Friday, March 29, 2013
Second Evangelistic Festival Reveals Strides in Haiti's Road to Recovery
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 25, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Lively all-night church services, one-on-one prayer at eyeglass clinics, and a message of hope for the entire city helped characterize Haiti's second Fun in the Son Festival with Andrew Palau.
A week-long evangelistic campaign featuring service outreaches such as eyeglass and medical clinics, prison ministry, and events for kids set the pace for the free, open-air music festival Saturday at Champs de Mars.
The high-octane crowd of over 40,000 people sang and danced along to the music of Haitian and international artists and cheered as Action Sports athletes performed high-flying stunts. Palau shared a message called "Rest for Your Souls," referring to the rest and redemption found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom," Palau told the crowd.
Only last year, Champs de Mars was the site of one of the largest tent cities that housed many of those left homeless by the 7.0 earthquake in January 2010. Since the summer of 2012, the park has been under redevelopment and is once again the bustling "living room" of the city.
"The Bible says in Psalm 118:22, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,'" Palau said. "I believe the rebuilding of Haiti will be directly related the issue of whether Jesus Christ will be the cornerstone upon which individuals place their faith and begin their foundation afresh."
Stories of rebuilding and recovery permeated the campaign. The weekend preceding the festival, Palau spoke at Shalom Church, which was completely destroyed in the earthquake. Shortly after, the congregation began to meet on the hillside below their old building. Thousands of hurting people began to attend "the church on the hill." Shalom is now one of the largest churches in the region, with 20,000 people attending regularly. The team also joined Shalom for an all-night prayer rally Friday before the festival.
Hundreds of prisoners in Haiti also had the chance to hear about the freedom found in Jesus Christ as Andrew Palau, musician Dave Lubben, and BMX pro Vic Murphy led outreaches at three prisons in Port-au-Prince, Croix-des-Bouquets, and Petionville.
Festival staff received approximately 5,000 responses from the festival, each representing an individual who made a decision to follow Jesus Christ. Over the next few weeks, local volunteers will follow up with each person and help them get connected to a church in their area. More than 600 Haitian churches participated in the outreach.
Fun in the Son is a collaboration between the Luis Palau Association and Haiti Broilers. Haitian President Michel Martelly recently acknowledged the Haiti Broilers as an example of the bold business leadership helping to transform Haiti. Last March, the first Fun in the Son Festival in Port-au-Prince drew more than 30,000 people.
For more information about Andrew Palau and his ministry, visit www.palau.org.
Christian Newswire
With ChinaAid's Help, Two Victims of China's One-Child Policy Granted UNHCR Refugee Status
BANGKOK,
March 25, 2013
/Christian Newswire/ -- With ChinaAid's help, a Chinese
couple who endured a forced abortion and sterilization and whose
children were denied schooling, have been granted refugee status by the
UN High Commission on Refugees.
The experiences of Du Yiliang and his wife Guo Yanling are sadly typical of those who refuse to comply with China's one-child policy. Since the birth of their second child in 1989, the couple has been on the run. In 1995, when Guo was eight months pregnant, she was forced to undergo an abortion. In 1999, she was taken by family planning officials and forcibly sterilized.
In 2006, she was imprisoned for not being able to pay a fine for having more than one child. The government also punished the family for the unpaid fine by refusing to issue household registrations to the three children, without which they are unable to ever attend school or receive government benefits.
The couple fled to a southeast Asian country, where they contacted China Aid Association for help. ChinaAid tapped its Emergency Relief Fund to support the family and arrange legal assistance for them. (See: www.chinaaid.org/2012/07/
In 2012, Guo testified via telephone at a U.S. Congressional hearing on China held by the House Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, & Global Human Rights. (See: www.chinaaid.org/2012/07/
Notes of encouragement to Du Yiliang and Guo Yanling, requests for interviews, and financial contributions to ChinaAid's Emergency Relief Fund can all be submitted to the ChinaAid website at www.chinaaid.org. Or contact ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu directly at (267) 205-5210.
