BEIJING – Barely six months ago, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIFR) identified its current Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). Sixteen of the CPC were ranked as Tier One, those of the most significant concern. Of those, committee member Gary Bauer said,“If we were going to rank the Tier 1 countries, China would…
PORTLAND, OR — In its ongoing effort to reach the younger generation in the United States, the Oregon-based Luis Palau Association announced a new partnership with Groundwire, an evangelistic organization based in Colorado. Building on each organizations core strengths, this partnership is committed to engaging millions of people annually through thought-provoking videos on social media,…
AUSTIN, TX – In January 2018, we introduced our readers to The Refuge Ranch, which was being constructed in Bastrop County, Texas. The purpose of The Refuge was, and is, to “provide long-term, holistic care in a pastoral and peaceful setting for girls, through age 19, who have been rescued out of domestic minor sex…
Welsh councillors in the UK have defended their freedom to conduct prayers before meetings in the face of opposition from those labelling it ‘discriminatory’. Councillor Paul Penlington called on Denbighshire Council in North Wales in the UK, to conduct prayers away from the council chamber, and has received the support of the National Secular Society….
PORTLAND, OR — At the invitation of faith leaders in Nigeria, as well as long-time ministry partner Firm Foundations in Christ Ministries (FFICM), Wendy Palau – wife of international evangelist Andrew Palau and daughter-in-law to Luis Palau – will share hope and encouragement with hundreds of displaced people in an IDP camp just outside Jos,…
BAHAMAS — Samaritan’s Purse made its first airlift of the Emergency Field Hospital to the Bahamas on September 5, at the request of the World Health Organization and the government of the Bahamas. Multiple flights will follow. A team of 16 staff members, including doctors and nurses, was on the flight to help set up…
Greg Laurie, evangelist, pastor, and best selling author, shares his thoughts on the subject of millennials and the Generation Z and their search for truth, God, and love for country. I thought the subject of this article might grab your attention because it is not what we are generally hearing about millennials and Generation Z…
BHUBANESWAR – With 46 million residents, Odisha is the 11th most populous state in India. The eighth-largest Indian state by area, Odisha has a density of more than 760 people per square mile. Odisha also has one of the highest migration rates in the country. Approximately 500,000 people relocate every year, primarily due to escape…
WILLS POINT, TX — With more than 250 million women in Asia unable to read or write, faith-based mission agency Gospel for Asia (GFA) cites literacy as a “miracle cure” to release women from generational poverty. To mark International Literacy Day, Sunday, Sept. 8, the humanitarian organization located in Texas announced it was publishing a…
WILLS POINT, TX – Did you know that India is home to the largest population of children in the world? That’s right. With 448 million children under the age of 18, India alone has 103 million more children more than China. Nearly 25% more.The 2011 government census also reported 10.2 million children between the ages…
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – On August 27, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs released data indicating that “1.9 million Afghan children are engaged in labor work across the country.” The ministry said the child labor problem is unlikely to improve until the country is free of the poverty and economic issues caused by years of…
CHINO, CA – Have you ever wondered what Muslims believe? Have you ever wanted to know how to answer their objections to Christianity? Ministry to Muslims has been active for the last 20 years by training Christians in apologetics and polemics and leading outreaches all over the United States. We would like to offer you…
BAHAMAS — Samaritan’s Purse is airlifting the Emergency Field Hospital to the Bahamas today, September 5, 2019, at the request of the World Health Organization and the government of the Bahamas. A team of 16 staff members, including doctors and nurses, will be on the flight to help set up the mobile hospital. The 40-bed…
KAMPALA, UGANDA – Last September, her world was turned upside down when her husband passed away. The 54-year-old mother of eight children was now a widow with a family to support. Searching for hope, she placed her faith in Jesus Christ when the pastor of a small church shared the Bible with her. Joy returned…
WILLS POINT, TX — Labor Day has been celebrated by Americans on the first Monday in September since 1894. Labor Day has become the unofficial last day of summer. Picnics, hot dogs, parades, and fireworks. Only a few continue to observe the day in recognition of the rights of laborers and to remember those who…
ABUJA, NIGERIA – On August 1, Missions Box News published an article entitled “65 Dead in Boko Haram Attack at Funeral.” In that article, we reported that Leah Sharibu, a Christian teenager who had been abducted in early 2018 along with more than 100 Chibok school children early in 2018, may have been killed by…
BOSTON – Liberty Counsel was in court yesterday presenting oral argument regarding its motion for summary judgement requesting the United States District Court in Boston to rule that Boston resident Hal Shurtleff and his Christian civic organization, Camp Constitution, can fly the Christian flag on Boston’s City Hall flagpoles on the same terms as other…
VENEZUELA – More than four million Venezuelan Refugees have sought refuge in other countries, due to the severe economic crisis at home. Thousands cross the border into Colombia every day, and many of those continue on foot into the interior. They walk alone or with their children, and depend on the kindness of others for…
FOREST, VA — World Help, an international Christian humanitarian aid organization, has activated its crisis response program to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Dorian. Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas this Labor Day weekend as a devastating Category 5 storm. The destruction was unprecedented, and the flooding some of the worst the island nation…
toiletNEW DELHI – The widespread practice of open defecation in the developing countries in Asia and Africa has long been a focus of Missions Box News, numerous FBOs, NGOs, and the United Nations. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030 include bringing the entire world to that status of being Open Defecation Free (ODF)….
