Bill Hybels
, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, a large nondenominational church in
suburban Chicago, says that although he disagrees "quite dramatically" with some of US President
Bill Clinton's policies, he believes it is the responsibility of all US Christians to "genuinely pray for
Bill Clinton and his family". Hybels meets monthly with Clinton for a "non-ideological,
non-political series of conversations," says Hybels. "It is to encourage his understanding of God's
Word and how he needs to apply that to his life and to his being a father and a husband and a
leader. And, typically, we do end our times together in prayer."--
EPNS
For the first time
, the Russian government has published figures related to the persecution of Christian churches
and other religions since the communist revolution of 1917. By 1985, about 200,000 church
leaders had been murdered by the Soviet Union. "Pastors and monks were crucified on the doors
of churches; they were shot or strangled. In winter, water was poured over them time and again
until they froze to death," according to Alexander Yakovlev, chair of the state commission for the
rehabilitation of the victims of political oppression. An additional 300,000 Christians were
imprisoned, and the communists confiscated much church property.--
EPNS
The National Association of Evangelicals
, a coalition of Christian groups representing 47 denominations and 10 million US Christians, is
urging US President Clinton to openly condemn anti-Christian persecution around the world. The
group has made 15 recommendations including linking religious freedom with trade.--
EPNS
A recent Unicef report
indicates that civilian deaths in war have increased dramatically over the century. In World War I,
14% of the total number killed were civilians. In World War II, it was 67%. During the 1990s,
90% of those killed in war were civilians.--
Unicef and the New York Times (quoted in MCC Washington Memo)
Many nongovernmental organizations
, UN agencies and governments want to revise The Convention on the Rights of the Child to raise
the age restriction of participation in war from 15 to 18. While UN working groups generally
agree on a higher minimum age for participation in combat and for conscription, they disagree
over whether voluntary recruitment or participation in non-combat roles should be allowed for
children under 18. In the last decade, two million children were killed in wars.--
MCC Washington Memo, MCC Canada
MCC Canada has applauded
the federal government's decision not to produce, export or use landmines. The Canadian
government has supported MCC's bomb-removal project in northern Laos with a $200,000
contribution. The Canadian delegation to the Geneva meetings on the "Convention on Certain
Conventional Weapons", to be held in April, will encourage other countries to employ a similar
ban.--
MCC
Materially affluent Sweden
has the highest suicide rate, while Mexico has the lowest.--
Paul Hiebert, American anthropologist (quoted in an MCC release)
The West African nation of Benin
has given official recognition to traditional ancestor worship, sometimes called voodoo.
According to the All Africa Press Service, President Nicephore Soglo declared Jan. 11 a
national holiday to mark the recognition of voodoo as an official religion. The national holiday
gives ancestor worship the same recognition as Christianity and Islam. According to Soglo, more
than half of Benin's 7.5 million inhabitants have at some time participated in ancestor and spirit
worship.--
EPNS
Focus on the Family
, the pro-family Christian organization has 1,200 employees worldwide.--
Focus on the Family
A huge "prayer centre"
integrating computers and telecommunications is being built in Colorado Springs, CO. The
project is co-sponsored by the Sentinel Group, Global Harvest Ministries and the Christian
Information Network; each will move its ministry to the centre. The 45,000-square-foot facility
will feature an integrated computer system linked to 160 million Christians worldwide. It will
feature 15 private prayer rooms equipped with touch-screen computer monitors displaying current
prayer needs. An intercessor can call up any number of videos profiling a particular area. The
facility will be available for ministries, churches and prayer teams. Officials estimate construction
will be completed by fall of 1996.--
EPNS
Texans now have the right
to carry concealed handguns, but Texans who do so are not welcome in Catholic churches. The
Archdiocese of San Antonio has posted signs in English and Spanish outside its churches saying,
"Blessed are the peacemakers. Please no guns permitted on the premises. Property of the
Archdiocese of San Antonio." Archbishop Patrick Flores said the signs "proclaim our belief that
our security rests in God and not in guns".--
EPNS
The Fresno Pacific College
Board of Trustees has approved construction of an energy distribution system and central plant
with co-generation equipment valued at $1.8 million US. Three John Deere engines powered by
natural gas will produce 120 kilowatts of power each to generate electricity for the campus. Heat
from the engines will be captured and will provide heating and cooling for campus buildings
through an underground system of hot and cold water pipes connecting all buildings. About 85%