Noting the Chinese government's statement during the 18th Communist Party Congress of the long-term nature of the one-child family planning policy, ChinaAid calls on the governments of the world and international human rights organizations to continue to focus attention on the continued reality that abortions and sterilizations are forced on multitudes of families in China. ChinaAid also calls on the Chinese government to respect the right to life and to finally end its one-child policy.
Christian Newswire
The experiences of Du Yiliang and his wife Guo Yanling are sadly typical of those who refuse to comply with China's one-child policy. Since the birth of their second child in 1989, the couple has been on the run. In 1995, when Guo was eight months pregnant, she was forced to undergo an abortion. In 1999, she was taken by family planning officials and forcibly sterilized.
In 2006, she was imprisoned for not being able to pay a fine for having more than one child. The government also punished the family for the unpaid fine by refusing to issue household registrations to the three children, without which they are unable to ever attend school or receive government benefits.
The couple fled to a southeast Asian country, where they contacted China Aid Association for help. ChinaAid tapped its Emergency Relief Fund to support the family and arrange legal assistance for them. (See: www.chinaaid.org/2012/07/
In 2012, Guo testified via telephone at a U.S. Congressional hearing on China held by the House Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, & Global Human Rights. (See: www.chinaaid.org/2012/07/
Notes of encouragement to Du Yiliang and Guo Yanling, requests for interviews, and financial contributions to ChinaAid's Emergency Relief Fund can all be submitted to the ChinaAid website at www.chinaaid.org. Or contact ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu directly at (267) 205-5210.
Noting the Chinese government's statement during the 18th Communist Party Congress of the long-term nature of the one-child family planning policy, ChinaAid calls on the governments of the world and international human rights organizations to continue to focus attention on the continued reality that abortions and sterilizations are forced on multitudes of families in China. ChinaAid also calls on the Chinese government to respect the right to life and to finally end its one-child policy.
Christian Newswire
Walking to Share Their Stories Twenty Five Women to Walk 200km for 25 Years of Abortion
ORILLIA, Ontario, Canada, March 26, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- This April 27th - May 10th 25 women will execute an ambitious 200 km awareness walk from Montreal, QC, to the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa, ON.
"2013 is the 25th anniversary of no laws on abortion in Canada. Many Canadians do not realize it is actually legal to abort a baby up to birth in Canada...Because of this we knew we needed to do something special to bring awareness," explains walk organizer Faytene Grasseschi.
It was in 1988 that the R. vs Morgentaler went to the Supreme Court of Canada. The judge who ruled in the case was Justice Bertha Wilson. She struck down the law at the time and charged Parliament to determine at which point a child in the womb should be deemed worthy of protection. To this day Parliament has never been able to pass such a piece of legislation. Because of this Canada is joined with only two other nations in the world, China and North Korea, which also allow abortion at any phase of pregnancy.
As the 25 women walk they are representing the 25 years since 1988. Their goal is not only to bring awareness to the current legal state of the nation but it is also to share their personal experiences.
"We were amazed," explains Grasseschi, "when we put the invitation out for women to apply and began to read the applications. We had no idea that almost every woman would have a very personal reason for applying, and many with very painful abortion stories to share..." She goes on to say, "What we quickly realized was that, in the name of choice, so many women in Canada have felt like they did not have a choice. So many women have been pressured into abortion and carry deep pain from that harassment. This really is the untold story of abortion in Canada..."
The organizers are careful to emphasize that the tone and spirit of the walk is not angry or hostile, but simple, loving, honest and authentic. The 25 women are from various cultural backgrounds, regions, social backgrounds and ages and many are already doing public speaking events where they are sharing their reason for walking. Video interviews of some of the walkers have already been released and are getting strong viewership on the internet.
