Widows and Orphans Ministry Presentation

Persecuted Where We’re At I’m sure you are aware that Christian persecution for the most part goes unreported by our American media outlets. One of my favorite authors and bloggers named Michael Snyder recently wrote an article entitled Mainstream Media Silent As The Persecution Of Christians Escalates Worldwide. What I immediately noticed in his article was that the Church of God has conferences in seven of the eight countries that he highlights. Let me summarize his findings, share some of his quotes and tell of something from each country pertaining to our church (I’ve omitted two: China and the USA.) 1. Kenya — Recently in Kenya, a Somalia-based terrorist group called al -Shabaab pulled all the passengers off a bus and ordered them to produce their identity cards. A few were then asked to recite a specific portion of the Islamic Creed. Frederick Ngui Ngonde and Joshua Ooko Obila “...refused to obey the jihad fighters and remained adamant that Christ is their savior and they cannot deny the Christian faith. They were shot dead.” Abrahams Wanda Odongo is the president of our conference in Kenya. He has a weekly radio program and recently shared this story from a listener: "Bishop, my name is *John* (not his real name). I thank God for you and the message that you preached one Sabbath morning. You preached about faith and hope—that faith can bring hope even when you feel you have reached extreme end. I heard this message from a radio at a veterinary and animal feed shop where I had gone to buy a powerful tick spray chemical to go and prepare a poisonous concoction to drink so that I may die because I had lost hope in life. I heard you say that no one needed to die as a result of frustration and pressures of life but to believe the Word of God. Well, Bishop, to cut the story short, I have lived through hell here on Earth. My wife left me with our two children to get married to my boss. The boss sacked me and instigated false allegations against me that I had stolen from the company and I was arrested. My wife turned against me and offered to testify as the prosecution witness against me. This is the same woman I had invested heavily in her education and training. Back home, my brothers also turned against me. No one even bothered to pay for my bail or bond to have me released. They were celebrating my end: some even wishing me death. Back to my church, it was worse, they didn't want a sinner like me back into their fellowship. The pastor even warned church members against visiting me. By the grace of God, one man whom I shared the jail cell heard my story and promised to do something about it once he was bailed out. Fortunately for him, he got bailed out the same week, and after two weeks, this stranger brought one of his relatives to bail me out. I was happy to see and taste freedom for the first time. Freedom is sweet, Bishop. When I came home, I found that my former wife had came home with a truck and carried away everything: literally everything. I had to sleep on the cold floor without covers. Nobody came to see me, even my own brothers. The following day, I decided to visit my brothers but I got a rude shock when my eldest brother told me that I am no longer their brother and I should trace my father because they have a clue that my mother conceived me out of wedlock—that all lands and family inheritance due for me, they had already shared. That same day, I went to my pastor to seek prayers and explain to him what had happened with me. But he went into his house and banged the door right on my face and locked me outside. I didn't know what next to do. That's when I decided to kill myself by taking poison. My question was whether my life, career and family can get back on track. I returned the drug to the shop owner, told him what I had planned to do and requested him to assist me with his phone because I had crammed your number in my head. I used the money I had for poison to buy airtime and that's why I have managed to communicate to you. I was going to die surely this day. But when you said "you don't have to die...", I felt that you were talking to me and I began to feel guilty, asking myself how you knew what I was thinking to do! Keep me in prayers because I don't have anybody, I don't have anything in this life. I want even a person who can allow me to work for him without pay, as a slave, so long as I can get food and place to sleep. I'm at peace with myself but I don't know where and who to turn to. I am happy to have Christ in my heart and I have just discovered the difference between having Christ in you and belonging to a Christian movement. Show me the nearest Church of God 7th Day to Koru so that I can attend. My problem is that I don't have my own phone, but you can call this number and ask the owner to put you through to me...." 2. Nigeria— A few months back, I reported on the various militants in Nigeria that persecute Christians. “This time jihadists—identified as notorious Fulani Herdsmen—toting guns and machetes slaughtered 17 innocent victims in one evening, including four young children and a grandmother.” Nigeria is our largest conference in the continent of Africa with estimates of over 20,000 members. A Nigerian prince is among our ranks and has helped our church in that country financially for many years. He recently chartered a bus to assist around 50 Nigerian church members attend our Zone 5 convention in Ghana a few months ago. 3. Cameroon—”An American missionary that just moved to Cameroon was viciously gunned down in front of his wife and children...Charles Wesco, 44, was killed when a volley of gunfire struck his car windshield as he traveled to a local store with his wife, Stephanie, one of his children and a fellow missionary.” Cameroon is our smallest conference in Africa. Cameroon is somewhat isolated as it lies in the middle of a triangle between our western, eastern and central African conferences. 