Matthew Barnett, co-founder of the Los Angeles Dream Center and senior pastor of Angelus Temple, discusses the ways to end homelessness, that it is not an impossible dream to do so. It’s hard to believe that homelessness still rises to a crisis level in so many places across the U.S. And it pains me to…
LAREDO, TX – The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (RRT) is offering respite for immigrant families alongside Samaritan’s Purse at centers in Del Rio and Laredo, Texas. “They have nothing,” Billy Graham chaplain Barbra Grabowski said, explaining these immigrant families travel anywhere from 10 days to a month to get to this point. Many come…
SEOUL, KOREA — After three intense days with deep discussions and productive sessions, the bi-annual meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) ECHOS Commission came to an end recently. Fourteen young committee members and staff from 20 different countries all over the world had gathered in Seoul, Korea to further strengthen the WCC young…
NEW DELHI – Missions Box has steadfastly supported effective action to protect women from abuses wherever they occur. Mistreatment of women takes many forms across the entire globe but nowhere else is that abuse so apparent as it is in developing countries where women are traditionally held in low regard.The Provisions of NGOs South Asia…
BUCHAREST – Twenty kilometers outside of Bucharest, in the locality of Balotesti, is a place where young ladies find help to rebuild their lives and to live free from drugs. The center for girls “House of Joy” functions under the umbrella of Teen Challenge Romania. The need to provide a home just for girls became…
CHENGDU – Persecution has become a hot topic, especially among Christians, reportedly the most persecuted people in the world. The annual World Watch List ranks countries where persecution of Christians runs high, even beyond imagination. Missions Box News has published more than 50 articles and news stories about the persecution of Christians in 2019 alone….
NEW YORK – August 22, 2019, marked the first International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief sponsored by the United Nations. Missions Box News first became aware of the proposed special day in July 2018 when members of the British parliament were called to consider supporting a proposal…
BOSTON — Liberty Counsel has asked a federal district court to forgo a trial and order the city of Boston to allow its resident Hal Shurtleff and his Christian civic organization, Camp Constitution, to fly the Christian flag on a city flagpole that Boston has opened to hundreds of other organizations. The city censored the religious viewpoint…
NEW YORK – Clean water. America has it in abundance. And we have all the benefits that come along with immediate access to it. But do we understand what those benefits are and what the impact of living with them is? The issue goes far beyond thirst. UNICEF published the first volume of a new…
Rev. Joseph D’Souza, one of the most widely considered as one of the most influential voices of global Christianity discusses how Christians should respond to the crisis in Kashmir, and perspective for all Indian, Pakistani and all Christians to have in this dire situation. Christians around the world ought to pray for Kashmir as tensions…
WASHINGTON — Planned Parenthood has refused to comply with President Trump’s Protect Life Rule and officially withdrew yesterday from the Title X Family Planning Program. This withdrawal follows a letter that Planned Parenthood’s lawyers sent to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last week indicating that it would withdraw barring emergency judicial relief. The Ninth…
ANAHEIM, CA – SoCal Harvest is celebrating its 30th anniversary of holding crusades in Southern California the same way it did after its first crusade in 1990: with thousands of changed lives. The three-night outreach event drew 100,000 people to Angel Stadium, where they enjoyed performances by Grammy Award and Dove Award-winning artists, fireworks, celebrity…
ISTANBUL – A recent report published by the Middle East Forum noted that “There is an atmosphere in Turkey right now that anyone who isn’t Sunni (Muslim) is a threat to the stability of the nation.” The once widely heralded agenda of Kemal Ataturk to establish a democratic, secular republic is now a fading memory….
