Christian News Bulletin

SUNRISE FROM SPACE
A NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station said earlier this month that sunrises from space remind him of a Bible verse from Psalms. Christianheadlines.com  reports that Victor Glover, one of seven men and women on the space station’s Expedition 64 crew, posted two pictures on Instagram of the sun beaming just above the earth’s horizon.

“Took these photos today, I love sunrises and sunsets,” Glover wrote on Instagram and Twitter. “Can you see the bands of colour? They remind me of the scripture in Psalm 30, ‘weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ It seems darkest just before sunrise. I wish you all love and light. Goodnight from the Space Station”

BIBLE STUDY PODCAST
A bible study podcast run by the Catholic group Ascension Presents called The Bible in a Year is the most popular podcast for Apple users, beating out news shows and other mainstream sources according to Christianheadlines.com The podcast is hosted by Friar Mike Schmitz, a Catholic priest who is in charge of young adult ministry at his local parish. The podcast consists of Friar Schmitz reading Scripture and then providing his own supplementary theological and historical context teachings. The podcast is 25 minutes long.

HOPE IN LOCKDOWN
Assist News reports that Christians across the UK whose prayers have been answered are being encouraged to tell their stories online to make hope visible during lockdown. The Answered Prayer Challenge aims to flood social media with stories of hope and faith in Christ during lockdown.

CHRISTIAN PUBLIC LIBRARY IN VIETNAM
Eternity News reports that the first Christian public library has opened in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s biggest city, after a six-month approval process last year by several agencies of Vietnam’s Communist Government. “We hope it will be a symbol of Christian unity and Christian learning in Vietnam,” said Vu Le, executive director of Bible Society Vietnam, which established the library with local Protestant businesspeople.

COVID VACCINES
Some high-profile Christian leaders in the USA have begun to speak out about the coronavirus and are encouraging the faithful to get vaccinated. Dallas megachurch pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress told CBN News he got his first Moderna shot recently. He said the vaccines are a gift from God.  "We shouldn't be surprised that God uses science many times to accomplish his purpose," he said, adding that many of our most renowned scientists from the past were also devout Christians. 

TWEET FROM MR. T
Actor and wrestler Mr. T took to Twitter to remind his fans that there's two viruses right now, Coronavirus and hate. And he told his fans there's an antidote for both. According to Christianheadlines.com in his tweet Mr. T stated, "We are fighting two contagious deadly virus[es]! One is COVID-19 and the other is Hate! We got vaccinations for COVID and the Love of God for all the haters! The vaccine works when it’s injected into our arm! The Love of God works when you invite Him into your Heart!”

COVID-19 VACCINE
In an interview broadcast last week on the Italian television station Canale 5, Pope Francis stated that “everyone” must take the COVID-19 vaccine.  According to LifeSiteNews, he said “I believe that, ethically, everyone should take the vaccine.” The Pope added that he would be taking the vaccine himself and that the Vatican will administer it to its citizens soon, remarking that “it must be done.” 

VACCINATIONS IN A CATHEDRAL
People in the Lichfield area in the UK may now go to their local cathedral to get a Covid-19 jab. On the 15th January, Lichfield Cathedral began hosting a vaccine clinic. When the Phizer vaccine was approved, the Dean of Lichfield, Very Rev Adrian Dorber, wrote to local medical practices to offer the cathedral as space for vaccinations. He said: " We want to offer this cathedral nave as a big space that can safely and securely house local vaccination programmes and enable speedy delivery to those most at risk."

GOSPEL ACTION IN IRAN
Mission Network News reports that Gospel workers in Iran started noticing a trend after COVID-19 hit the country: people reported coming to Christ in 10 times the numbers they had before the pandemic. A television show, called Flourish, reaches out to Iranian women who live in an increasingly post-Islamic context. JoAnn Doyle of Uncharted Ministries says, “Most of the women are post-Islamic. They’re in this country that just is so oppressive, especially to women. But the general population is just rejecting Islam.” The rejection of Islam has led many Iranians to Christ, though atheism and other religions have grown as well. Doyle says, “These women are very open. They’re looking. Those that are coming to faith in Christ, the majority of them are women. Women are leading the way, not only in salvation but also in discipleship and leadership.”

