Christians Attacked, Children Beaten for Distributing Bible Tracts - VOM Sources
On April 2, pastors and members of the Manna Ministry in Krishnapuram, Andhra Pradesh, were beaten by a group of 20 Hindu extremists. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts, "Believers were returning from an evangelistic outreach when their car was stopped by the attackers. One of the ministry's leaders, Pastor Gopal, sustained serious injuries. The militants also tore up the Christians' evangelistic tracts." Ask God to heal Pastor Gopal. Meanwhile, on March 17, school children from Toopran School in Telungana Village, Andhra Pradesh, were threatened and beaten by Hindu extremists while they were distributing Bible tracts in the school compound. VOM contacts report, "A group of Hindu extremists stopped the school children from further distribution of tracts. The extremists beat the children and threatened them." Pray believers in Telungana Village will be encouraged and protected. Pray that Indian Christians will continue to share the gospel with boldness despite increased persecution. Ask God to use their testimonies to draw nonbelievers into fellowship with Him. Acts 4:29-31
Christians Attacked in Andhra Pradesh, India [Christians Unite]
by Staff
April 15, 2008
(christiansunite.com) - Church pastors and members of the Manna Ministry in Krishnapuram, Andhra Pradesh were beaten by a group of 20 Hindu militants on April 2, according to a report from Global Council of Indian Christians on April 8.
The Christians were returning from an evangelistic outreach when their car was stopped by the attackers. One of the ministry's leaders, Pastor Gopal, sustained se rious injuries. The militants also tore up the Christians' evangelistic tracts.
Ask God to heal Pastor Gopal. Pray that Indian Christians will continue to share the gospel with boldness despite their suffering (Acts 4:29-31).
An inconvenient truth in Chennai [The Hindu – Saturday April 18]
Child rag-pickers are robbed of their future in the City’s highly polluted garbage dumps
Children rummage through garbage from dawn to dusk to salvage metal and plastic that will buy them their daily meal.
CHENNAI: For as long as she can remember, little Kannagi has been living among the mountainous heaps of garbage in the Perungudi garbage dump.
Kannagi, who looks seven or eight, cannot count but she knows that the more metal pieces and plastic containers she collects, the more pleased her mother will be. Every day she trudges on hills of garbage, sifting through the waste for material that can be resold.
About 1,500 tonnes of the 3,500 tonnes of garbage generated by Chennai ends up in the Perungudi dump every day. The rest goes to the Kodungaiyur dump yard in north Chennai.
Two weeks ago, the Madras High Court directed the Chennai Corporation to float tenders for an integrated waste management facility in Perungudi. The court also said that all encroachments on the Pallikaranai marsh should be removed.
Even with an integrated waste management facility, life is not likely to change much for children like Kannagi who work as rag-pickers in the dump. At least 30 children can be found among the garbage everyday as they salvage materials for resale.
Most of the children have never been inside a school. The only school bags that they have held are the broken ones they pick up from the trash. A day's labour fetches each of the little rag-pickers Rs. 10-Rs. 20.
The price they pay is much more. Guna, a teenager working in the dump, has a persistent cough due to the exposure to fumes from burning garbage. Another boy has a wound on his leg that has not healed because he has to wade through waste. Used bandages, syringes and old batteries dot the waste heaps.
While children should not be allowed to work, adult ragpickers can be provided with support, says G. Dattatri, a former urban planner with the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. At present, rag-pickers play an informal but significant role in waste management. The Corporation can protect the health of adults by providing masks and gloves, he said.
The city is eight years behind in complying with the Municipal Solid Waste Rules of 2000, which stipulate segregation and processing of waste. Garbage dumping in the Perungudi - Pallikaranai marshland has also harmed the ecology of the wetland and burning of wastes has polluted the air.
Exnora Founder M.B. Nirmal called for decentralised solutions to manage waste. "Rather than end-of-the-pipe solutions, source segregation of garbage must be encouraged to reduce the load on the garbage dumps," he said.
