Christian News Bulletin

CHRISTIAN PILOTS FIGHT EBOLA Mission Network News reports that Mission Aviation Fellowship is responding to an Ebola outbreak in partnership with medical organizations. The new Ebola outbreak in Western Democratic Republic of the Congo has 31 confirmed cases. Nine infected people have died so far. Garth Pederson, from MAF, says that before each flight, the pilots pray for the people they are flying and for God’s protection. A CHRISTIAN SOCIAL NETWORK According to Christian Newswire, a Christian alternative to Facebook is ready to overcome media bias against the Church. With USA.Life, people and churches will be able to share photos, Gospel content, news, videos and messages and connect with people who are important to them. Founder Steven Andrew says that he hopes this social network will replace Facebook and Twitter in popularity and become ‘the premiere social network.’ Unlike Facebook, he says USA.Life will not collect and sell personal information. MORE THAN JUST COFFEE A new initiative in a Sydney café is creating education and career pathways – one coffee at a time. Launched in partnership between Suncorp, Wesley Mission and the Darcy Street Project, the Suncorp Community Café is a training ground for people who have encountered barriers to education or employment.

CHURCHGOERS ARE VALUABLE VOLUNTEERS Eternity News reports that Australians who attend church are more likely to donate their time and money to the community, contributing almost half a billion dollars to the economy, according to research released recently in Canberra by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. WOMAN SAVES PASTOR FROM MOB A woman in Bangladesh saved a pastor from an angry crowd of Muslims and Hindus who were accusing him of converting people to his church, by testifying how she has been transformed by Jesus Christ. Bruce Allen of Forgotten Missionaries International told Mission Network News that the woman, who wasn't named, stepped up to the crowd at the village near the Indian border and said that she invited the pastor, named Paul, to speak with her. ‘PALAU THE MOVIE’ The Christian Post reports that "Palau the Movie" is gearing up for an October release and the autobiographical film will journey through evangelist Luis Palau's life. Shot in Argentina, "Palau the Movie" will tell the evangelist's full story. The movie will begin with a young Palau who loses his father and then has to help out his poor family. He would eventually be inspired into ministry by the late Billy Graham. The film also shows some of the trials he faced as a young street preacher.

GOSPEL CHOIR AT ROYAL WEDDING Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen one of Britain's leading Gospel Choirs to sing at their wedding on 19th May. The Kingdom Choir is drawn from various Christian traditions in the South East area of England. They say they are dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share. The choir has been performing both nationally and internationally for more than 20 years. ISRAEL’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY According to CBN News, Israel has opened its 70th anniversary festivities with song, dance and fireworks. The festivities celebrated technological progress and survival through seven decades of its modern history. And they told the story of the Jewish people from Moses to the early pioneers, through the Holocaust to a land of modern technology. ‘FOR THE LOVE OF GOD’ Faith News reports that the documentary film ‘For The Love Of God’ premiered in Sydney on 7th May and will now screen in cinemas around Australia. The film confronts the worst of what Christians have served up over the centuries … crusades, inquisitions, the oppression of women, complicity in colonialism, hoarding wealth and supporting slavery … while also tracing the origins of Western values like human rights, charity, humility, and non‐violence. The film’s presenters on-screen are Dr John Dickson and journalists Justine Toh and Simon Smart.

CHRISTIANS KILLED IN MYANMAR At least 10 Christian civilians have been killed and thousands need urgent medical attention in Myanmar's Kachin State as the fighting between ethnic rebel groups and government troops in a conflict area rages on, according to reports. The ethnic Kachin civilians were killed in Mansi Township in southern Kachin and in Tanai Township as they sought to flee areas where the fighting is going on, according to Frontier Myanmar. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE? Eternity Magazine reports that a Uniting Church committee has recommended that the church adopt same-sex marriage. If accepted, the Uniting Church will become the first major Christian denomination in Australia to accept same-sex marriage. WILL SMITH ON INSTAGRAM According to The Christian Post, two-time Academy Award nominee Will Smith has become an Instagram sensation since joining the social media platform just four months ago. He has already amassed more than 15 million followers and in his most recent post he used his platform to share a message about God.

VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA The Melbourne Herald-Sun reports that ‘gun-toting semi-nomadic herdsmen have killed 16 people, including two priests, in an attack on a church congregation in a central state of Nigeria.  Hundreds have died this year in conflicts between herders and farmers. Herdsmen are mainly Muslims while farmers are mostly Christian. Both sides have carried out attacks.’ BARBARA BUSH SPOKE ABOUT JESUS A report in The Christian Post states that Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, revealed that his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, talked to him about Jesus Christ in their last meeting before she died. Speaking at his mother's funeral at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, Bush said that in their last visit together, they talked about their Christian faith. "Jeb, I believe in Jesus and he is my saviour," she told him when he asked her about her feelings on death, according to CNN. "I don't want to leave your dad but I know I'll be in a beautiful place." WILL GRAHAM IN AUSTRALIA Will Graham, the grandson of Billy Graham is coming to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia next month. Australian singer Steve Grace is partnering with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for an event called Goldfields Celebration scheduled for May 18th to 20th.

