News
See, support missionaries S
ee the faces and learn about ELCA missionaries around the world in the “2012 Hand in Hand Annual,” available at www.elca. org/resources (print copies or free download).
Congregations, individuals and Sunday schools can use the color- ful 32-page booklet to pray for, correspond with and provide finan- cial support for the ELCA’s 250 missionaries around the world. There’s never been a better time,
said Twila Schock, ELCA direc- tor for missionary sponsorship. “People can make a big difference right now. The ELCA is one of the few denominations still supporting long-term missionaries with both churchwide budget and missionary sponsorship.”
At the moment, there are more
requests for ELCA missionaries from global companions than there is financial support to fill the posi- tions, Schock said. The most help-
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ration to protect women’s modesty under a part of Jewish religious law that some deem optional, not required. “Flash mobs” and “freedom riders” have focused their protests of unoffi- cial separation on public buses, illegal sidewalk segregation and more.
Disconnect in pews Almost half of churchgoing Ameri- cans say their life has not changed a bit due to their time in the pews, a survey shows. Barna Group, an evan- gelical company based in California, found that 46 percent reported no change. About a quarter of Americans said their life was greatly affected by church attendance and another quarter
said it was somewhat influential. Two- thirds of respondents said they had felt “a real and personal connection” with God while attending church. Three out of five church attenders said they could not recall an important new reli- gious insight from their last church visit.
Christians in Sudan
Churches and Christians in Sudan are reporting an increase in hostil- ity, arrests and restrictions since the southern part of the country seceded in 2011. “Restrictions in Sudan are not new, but we are worried things are getting harder since the secession of the south. With Shariah (Islamic)
Corrections In “Faith, FROGS & Costa Rica” (February, page 14) Steve Deal is regional representative for Central America. A quote indicates the Lutheran Church in Costa Rica has no congrega- tions, but Raquel Rodriguez, director for Latin America and the Caribbean Continen- tal Desk, says “they are called communities of faith.” ... Khou- loud Daibes Abu Dayyeh (Jan- uary, page 36) is the only Chris- tian woman in the Palestinian cabinet.
For more news, visit
www.thelutheran.org/feature/march 12 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
law we expect things to get even harder,” said Mark Akec Cien, dep- uty general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches. According to reports from Ecumenical News Inter- national, government officials have demanded names and contact places of churches.
ful gifts are for “ELCA Mission- ary Sponsorship: Where needed most,” Schock said. To get started, send a check to ELCA Mission- ary Sponsorship, PO Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764; visit
www.elca.org/4missionaries; or call 800-638-3522, ext. 2657, for more information.
N. Korean Christian dies Kang Young-sup, 80, a former judge and ambassador who became a North Korean Christian pastor, died Jan. 21. Kang, who worked toward reuni- fication of North and South Korea, belonged to a well-connected Chris- tian family “who protected Chris- tians under the communist regime because they were very close to [former North Korean leader] Kim Il Sung as relatives,” said World Council of Churches leader Jooseop Keum. About 13,000 Christians live in the country, Keum said. For the 10th year in a row, North Korea topped the Open Doors annual watch list of countries where Christians face the most persecution. M
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