STONEY CREEK, ON — GFA World (Gospel for Asia Canada) – When the COVID-19 outbreak first began, for most of us it was just an unknown disease, in far off China. For me, it didn’t affect my day-to-day life, so I dismissed it, until suddenly, I could not ignore it anymore because it was right…
ORLANDO, FL — Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, has developed a virtual rendition of its MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation) methodology. MAST is a collaborative translation method that involves local churches as translation teams and builds on the natural…
EASTON, MD — SAT-7 Kids in a media ministry to hildren living in a “world of fear” in the Middle East. Through a live Facebook event, they are helping kids to conquer their deepest anxieties — by sharing their own uplifting faith with others on satellite television and social media. Entangled in wars, social unrest,…
LONDON — It’s 65 years since Brother Andrew started taking Bibles to persecuted Christians in Eastern Europe. The work of Open Doors, the organization he founded, has changed significantly in its scope and methods – but at the heart of it is the same God and the same mission. As persecution watchdog Open Doors reached…
CHARLOTTE, NC — CMM thanks partners who helped send thousands of dollars weekly the last two months for feeding starving brethren in many nations in Africa and Asia. CMM works closely with known, trusted, indigenous missionaries in 70 nations. We have known many of these dear friends for years in India, Nigeria and Pakistan are…
JOPLIN, MO – In 1968, Bob Stacy, a professor at Ozark Bible College, was inspired to create a way to present the Gospel message to young people in a way that was contemporarily and culturally relevant. That’s not only difficult to do. It’s even more difficult to sustain. Kids today are not even remotely interested…
WASHINGTON, DC – Its 2020 Annual Report on international freedom of religion has been made available to the public by the USCIRF. Various media reports have created confusion concerning the publication, with some referring to it as “the 2019 report” and others as “the 2020 report.” For clarification, the title of the 104-page document is…
NIGERIA — Last year attacks by nomadic Fulani herdsmen forced an entire Christian community in Naka, Nigeria to flee their homes. But in February this year, Open Doors was able to deliver vital aid to 1,500 families before Covid-19 travel restrictions were introduced. Pastor Sunday shares his appreciation for the impact this crucial help has…
WASHINGTON — The International Committee on Nigeria (ICON), a nonprofit working to secure a future for all Nigerians, released a statement today, applauding a new executive order signed by President Trump advancing international religious freedom. The order directs the U.S. Department of State (DOS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to take action to…
The long-awaited National Commission for Minorities, now inaugurated in Pakistan on 5 May, has been welcomed as “an important step” in the country’s “continuing journey towards the protection of religious freedom” by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Commissioner Johnnie Moore added that the formation of the minorities commission is “undoubtedly a…
MIDLAND, TX — A panel of judges unanimously chose to grant the annual Lin Zhao Freedom Award to disappeared lawyer Gao Zhisheng. As an attorney, Gao served people prosecuted by the Chinese Communist Party for decades. For his work, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. China, however, targeted him, and he spent years…
WASHINGTON — Rev. Justin Murff, FRSA, Executive Director of the MENA Collective, submits the following and is available for comment: With all of the uncertainty surrounding the (current coronavirus outbreak crisis), one thing churches and pastors can be sure about is that streaming your online service is simply not enough. As ministers of the Gospel,…
International Christian Relief Organization Responds at the Epicenter of the Coronavirus in the U.S. BOONE, NC — Samaritan’s Purse deployed its Emergency Field Hospital to New York City, New York, where the local medical infrastructure is severely overwhelmed. In cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), New York state officials, and local hospital authorities,…
ORIENT, OH — An Ohio pastor publishes a New Testament in Burma in a language where there has never been a Bible, and few Westerners have ever been, and the same week, he publishes his own book about the incredible move of God going on there in the midst of great persecution. Pastor and Mission…
WARRENTON, MO — Child Evangelism Fellowship operates over 99,000 after-school clubs around the world. GOOD NEWS CLUBS feature Bible teaching, music, games and snacks for children once a week. When schools and churches closed for weeks in South Korea due to COVID-19, a plea went to CEF International Headquarters in Missouri for help with an…
BOONE, NC — Today, the Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Field Hospital, specially equipped with a respiratory care unit, opened in Cremona, Italy. The 68-bed unit was airlifted to Italy on March 17 using the relief organization’s DC-8 cargo plane to provide critical surge capacity to an overwhelmed hospital. The tent facility began receiving patients as soon…
IRAN — In the eye of the coronavirus storm, anxious viewers in the Middle East and North Africa are looking to live Christian TV for reassurance — desperate to see “living hope” amid the escalating coronavirus crisis. As nations introduce strict measures to curb the coronavirus, SAT-7 Christian satellite TV becomes ‘channel of calm’ across…
VENTURA, CA – The Barna Group has released the second of its monthly articles on the State of the Church 2020. The March 4th report is entitled, “Signs of Decline & Hope Among Key Metrics of Faith.” Unfortunately, there are more signs of decline than of hope. The report is based on more than nearly…
NASHVILLE, TN – Pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife, Norine, spent 23 years serving the Lord in Turkey, hosting a house of prayer. He and Norine were taken into custody, falsely accused of terrorism, in October 2016. Norine was released and returned to North Carolina. Andrew spent the next two years in a Turkish prison….