4. Pakistan— “...a Christian pharmacist recently died after a gang of Muslims attacked him with acid...Faraz Ahmed Badar was a 26-year-old pharmacist who worked at the HQ Hospital in Gujaranwala. Before his death, he had been harassed relentlessly by a Muslim colleague, who was reportedly jealous that Badar was in a more senior position than him at work. The understanding was this—if you are a Christian, you should never be allowed to rise above a Muslim at work. And it was this prejudice that resulted in Badar’s untimely death.” Badar “was attacked with acid by a group of men who were wearing face masks.” He died in a local hospital ten days later. As you are well aware from reading Changed over the years, we have a thriving church in Pakistan. The Orphans and Widows Ministry has assisted 23 widows and their children to escape from a type of slavery known as “indentured servanthood”. Additionally, my wife and I helped the president of their conference named Shamas Pervaiz start a Christian school called Truth Academy. The donations, of those of you that sponsor widows from Pakistan, go to assist these widows to send their children to this academy as well as pay for some of the daily costs of this school. Donations for Pakistan have also helped over 60 widows and other elderly church members to start sewing businesses after they receive 6-8 months of training and are given a sewing machine. I have proposed a plan, that they have accepted, that I will raise ten times what ever these widows are able to raise to rescue more indentured servants. It costs about $1300, on average, to pay the debts of a widow that has been enslaved. If they raise about $120 from their sewing businesses, I will raise $1200 and we will have the funds to set one more widow free! 5. India—”In India, the police recently stormed a church service on a Sunday morning and arrested 10 pastors as they were praying because “they had been converting non-members.” The 10 pastors were captured with their loved ones as they prayed at a church on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, following allegations made by Hindu nationalist groups that they had been converting non-members. Pastor Banavan Ram was arrested after police burst into his church in Kariyabar in what has been been described as a major crackdown on Christianity in the state.” India has one of two orphanages that we operate in Asia. The orphanage runs between 12 to 18 children. Cristo Viene assists more pastors in India than any other country in the Eastern Hemisphere. Persecution is on the rise as both Muslims and Hindus vie for power. Christians are easy targets, often caught in the middle of the second and third largest religions of the world. 6. Myanmar—Rebel attacks have recently destroyed 12 churches in this country that is still a communist country in many ways. A half dozen years ago, Myanmar (formerly Burma) had democratic elections and among other things, declared itself to be tolerant of other faiths. But in reality, Myanmar still is very much like five other communist countries that remain in our world: China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba. “The communist United Wa State Army (UWSA), Myanmar’s largest ethnic rebel force, launched the assaults in Shan state...Over the past couple of weeks, Ethnic Wa rebels have shut down churches, destroyed religious buildings and even shaved the heads of local pastors.” Tluang Kung shares this story: Dear Brethren, Greetings from Myanmar! I am grateful that I have been graciously given an opportunity to share what is going on in our country and the ministry that God is doing through you among us. First, Myanmar is considered to be the final stronghold for Buddhism. Following the outcome of this is that the bill has been passed in the recent years - that a marriage between any Buddhist with the non-Buddhist is strictly forbidden and initially, such marriage has to be obtained from the department of the concerned authority. Except a Buddhist citizen, the others can be considered as helpless before the law. For example, if a Christian is murdered, the authority will take no heed in such case. So, as a Christian, what is needed to do is to act wisely. There is a great unspeakable discrimination between Buddhism and other religions. Of course, in such case the law still says Myanmar is a religious freedom country. But this can be seen only in the book. As an example to religious discrimination, for example, the city, like Yangon where our church head-quarters is located, is thickly populated. It is estimated that nearly 11 million lives in this city. It contains one-fifth of the entire population. Jobs can be earned mostly in Yangon only. The officers of the townships of Yangon are directly appointed by the military leaders. The township officer almost always issues the rule that no religious weekly gathering should be made in any place, (except in the allotted place