Corporation officials said the source segregation concept has been introduced in 10 of the 155 wards in the city. The drive would be extended in phases to the rest of the city in two years.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Mission Encounters
We would like to recommend mission endeavors in India. If you have personally worked with any mission services in India, I want to hear from you. I would like to add your story to this page.
Currently the gate is working with two Non-government organizations (NGO).
Every Nation Ministries
Serviced out of Brentwood,Tennessee, we are supporting a couple in Mumbia.
They are working with college and career ages to bring the gospel to men and women who will be influential leaders in this nation. (www.everynation.org)
Harvest Now Inc
Serviced out of Humble,Texas, we are supporting the children's homes which are located mainly in the northern states. We highly recommend you look into the full scope of this mission. (www.harvestnowinc.org)
Currently the gate is working with two Non-government organizations (NGO).
Every Nation Ministries
Serviced out of Brentwood,Tennessee, we are supporting a couple in Mumbia.
They are working with college and career ages to bring the gospel to men and women who will be influential leaders in this nation. (www.everynation.org)
Harvest Now Inc
Serviced out of Humble,Texas, we are supporting the children's homes which are located mainly in the northern states. We highly recommend you look into the full scope of this mission. (www.harvestnowinc.org)
Friday, February 1, 2008
February 2008
2.1.2008
Two Christians Abducted and Beaten by Militants
Two men, Vijaya Kumar Maurya and Keera Lal, were abducted and beaten by Hindu militants in Madhya Pradesh state on January 17, according to a January 22 report from Compass Direct.
At approximately 8:00 a.m., six armed men stormed a house church meeting in the village of Pathigaon and accused the believers present of forcibly converting Hindus. The militants demanded that Maurya and Lal accompany them to the police station. When other believers requested that they go along to the station, the militants beat Maurya and Lal and kidnapped them.
Both men were taken to a jungle, where they were beaten again. They were then taken to a nearby temple. The militants planned to sacrifice the two to the temple god, but decided not to do so after the police informed them that a complaint had been filed against them.
The militants forced Maurya and Lal to call the police and say that they had not been kidnapped and also forced them to sign a paper making the same claim. At approximately 8:00 p.m., both believers were released.
Two Christians Abducted and Beaten by Militants
Two men, Vijaya Kumar Maurya and Keera Lal, were abducted and beaten by Hindu militants in Madhya Pradesh state on January 17, according to a January 22 report from Compass Direct.
At approximately 8:00 a.m., six armed men stormed a house church meeting in the village of Pathigaon and accused the believers present of forcibly converting Hindus. The militants demanded that Maurya and Lal accompany them to the police station. When other believers requested that they go along to the station, the militants beat Maurya and Lal and kidnapped them.
Both men were taken to a jungle, where they were beaten again. They were then taken to a nearby temple. The militants planned to sacrifice the two to the temple god, but decided not to do so after the police informed them that a complaint had been filed against them.
The militants forced Maurya and Lal to call the police and say that they had not been kidnapped and also forced them to sign a paper making the same claim. At approximately 8:00 p.m., both believers were released.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Concern for the People
1.28.08 Times of India
NASIK: Two debt-ridden farmers have allegedly committed suicide in this North Maharashtra district, police said on Monday.
Prakash Dhulaji Barge (34), a resident of Dahiwadi in Sinnar taluka, set himself ablaze on Republic Day and succumbed to burns in the civic hospital in Nasik on Sunday, they said.
Barge had taken loan from a local cooperative credit society and but was struggling to repay the debt, police said.
In the second incident, Gangaram Bhoye (50), a resident of Bhormal village in tribal-dominated Surgana tehsil, died yesterday after consuming poison, they said.
Bhoye, a former sarpanch of Bhormal, had taken a bank loan of Rs 4.5 lakh to purchase tractor and farm equipment three years back. Since then, he was finding it difficult to repay the loan and faulted installments regularly, the police added.
1.27.08 Times of India
KOLKATA: Despite culling of birds being taken up in a war footing birdflu has spread to West Midnapore, taking the total number of districts in West Bengal affected by the disease to 13. Birdflu also spread to South 24 Parganas district.