of the college electricity needs will be provided by the co-generation plant, producing an
estimated savings of $200,000 annually. Fresno Pacific is a liberal arts college operated by the
Pacific District MB Conference in Fresno, CA.--
Fresno Pacific College
Goshen College
in Goshen, IN is hosting a pastor's conference May 8-9 called "The Word Among Us: Teaching
the Bible in the Congregation and Classroom". The topic was sparked by the statement on
Scripture in the new Confession of Faith adopted last summer at the Mennonite General Assembly
in Wichita, KS: "We accept the Scriptures as the authoritative source and primary standard for
preaching and teaching about faith and life, for distinguishing truth from error, for discerning
between good and evil, and for guiding piety and worship."--
Goshen College
The Virginia Conference of Mennonite Churches
will continue to allow congregations to grant membership to people in the military, but it does
not endorse the practice. A statement adopted by conference delegates Jan. 20 seeks to resolve a
five-year debate on church members in the military. After response from conference districts, a
commission will decide whether the statement will become conference policy. The statement
indicates an expectation that candidates for membership will move toward freedom from military
obligations. There are about half a dozen congregations who have members in the military.--
Mennonite Weekly Review
Prince Charles
recently wrote in an article in the Guardian newspaper that England should use lottery
funds to build places of worship "of real quality" for various faiths. Jewish and Anglican leaders
welcomed the call; Muslim leaders disagreed, saying money which comes from gambling cannot
be used by Muslims for building mosques.--
EPNS
Wycliffe Bible Translators
, already one of the largest US-based career mission organizations, plans to double its recruiting
to 500 new members a year by the year 2000. Its members currently work in about 950 languages,
but about 3,000 more languages need translations. An estimated 600 million people speak
languages that have no Scripture.--
EPNS
Hundreds of pastors
and Christian leaders are planning a massive evangelistic campaign in Chicago with evangelist
Luis Palau which will differ from traditional crusades. First, it is a regional campaign; nine regions
in greater Chicago will have their own events. The campaign will last about two months and will
feature many evangelists in addition to Palau, including Tony Evans, E.V. Hill and Ron
Hutchcraft.--
EPNS
The overall risk for breast cancer
is 23% higher for women who have had induced abortions and 11% higher for those who have
had spontaneous miscarriages, according to a study published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association. Some scientists speculate the reason for the increased risk is the
interruption of proper breast cell development caused by the early termination of a pregnancy.--
EPNS
The number of volunteers
serving with Mennonite Voluntary Service (a program of the General Conference Mennonite
Church) has dropped 21%, from 75 volunteers in 1994 to 59 in 1995. Ten years ago, there were
112 volunteers. MVS needs at least 40 additional volunteers to fill positions immediately. This
reflects a downward trend of volunteer numbers in other Mennonite agencies as well. MVS is
planning to merge programs with the Mennonite Board of Mission, of the Mennonite Church.
The Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church denominations agreed to
merge last year.--
General Conference Mennonite Church News
The rate at which AIDS is spreading
has been falling since the early 1980s, according to Dr. Robert Biggar of the National Cancer
Institute in the US. In 1982, an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 Americans became infected with
AIDS, but by 1993 the number was down to about 40,000. Between 1987 and 1992, an average
of 13,000 Americans per year contracted AIDS through heterosexual sex, while 20,000 were
infected through homosexual contact.--
EPNS
A group of 300 Anglican church leaders
from around the world, including South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bishop Edmond
Browning of the US, have launched a campaign encouraging the church to ordain active
homosexuals as priests. The church leaders signed an advertisement supporting the Lesbian and
Gay Christian Movement, and called for a change in church policy.--
EPNS
A recent Brazilian survey
suggests that Brazilians are adopting a new self-image, changing from seeing themselves as lazy,
pessimistic people to optimistic hard workers. Many people attribute the change to the spread of
Protestant Christianity. Researcher Ricardo Brinmaum said Protestants and self-help gurus, who
are very popular in Brazil, encourage a strong work ethic and affirm that gaining wealth is good.
Also, in the growing number of Protestant churches, people receive sermons about organization,
savings and the importance of personal efforts to improve life. One of the attractions of the
Protestant church is that Protestant Christians are seen as "special people, well-dressed, polite and
disciplined",as opposed to Catholics who praise poverty, said Brinmaum.--
EPNS