The walkers will begin in Montreal on the morning of April 28th and arrive into Ottawa to converge with the March for Life on May the 9th which is expected to draw over 20,000 Canadians.
"With every step we take we are walking for our own restoration, our mothers, our sisters, our friends and our future nation. We count it an honour to share our stories in the hopes it will help other women and open many eyes in Canada," says Grasseschi.
To find out more about the Back to Life Walk visit www.backtolifecanada.com.
Christian Newswire
New Numbers: Social Media Impact on Youth -- More Teens Embracing Social Media to Fight Hunger
World Vision Reports Big Jump in 30 Hour Famine Facebook Use and 30 Hour Famine April Signups
100,000 Teens to Give up Food, Go Mobile - 30 Hour Famine April 26-27
SEATTLE,
March 26, 2013
/Christian Newswire/ -- With the 30 Hour Famine national
event less than forty days away, World Vision is encouraged by new
statistics showing a big jump in the number of teens signing up to
participate in the April 26 th - 27th event. The charity says one of the
reasons is an emphasis this year on social media outreach. Last April,
30 Hour Famine (30HF) reported more than 3,200* groups signing up to do
30HF. This year, more than 3,500 have signed up, an almost eight (7.8)
percent jump. This year, almost a quarter million teens will fast to
fight global hunger. 30HF is the world's largest teen hunger awareness
campaign. Since 30HF began in 1992, teens have raised more than $150
million to fight global hunger. The United Nations says in 1992, 40,000
children died from hunger and preventable causes. Today it's 19,000,
still too high but proof that efforts like 30HF are helping.
100,000 Teens to Give up Food, Go Mobile - 30 Hour Famine April 26-27
According to World Vision, the number of 30HF Facebook likes (31,701) has also jumped 8 percent from last year (26,599). "Our research says teens are more inclined to act on social justice issues when they hear about these causes from social media," says Leah Swindon, 30HF National Director. According to a new study, conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of World Vision, more than half of teens (56%) say social media sites (Facebook, Twitter) have made them more aware of the needs of others, a big jump from 2011, when just over 4 in 10 (44%) said their use of social media made them more aware.
April 26 th-27th, World Vision will give control of the 30HF website to teens across America so they can use social media to fight world hunger. While many will do 30HF in February, others participate in April. Teens go without food for 30 hours to get a taste of what the world's poorest children face. Prior to the event, teens raise funds by explaining that $1 can help feed and care for a child a day. Teens consume only water and juice as they participate in local community service projects at food banks and homeless shelters. In some major U.S. cities 30HF volunteers will work in World Vision Storehouses. Last year, 30HF raised $9.8 million to fight hunger. This year's goal: $10.5 million.
Tonight, 870 million people worldwide will go to bed hungry. Funds raised this year for 30HF will be sent to 10 countries including Haiti, Burundi and this year for the first time, 30HF funds will help fight hunger here in the U.S. Info: 30hourfamine.org or facebook.com/wv30HF or call 800-7-FAMINE.
*3563 April 2013 30HF signups - 3,282 April 2012 30HF signups
30 Hour Famine Survey 2013 Facts
The poll was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of World Vision, an international Christian relief and development organization, between January 23 rd, 2013 and February 4 th, 2013 via the Youth Query omnibus service among 567 U.S. youth ages 13 to 17 years old. For complete methodology, including weighing variables, please contact John Yeager.
About World Vision -- World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves the world's poor regardless of a person's religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. World Vision works in 100 countries, helping approximately 100 million people every year. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org.