The total number of avian influenza-affected districts in the state has gone upto 13 out of the 19 districts.
Some 15.75 lakh poultry have been culled so far out of the target of 22 lakh, West Bengal Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rehman said here on Sunday.
"Of the targeted 22 lakh we have been able to cull nearly 15.75 lakh hens and cocks and 1.25 lakh have died. The rest of the lot will be completed by tomorrow," Rehman told a press conference here with Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta.
"Four districts - South Dinajpur, Nadia, Burdwan and Bankura have completed their culling operations."
In the remaining districts culling will be completed soon, Rehman said.
The state government has sent 816 more samples for testing and results will come by Monday.
"If there are any positive samples then we will have to increase the surveillance in the area. So at present we cannot say that the thing is over but the situation is definitely under control," he added.
NASIK: Two debt-ridden farmers have allegedly committed suicide in this North Maharashtra district, police said on Monday.
Prakash Dhulaji Barge (34), a resident of Dahiwadi in Sinnar taluka, set himself ablaze on Republic Day and succumbed to burns in the civic hospital in Nasik on Sunday, they said.
Barge had taken loan from a local cooperative credit society and but was struggling to repay the debt, police said.
In the second incident, Gangaram Bhoye (50), a resident of Bhormal village in tribal-dominated Surgana tehsil, died yesterday after consuming poison, they said.
Bhoye, a former sarpanch of Bhormal, had taken a bank loan of Rs 4.5 lakh to purchase tractor and farm equipment three years back. Since then, he was finding it difficult to repay the loan and faulted installments regularly, the police added.
1.27.08 Times of India
KOLKATA: Despite culling of birds being taken up in a war footing birdflu has spread to West Midnapore, taking the total number of districts in West Bengal affected by the disease to 13. Birdflu also spread to South 24 Parganas district.
The total number of avian influenza-affected districts in the state has gone upto 13 out of the 19 districts.
Some 15.75 lakh poultry have been culled so far out of the target of 22 lakh, West Bengal Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rehman said here on Sunday.
"Of the targeted 22 lakh we have been able to cull nearly 15.75 lakh hens and cocks and 1.25 lakh have died. The rest of the lot will be completed by tomorrow," Rehman told a press conference here with Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta.
"Four districts - South Dinajpur, Nadia, Burdwan and Bankura have completed their culling operations."
In the remaining districts culling will be completed soon, Rehman said.
The state government has sent 816 more samples for testing and results will come by Monday.
"If there are any positive samples then we will have to increase the surveillance in the area. So at present we cannot say that the thing is over but the situation is definitely under control," he added.
January 2008 India
Hindu Extremists Injure Nearly 100 Compass Direct News
On January 16, more than 80 people were injured in an attack on a large Christian meeting in Chhattisgarh state. According to Compass Direct News, the attack was followed by an assault on a missionary camp in Dhamtari district that hurt at least a dozen Christians. "The Hindu attacks come within weeks of unprecedented anti-Christian violence in neighboring Orissa state. In Chhattisgarh's Durg district violence, Christians said it was no coincidence that Hindu nationalist extremists launched the attack as the political arm of the militants, the Bharatiya Janata Party, was holding a public meeting in the area," Compass Direct reported
Christians Killed, Homes and Churches Burned - VOM Sources January 8
Four Christians were killed, many injured and numerous homes and churches destroyed or damaged in Orissa state in violent clashes that began on Christmas Eve. According to The Voice of the Martyrs sources in India, "Hindu extremists used anti-conversion laws to terrorize Christians. More than 18 churches and prayer houses were ransacked and torched in several areas of Kandhamai district in Orissa. Rev. Basant Diggal, reports that he was assaulted and his motorcycle damaged by a group of miscreants in Minia area where vandals went on a rampage causing damage to another church." VOM sources added Hindu extremists in Orissa have been threatening and terrorizing Christians who are marginalized and are in the minority. VOM sources said, "The attacks took place for the sole reason of terrorizing the Christian community and stopping our missionary work. But the church has always grown in persecution and this will happen again in Orissa. The church which grows in love and unity has as its basis a faith marked by suffering and persecution."
