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• India: How Christians Fit Into Her Rich Diversity THE MAGAZINE OF BARNABAS FUND HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH barnabasaid • India: how Christians JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 fi t into her rich diversity • Islam and love: sorting fact from fi ction • Iraqi Christian refugees: building for the future From the director Barnabas, Joseph Project news These are the pages where we keep you informed about how your gifts are and Agabus helping Christians under pressure because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1989 I was asked by the World Evangelical Fellowship and the Lausanne Several reports in this issue are concerned with training of various kinds - for barnabasaid Movement to convene a conference in Cyprus about Christians in Muslim JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 pastors, Christian teachers, and Christian writers. In places where the Christian countries. Leaders came from across the Muslim world. The stories they brought community is generally poor and does not have many resources, short training were heart-rending as they spoke of the diffi culties they faced and which Christians had faced in history, even torture and death. The reality of persecution courses add to the skills and knowledge of committed and hard-working Contents Christians serving the Lord’s people in various ways. The courses usually cost To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments in the Muslim world was little known at that time, for most Christians’ attention names have often been changed or omitted. Thank you was on the plight of Christians in the communist world. The conference delegates very little but the results can be dramatic. What the church leaders in Ethiopia for your understanding. agreed to create two organisations: (1) an institute for research and information to and Sierra Leone have learnt will make them far more effective in strengthening A workshop for Pakistani Christian writers make known the situation of persecuted Christians in the Muslim world (2) a relief the faith of ordinary Christians so that they can withstand the pressures and 3 Project News agency to be called the Barnabas Fund. URDU CHRISTIAN Training a few brings blessing challenges which may face them from other faiths. The Christian teachers in to many The name Barnabas was chosen The Bible tells us also of another famine, Sudan will be more effective in educating the children in their schools, and this LITERATURE AND because the Apostle Barnabas came from many centuries later, when God prepared in WRITERS’ WORKSHOP 6 Country Profi le: Cyprus. He was a good man full of the advance for help to come to His people. will result in a new generation better able to support themselves and develop Holy Spirit and faith (Acts 11:24). It happened while Barnabas and Saul their community as a whole. The Christian writers in Pakistan will be able to A long established Christian Christians in India His gentleness, compassion, courage, (Paul) were spending a year at Antioch publishing house produces Urdu- faith, integrity and generosity are clear teaching the Christians there. Agabus produce materials with greater impact, to encourage and edify more of their language materials used by many Information – a wonderful model to follow. His name came from Jerusalem to the church in fellow-believers. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will remind all who have taken Christian groups in Pakistan. One pull-out means “son of encouragement” and what Antioch and prophesied a famine. of their current projects is to publish Christians in the Muslim world at the time The Christians in Antioch immediately these courses and workshops of what they have learned and help them to put it 1,000 copies of a Bible Concordance Islam, love and a response to the most needed was to be encouraged, to be organised an offering to help the Christians into practice. Pray also for the other projects described here. Thank you for your and 2,000 copies of a Bible Dictionary, Muslim open letter remembered, to be helped. in Judea where the famine would both in Urdu. Barnabas Fund sent Very soon the institute was set up. apparently strike fi rst. The offering was prayers and for your gifts which make these projects possible. a grant of £10,313 (US$21,657; 11 Testimony Meanwhile I contacted various mission sent through Barnabas and Saul who NZ$27,845; A$22,687; €14,438) to and aid agencies requesting that perhaps carried it to Jerusalem. help subsidise the production costs. Peace, joy and persecution in Jordan 1% of their budget be given to assist (Acts 11: 25-30) A further grant of £956 (US$2,000; Christians in the Muslim world, but sadly It is striking that the Antioch Christians NZ$2,580; A$2,103; €1,338) paid