An Englishman now living in China has revealed that the company he works for has now brought out 110 Christian books – with the full permission of the government. This surprising fact was revealed by David Wright, General Manager of ZDL Books, during a recent interview at NRB 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. ‘I work for an organization called ZDL and we are based in Beijing and are focused on bringing Christian content legally to China,’ Wright began. ‘We have worked since 2003 to do that and today we have around 110 legally approved books that are being distributed all over the country. We also have a number of websites that have been built and are distributing content all over the country and we’re running training events which again are all open and legal.’ Praise: God for the spread of His Word. (Rom.10:15)
China: Christian faith plus Chinese productivity
11 Sep 2010
At first glance, it looks as though it could be any other factory driving the rapid development of the Chinese economy. But this is no ordinary enterprise because here religious faith is as important as profit. In fact, the owner of the Boteli Valve Group in Wenzhou would like to see all his staff convert to Christianity. And such a factory is not a one-off: it is part of a growing number of businesses run by Christian entrepreneurs whose success is now being studied by the Chinese government. Every Monday morning, the senior managers gather together and pray about the business. Once a week, members of staff are encouraged to attend an on-site Christian fellowship meeting, where they read the Bible and pray for each other. Praise: God for this development and pray that this example would lead to many more. (Mt.25:20)
China: 6,000 walls of prayer
18 Jun 2012‘The World Prayer Assembly in Indonesia in May was the most significant international prayer gathering I have ever been part of,’ says Brian Mills of the International Prayer Council, a collaborative network of prayer movements around the world. As one of his personal highlights he mentions the Prayer Tower in Sentul City, where Indonesian believers pray 24-7 throughout the year. ‘Every time I looked in there, hundreds were praying,’ says Mills. ‘And this is only one of the many hundreds of prayer towers throughout Indonesia.’ This was also inspiring the 600 strong Chinese delegation. ‘The Chinese were deeply touched by God's Spirit,’ reports Mills. ‘China is establishing 6,000 houses of prayer, which they call Walls of Prayer. One ministry alone has seen a 726% increase in the number of people coming to Christ in the past seven years compared to the previous seven years, and this has happened ever since they started to emphasize prayer.’ Source: IPC Connect newsletter.
Praise: God for the growth of His church in China. (1Ki.8:29)
More: www.wpa2012.org
Chile: Two Chilean miners accept Christ
23 Oct 2010
As I’m sure most of the world knows, 33 Chilean miners have been rescued having been trapped underground for more than two months, waiting to be rescued. God has heard our prayers. Lots of prayers from lots of people! Baptist Press News reports that when the mine collapsed, three of the miners - including José Henríquez who has been leading a Bible study underground - were Christians. Since then, two more have made professions of faith. The report notes that when Pastor Marcelo Leiva arrived at Camp Hope he didn't know anyone, but Henríquez's family quickly connected him with other families. ‘That connection allowed a lot of other people to hear the Word,’ Leiva says, ‘and to know that in the midst of this catastrophe, God is in control, and it is the Lord who has kept their family members alive.’ The wife of one of the miners who became a Christian met with Leiva over the past two weeks has also accepted Christ. Praise: God for the success of this rescue mission and for the new believers and pray that the experience will bring many more to accept the Lord as saviour. (Ps.22:5) More: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=34420&PN=1&TPN=1
A brother and sister decided to sacrifice their birthday presents this year in aid of children in care. Instead of their usual birthday parties this year, Elsie Parlor, 7, and her younger brother, Alfred, 5, held a joint fundraising disco in Newport Pagnell. In place of gifts, guests were asked to put a donation for St Francis’ Children’s Society in a bucket. Donations from the night raised £260 to help find adoptive parents for children in care. Dominik Byrne, fundraising officer at St Francis’ Children’s Society said: ‘The whole team was moved when we heard about this party. Although parents often generously make donations, many of us are guilty of forgetting that children are often eager to help too. Elsie and Alfred are the first to have such a party – what a brilliant idea. They’ve inspired us to create party packs containing goodies, literature and a collection box for any other children who’d like to help.’
Praise: God for these caring young people and their idea; may many others be inspired to give. (Ps.100:1)
Children & the next generation
03 Dec 2013Hoda is a gypsy girl living in the South of Lebanon participating in a literacy programme at a centre being managed by believers. Talking about their families Hoda explained that her eldest sister living with them is pregnant, but does not want the baby and continually says that she wants to kill the baby. Her teacher explained to the class that God is the Creator, that He made this little baby and He loves children. She also explained that if the mother continues to reject and hate the baby that the baby will be born with a sense of abandonment and rejection. Hoda went home that afternoon and explained to her sister that they should talk to the baby, love the baby and accept this baby as a gift from God. The next day Hoda returned to class, excited to tell everyone that her sister had changed her mind! She decided to keep and love the baby and no longer reject this gift.
Praise: God and pray that He will continue to reveal Himself to children and to the next generation that will shape the future of Lebanon. (Mat 11:25)
Charities say holiday giving has been happy
27 Dec 2011By last week many charities had already raised more compared with 2010, and some are even expecting a windfall, a new Chronicle of Philanthropy poll finds. Fifty-four percent told The Chronicle that they raised more money in November and the first part of December than they had at this point last year. One out of five of the 152 organizations in the survey said contributions are outpacing last year’s donations by 20 percent or more. That is one reason many groups expect 2011 to end well. Six out of 10 charities predicted they would close out the year with an overall gain in donations. ‘Things are looking very strong,’ says Traci Coker, director of the World Vision Gift Catalogue. ‘We’re slightly ahead of last year right now.’ Some social-service charities that have worked to do a better job telling their stories are also seeing success.
Praise: God for the generosity of spirit demonstrated across the world at this time. (Ps.150:6)
Catholic midwives' abortion victory welcomed
02 May 2013The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland has welcomed a court ruling upholding the right to conscientious objection of two midwives who refused to have any role in abortion procedures. Mary Doogan, 58, and Concepta Wood, 52, both practising Catholics, challenged NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on having to delegate, supervise or support staff involved in terminations. They lost a previous case against the health board when a judge ruled that their human rights had not been violated because they were not directly involved in carrying out terminations. But a court of appeal in Edinburgh ruled on Wednesday that conscientious objection could apply to supporting staff involved in abortions. The right to conscientious objection is protected by the 1967 Abortion Act. Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow, said the decision by the appeal judges was a ‘victory for freedom of conscience and for common sense’.
Praise: God for the court ruling. (Dt.25:1)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/catholic.midwives.abortion.victory.welcomed/32233.htm