Attacks Continue January 22
India (MNN) ― Christians continue to be the focus of attacks in India, and now believers are starting to understand why the attacks are taking place.
Sampson is the Director for Distribution with World Bible Translations Center in India. He says the violence in Orissa is taking its toll. "Nearly 700 houses are destroyed, and thousands of Christians are displaced. They are staying in refugee camps, in dormitories at schools in villages, and in make-shift tents."
Not only have these Christians lost clothing, food, homes and more, they've also lost something even more important. "Many Bibles (have been) burned and destroyed. So many of the new believers don't have Bibles right now. They're missing the Word of God. We need to get Bibles to these village schools. Some are staying in the jungles. So we need to get the Word of God in these places."
On January 16, more than 80 people were injured in an attack on a large Christian meeting in Chhattisgarh state. According to Compass Direct News, the attack was followed by an assault on a missionary camp in Dhamtari district that hurt at least a dozen Christians. "The Hindu attacks come within weeks of unprecedented anti-Christian violence in neighboring Orissa state. In Chhattisgarh's Durg district violence, Christians said it was no coincidence that Hindu nationalist extremists launched the attack as the political arm of the militants, the Bharatiya Janata Party, was holding a public meeting in the area," Compass Direct reported
Christians Killed, Homes and Churches Burned - VOM Sources January 8
Four Christians were killed, many injured and numerous homes and churches destroyed or damaged in Orissa state in violent clashes that began on Christmas Eve. According to The Voice of the Martyrs sources in India, "Hindu extremists used anti-conversion laws to terrorize Christians. More than 18 churches and prayer houses were ransacked and torched in several areas of Kandhamai district in Orissa. Rev. Basant Diggal, reports that he was assaulted and his motorcycle damaged by a group of miscreants in Minia area where vandals went on a rampage causing damage to another church." VOM sources added Hindu extremists in Orissa have been threatening and terrorizing Christians who are marginalized and are in the minority. VOM sources said, "The attacks took place for the sole reason of terrorizing the Christian community and stopping our missionary work. But the church has always grown in persecution and this will happen again in Orissa. The church which grows in love and unity has as its basis a faith marked by suffering and persecution."
Attacks Continue January 22
India (MNN) ― Christians continue to be the focus of attacks in India, and now believers are starting to understand why the attacks are taking place.
Sampson is the Director for Distribution with World Bible Translations Center in India. He says the violence in Orissa is taking its toll. "Nearly 700 houses are destroyed, and thousands of Christians are displaced. They are staying in refugee camps, in dormitories at schools in villages, and in make-shift tents."
Not only have these Christians lost clothing, food, homes and more, they've also lost something even more important. "Many Bibles (have been) burned and destroyed. So many of the new believers don't have Bibles right now. They're missing the Word of God. We need to get Bibles to these village schools. Some are staying in the jungles. So we need to get the Word of God in these places."
Saturday, January 27, 2007
The Parable of Different Harvests
A great man, Lord of an abundant land, left early one morning to visit the different fields in his holdings, to look over the fruitfulness of his harvest. Along with him, he took his various managers who were responsible to observe and know the different seasons and the times of the harvest.
First, they walked through the plains where he had planted wheat, barley and other valuable grains for the benefit of the citizens of his land. They also went through the well tended vineyards bursting with grapes. Finally, they went to the hillsides where they observed all kinds of orchards and olive groves, each one with an abundance of fruit according to its kind.
When they all returned to his mansion, that evening, the Lord called his managers together and asked them about what they had observed, saying, "In which of the fields will there be a harvest?" They began saying one after the other that "The time and conditions of the harvest will be different for each field, but certainly there will be a harvest in each one. Some are grain fields, and they will be harvested soon, others are grapes and we will need to wait longer. Still others are fruit trees and olive groves that will have to wait until the end of the harvest season."
The Lord responded to them and said "Excellent! You have said well that each harvest will come in its own time. Blessed and wise is the person who understands the rhythm of the different harvests and prepares to reap and store the produce so that none of my harvest will be lost."
