HINDU SACRIFICE OF 250,000 ANIMALS BEGINS ( WORLD'S BIGGEST ANIMAL SACRIFICE )

The world's biggest animal sacrifice began in Nepal today with the killing of the first of more than 250,000 animals as part of a Hindu festival in the village of Bariyapur, near the border with India.
The event, which happens every five years, began with the decapitation of thousands of buffalo, killed in honour of Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power.
With up to a million worshippers on the roads near the festival grounds, this year's fair seems more popular than ever, despite vocal protests from animals rights groups who have called for it to be banned. "It is the traditional way, " explained 45-year old Manoj Shah, a Nepali driver who has been attending the event since he was six, "If we want anything, and we come here with an offering to the goddess, within five years all our dreams will be fulfilled." .
Crowds thronged the roads and camped out in the open, wrapped in blankets against the cool mist. The festivities included a ferris wheel, fortune-telling robots and stalls broadcasting music and offering tea and sugary snacks.
As dawn broke, the fair officially opened with the sacrifice of two rats, two pigeons, a pig, a lamb and a rooster in the main temple, to cheers of "Long live Gadhimai" from spectators pushing against each other for a better view.
In the main event, 250 appointed residents with traditional kukri knives began their task of decapitating more than 10,000 buffalo in a dusty enclosure guarded by high walls and armed police.
Frightened calves galloped around in vain as the men, wearing red bandanas and armbands, pursued them and chopped off their heads. Banned from entering the animal pen, hundreds of visitors scrambled up the three-metre walls to catch a glimpse of the carnage.
The dead beasts will be sold to companies who will profit from the sale of the meat, bones and hide. Organisers will funnel the proceeds into development of the area, including the temple upkeep.
On the eve of the event, protesters made a final plea to organisers by cracking open coconuts in a nearby temple as a symbolic sacrifice. "It is cruel and inhumane. We've always been a superstitious country, but I don't think sacrifice has to be part of the Hindu religion," said the protest organiser, Pramada Shah.
The campaign has the support of the French actor Brigitte Bardot, who has petitioned the Nepalese prime minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, about the issue. But the government, which donated £36,500 to the event, has shown no sign of discontinuing the centuries-old tradition. An attempt by the previous government to cut the budget for animal sacrifice provoked street protests.
Chandan Dev Chaudhary, a Hindu priest, said he was pleased with the festival's high turnout and insisted tradition had to be kept. "The goddess needs blood," he said. "Then that person can make his wishes come true."

HUNDREDS FLOCK TO PRAYER BREAKFAST

A murmur of praying voices filled the Amarillo Civic Center at daylight Tuesday. Among them, one could hear the names "David Logan, Gary Hinders," and, more generally, "our judges," "the policemen" and "all the teachers at Amarillo High."
A few people clasped hands as they prayed. Others lifted their hands toward heaven.
Logan and Hinders are Canyon city commissioners, two of the many people listed on the prayer guide distributed at the Community Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday.
About 1,300 people gathered at the civic center and asked God to bless and guide them, as did other local, state and federal leaders.
The prayer breakfast, in its 20th year, combines youth, music, sounds of patriotism and an inspirational speaker. Patrick Morley, author of "Man in the Mirror," a look at time, temperament, finances and relationships from a masculine perspective, spoke of emptiness after a life of financial success.
"I realized I wasn't looking for God. He was looking for me," he said.
Morley outlined spiritual struggles facing most people, including the desire to live worldly lives while trying to nurture a spiritual life.
"God loves you, and he wants you to repent," he said.
Roland Shorter Jr., a prayer breakfast guest, studied "Man in the Mirror" at church.
As men's ministry leader at Amarillo Bible Fellowship, he came looking for ideas to help the dozen men involved with the ministry become better Christians.
And he found an idea.
"It's repenting. We've got to repent of the world," Shorter said.
Lucy Karr has been on the prayer breakfast committee for 15 years. Its value as an event is in its emphasis on God and his love, and in the prayer for healing of the land, she said.
"It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done. ... I think it's a little taste of heaven," Karr said.