MESSAGE OF FORGIVENESS Mission Newwork News reports that Set Free Ministries has held a JESUS Film screening for 90 prisoners in South Sudan. The ministry is working with the Partners in Compassionate Care organisation to bring a message of forgiveness, which, for many prisoners, is the opposite of their culture. After the film screening, 85 of the inmates indicated they wanted to follow Christ. The missionaries distributed audio Bibles to those who responded to the Gospel and started group Bible studies. BOXING STAR REACHES OUT According to CBN News, Manny Pacquiao, the Christian Filipino boxer has posted a music video Because He Lives (Amen) to his Facebook page. Along with the video, produced by the West Coast Baptist College, he wrote, ‘Because He lives, you can have the promise of eternal life. Please enjoy this and share it with others.’ Manny Pacquiao, is heading back to the ring in July to challenge welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse. CHAPLAINS AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES Commonwealth Games athletes were supported by chaplains from around the world at the event held recently on Australia’s Gold Coast. Athletes at the 21st Games were supported by ten international chaplains who were available to people of all faiths and no faith. A chaplaincy spokesman told Christian Today that “athletes are under a lot of pressure. There are issues of fatigue and some suffer with anxiety and disappointment.” The chaplains’ primary role was to be available on a pastoral level to anyone who wanted help.

CHINESE CHRISTIANS ARRESTED According to New Life, Christians in China’s southern Yunnan province are under attack, facing long prison sentences. Chinese authorities are trying to eradicate their religion under the guise of cracking down on ‘evil cults.’ China Aid reports that officials have arrested more than 200 Christians across the province. MISSIONARIES FOR NORTH KOREA A 69-year-old Korean-Chinese woman, who lives in China's north-eastern border region, is preparing a group of North Korean converts to return to their country to share the Gospel, despite the mysterious deaths of 10 front-line missionaries and pastors along the border. Locally known as "mom," the Christian woman hosts Bible studies and prayers at her apartment in China's Southern Jilin province, and is encouraging her most trusted converts to be missionaries to North Korea, according to The Associated Press. GOOD NEWS FOR SOLDIERS Soldiers in the Australian Army have received a new, waterproof New Testament created by the Bible Society. It is a compact-sized version, and includes the Psalms, prayers, helpful information, articles and contact information for chaplains.

POPE CALLS FOR PEACE Reuters News Agency reports that Pope Francis, in his Easter Sunday address, called for peace in the Holy Land after 15 Palestinians were killed on the Israeli-Gaza border, saying the conflict there “does not spare the defenceless.” The pope made his appeal in his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to tens of thousands of people. He also appealed for an end to the “carnage” in Syria, calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed to enter, and for peace in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. BURIAL AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY Westminster Abbey, the coronation and burial site for British monarchs and other major figures, confirmed that Stephen Hawking's ashes are be interred at its site near the grave of Sir Isaac Newton. Hawking was a self-proclaimed atheist. The Dean Of Westminster, the Very Rev. John Hall, said, "We believe it to be vital that science and religion work together to seek to answer the great questions of the mystery of life and of the universe." “I CAN ONLY IMAGINE” The recently released film I Can Only Imagine shocked critics on a recent US weekend at the box office by bringing in $17.1 million even though it was only shown at 1,629 locations. The film is based on the true story of the life of Bart Millard, the frontman of Christian band MercyMe. The film tells the story of how Millard came to write the song “I Can Only Imagine,” which performed well on both Christian and mainstream music charts.

CHRISTIANS IN ISRAEL According to Breakingisraelnews.com Christians in Israel began Holy Week leading up to Easter with traditional Palm Sunday processions and Church services in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem and other Christian communities. NO EASTER ACCESS FOR GAZA’S CHRISTIANS Aljazeera has reported that in the days immediately preceding Good Friday, Israel had not issued permits for Gaza Palestinian Christians to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said church authorities had applied for around 600 permits for Gaza Palestinian worshipers to travel, but had not received any. AN EASTER MESSAGE? Writing in Eternity News, John Sandeman states: “The Easter handout from my local council, the Inner West Council, nestled against the CBD of Sydney, starts out so well. ‘Happy Easter! There’s more to Easter than bunnies & chocolate!’ It might have been a church handout, he says. But, turning the pamphlet over, he reads: ‘Easter is about FASHION, EAT(ing), ART & DESIGN, FOOD, DRINK and ENTERTAINMENT.’ Sandeman goes on to comment that “perhaps church might be included in the ENTERTAINMENT section which suggests a visit to a live music venue. But ART & DESIGN does not include any church building in the district – some with striking artworks. So Easter, as far as the local council is concerned, is Jesus free.” “Luckily,” says Sandeman, “the local churches have been leafleting too. With the message of the first Easter.”

AWAKENING AUSTRALIAAn event called ‘Awakening Australia’ will be held in Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium later this year. Scheduled for November 16 to 18, the meetings will feature Ben Fitzgerald, a pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California. Bethel’s pastor Bill Johnson will also participate in the gathering. EASTER HOLYTEXTThe Bible Society in Australia has created a free service by which people can experience the Easter story via SMS & Facebook Messenger. Using a system titled ‘Easter Holytext’, subscribers will hear directly from five key people in Jesus’ inner circle, each day, for nine days in the lead up to Easter. BIBLE STATISTICSEternity Magazine reports that 5.4 billion of the 7.6 billion people on earth have the whole Bible in their language, with 631 million more having the New Testament plus 406 million with portions of Scripture (which normally mean the gospels at least). That leaves a gap of 209 million people with none. The challenging statistic is that those 209 million people speak 3773 languages.