MANILA – About 50,000 teenagers and young adults attended the Jesus Global Youth Day in the Philippines from August 8th to 10th. The event, attended by young people from more than 30 different countries, had been purposely scheduled to align with the United Nations’ International Youth Day on August 12th. During the seven days before…
KABUL – That is one way to describe Afghanistan: 48,000 mosques; no churches. Our mental picture of Afghanistan is a country torn by Taliban tribal warfare and a haven of ISIS. That vision includes thousands of U.S. troops in-country and many more whose return to “normal life” has been hindered by afflictions that range from…
WILLS POINT, TX — As devastating water scarcity continues to ravage parts of South India, faith-based agency Gospel for Asia (GFA) and its Founder KP Yohannan report that “Jesus Wells” they help support are pumping lifesaving water for thousands of desperate families in the drought-stricken Chennai region. The wells, located in the communities on the…
STOCKHOLM – Experts from around the world will meet in Stockholm during World Water Week from August 25 to 30 to consider the growing concerns regarding water-related issues. Access to clean water, particularly drinking water, has been the basis for numerous Missions Box News stories over the past few years as part of our effort…
SOUTH ASIA — While the Chennai state is plagued by drought, other parts of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh are enduring the annual monsoon season. Many are fleeing their homes and villages for safer ground due to the flooding, as South Asia’s monsoon season is devastating schools, homes and churches, displacing hundreds of thousands of people,…
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimonies this week for an amendment to a bill that would affirm that life begins at conception and prohibit abortion after an unborn child’s heartbeat is detected or with increased levels of the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone. Liberty Counsel Senior Litigation Counsel Richard Mast presented testimony…
EL PASO, TX — The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is offering emotional and spiritual care in the aftermath of the deadly El Paso shooting that killed 22 and injured many more. Their Mobile Ministry Center, which is parked at the memorial site is providing a safe haven for the community. Their manager for emergency…
WILLS POINT, TX — Faith-based agency Gospel for Asia (GFA) announced it is making a stand against the deadly mosquito menace and resulting malaria parasite killing thousands of children in Asia, as the Christian organization marks the annual World Mosquito Day on August 20. To read GFA’s special report entitled “Fighting Malaria—a Chilling Disease,” visit:…
DAYTON, OH – The community of Dayton grieves at a makeshift memorial for nine people who were killed early Sunday by a gunman. Billy Graham Rapid Response chaplains are there to listen and provide emotional and spiritual care to hurting residents, including first responders and witnesses to the shooting. A grim reality is sinking in…
BLACK MOUNTAIN, NC— On October 1, 2019 Heart for Lebanon will open a new Hope Ministry Center in the heart of the Bekaa Valley, home to approximately 350,000 of the poorest refugees in Lebanon who have fled the violence of war. The situation is considered the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. Current statistics…
SOUTH ASIA – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – More than 820 million people around the globe suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition. Forty-five countries have “serious levels of hunger.” Hunger is the number one health risk in the world. Hunger is the root cause of “a staggering 3.5 million deaths” every year. Every 10 seconds,…
Emily Towns of World Help, an international, Christian humanitarian organization serving the needs of the impoverished around the world, discusses the danger refugees in the Middle East and other parts of the world still face, not being able to go back to their homes. Refugees in the Middle East are being told to go home…
SOUTH ASIA – Sometimes, things just don’t make sense – until we dig a little deeper. For instance, this reporter has had difficulty reconciling two storylines about farmers that have been coming out of South Asia for the past year or more. Two storylines: Farmers and India’s water crisis The first involves a trend to…
JACKSONVILLE, FL— In celebration of his 32nd birthday, Tim Tebow has decided to forego well wishes and gifts in an effort to change lives of less-fortunate children in the Philippines. The idea first came to Tim in 2018, when he first launched his 31 for 31 campaign in celebration of his 31st birthday with a…
WILLS POINT, TX – Only as the scourge of human trafficking is infesting the North American continent, we are at long last becoming aware of its sinister realities. Human trafficking cases are making local news headlines in places like Fayetteville, NC; Tuscaloosa, AL; and Milwaukee. Our blissful ignorance of the 16 million victims of human…
EVERETT, WA— The Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) has won a major religious freedom victory on behalf of its current and future members. The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota has ruled that the abortifacient mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as the subsequent “accommodation,” burdens the religious exercise…
WILLS POINT, TX – A strange thing happens when we consider the cost of something. If not with our lips, our minds ask the question, “How much does this cost?” When I reflect on that, I realize that this question is inevitably self-centric. The question is inextricably connected to “How much am I willing to…
