Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach
Christian Outreach Ministry to those Incarcerated, with Addictions and our Military
DALLAS, April 16, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ — Thousands of pro-life advocates from across America will gather together online and in-person for the National Prayer Luncheon for Life on April 30, 2021, to honor high-impact pro-life organizations and award $85,000 in grants for ongoing effective pro-life ministry and advocacy…
SOURCE: http://National Prayer Luncheon for Life to Award $85K to High-Impact Pro-Life Organizations
More than 340 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.
That’s 1 in 8 worldwide, 1 in 6 in Africa, 2 out of 5 in Asia, and 1 in 12 in Latin America.
[Urgent Prayer] Suicide bombers attack church in Indonesia, at least 19 wounded
’God is alive!’—in Nigeria, this pastor finds hope in the rubble
Eritrea is rounding up and arresting Christians—37 in two days
Terminally ill and 62—Christian convert faces prison in Iran
The Chinese church is exploding … but will it survive?
Main website: OPEN DOORS INTERNATIONAL
An Educational Antidote to a Rising Tide of Tribal, Religious, and Political Violence in Africa
Giving Meaning to ‘Never Again’ in Africa
Myanmar Massacre: GFA World Calls for Prayer Amid Military Coup
The following stories and more can regularly be found updated at barnabusfund.org/news
Five Out of 39 Nigerian Students Kidnapped From Kaduna College Released
Islamist Attacks Illustrate the Growth of Jihadism in Mali and Niger
Church Minister and Three Worshipers Killed by Gunmen in Benue, Nigeria
Christian Families Lose Everything as Fire Engulfs Rohingya Refugee Camp in Bangladesh
Dozens Killed and Thousands Flee as Jihadists Attack Town in Northern Mozambique
Eight Christians Abducted by Bandits in Kaduna, Nigeria
Pakistan:
When 13-year-old Shakaina Masih’s mother arrived to take her home from the job at which she helped with housework, she was informed that her daughter had already left. When Shakaina never showed up, concern soon became alarm as her parents urgently filed a missing person report. After initially delaying to respond, police informed Shakaina’s parents that she had converted to Islam and married a Muslim man last month.
Devastated to learn that their teenage daughter was supposedly married to a man whose name they had never even heard, Shakaina’s parents believe she was abducted. “Shakaina is just a kid,” Shakaina’s father, Johnson Masih told Morning Star News. “She was kidnapped and taken to Okara, where they forcibly converted her and conducted the fake marriage to give it a religious cover.” Many Christian parents in Pakistan fear exactly this occurrence — and it is all too common.
Hundreds of girls from Christian and Hindu backgrounds are kidnapped each year and forcibly converted before being raped and often forced to live as their abductor’s wives. Widespread discrimination and the government’s failure to protect religious freedom creates an environment that enables horrific incidences of forced marriage to thrive. Islamic clerics who solemnize underage marriages, magistrates who make the marriages legal, and corrupt authorities who refuse to investigate all contribute to the problem.
For more on this issue and what the United States can do about it, check out Family Research Council’s new publication titled, “Combatting Forced Marriage of Young Women in Pakistan.“
Africa:
Hardly a day passes without accounts of mass kidnappings of Nigerian schoolchildren, Christian clergy and aid workers gunned down, villages torched, or churchgoers massacred. Africa is in trouble, and the United States and other global leaders must wake up to the horrifying levels of violence suffocating Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Read more in Lela’s op-ed in Newsweek.
China:
In coordination with the United States, new sanctions were placed on several Chinese officials responsible for atrocities in Xinjiang by the United Kingdom, European Union, and Canada. In retaliation, China decided to sanction two U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCRIF) Commissioners, including FRC President Tony Perkins.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s sanctions are nothing but tactics of intimidation, designed to help them save face in an international community that’s denounced their brutal and repressive policies,” Perkins said. It is telling that while Western countries sanction Chinese officials over human rights abuses, China sanctions individuals who merely speak out in defense of the oppressed.
See FRC’s resources:
What we’re working on:
We recently started an “International Religious Freedom 101” series on the FRC Blog. Check out our second installment, “Pakistan Is Captive to Islamist Mob Rule.” Stay tuned for more!
Christian Mother Recently Widowed
Christian Women Released from Island Prison
Christians Endure Persecution as God’s Kingdom Advances
Tough Times for Ethiopian Believers
Believer Facing Prison and Family Harm
Two Christians Sentenced to Prison for “Shaking Faith”
Family Barred from Two Villages for Christian Faith
Christians Rejoice After Church Destroyed
Many Audio Bibles Already Distributed This Year
I am not Catholic nor do we at FSM endorse many of their beliefs. Yet anytime free speech (we are not talking about anarchy) is stifled just because you disagree with their view is wrong. Especially considering the hypocrisy of what these media giants do consider “acceptable.”
NEWS PROVIDED BY/Catholic Connect LLC/March 4, 2021
HOUSTON, March 4, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ — Instagram shutdown the top Christian conservative social media account in the United States, reaching over five million people per week. Catholic Connect LLC received a copyright infringement notification from Instagram and their account was immediately disabled. Within 48 hours, the Catholic Connect team appealed the Instagram ban showing proof that Catholic Connect does have the rights to use the video that got their account shut down. Instagram has not responded to the Catholic Connect team’s Appeal. The company that licensed the video to Catholic Connect LLC has also reached out to Instagram to retract the copyright infringement and await a response.
I know nothing about The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP), but their findings and recommendations are worth reading and possibly utilizing in your church or ministry operation. As the following picture shows abuse is a serious problem in America.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 3, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ —
The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP) has released “ground-breaking” standards for child safety and opened them for public review, March 1. The standards are offered to assist ministries of all kinds as they work to protect children in their care.
The ECAP standards were developed by a team of experts and ministry practitioners, reviewed by a team of attorneys, and approved for public review by the ECAP board of directors. A full list of persons who helped develop the standards is available on the ECAP website. ECAP seeks to bring support, resources, and sustainability to the realm of child safety, especially within the evangelical world, which has witnessed abuse within its ranks and the surrounding culture.
“Our aim is to honor the name of Christ by equipping and educating ministry leaders to protect the vulnerable in their care,” said Jeff Dalrymple, Executive Director of ECAP. “This is a matter of biblical stewardship, and we want to see Christian schools, churches, and ministries become safe places for our little ones to hear the gospel, grow as disciples of Christ, and be protected from harm.”
The ECAP standards address issues of organizational governance, volunteer and employee screening and training, how to respond to a variety of circumstances, and more, with numerous suggestions for best practices. ECAP has made these standards available for public review from March 1 through April 30, seeking feedback, especially from frontline ministry workers and leaders.
“ECAP’s standards and the rest of its work is ground-breaking and extremely important for churches and other ministries seeking to protect children and uphold high standards,” said Sally Wagenmaker, an attorney serving as the organization’s general counsel. “I can’t wait to see ministries using ECAP’s valuable accreditation standards and related tools — for improved child safety, better risk management, and the glory of God in all they do.”
The standards will serve as the basis for an accreditation program, which has been developed in partnership with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). The standards and accreditation program will give Christian organizations resources that protect them from making false assumptions in regard to child abuse. The ECAP standards will help prevent abuse and inform an appropriate response when an incident occurs.
To review the standards, visit the ECAP site at www.ecap.net/standards, where feedback can be offered online.
