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Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08030091.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net — E-mail: assistnews@aol.com

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Attack on Ethiopian Christians worshipping in church services leaves 4 dead, 70 injured and hundreds fleeing for their lives

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

ETHIOPIA (ANS) — Last week, Christians gathering at local churches in a southern region in Ethiopia were enjoying singing and worship when, without warning, hundreds of men armed with machetes and clubs leapt through the open windows and indiscriminately began attacking everyone present. The attackers barricaded the doors to try to prevent people from escaping.

Envoy Ministries (www.envoyministries.org ) says that when the carnage was complete, there were three Ethiopian church planters (missionaries) dead, one more person died March 9, and more than 70 were injured, with 40 people sustaining serious injuries. The death toll is expected to rise. Hundreds fled the area and are being cared for by Christians in other towns.

David Hunt, President of Envoy Ministries, says the attack occurred on March 3, when initially three people were killed. One person later died of wounds sustained in the attack, and seven people remain in hospital.

Hunt told ASSIST News: “Three days ago evangelists began flowing into a nearby town and in one day more than 30 evangelists begged to be sent back into exact area. Yesterday we committed to support the first ten with $60 monthly — today the 10 headed back to the area saying ‘We are ready to lay down our lives.’”

The Envoy Ministries website says that why such brutal attacks would take place is hard to understand, except that as the Gospel has flourished in Ethiopia and as people put their faith in Christ, others, violently opposed to the Gospel, do anything they can to stop the proclamation of the Gospel.

The site goes on to state: “However, Jesus said, ‘I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.’ Truly we are seeing that being borne out in the Church in Ethiopia and in the lives of our brave brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Envoy Ministries says: “We have been in communication with the church there, nearly every day with news of the latest developments. As we learned of the devastation and impact on the Christians, we immediately sent $10,000 to help care for all affected. We have committed to cover the medical costs of those injured and to assist the 190 people who fled. Although this is not enough to cover all the costs, we believe we must do what we can and we invite the Christian public to join with us to care for them as long as they need help.”

In speaking with the Ethiopian Christian leadership, Envoy Ministries says of the church planters that: “They consider that they have already died and have counted the cost to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. They said they are encouraged by the response to the Gospel in this region and for every one who died; there are 20 more ready to go in their place. They asked us to help provide for at least 50 church planters to return to preach the Gospel. They said, simply, ‘We are inspired to go and work more.’”

The church leaders also asked if the ministry could help re-build the churches that were attacked.

Envoy Ministries says: “Our response was, ‘You pray and we will share with our friends.’ It now costs around $1,000 per church as they supply the land, the labor and the lumber. Our goal now has been elevated, as more churches have been destroyed and now we have 17 churches to rebuild.”

The ministry asks believers in the United States “to first pray for the church in Ethiopia, for all those who are suffering and lost loved ones, and to join us in provision as we endeavor to care for all those affected. Thank you and God bless you.”

Envoy Ministries says it is Christ’s messengers of hope to the lost and His emissaries of encouragement to the persecuted.

“We are called to serve in His name... and we are commanded to share His Gospel.

“Our ministry impacts lives, communities and nations through Bible distribution, church planting and providing practical helps to suffering and persecuted believers.”

Envoy Ministries International is “called to be God’s trustworthy envoys of hope to those who are lost and hurting.”

Interested and concerned believers may contribute toward the needs expressed by logging on to: www.envoyministries.org/donate.html

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael’s involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department — Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) — of ACT International at: Artists in Christian Testimony (ACT) International. His weblog appears at: Michael Ireland Media Missionary.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

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http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08030095.htm

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net — E-mail: assistnews@aol.com

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Christian bookstore in Egypt raided by police, employee arrested

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS) — Egyptian police arrested an Egyptian Christian bookstore employee midday Saturday, confiscating books, compact discs, and issues of a newspaper read by Christians in Egypt.

According to Advocates For The Persecuted, (www.advocatesforthepersecuted.org) , David Joseph, chief editor of Al Tareek Wa Al Haque [The Way and The Truth] — the only newspaper specifically geared toward serving the Christian minority community in Egypt — says Egyptian authorities arrested and interrogated Shenouda Armia Bakhait, who was working in the bookstore at the time police raided the shop.

Joseph is President of the Egyptian Christian Youth Union, which runs the Nile Christian Book Shop. The Church of God in Egypt owns the bookstore. Joseph founded the Egyptian Christian Youth Union in 1982. Pastor Safwat Al Baiadi, president of the Evangelical Churches in Egypt, is chairman of the newspaper. The newspaper’s website is www.akhbarsarra.com .

Joseph said: “At 12 noon, Cairo time, General Tarik Barakat, Lt. Assem Al Sherief, and eight undercover policemen stormed into the Nile Christian Book Shop. They spent two hours searching everything in the bookstore. Mr. Shenouda was interrogated for more than five hours by Mohamed Abou al Fetouh, a prosecutor, and Mohammed Issa, president of the court.”

He said that under Egyptian law, if the court found no basis for a formal accusation, the bookstore worker should have been set free immediately. If there were found to be a basis for accusation, he could then be held for four days to allow time for an investigation.

“The interrogators did not apply either of these options. They detained him only for the night, with plans to continue the interrogation the next day, and they requested a report from the Egyptian national security office about the activities of Mr. Shenouda and the Nile Christian Book Shop. Egyptian authorities claim they can detain Mr. Shenouda for up to 40 days without a trial under Egypt’s emergency laws,” said Joseph.

Jan Fletcher, executive director of Advocates For The Persecuted, said the arrest came one day after Mohammed Hegazy came into the bookstore, apparently to buy books.

Hegazy is the first Egyptian Muslim convert to petition Egypt’s Administrative Court to change his religious affiliation on his national identity card. A hearing over his petition sparked a melee in an Egyptian courtroom in January. Judge Muhammad Husseini denied Hegazy’s request in January, ruling that it was against Islamic law for a Muslim to leave Islam.

The Nile Christian Book Shop opened in 2006 in a location that first housed a bookstore in 1890.

Joseph is a native Egyptian and U.S. citizen, and is also President of Advocates For The Persecuted, a U.S.- based nonprofit organization that advocates for religious minorities in the Middle East, with offices in Spokane, Washington, and El Cajon, California. The organization’s website is www.advocatesforthepersecuted.org .

Pastor Safwat Al Baiadi, president of the Evangelical Churches in Egypt, is chairman of the newspaper. The newspaper’s website is www.akhbarsarra.com.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.