SHANGHAI – On this day 166 years ago, a man sent from God set foot in China for the first time. It would change his life. More importantly, it would change the life of the Chinese people for more than a century and a half until this present day in 2020.That man was James Hudson…
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – During the weekend from May 14 through 17 this year, the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and Breakpoint will present China Aid founder, Bob Fu, with the 2020 William Wilberforce Award. The Wilberforce Weekend is the annual flagship event for the Colson Center. The China Aid website describes Bob Fu as…
Yael Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, discusses reasons why we need to pray and speak out against anti-semitism today. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed annually on Jan. 27, we proclaim “Never again!” Yet the increase in anti-Semitism in the U.S. and around the world has many people…
WARRENTON — People of faith are celebrating this week, and none more than the teachers of nearly 5,000 Good News Clubs in the nation’s public schools. On National Religious Freedom Day, January 16, President Trump signed new guidance rules to protect, among other things, freedom of prayer in public schools. He was surrounded by students…
SOUTH ASIA – Christians are under attack on all continents. It is quite clear why Jesus called us to be lights in the darkness. So much is reported about the darkness, we need to be reminded that some people are still drawn to the light and are finding joy in Jesus. And the Lord is…
Yael Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christian and Jews, shares her thoughts on Hanukkah and her hope and prayer for divine intervention, for the power of light to overcome the darkness of religious oppression wherever it exists. Hanukkah, which began Sunday night this year, commemorates a great Jewish victory over oppression by the…
LITTLETON, CO – While China Partner celebrates 30 years of ministry, the country is, once again, undergoing dramatic changes. As they have in the past, Chinese Christians are learning to stand firm in their faith and be willing to trust the Lord in every circumstance. China Partner is there to help them. Erik Burklin is…
TOKYO – Japan rose like a phoenix out of the ashes of World War 2 to become the world’s third-largest economy and a leading producer of in-demand passenger vehicles. The country has taken a back seat over the last several decades as other developing nations have become giants of industry and technology. Yet millions of…
MOSCOW – This is not an article about a missionary agency, a missionary project, or a faith-based organization. It is about people of whom we are mostly unaware. People who need the Lord. People who need our prayers. The purpose of this article is to raise our collective awareness and encourage us to pray.Something significant…
WILLS POINT, TX – The primary ministry of Gospel for Asia and numerous similar efforts are focused on a portion of what has become known as “The 10/40 Window.” A recent article published by Advancing Native Missions, “What Is the 10/ 40 Window and Why Is it Important,” prompted this writer that it is time…
NIGERIA – The Jihadist massacre lasted for five hours. Esther listened from the makeshift outhouse as she hid behind the door. “Convert or be killed!” shouted Boko Haram militants. Their commands were followed by screams, the popping of machine guns, and the smell of burning flesh and hair as they made their way through the…
ORLANDO, FL — Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, says the demand for Bibles has dramatically increased—especially in the Middle East. In areas where Christianity is a minority religion and Christians risk persecution, even death, Wycliffe Associates’ Print On Demand…
NEW YORK, NY – Christians around the world are invited and encouraged to engage in prayer and supplications on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their faith. Sunday, November 3, has been set aside as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. We should not be…
NEW YORK — In an era in which places of worship have become, too often, targets for violence, United Nations officials and religious leaders gathered in New York City on to talk over plans for preventing attacks against people of faith.The event, titled “Uniting to Prevent Violence in Places of Worship,” was held at the…
TEHRAN – By nearly all accounts, more people in Iran are forsaking Islam and becoming followers of Jesus Christ than in any other country in the world. FAI Studios, producers of the movie “Sheep Among Wolves,” commented that “Muslim-background Iranians are leading a quiet but mass exodus out of Islam and bowing their knees to…
ROME – When the United States Secretary of State speaks, it is usually about political affairs of state. When Mike Pompeo addressed a symposium in Rome on October 2, his message was about increasing global threats to the right of religious freedom. Secretary Pompeo was a featured speaker at a symposium about the work of…