by the government). The law says everyone can choose his faith freely and do it’s ministry freely and there is no need for registration of it. But the opposite is true. So, what we have to do in order to escape from such a case is to try to appease the chairman of the ward authority. The approval of the ward/block chairman is very important. If he is protecting us, it is alright. But if not, we will not be able to do anything – like construction of a building, weekly gatherings, an orphanage, guests staying in your house (let me clarify this – if your friend or your mom or your brother or any of your relatives coming from the other block of your same township would like to stay in your house for overnight stay or more, you have to report to the ward/block authority office. The authority will ask the reason of their coming and staying and when they will leave. If not, the police will come suddenly into your house, arrest you and your guests or fine you a big amount of money. This is truly a hindrance for Christian ministry and missionary and orphanage. So far as I know, this is the only law made in our country among the nations of the world but possibly North Korea is another case). In order to escape all this, a Christian has to be friendly with the ward/block authority and donate an amount of money for the ward social issue. It is not an easy thing to build a building that is purposed for the ministry of a church in a city like Yangon. It is more difficult to construct a big building like the building we are building for the church. Even for trying to get the permit for the construction. I am sure, you may be easily disappointed with the cunning playing of the concerned officers, just even for coming and going to their offices. You will be asked a lot of questions like why you need such kind of building, knowing that you are Christian. Are you not going to use for religious purpose? You need God’s favor and the favor of the people too. But I am sure that God is doing this great thing through me and this is just for His glory and Kingdom’s sake. I am not afraid even if the neighboring Buddhists are eyeing because of their jealousy on what I am doing. But I know, if God is for us, who is there against us? I am confident that the completion of this building construction will serve the church and its wider ministry best. Myanmar people are the ones who are most concerned about the outer looking of a man, an organization rather than its truthfulness and dignity. If an organization has no infrastructure which they think it should have, they do not care about it. The building, when completed, will serve the accommodation for the orphanage, the future Bible school, and the church headquarters. By this we will be able to accommodate more orphans of the civil war, affected victims, full-time ministers of the church, and also the evangelists. And I hope, with this building, the church will be able to function like an accepted organization to serve the people of the world with the Word. Here is a second report pertaining to our orphans in Myanmar: The orphans are doing fine. I am very happy with the report of their marks. They all jumped a little higher. Education is one of the hopes I have for them. Our country is poor and war stricken due to lack of education, godly education. A few orphans have been suffering from some kind of itching – a type of skin disease like ringworm (it is not ringworm). I doubt they are infected from their schools. My son is now also infected and my daughter and myself too. We apply some type of medicine given from a clinic. But it is not that effective because they have to go to the school from where they are infected from their school friends. We cannot always go to the clinic always for this. It is very expensive, even buying and applying the medicines. When the orphans are free on Sunday, they work on the construction about one or two hours. I let them do what they can do, teaching them in the matter of construction. At the moment, the thing that is disturbing us physically and mentally is the case of security. Because of the construction process, our temporary fencing has been removed and we have only finished the brick wall fence half way. It is easy for thieves to assault, and in some cases, endanger our lives and the orphans, even if unintentionally. The likely thieves with motorbikes have been spying on us these four nights. I reported this last night to the ward chairman. He told me that he would call. I waited for the police till midnight. He did not come. Our compound is like an open space for thieves and robbers. So, I am always concerned about the security. The place is a bit isolated from others already. Three orphans usually take night security process as a routine. The winter is also approaching and the orphans need winter clothes. I hope you will also come and visit us when the building is completed. God blessings, Tluang Kung In spite of all the hardships, God is blessing the countries that are experiencing trials and persecution, as they are also our fastest growing churches, giving many hope who are living in harsh circumstances. When you assist the Orphans and Widows Ministry/GC Missions you help our conferences grow. People want to join churches that are active and care about their communities, not just churches that do a lot of talking and begging. Your monthly gifts evangelize the nations. Thank you. Brian Baker brian.baker@cog7.org