for 12 The Other Nine this was not possible. With the appeal took up the offering before the famine a writers’ workshop for 15 Pakistani coming from Christian leaders in the started. Through the faith and generosity Where are they? Can you tell them? Christian writers held over 4 days Muslim world, we found it necessary in of this fl edgling church, aid was sent to the in early October. The aim of the 1993 to bring into being the Barnabas elders of the church in Jerusalem before 14 Newsroom workshop was to encourage the Fund, to be a channel of help and hope. the need had even arisen. production of original and authentic A martyr in Gaza Little did we realise at the time what a Forwarding gifts for Christians affected popular name “Barnabas” was for many by famine is something which the Apostle Pakistani Christian literature, rather 15 In Touch Christian ministries. Nor did we dream Barnabas did in the fi rst century and which than relying on translation of foreign works. Here are some comments When God matches people to projects how the Lord was going to bless the work it is our privilege at Barnabas Fund to Morning devotions started each day of a training course for from the participants: of “Barnabas Fund” and make it grow. continue doing in the twenty-fi rst century. pastors in Sierra Leone 17 Focus Barnabas’ original name was Joseph (See page 5 for one example.) We also • “Being together with other like- (Acts 4:36), a name which recalls the support long-term feeding programmes minded people gives more inspiration, Think big and think long-term: Joseph we read about in Genesis, the in countries such as Iraq, Pakistan and EQUIPPING FOR CHURCH MINISTRY IN ETHIOPIA motivation and incentive to write.” a new project to help Iraqi Christians eleventh son of Jacob. Joseph was the elsewhere, to help Christians who are on • “In the workshop I received a man whom God sent ahead of his father the brink of malnutrition and hunger. AND SIERRA LEONE great pile of blessings.” 18 New Book and brothers (Psalm 105:17), allowing him But feeding is just one of many ways we A grant of £3,575 (US$7,507; overview, as well as studying in detail • “I learnt that we need to write to be sold into slavery in Egypt. By the help needy Christians. € by faith and that in writing we face a “Faith and Power” by NZ$9,653; A$7,865; 5,005) covered key theological concepts such as time famine affl icted the land, Joseph had As we enter a new year, it must be with some of the costs of two training grace, justifi cation, regeneration and spiritual battle.” Patrick Sookhdeo Please pray that those who risen to be in charge of the whole country, hope and confi dence, remembering that the courses, each 5 days long, which sanctifi cation. under Pharaoh, and had organised the God who knew the famines would come is attended the workshop – all of them were held in different locations in Another grant of £7,475 storage of surplus grain to tide Egypt over in control, and has prepared help for His mature Christians – will use what Ethiopia in October. Altogether (US$15,698; NZ$20,183; A$16,445; the famine years and indeed to help those people. But we must also recognise that €10,465) covered similar training for they have learnt to produce powerful 150 church ministers were trained, starving in neighbouring countries. we live in times of increasing instability, pastors in Sierra Leone earlier in the new material in Urdu for theological and each was given eight books to Thus he was able to help his brothers especially for Christians, as we see the year. Both Sierra Leone and Ethiopia training, Bible study, Sunday schools, take home afterwards. The courses Cover: An Indian Bible School when the famine struck Canaan. God had rise of Islamic fundamentalism and anti- face a strong challenge from the women’s groups, children etc. student praying. (Photo: Gary prepared, years ahead of time, a means Christian violence. focused particularly on preaching growing presence of Islam. Reference 41-596 S. Chapman) to help Jacob and his sons when the hard Dr Patrick Sookhdeo skills and also looked at the Bible in Reference 46-679 times came. International Director JAN / FEB 2007 BARNABAS AID 3 Project news Project news and church growth during the each hive, 200kg of sugar and some other terrible war years was enormous. In BEE-KEEPING TO equipment needed. Samir plans that, FEEDBACK ON FAMINE RELIEF both the South and the North it is SUPPORT CHRISTIANS if all goes well, he will repay the sum to important that church-run schools his church leaders after one year, so they are established to give Christian IN CENTRAL ASIA will be able to use it to help others in his youngsters an education in a Christian church, most of whom are converts from environment; otherwise they would AND IRAQ Islam.
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