Persecuted Christians in Indonesia need SBC help, eyewitness says
PHOENIX (BP)--An eyewitness to the persecution Christians are suffering at the hands of Muslim extremists in Indonesia has challenged Southern Baptists to intervene with the Gospel.
"In Maluku and some other parts of Indonesia, Christians are being persecuted because ... radical Muslim groups ... realize the Christian faith is growing incredibly in Indonesia," Ronnie Serworwora told messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Phoenix June 18.
181 new believers reveal hunger
for Gospel among Zambia’s Lungu
WEST MONROE, La. (BP)--A newly married housewife, a self-employed CPA, a retired businessman and a supervisor for a major insurance company -- three of whom were rookies to the mission field -- saw 181 Zambians eagerly profess Christ on a five-day mission trip in May.
These four volunteers from First Baptist Church of West Monroe, La., went village-to-village, conducting evangelistic surveys among the Lungu, a people group in Zambia's Northern province that traditionally practices
 |
| Hungry to hear In an area of Zambia permeated with witchcraft and spirit veneration, two new Lungu believers study the Bible. A total of 181 people eagerly responded to the gospel after five days of evangelistic surveys in Northern province. |
"The vast majority [of the Lungu] have never had the true Gospel presented to them," said Wade Coker, an International Mission Board church planter in the region.
And time is short for many of the Lungu to hear the Gospel. The ravages of malaria and AIDS have shortened the average life expectancy to just over 37 years. Almost 20 percent of Zambia's population lives with the HIV virus or AIDS.
2.4 million pounds of food for Iraqi families ready for shipping
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--A 2.4-million-pound "gift of love" is on its way to hungry Iraqi families, thanks to the generosity of Southern Baptists.
Since mid-April, churches from across the county have been filling 70-pound boxes with rice, flour, beans and other Middle East staples. One box will feed a family of five for approximately one month.
Korean Baptists celebrate missions; 450 commit to overseas service
 |
| To the ends of the earth An awareness of God's call to cross-cultural missions is rising among Korean American Baptists, according to Sung K. Park, pastor of Berendo Street Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Photo by Sangsub Lee |
Sponsored by the International Mission Board, the celebration was one of four being held among the 750 Korean-speaking Southern Baptist churches across the nation.
