Church Licencing in Egypt Passes Halfway Mark
Reported by Naomi Milham | vision.org.au
Tuesday, May 4th, 2021
Premier Christian News reports, 82 new registrations were approved in April.
These licences bring the number of churches which have been granted official recognition to 1,882, with 3,730 churches having applied more than four years ago.
The Egyptian Prime Minister has urged the licence-granting authorities to swiftly clear the backlog of unregistered buildings.
It is illegal to worship in an unlicensed church building in Egypt, but before 2017 it was extremely difficult to obtain a licence.
Meanwhile, a 62-year-old Coptic Christian was recently murdered by Islamic State terrorists in Egypt after being abducted last November.
Bibles Being Distributed to Kenyan Schools
Reported by Vision news team | vision.org.au
Saturday, May 1st, 2021
An Australian ministry is calling for support to ensure that school students in the African nation of Kenya are properly resourced for their Christian education.
The Bible Society of Australia says, all primary schools in Kenya teach about Christianity and the life and teachings of Jesus.
But a spokesperson says, 98% of public primary schools in Kenya don’t have a Bible available in the classroom to assist with the lessons.
A team from the Bible Society recently visited the region and discovered a school which only had one Bible for its entire school population of 300 students.
Ministry Helping Children Affected By Chernobyl Disaster
Reported by Vision news team | vision.org.au
Friday, April 30th, 2021
A Christian ministry is reaching out to the hundreds of children still affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, that devastated its region in northern Ukraine 35 years ago.
The Slavic Gospel Association will support local evangelical churches to hold 500 camps this year through the former Soviet Union.
Christian Newswire reports, this includes Camp Pearl in Belarus, which will host 1,000 children who have grown up in the area surrounding Chernobyl’s radiation “exclusion zone.”
Many of them suffer from rare cancers and other serious health issues, and some are not expected to survive another year.
Barnabas Fund Distributes Food to Mozambique
Reported by Vision news team | vision.org.au
Friday, April 30th, 2021
Almost one million people face severe hunger in northern Mozambique.
Barnabus Fund says, Christians are one of the main targets of Islamist militants in the region.
Worthy News reports, there’s been a number of horrific and violent acts carried out against Christians – with beheading, skinning, and cutting off victim’s limbs, the terrorists’ typical methods.
Barnabus Fund says, it is little wonder northern Mozambique is now called ‘the land of fear’.
Some refugees have fled to the bush, while others have taken boats to the regional capital Pemba and set up makeshift shelters on the beach.
Ethiopian Church Stands Its Ground
Wednesday, April 28th, 2021
A church in Ethiopia has resisted persecution from its surrounding community, which tried to drive it out of the region.
The church was forced out of the home that it used for its meetings in eastern Ethiopia, which is estimated to be 98% Muslim.
The man who hosted the church was evicted from his home, and no other landlord would allow him to rent their property, following pressure from locals.
But Christian group Voice of the Martyrs says, support from believers outside of Ethiopia helped the group to purchase land and build a small worship space.