GENEVA — As Turkey pursues its military operation in north-east Syria, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is gravely concerned about the humanitarian impact on the people of the region. It is reported that tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing from the first waves of the Turkish attack, and that hundreds of thousands of…
BARDARASH, Iraq – More than 13,000 Syrian refugees have embarked on harrowing journeys through the conflict zones in their own country to find safety in neighboring Iraq. Their first stop across the border is the Sehela transit centre where Samaritan’s Purse staff has been present to greet them, help serve a meal, and offer them…
AZUSA, CA – What came as a shock to those who heard his announcement made perfect sense to Francis Chan. He revealed at a chapel service at Azusa Pacific University that he and his family plan to move to Asia in February 2020. The pastor, author, and in-demand Christian leader and speaker shared how the…
CAMBRIDGE, MA – According to a November 6 report in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Takeda Pharmaceutical appears to be well on its way to producing an effective vaccine against one of the world’s top 10 threats to global health.There is currently no cure or preventative medication for dengue fever. In 2018 alone,…
ANHUI – According to China Aid authorities have destroyed a church in China and detained its pastors. No legal papers ordering the church’s demolition were provided, but officials tore it down on Friday October 18. It could seat more than 3,000 people and was part of the country’s officially-recognized church network. The large building –…
HYDERABAD – The World Health Organization (WHO) made a significant, forward-looking announcement at a global gathering of the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Hyderabad. A leading expert on the subject of tuberculosis told BBC News that a new vaccine, currently in development appears to be “a real game-changer” in providing long-term protection…
JERUSALEM — The Algemeiner, a leading publication in Israel, has unveiled its latest “Jewish 100” (J100) list—an exclusive roster of “the top one hundred individuals who have positively influenced Jewish life this past year.” The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) is pleased to announce their new President, Mrs. Yael Eckstein, 35, has…
SACRAMENTO, CA — The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) is launching a series of nationwide campaigns to protect the sanctity of human life, defend religious liberty and advocate for biblical justice. The campaigns, drawn from the NHCLC’s life, religious liberty and biblical justice directives, are a collaborative effort with some of the most influential…
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…
FOREST, VA — World Help, an international, Christian humanitarian aid organization, is responding to the crisis in northeast Syria following the recent Turkish offensive into the country. World Help is providing emergency supplies like clean water, food, blankets and hygiene kits to refugee camps where many are fleeing. Through World Help’s partners and programs, every…
SOUTH ASIA – Pollution is dangerous for everyone living on planet Earth. The editors of the Lancet Medical Journal estimate that pollution causes the premature death of 9 million people every year. That’s three times the number who die from AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. It is also 15 times the number who die from…
KERALA – Workers supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) held rallies and gatherings across the subcontinent in observance of the International Day of the Girl on October 11. Now in its 25th year, the UNICEF-backed day was initially named the International Day of the Girl Child. The movement calls for a world “where every girl…
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…
HONG KONG – Speculation about the future of Hong Kong abounded in 1997 when Great Britain handed over its governing authority to mainland China. Anxiety-ridden headlines predicted China would move swiftly to integrate the city under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When a one-country, two-systems approach was proposed, the world breathed a…
Donations will be used to fund residential expenses for hundreds of prisoners, human trafficking victims, veterans, and homeless families in 2020. LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dream Center celebrated another year of miracles this past weekend during their annual Night of Dreams on Saturday, September 28. This year’s event included many moments of reflection…
AL-HOL, SYRIA – The refugee camp at al-Hol is currently home to 70,000 refugees from the Syrian Civil War. Contained in close quarters in a space initially occupied by 9,000 persons, the population now includes about 11,000 widows, wives, and children of ISIS fighters. Local and international authorities believe that ISIS is attempting to muster…
MELBOURNE, FL — Christian Care Ministry (CCM), which offers the popular Medi-Share healthcare sharing ministry, is inviting the entire community to its second annual “Day of Sharing,” a nationwide initiative to motivate and mobilize people to share their time, talent and treasure to serve others Oct. 5. The theme of this year’s event is, “Find…
Noel Yeatts, author, speaker, and the President of World Help, an international, Christian humanitarian organization, discusses the devastation Hurricane Dorian left behind in the Bahamas, the great humanitarian need, and the resilience of the people despite the crisis they have been put through. This past week I was on the ground in the Bahamas helping…
BEIRUT – Lebanon has declared a national “state of economic emergency.” President Michel Aoun told the Lebanese people, “We have to unite our efforts to come out with solutions to the economic crisis that is strangling the dreams and hopes of our people.” One of the leading factors that have driven Lebanon to the edge…
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – A high profile group of US Christian leaders visited Saudi Arabia on the eve of 9/11. During their visit, the delegation issued a statement including why their visit coincided with the 9/11 tragedy. “While it may surprise some that we would choose the week of September 11 to visit the Kingdom,…
LOS ANGELES — This month, the Los Angeles Dream Center is celebrating a significant milestone. Founder Matthew Barnett, his wife Caroline and their entire team of staff and volunteers are commemorating 25 years of service to the people of Los Angeles. The 25th anniversary celebration beginning on Thursday, September 26 will include many events, but…
GENEVA – Nearly a million Rohingya are interred at refugee camps in Bangladesh, having fled their homes to escape persecution in their native Myanmar. Tensions have been rising over the past several months and have reached a point where remaining in Bangladesh may become as dangerous as of being back in Myanmar. The UN Office…
STOCKHOLM – Access to clean drinking water is an existential problem that must be overcome in developing countries. It is almost always a companion of poverty and disregard for women. Safe Water Network India (SWNI) has implemented a pilot project that borders on genius. If someone who solves a problem is a hero, those who…
CANBERRA – The global water crisis continues to spread almost indiscriminately from continent to continent and nation to nation. Australia heads into the Southern Hemisphere summer with populated portions already reeling from a “serious” to “severe” water crisis as a result of 32 months of drought. WaterNSW (New South Wales) has experienced extreme low inflows…
BEIJING – For more than two years, Missions Box News has brought our readers reports of the Chinese Communist Party’s widespread campaign to clamp down on Christianity in mainland China. The big news out of China in January 2019 was not tariffs and trade wars. The CCP demanded that the first of the 10 commandments…
BAHAMAS — Samaritan’s Purse has established a base of operations in Marsh Harbour—working to bring emergency shelter material, clean water, and critical supplies to families who lost everything. Marsh Harbour, a small town of fewer than 10,000 people in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas, hit international news as Category 5 Hurricane Dorian made landfall there…
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was founded in 1998. The mission of the USCIRF is “To elevate and promote international religious freedom as a norm and practice.” During the past year, the USCIRF has issued four factsheets that summarize four types of laws used internationally to prevent the…
TASHKENT – The spotlight of the global water crisis is currently shining on the countries of Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan. In “Water: A Time Bomb in Central Asia,” Aqua Doc emphasized that, “Agricultural water use in Central Asian countries is of vital importance, especially for Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. These countries employ inefficient irrigation methods….
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) has released a new special report entitled “Literacy: One of the Great Miracle Cures.” Subtitled, “Resolving the Limitations Illiteracy Places on the Human Spirit,” noted author Karen Mains explains that illiteracy is a multi-faceted . . . problem that results in [fewer] job opportunities and low income,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
