AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER * ISLAMIC MILITANTS SENTENCED FOR ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANS IN INDONESIA * BRITISH TEDDY BEAR TEACHER HOME AT LAST * TWO UK CHURCHES RE-IGNITE MINISTRY * CHURCH SUPPLIES SAFE WATER TO POISONED VILLAGES IN BANGLADESH * UGANDAN CHRISTIANS MOBILIZE PRAYER TO TRANSFORM KAMPALA * CHINESE PRESS PRINTS 50 MILLION BIBLES ----------------------------------------------- ISLAMIC MILITANTS SENTENCED FOR ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANS IN INDONESIA Six Islamic militants have been sentenced for up to 19 years in prison for terrorist acts in eastern Indonesia. The men where convicted for their involvement in the assassination of a Protestant priest, the beheading of three Christian schoolgirls and a bombing that killed 22 people in a market in Tentena town. Ten of the defendants had been arrested and charged earlier this year under anti-terrorism laws. They appeared in separate court rooms in the South Jakarta District court. One of the accused, Syaiful Anam, was sentenced to 18 years by Judge Haryanto for involvement in the bombing in Tentena in 2005. Anam appeared unrepentant after the sentencing. "This sentence is a consequence of jihad. Whether it had been 18 years or the death penalty it would have been no problem," he told reporters. Another militant, Abdul Muis, was sentenced to 19 years for shooting a Christian priest and for assembling the bomb used in a separate market attack. Rahman Kalahe, Yudi Parsan and Agus Nur Muhammad were jailed for 19 years, 10 years three months, and 14 years, respectively, for their involvement in the beheading of the three schoolgirls. Amril Ngiode was sentenced to 15 years for making the bomb used in the Tentena market attack as well as for possession of illegal weapons and assault. The militants' actions all occurred in the Poso region of central Sulawesi, which was an area of intense Muslim-Christian conflict from 1999 to 2001. Over 2,000 people were killed in the conflict. Although a peace accord was implemented in 2001, violence still occasionally flares up and often the perpetrators are not prosecuted for their actions. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation. Around 220 million people (85 percent of the population) in Indonesia are Muslim. However in some eastern parts of the country, like Poso, there are nearly equal numbers of Christians and Muslims. Source: Christian Post ----------------------------------------------- BRITISH TEDDY BEAR TEACHER HOME AT LAST A UK teacher has been released and returned home to Britain after being jailed for letting her class name a teddy bear Muhammad. Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, England, was freed after eight days in custody. She had been given a 15-day jail term.Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir pardoned her after talks with two British Muslim peers. In a statement read out by Baroness Warsi prior to her release, Mrs. Gibbons said: "I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone and I am sorry if I caused any distress. I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends but I am very sorry that I will be unable to return to Sudan and work in Unity High School as the teacher of 2X." The press office of President al-Bashir announced that he had pardoned Mrs. Gibbons following his meeting with Baroness Warsi and Lord Ahmed, both members of the British House of Lords, and that she had been "released after their mediation."Lord Ahmed thanked the president for granting the pardon and said both he and Baroness Warsi were proud to have been able to help Mrs. Gibbons. "This is a case which is unfortunate, unintentional, innocent misunderstanding, and as British Muslim parliamentarians we, Baroness Warsi and myself, feel proud that we've been able to secure Gillian Gibbons' release." Source: BBC ----------------------------------------------- TWO UK CHURCHES RE-IGNITE MINISTRY Ebenezer Congregational Church in the UK has brought itself back from the brink of closure and a Congregational church in Dobcross has reopened to bustling community activity after members prayed about their options. Instead of closing last year when membership reached 15, Rev Margaret Blakemore asked the members of the ancient Ebenezer Congregational Church in Tutbury to ask God what to do. They heard the Holy Spirit tell them to sell off its schoolroom and refurbish its dated interior, and so they did. The congregation now enjoys redecorated walls, a new kitchen, modern seats and new carpets. They have built a new Sunday school room and hope in future to attract children and young people to the church. The Congregational church in Dobcross closed in 2002, after its minister retired and membership dropped to single figures. But in 2004 Frank Wroe, from a Congregational Church in nearby Uppermill, asked members if they wanted to reopen and after much prayer they agreed. The church opened its doors to 70 people for a pizza and praise service in September. It has held many successful community activities involving villagers who are not otherwise involved in the church. One of its popular activities is a Posada, which sees wooden nativity figures of Mary and Joseph spend the night at homes and businesses around the village, including the pub and Post Office, before arriving back at Sandy Lane on Christmas Eve. Members also host the successful elev8 youth service and monthly film nights. Many people come early to enjoy a bring-and-share tea before the films. Source: Congregational Federation ----------------------------------------------- CHURCH SUPPLIES SAFE WATER TO POISONED VILLAGES IN BANGLADESH The Church of Bangladesh has installed six tube wells that will provide safe drinking water in five villages badly affected by arsenic poisoning. Missionary to Bangladesh James Pender described the joy of workers when they succeeded in drilling one of the six tube wells 320 foot deep - well beneath arsenic-contaminated groundwater layers. "When they pulled out the drilling pipe sections they all swung on the rope shouting: 'A tremendous effort!' "Communities in Theraghoria, Bhollobhpur, Rotonpur, Anondobas and Kamdevpur can now drink safe water from these wells, each providing for 50 to 100 families. No longer will they become sick from consuming life's precious commodity - water!" Donations from churches and groups in the UK made the wells possible, Pender said. He has made it a priority to respond to the arsenic crisis after discovering at least 29 million people are at risk from arsenic dissolved in groundwater, which is harvested by millions of shallow pump tubewells. He has worked with the Church of Bangladesh Social Development Programme, which has an established programme to mitigate arsenic poisoning by mapping arsenic at village level to better site new arsenic safe wells. Source: Council for World Mission ----------------------------------------------- UGANDAN CHRISTIANS MOBILIZE PRAYER TO TRANSFORM KAMPALA Over 350 pastors have been mobilized for a citywide campaign in Kampala which will include cleaning the city and praying for businesses and city leaders. The program calls for prayers to be conducted across town in the mornings and massive celebrations held at Kololo Airstrip in the evenings where Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his wife will be in attendance.During last year's campaign, the first of its kind, a prayer group went to the city council offices and prayed for the mayor and other officials. Speaking of that experience, Hans Paulsen, the commercial manager for Uganda Telecom, said: "Many people come to my office to ask for support for various campaigns but this was the first time people came to pray for me." Source: Flavia Nakagwa - AllAfrica ----------------------------------------------- CHINESE PRESS PRINTS 50 MILLION BIBLES The Amity Printing Company will this month celebrate the production of more than 50 million Bibles for China. Associate general secretary Zhang Liwei said it was a miracle God made possible the millions of copies. Amity Printing Press is the sole body allowed to print Bibles in China. Beijing loosened restrictions on Christians in the 1970s following the end of the cultural revolution but the government still tightly controls Christianity. Amity Printing Company is a joint venture between the United Bible Societies and the Amity Foundation, begun in 1988. Source: Ecumenical News International
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