DAWN Fridayfax 2002 #46

World

Millions pray for persecuted Christians

On 10th November 2002, millions of Christians around the world - including 200,000 churches in the USA - prayed for fellow Christians around the world who are oppressed because of their faith. The Worldwide Evangelical Alliance (WEA) initiated the 'Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians'. According to missiologist Prof. David Barrett, 167,000 Christians are murdered for their faith each year. "In addition to the 200,000 churches in the USA, a further 60,000 churches in 114 nations participated in the day of prayer," says Johan Candelin, Director of the WEA's Religious Freedom Commission. WEA figures show 200 million Christians whose lives are threatened.

"Largest Christian prayer movement"

"The prayers of millions of Christians also led to the release of eight 'Shelter Now' staff in Afghanistan on 15th November last year," says the movement's Chairman Udo Stolte. The radical Islamic Taliban regime accused four Germans, two Americans and two Australians of evangelistic activity, and imprisoned them for 102 days. Their fate became known throughout the world as a result of Stolte's 1,000 interviews in the media. "That started what is probably the largest prayer movement in Christianity," according to one report.
Source: WEA, Shelter Now

World

Church placed 4th in Gallup study

The Gallup organisation conducted a study of  which institutions are most trusted in 47 nations, interviewing 36,000 people on all continents. The study was paid for by the World Economic Forum, which traditionally meets in Davos, Switzerland, in January. The report reveals that Germans trust the Police and Army most, and that the Church is in a crisis, landing last among the 17 major institutions. On Monday, the Berlin daily newspaper 'Die Welt' reported that 86% of Germans trust the Police, 70% the Army, and only 39% the Church. Globally, the Church ranks fourth, with 57%. The figures for the respective national educational system vary greatly; in Germany, it ranks fifth from last with 50% following the recent PISA study, which revealed major defecits, but internationally, it ranks first with 62%.

Governments placed last

Globally, the central national democratic institution (Parliament or Congress) ranks last. It only ranks better in the USA, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India and Indonesia. Around the world, two thirds believe that their nation is not ruled "according to the will of the people". Trust in many key institutions "has sunk to a critical level", according to the study.
Source: Gallup survey

Venezuela

City Church in El Tigre

"A few years ago, pastors in the Venezuelan towns El Tigre and El Tigrito decided to break down the walls dividing their denominations and end an age of Church disunity," reports Dr. Doug Norwood of 'Broken Jars'. The church leaders decided to found the 'Iglesia de la Ciudad' (City Church), working together, holding united services and presenting themselvs as a united regional church with spiritual authority. "Soon afterwards, people in the city experienced astonishing healings and deliverances," says Norwood.

Failure and new beginning

But it was all too good to be true. Old rivalry and arguments between the Christian groups shook the new unity, which disintegrated. Rev. Andres Hernandez, a pastor who had previously invited Norwood, again invited the region's pastors to a 'Reconciliation Colloquium' in October 2002. The pastors were reconciled amid tears and laughter as they asked each other for forgiveness. They again began to build the City Church, this time paying attention to the pastors' various gifts. This 'pastor-centred ministry', as Norwood calls it, is based on the idea that God has given every leader particular gifts which play a unique part in building His Kingdom, in the sense of Ephesians 4:11-13.
Source: Broken Jars, www.brokenjars.org , or Tel. Dr. Norwood (+1)-610-791-7777

Germany

Christian businessman receives award

One of the most prestigious German business awards was awarded to extraordinary Evangelical businessman Professor Joerg Knoblauch in Frankfurt's St. Paul's Church on November 11th 2002. The Ludwig Erhard Prize is awarded by the German Society for Quality for 'Excellence in Competition'. Knoblauch owns the companies Tempus (time planning systems), drilbox (cases) and DISG (personality profiling).
Source: Tempus, Postfach 1420, 89529 Giengen, Germany

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