A while later, the Lord of the harvest fields called his managers and put them in charge, to be responsible in reaping all of the produce of his domain. He gave them instructions to look after each crop according to its nature and take care of the produce until his return. Then he went on a journey to work with the managers of his other holdings.
In his absence, the managers began to consult one with another on the different aspects of the harvest. They observed that clearly the wheat fields were ripe unto harvest. So they went out with their great and powerful harvesting machines. In a short time they had reaped an abundant harvest of wheat, barley and other grains. Therefore, they concluded, the other fields must be just like these were. But when they came to the vineyards they discovered that the harvesting machines that worked so well with the grains didn’t work as they had at first. On entering the vineyard, they damaged the plants and they lost the fruit of the vine, reaping little of the harvest. On seeing the difficulty of harvest in these places and the lack of effectiveness of their machines to reap this harvest they decided to return to their warehouses and concentrate on tuning up the machines and making the wheat storehouses bigger.
When the Lord of the harvest fields returned from his trip, he called his managers to account for the harvest he had left under their care. They began to speak with great joy of the harvest of the grains, of how they had powerful harvesting machines and of the great wheat storehouses they had constructed. But when the Lord asked them about the harvests in the more delicate and difficult crops, they became strangely silent. Noting their silence, the Lord was moved with great sadness saying, "Every part of the harvest is precious to me and useful for my domain." He reproved them for being so zealous for one kind of harvest and for forgetting the importance of reaping each part of the harvest according to its own nature.
Author Unknown
First, they walked through the plains where he had planted wheat, barley and other valuable grains for the benefit of the citizens of his land. They also went through the well tended vineyards bursting with grapes. Finally, they went to the hillsides where they observed all kinds of orchards and olive groves, each one with an abundance of fruit according to its kind.
When they all returned to his mansion, that evening, the Lord called his managers together and asked them about what they had observed, saying, "In which of the fields will there be a harvest?" They began saying one after the other that "The time and conditions of the harvest will be different for each field, but certainly there will be a harvest in each one. Some are grain fields, and they will be harvested soon, others are grapes and we will need to wait longer. Still others are fruit trees and olive groves that will have to wait until the end of the harvest season."The Lord responded to them and said "Excellent! You have said well that each harvest will come in its own time. Blessed and wise is the person who understands the rhythm of the different harvests and prepares to reap and store the produce so that none of my harvest will be lost."
A while later, the Lord of the harvest fields called his managers and put them in charge, to be responsible in reaping all of the produce of his domain. He gave them instructions to look after each crop according to its nature and take care of the produce until his return. Then he went on a journey to work with the managers of his other holdings.
In his absence, the managers began to consult one with another on the different aspects of the harvest. They observed that clearly the wheat fields were ripe unto harvest. So they went out with their great and powerful harvesting machines. In a short time they had reaped an abundant harvest of wheat, barley and other grains. Therefore, they concluded, the other fields must be just like these were. But when they came to the vineyards they discovered that the harvesting machines that worked so well with the grains didn’t work as they had at first. On entering the vineyard, they damaged the plants and they lost the fruit of the vine, reaping little of the harvest. On seeing the difficulty of harvest in these places and the lack of effectiveness of their machines to reap this harvest they decided to return to their warehouses and concentrate on tuning up the machines and making the wheat storehouses bigger.
When the Lord of the harvest fields returned from his trip, he called his managers to account for the harvest he had left under their care. They began to speak with great joy of the harvest of the grains, of how they had powerful harvesting machines and of the great wheat storehouses they had constructed. But when the Lord asked them about the harvests in the more delicate and difficult crops, they became strangely silent. Noting their silence, the Lord was moved with great sadness saying, "Every part of the harvest is precious to me and useful for my domain." He reproved them for being so zealous for one kind of harvest and for forgetting the importance of reaping each part of the harvest according to its own nature.
Good and faithful is the manager that understands and practices the wisdom of the parable of the different harvests.
Author Unknown
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