People and Events

Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond M. Tutu of Cape Town, South Africa, has urged American church leaders to devote more effort to helping the nations of Africa and other Third World countries find relief from crippling foreign debts. The Archbishop recalled the biblical principle of Jubilee: All property that was sold or leased in the previous 49 years was to revert back to its original owner every 50th year. "The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank celebrated their Jubilee last year, and some of us said, `Hey, here is an opportunity for you. How about applying the Jubilee principle?' " said Tutu. Most African economies are growing by 2-3% annually, but most of the growth is being used to pay interest on international debt and is not benefitting the countries' inhabitants, he said. Some local currencies have been so devalued that the debt has become as much as five times the original loan. Tutu proposed a six-month moratorium on debt repayment, during which time debtor nations would be asked to demonstrate four things: true democratization, respect for human rights, demilitarization and a willingness to use money saved to directly benefit the nation's people. Countries meeting those criteria would have their debt forgiven, Tutu proposed.--
Evangelical Press News Service

Andrew Meekens , an elder in the International Evangelical Church of Addis Ababa, was one of those who died Nov. 23 when a hijacked jet ran out of fuel and crashed near the Comoros Islands. According to survivors of the crash, Meekens stood up and spoke to calm passengers on the Ethiopian Airlines flight after the pilot announced that he would be attempting an emergency landing. Meekens then presented the gospel and invited people to respond. A surviving flight attendant said that about 20 people accepted salvation, including a fellow flight attendant who did not survive the crash. Meekens, who was on his way to an international conference on urban ministries, is survived by his wife, Ruth, and three children, ages 7, 5 and 2. A memorial service was held Nov. 27, although Meekens' body has not been recovered from the crash site.--
EPNS

"Holy water" used by some Catholic invalids in search of divine healing can spread infection rather than promote healing. The weekly Catholic Herald newspaper quoted English nurse Linda Parsons as saying, "It isn't the water itself that is the problem but the way people collect it, contaminating it with very nasty germs with their hands and the bottles they use." Parsons was part of a research team studying the issue.--
EPNS

People passing Reedley (Calif.) MB Church last month might have thought the world's largest tent revival was going on. In fact, the church building was shrouded in a huge protective tarp to contain a fumigant being used to kill dry-wood termites. Putting up the 1.4-million-cubic-foot, blue-and-white striped, air-tight tent was part of a $57,000 US project to deal with a termite problem at the 1,200-member church. The San Joaquin Pest Co. made the tarp especially for the church and for two other large fumigation jobs.--
Mennonite Weekly Review

Debbie and Dan Mahaffy of Burlington, Ont., the parents of murder victim Leslie Mahaffy, 14, are separating after 5 years of trying to cope with the strain of their daughter's abduction and killing by Paul Bernardo. Debbie Mahaffy, who noted that most parents of murdered children separate, said the couple "could not beat the odds."--
Maclean's

Teens are exposed to 14,000 sexual references and innuendoes on TV annually, according to estimates from the American Psychological Association. The APA also says that:

  • half of US children ages 6-17 have a TV in their rooms.
  • the average child will have watched 100,000 acts of violence on TV by sixth grade and seen 20,000 murders on TV by age 18.
  • before kindergarten, the average child sees 5,000 hours of TV.
  • the average child spends 4 hours per day watching TV, 10 hours sleeping, 6 hours in school and 4 hours doing other activities.
  • children have watched up to 22,000 hours of TV by the time they graduate from high school.
  • 20% of children who watch TV more than 5 hours a day are obese.
  • the average child sees 20,000 commercials each year.
  • 70% of viewers say they watch for escape; only 1 in 10 seek intellectual stimulation--
    Youthworker Update

    Paul E. Freed , founder and chairman of Trans World Radio, died Dec. 1 at age 78 after a long illness. He was a long-time missionary statesman whose ministry spanned over 40 years. He grew up in the Middle East with his missionary parents. After serving as a pastor and a regional director of Youth for Christ, he founded a missionary organization that moved into radio broadcasting two years later. Today, TWR airs more than 1,000 hours of gospel programs each week in over 120 languages from 11 primary transmitting sites. TWR broadcasts reach millions of people in about 160 countries daily.--
    TWR

    Representatives of three major evangelical groups met Oct. 15-16 in Carol Stream, Ill. to discuss the possibility of closer ties for world evangelization. Those represented were from AD 2000 and Beyond, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and World Evangelical Fellowship. The seven participants shared vision, concerns and brainstorming possibilities for greater cooperation over the next 5 years. The AD 2000 movement intends to disband Dec. 31, 2001.--
    World Evangelization Information Service

    Over $1.2 million was raised at 14 Mennonite Central Committee relief sales in 1996. In Ontario, $243,000 was raised at the New Hamburg sale, $118,000 at the heifer sale in Guelph, $41,000 at the Black Creek sale in Toronto and $70,000 from the sale of a House Against Hunger. In B.C., $277,000 was raised at the Central Fraser Valley sale in Abbotsford; the sale in Kelowna raised $7,200; the Black Creek sale raised $7,600; and the Prince George sale raised $37,000. In Manitoba, the Winnipeg relief sale raised $44,000; the Brandon sale raised $35,000; and the Morris sale raised $108,000. In Saskatchewan, the Saskatoon sale raised $74,800, and the Osler sale brought in $73,000. In Alberta, $92,800 was raised at the sale in Coaldale. Altogether, a total of $1,228,400 was raised, an increase of about 3% from 1995.--
    MCC Canada

    A recent survey of American Muslims asked, "which of the following Americans are more responsive to religious minority rights?" Of those who responded, 31% identified "practising Christians", 12% referred to "non-practising Christians", 28% said "neither", 19% marked "other", and 10% checked the "not sure/no opinion" category. The survey was sponsored by the Council on American Islamic Relations.--
    Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (quoted in MCC Canada release)

    The abortion rate in England and Wales jumped sharply in early 1996 as a result of a scare over contraceptive pills in October of 1995. Abortions rose by 6.7% to 3.3 per thousand women, or 42,990, in the first quarter of 1996. A government committee announced in October of 1995 that some low-dose contraceptives could slightly increase the risk of blood clots in the legs.--
    EPNS

    The former head of the Church of Scientology in Lyons, France, was sentenced to 18 months in jail for manslaughter and fraud in a case involving the suicide of a cult member. Jean-Jacques Mazier was jailed for pressuring follower Patrice Vic to come up with money for Scientology courses; a depressed Vic jumped from his apartment building to his death. Heber Jentzsch, president of the Church of Scientology International, issued a statement calling the proceedings a "heresy trial" and promised to appeal the ruling. Scientology teaches that the problems of the human race can be traced to disembodied souls brought to the Earth millions of years ago. Members include Hollywood film stars Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley.--
    EPNS

    A Pennsylvania woman is reportedly stigmatic--she bleeds as she speaks about Christ. Mary Ellen Lukas, a devout Roman Catholic, has drawn thousands of people to healing services in Ireland and the Philippines. Sores in her hands, feet and side reportedly symbolize Christ's wounds on the cross. Lukas bled from the forehead during an interview with a reporter, according to the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader. The Vatican has appointed a priest to investigate the phenomenon. EPNS

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