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…
WILLS POINT, TX – The closure of yet another Christian church and its Bible school by authorities in Algeria spurred one of our reporters to dig a little deeper. He decided to investigate government restrictions and political persecution against the Church. He didn’t have to look far. A recent report by the Pew Research Center…
HOUSTON – Ananias House is a ministry dedicated to “empowering the growth of the body of Jesus Christ in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region).” The ministry of Ananias House in the strife-torn MENA region is three-fold: Making disciples and planting churches Offering sustained hope and comfort to people suffering from conflict and…
BARTLESVILLE, OK – South African doctor, Hannelie Groenewald gathered with other medical personnel, preparing for a predicted Taliban attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. Little did she suspect that the Taliban were targeting her own family because of their Christian faith. Voice of the Martyrs remembered their sacrifice this year on the Day of the…
CAIRO – On July 1, the presidential committee for the legalization of churches announced that it had processed yet another wave of approvals. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told reporters that another 127 previously unlicensed Coptic Christian churches had been added to the list of properties approved as places of worship. The reauthorization was mandated by…
LA MIRADA, CA — Radio broadcaster FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) has opened up the airwaves for millions of people in unreached regions to hear the gospel in their own language for the first time – now broadcasting in 124 languages, with more than 2.2 million individuals responding annually to the “good news.” “In many…
WILLS POINT, TX – June 20th is World Refugee Day. The annual observation is particularly important this year as we are currently facing the worst refugee crisis in recorded history. Measuring the Problem According to the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, at least 68.5 million people around the globe have been displaced from their…
NAPERVILLE, IL – Prayercast is a division of OneWay Ministries, committed to “activating God’s people to exalt Jesus Christ and advance His gospel to the multitudes.” If prayer is, as John Wesley once said, “Where the action is,” then Prayercast is the 21st-century compass to point us to where the action is. Senator and former…
ALGIERS – With nearly 920,000 square miles, Algeria is the tenth largest nation in the world. It is the largest country on the continent of Africa. Initially settled by the Berbers, Algeria has had a long and storied history. The country gained independence in 1962 from France which had invaded and began colonizing it in…
SHANDONG PROVINCE – The Chinese government initiated the Sharp Eyes project following its approval by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2016. Sharp Eyes is the beginning of a program to dramatically increase video surveillance throughout the nation. The goal of the project is to have “coverage across all regions, sharing…
OSLO – In my youth, when inviting friends to come to church with me, not all of them knew where Park Avenue Baptist Church was. But, when I simply said, “You know. The church with the sign.” Everyone knew where that was. It was impossible to come into town from the west and not see…
‘Overjoyed that Asia is finally free – but why has it taken so long?’ Asia Bibi is finally out of Pakistan. Officials have confirmed that Asia has been released. Her lawyer has told CNN she is now in Canada, where two of her daughters have already been granted asylum. The Christian woman was acquitted of…
WASHINGTON — With its particular focus on China’s oppression of religious and human rights, an independent watchdog group has decried in its annual report the state of religious freedom across the globe. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan organization created 20 years ago, concludes in its Monday (April 29) report that “innumerable…
Devastation rocked Sri Lanka Easter weekend as bombs detonated around the country, killing nearly 300 people. The latest figures report around 500 people injured in the blasts. Terrorists targeted multiple churches and tourist destinations. According to NBC News, blasts occurred at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo; St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, a Catholic majority town north…
SANAA, Yemen – We live in an age filled with “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) – an era where men speak of “‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:14). However, embraced by a culture steeped in self-gratification, the preference of many is to relax in comfort while multiple millions of people…