SCOTTISH CHURCHES TO CLOSE
Premier Christian News reports that last week First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that all places of worship in Scotland will be banned from hosting physical gatherings for the whole of January as part of a national lockdown. The only in-person services allowed are weddings, limited to five people, and funerals where just 20 will be allowed. Ms Sturgeon announced the changes in a statement at the Scottish Parliament.

RECOVERY FROM COVID-19
According to The Christian Post, the testimony of a pastor from Northern Ireland who miraculously recovered from COVID-19 will be adapted into a feature film for Netflix. A video of Pastor Lee McClelland from Ark Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland, went viral after he fell ill from COVID-19 in March last year. In the video, the pastor describes being in the hospital with the virus where he began to lose hope as his condition deteriorated. However, a hospital cleaner who was also a missionary began to minister to him from afar and he recovered. 

CHURCH PLANTING
The Melbourne Anglican reports that church planting will continue to be a major focus in 2021 for the Diocese of Melbourne despite the COVID pandemic, with a focus on both developing new churches and revitalising existing ones. Bishop Kate Prowd, who manages the church planting portfolio, says that the diocese considered the portfolio to be “the number one ticket item”.

MEDICINE AND THE GOSPEL
Baptist Press reports that mobile medical clinics are seeing people in Thailand come to faith in Christ. Dr Doug Derbyshire and his wife Cheryl moved to Thailand as missionaries in 1992. He says that taking care of physical needs and then moving on to address spiritual needs is almost an automatic transition. Medicine is a remarkable bridge for the bringing of the Gospel. The medicos share the Gospel with every patient they treat. Dr Derbyshire says they are seeing people ‘one after another’ come to faith, and churches are being established.

“COURAGE  FOR LIFE BIBLE”
The first audio Bible voiced entirely by women has been released. According to Premier News, the project was developed by the organisation Courage For Life, led by Bible teacher Ann White. The Courage For Life Bible was recorded by a group of 12 women, reading from the New Living Translation. Ms White says she had the idea for the project while working in prisons and teaching inmates about the Bible.

LIGHT THAT BRINGS HOPE
Eternity News highlighted the fact that Queen Elisabeth II focused attention on “light that brings hope” in her 2020 Christmas address, saying the teachings of Christ are her personal “inner light”. “Every year we herald the coming of Christmas by turning on the lights. And light does more than create a festive mood — light brings hope,” Her Majesty said. “For Christians, Jesus is ‘the light of the world’.

1000 HEALTHY CHURCHES BY 2050
According to Eternity News, one of Australia’s most ambitious church-planting goals is the Gen1K target of 1,000 new churches, adopted by the Baptist Association of NSW/ ACT. ‘1000 healthy churches by 2050’ means tripling the size of the Baptist footprint. Essentially, this means linking every church into a church planting project. 

SUPPORT FOR THE PERSECUTED
Hungary's leading soccer club Ferencváros (FTC) and the conservative government have agreed to support persecuted Christians worldwide. Under the accord, FTC will provide soccer training in Hungary to the Scholarship Program participants for Christian Young People. The 121-year-old FTC also delivers sports equipment to youth in areas where Christians face persecution. Worthy News reports the Budapest-based club has linked with the prime minister's State Secretariat for the Aid of Persecuted Christians.

BIBLES IN NORTH KOREA
The Christian Post reports that the percentage of North Koreans who are exposed to the Bible is increasing steadily despite extreme persecution, according to a new report that investigates the conditions of religious freedom in the Hermit Kingdom. The annual report found that the number of North Koreans who responded that ‘they have an experience of seeing the Bible’ has increased by 4% each year since 2000.

STAR IN THE SKY
On 21 December, Jupiter and Saturn will come so close together that to the human eye they’ll appear as though they’re overlapping. It is the first time in 800 years that we’ll be able to see this “double planet” effect. It’s known as “the great conjunction” and, according to NASA, happens every 20 years. According to Eternity News, Johannes Kepler, a 17th century German astronomer who created the laws of planetary motion, put forward the theory that a triple conjunction, where planets align three times in close succession, was the cause of the Star of Bethlehem. This year’s conjunction won’t appear multiple times. But its single appearance will look similar to what Kepler imagined the Magi followed in the Christmas night sky.

