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Sudanese military planes dropped 12 bombs on the Liethnom area in southern Sudan July 21; the bombs fell close to a relief centre of World Relief, the international assistance arm of the US-based National Association of Evangelicals. There were no reported deaths, though one staff member was injured. This is the third time the Liethnom area has been bombed since June 14, shortly after the nearby town of Gogrial was captured by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. World Relief has worked in Liethnom since 1998, rehabilitating health care facilities, teaching new farming techniques, constructing and equipping schools and providing church leadership training. World Relief thinks the attacks are not meant to kill but to intimidate; its workers are now waiting across the border in Kenya. World Relief’s other Sudanese relief centre, in Pochalla in Sudan’s Nile region, has not been affected. – Evangelical Press News Service
Voice of Friendship is the new name of the Far East Broadcasting Company, the 55-year-old international Christian radio broadcasting ministry. The name was changed July 19 in order to be more reflective of the organization’s ministry. However, the organization’s parent company will retain the original name. Voice of Friendship creates about 400 hours of programming each day in over 150 languages, available to about two-thirds of the world. Program content includes Bible teaching, music, pastoral training, family health, call-in talk shows and counselling. – EPNS
Neubergthal (Man.) Street Village was recognized as a historic site by the Canadian government in a plaque unveiling ceremony on July 1. About 7,000 Mennonite immigrants arrived in Canada 1874-1880 and went on to settle two portions of land – the East and West Reserves – in the newly created province of Manitoba. The East Reserve was established in a block of eight townships 35 miles southeast of Winnipeg in 1874, but that wooded land proved to be not very suitable for agriculture. Within a year, a large portion of the settlers relocated to a block of 17 townships, the West Reserve, west of the Red River. The street village formation, developed over centuries of Mennonite life in Russia and Europe, became the pattern here. The names the Mennonites used for their villages were taken from their colonies in Russia. – Parks Canada
Bill Bright, founder and president of Campus Crusade for Christ, is retiring Aug. 1, 2001. Steve Douglass, currently executive vice-president and director of US Ministries for Campus Crusade, will succeed Bright. Bright will continue to serve as chair of the ministry’s board of directors. He plans to devote his time to promoting worldwide fasting and prayer for spiritual revival and the fulfillment of the Great Commission, as well as writing curriculum and producing training videos for Campus Crusade’s International Leadership University. Douglass, 55, has worked with Campus Crusade for 30 years and has served on the board of directors since 1987. He is a frequent evangelistic speaker, a Bible teacher and the author of several books, including Managing Yourself and Enjoying Your Walk With God. In 1951 Bill and Vonette Bright founded Campus Crusade, which currently has over 22,000 full-time staff, 489,000 trained volunteers and 60 ministries (including the Jesus film project) dedicated to world evangelism in 196 countries. – EPNS
Glen McLean, first president and chancellor of Full Gospel Bible Institute in Eston, Sask. died Aug. 18. McLean was born in 1917 in Yellow Grass, Sask. At 17, he began his preaching ministry in schoolhouses and homes in southeast Saskatchewan. He pastored Eston Full Gospel Church for 33 years, and was a founding member of Full Gospel Bible Institute. An author and teacher of science and Bible seminars, he also served a term as moderator of the Apostolic Church of Pentecost, International. In 1978, Canadian Christian College in Toronto bestowed on him an honourary degree in recognition of his study of the correlation between the Scriptures, archaeology and nature. McLean is survived by his wife, Hazel, and three children.
Mother and Child Centre, a crisis pregnancy centre in Fredericton, N.B., has begun operations in a facility right beside an abortion clinic. The crisis pregnancy centre, opened by Peter Ryan, who was the head of pro-life for Vancouver’s Roman Catholic Archbishop Exner for seven years, provides crisis pregnancy and post-abortion counselling and educational resources. Ryan’s vision is that the centre will someday house a full-scale education centre, top-notch crisis pregnancy resources (including connections to accommodations) and the office of a pro-life doctor. Ryan says the aim of the crisis pregnancy centre is “to be welcoming, not judgemental”. Recently, the abortion clinic next door changed its name from the “Morgentaler Clinic” to “Fredericton Women’s Health Centre”. – The Report
Canada’s police-reported crime rate decreased for the sixth year in a row in 1997, falling 5%. In 1998 about 12% of the crimes committed were violent. Property crimes accounted for about 58% of all crimes. In 1996, 94% of federal inmates completed their parole without committing a new offence. Canada’s homicide rate has declined since capital punishment was abolished in 1976. In 1996 the homicide rate reached its lowest level in 29 years. According to a 1997 Angus Reid survey, 85% of Canadians support alternative penalties for nonviolent crime. – Correctional Service Canada, In Touch
Circles of Support and Accountability is a program to help sex offenders return to communities after completing their sentence. Supported by Correctional Services Canada and administered by Mennonite Central Committee, Circles of Support are groups of trained volunteers who meet regularly with released sex offenders, assisting them in reintegrating into communities and holding them accountable to behave responsibly. The program is designed for sex offenders who have completed their sentence and have little or no support upon reentry. Their participation is voluntary. Members of a circle covenant together, committing to regular attendance, participation and joint decision-making. The core member commits to accept the circle’s involvement in his/her life, to relate to the group openly regarding specific treatment issues and to end the pattern of sexual abuse. Circles of Support and Accountability may be contacted at 001-583 Ellice Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3B 1Z7; phone (204) 788-4262; fax (204) 775-1670 or e-mail circwpg@pangea.ca. – Circles of Support and Accountability
New Direction For Life Ministries of Toronto and Focus on the Family Canada are presenting a conference entitled “Loving God’s Way: Showing Jesus’ love to men and women who experience same-sex attraction”. The conference will be held Oct. 20-21, 2000 at Spring Garden Baptist Church in Toronto. It is designed to equip Christians to minister compassionately to men and women who experience same-sex attraction. Keynote speaker will be John Paulk, homosexuality and gender analyst with Focus on the Family USA. Further information is available from New Directions For Life Ministries, Toronto, phone (416) 921-6557; e-mail conference@newdirection.ca; Web site www.newdirection.ca/conference.htm. – New Direction For Life Ministries Canada
Sub-Saharan Africa continues by far to have the worst problem with AIDS. About 34 million people carry HIV, the virus that causes the disease. – World Pulse
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Last modified October 20, 2000.
© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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