Contact: John Yeager, World Vision, +1-425-765-9845; AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS: Leah Swindon World Vision 30 HF National Director; Media Contacts Gardi Wilks (Midwest US) 708-434-5006 (office) 708-205- 5020 (cell); John Yeager (Western US) 253-815-2356 (office) 425-765-9845 (cell); Mindy Mizell (Eastern US) 202-355-3690 (cell)
Web Site: www.worldvision.org
Christian Newswire
Pro-Lifers Mark Good Friday with Nationwide Prayer Vigils at Abortion Clinics
Pro-Life Action League's "Way of the Cross" Links Innocent Victims Across Centuries
CHICAGO,
March 25, 2013
/Christian Newswire/ -- Good Friday, March 29, 2013 will be
marked by pro-life citizens across America as a day of mourning and
prayer at abortion facilities. As Christians worldwide remember how
Jesus Christ was put to death, these faithful will stop to grieve for
the 3,500 innocent unborn children who will themselves be put to death
through abortion 1980 years after the crucifixion. This nationwide
event, called "The Way of the Cross for Abortion Victims," is
coordinated by the Pro-Life Action League and emphasizes prayers for
babies at risk of being aborted to be spared and for their mothers to
choose life. Chicago, Saint Louis, Boston, Las Vegas, and Minneapolis
are among the cities in which clergy will lead this solemn prayer
service outside of abortion clinics.
Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League, explained the impetus behind the prayer vigils. "On Good Friday we remember the innocent suffering and death of Jesus Christ at Golgotha, which means 'the place of the skull,'" he said, "We have our own 'Golgotha' in every city where innocent unborn children, created in the image of God, are also violently put to death by abortion."
The Pro-Life Action League is a national organization dedicated to empowering Americans to put their pro-life convictions into effective action in their local communities. Christians of all denominations have been invited to participate in these solemn, ecumenical prayer services. At each site, prayers will be offered for all the victims of abortion-the children lost, the mothers wounded, the communities blighted-as well as for those responsible for perpetrating this injustice, including "pro-choice" elected officials and those working in the abortion industry.
"Through His Holy Passion, Our Lord united Himself with all the victims of suffering in this life," remarked Scheidler, adding that "None suffer more innocently than children in the womb whose lives are taken by abortion. None suffer more deeply than their mothers, carrying a heavy burden of guilt and shame."
More information is available at ProLifeAction.org/GoodFriday.
About the Pro-Life Action League
The Pro-Life Action League was founded by Joe Scheidler in 1980 with the aim of saving babies from abortion through direct action. Not content to await a political or judicial solution to abortion, the League seeks to stop the killing of unborn children right now through all available peaceful means, including public protest, sidewalk counseling, education, youth outreach, and national leadership.
Christian Newswire
Engaging Young Evangelicals: Have We Lost the 'Culture Wars?'
"Evangelical
Millennials affirm traditional marriage against popular culture claims
this fight is over because 'history' always favors the secular Left." --
Kristin Rudolph, IRD Evangelical Program Coordinator
WASHINGTON,
March 29, 2013
/Christian Newswire/ -- This week young staffers from the
Institute on Religion & Democracy joined in the "March for Marriage"
from the National Mall to the U.S. Supreme Court and back. As the
Supreme Court hears arguments on marriage, IRD is hosting a panel
discussion by young evangelicals speaking to the challenges facing their
demographic.
-
Event Details
What: Engaging Young Evangelicals: Have We Lost the 'Culture Wars?' Panel
Who: Andrew Walker, Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation, Eric Teetsel, Director of The Manhattan Declaration, Jessica Prol, Managing Editor for Policy Publications at the Family Research Council, Kristin Rudolph, Evangelical Program Coordinator at the Institute on Religion and Democracy
Where: Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 901 K Street NW Washington, DC
When: Monday, April 1, 2013, Noon
IRD Evangelical Program Coordinator Kristin Rudolph commented:
-
"Evangelical Millennials affirm traditional marriage against popular
culture claims this fight is over because 'history' always favors the
secular Left.
"The odds seemed daunting, but the growth of the global church and the implosion of liberal churches ultimately favors a wider cultural reformation.
"Seemingly lost causes are often the best and most important causes. And because God reigns, a lost cause, if just and good, is never really lost, but just awaiting vindication by willing hands."
Christian Newswire
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