TINY HOUSE VILLAGE
A US church is to build a tiny house village to provide shelter for homeless women. The project involves the construction of 20 tiny houses and a common building. Christian Headlines reports the tiny house village will be located on property owned by the Baptist church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Church minister Steve Wise says the tiny houses are not designed for cooking and eating. ‘We want mealtimes to be a community time’, he says. ‘God cares about our homeless friends. We think God will do something amazing here’. 

CHRIST IS STILL IN CHRISTMAS
After it was announced that several concerts in Perth’s Forrest Place would replace the Nativity Event, 1,200 letters and emails sent to the City officials had an impact. The Australian Christian Lobby reports it was eventually decided the program will respectfully acknowledge the Christian aspect of Christmas. Churches, community groups and schools have been invited to lodge expressions of interest to contribute items for the five Sunday evening concerts leading up to Christmas. Thanks to the activism of Christians, Christ is being kept in Christmas in Perth.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS
My Christian Daily reports that in times of crisis and social and economic disruption people tend to reflect more deeply on what really matters. That’s the finding of McCrindle Research after conducting several Australian studies throughout this COVID-19 year. Half of Australians say they have thought more about the meaning of life and their own mortality this year. This has seen an increase in spiritual and faith activities. One in four Australians say they have engaged in more spiritual conversations. 28% report they have prayed more. The insights of church leaders and an accompanying national survey of 1,000 Australian churchgoers have been compiled into the Future of the Church in Australia Report.

RESPITE FROM PERSECUTION
Christian Headlines reports that Christians in India have received a respite from Hindu persecution after the high court ruled in their favour. The court ruled that Christians whose houses were bulldozed for refusing to convert to Hinduism would be allowed to rebuild without further persecution for their beliefs. 

“CLEAN ENTERTAINMENT”
According to Christianity Today, Sony Pictures plans to acquire streaming service Pure Flix. Pure Flix is one of a half-dozen streaming platforms targeting Christian viewers, and the hundreds of thousands of subscribers committed to ‘clean entertainment’ and ‘feelgood movies.’ Pure Flix will be fully owned by Sony subsidiary Affirm Entertainment pending regulatory approval.

IRAN’S UNDERGROUND CHURCH
Christian Newswire reports that the underground Church in Iran is growing rapidly. Iran's ‘underground’ house church movement is being fuelled by explosive social media use and satellite television, according to new findings. Middle East satellite broadcaster SAT-7 reveals thousands of Iranians regularly tune into Christian programs that air 24/7 in Farsi, the language spoken by most Iranians. SAT-7’s social media channels report an increase in online traffic by Iranians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

IMMANUELS CHILD
According to One News Now, the Slavic Gospel Association, which partners with churches that celebrate Christmas on 25 December and 7 January, has plans to distribute 50,000 Children’s Bibles to Russian children this Christmas. The Immanuel’s Child Christmas program provides churches with an evangelistic opportunity. In previous years, whole families have come to faith in Christ during the events.

BIBLES FOR BRAZIL
Backed by a sizable matching grant, World Missionary Press is ramping up a new program to send Gospel materials to Brazil. Helen Williams from World Missionary Press says that recently a donor approached them and offered a matching grant of up to $110,000. After careful thought they decided to use the funds for one project and send materials to Brazil.

CENSORSHIP IN CHINA
The Christian Post reports that internet censorship targeting Christians in China has become so severe that even official government-sanctioned Christian groups are now using the Chinese pinyin initials “JD” to replace Chinese characters for “Christ,” according to U.S.-based China Aid. In one official WeChat store, not only ‘Christ’ becomes ‘JD,’ ‘Jesus’ also becomes ‘YS,’ and ‘Bible’ becomes SJ’.

TITHE-THE-TITHE
Alfred Street Baptist Church, a predominantly Black church in Alexandria, Virginia, has donated more than $1,000,000 to various organizations to help those affected by the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. According to Christian Headlines, the money came from excess tithes that the church didn't need to run. It was part of an initiative called "Tithe-The-Tithe."

FESTIVAL HALL SOLD
Melbourne’s iconic Festival Hall has been purchased by Hillsong Church. Reports in various media suggest that the property was sold for more than $23 million.