to plant churches. Johnson initially set an aim of 5,000 - at the time, an incredible number! Now, the vision has grown, and he is ready to accept the aim of 50,000. Many of the new churches will be house churches. "Plant a church with every evangelistic event" Johnson needs only one Christian family in a Muslim village to be able to evangelise officially. His motto is "Plant a church with every evangelistic event". Apparently, sick people were healed at every event, and people freed from demons at many events. During evangelisation in a Muslim village and a larger city with Swiss church leader Bruno Bayer at the end of March 2000, 500 people turned to Jesus in a single evening. "We saw the lame healed, no longer needing their crutches, and tumors which disappeared. We experienced a visitation from God, without laying hands on people," reports Swiss missiologist Marco Gmuer.
Source: Marco Gmuer/Kingdom Ministries, fax (+41)-33-437006 and PGA, Tel/Fax (+92)-42-5831714

Kirgistan

Cell church growth

In 1992, the Central Asian republic Kirgistan, with some 4.5 million inhabitants, had only 22 evangelical churches with a total of 2,230 members (according to Patrick Johnstone's figures). In the meantime, a cell church movement has changed the situation drastically. "The 'Church of Jesus Christ' started 8 years ago as a cell of 5 new converts," reports AVC's Hans Ollesch. They read the New Testament together, and expected that Jesus would do the same today as in the time of Acts. More and more people were saved, and new cells formed. The movement now numbers 4,000 members in 25 churches throughout Kirgistan. In the capital Bischkek, the church meets in 9 locations throughout the city, and has 3,000 members in 300 cells. Once a month, the church meets in the city's largest hall, which has space for 3,000 people - but even that is too small.
Source: AVC, Industriestr. 21, 2553 Safern, Switzerland, tel. (+41)-32-3554242, and others.

Comoros

Off the street, Bible School started, missionaries sent out

Kamar and Liliane Attoumane travelled to South Africa about a year ago. They are from the Comoros, a group of islands off the east coast of Africa, which form an Islamic state with a 98%-Muslim population. Evangelism is forbidden, and there are very few Christians. "Before coming to Pretoria, I had never heard of Jesus, not even met a Christian," says Kamar. But God had a plan for the couple. One day, as Kamar wandered aimlessly through the streets, he met Andre and Rentia, a missionary couple. They took pity on Kamar and Liliane, and took them in to their house. They soon found other students from the Comoros, who also found shelter with the couple. Rentia spoke a little French, but it was too little to be able to tell them much from the Bible. They then heard of the International School of Ministries video Bible school which was available in French from AFNET. With the videos, they opened a Bible school in their own home, with 13 non-Christian students, five of whom have now become Christians; the others are thinking about it. Students who become Christians immediately feel the consequences. As soon as their families in the Comoros hear of their conversion, they stop their financial support, and make all kinds of threats. Kamar lost his job with a Muslim boss because he wanted to go to church on Sunday. "I study as much as I can, so that I can learn more about Jesus," says Liliane. "I want to know everything about him, so that I can return to my country and tell others about him. Missionaries can't travel to the Comoros, but I can..."
Source: Dr. Johan Combrinck/AFNET, fax (+27)-12-548-0183

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