' HOLY HIP HOP ' TRYING TO BREAK INTO THE MAINSTREAM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Terverius Black believes in hip-hop gospel so much he sold his first home to get the money needed to start his Christian-themed entertainment company.
It was a risky move, but the 34-year-old entrepreneur believes the company's diversity, which is producing music, a film, a reality television show and a gospel cruise, will help boost a struggling genre of Christian music.
Secular hip-hop used radio as a launching pad, but holy hip-hop gets little play on regular hip-hop stations and nearly none on gospel or Christian radio.
"It's tough, but we've got to get a little more creative," said Black, who started Huntsville, Ala.-based Xist (pronounced "exist") Worldwide Record Label three years ago with partner Sean Simmonds.
Both men point to hip-hop moguls like Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z and Russell Simmons, who succeeded branching outside the music industry. Even though their message is faith-based, Black and Simmonds believe they can find the same success.

"We're trying to create our own blueprint for gospel, but at the same time, make it so that it's respected across the board, and can be followed," said Simmonds, 32.
Hip-hop gospel has been around nearly two decades, but many followers say it didn't start getting recognized until a few years ago. So far this year, there have been more than 500,000 CD and digital sales of hip-hop gospel, according to the Christian Music Trade Association, which operates Christian SoundScan.
Supporters also point to an increasing number of hip-hop gospel fan Web sites.
"I think holy hip-hop music is starting to make a move," said Danny Wilson, a former road manager for rapper-actor LL Cool J and the main organizer of the Holy Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. "Look how long it took regular hip hop to take. You're talking about 25 to 30 years for it to really make an impact to the point that it's a driving culture that's known all over the world."
Wilson said better air play of hip-hop gospel would make it a more effective tool in reaching the unchurched. He cites a syndicated two-hour radio show sponsored by Holy Hip Hop Awards that airs once a week in about 100 cities.
"We get letters from prison all the time," Wilson said. "One man wrote, 'I wish I had this music when I was out on the street, it might have saved my life.'"
Joey Elwood, president of Gotee Records, a small independent label, agrees hip-hop gospel would benefit from more air play on both gospel and secular outlets, but he believes "a lot of the outlets are afraid of offending people."
"If there's any genre where I think that would not be an issue, it would be in hip-hop," Elwood said. "I think hip-hop listeners are less likely to complain about a gospel message in their song. The radio stations have got to get a little bit braver."
Xist could create more awareness and demand for its music with its other ventures, said Kymberlee Norsworthy, director of publicity for Verity Gospel Music Group, a subsidiary of Sony.
"I think only time will tell, but I have faith and confidence that it will be successful," she said of the company.
Xist's film, "Stand," and its reality TV show focus on three young hip-hop gospel artists struggling in the industry who refuse to trade their beliefs for fame.
Black said the gospel cruise, which allows fans to mingle with their favorite artists, is also an opportunity for people to enjoy themselves "and not ... worry about compromising what they believe in."
"We Christians, but we party, too," he said.
The key will be staying true to a Christian message, said Vassal Benford, a top California-based record and movie producer who is working on his first gospel album. Xist needs to clearly distinguish the music from secular hip hop, whose reputation and lyrics are often "centered around a lot of darkness," such as robbing and killing.
"Gospel music has a certain wholesomeness to it," he said. "And whether it's a hip-hop beat or whatever it is under it, the underlying cause of it should always be about God and ... creating a positive influence."
Trey Williams, also known as Andale, is a Nashville gospel rapper starring in Xist Worldwide's film. He said his lyrics focus on humility and encouragement, rather than negativity.
On a track from his latest CD, "White Flag," Williams says: "I'm surrendering ... sick of lying, sick of stealing ... I'm taking my life back the devil he don't really like that but Christ glad I'm waving this here bright white flag."
Williams said he believes the movie will provide valuable exposure for hip-hop gospel.
"If people know we're here and they know the level of quality we're presenting then they'll pay attention to it, but the trick is getting them to pay attention," said the 27-year-old Williams. "We have to get in their face, and a lot of times they just don't know we exist. I think this film will help with that."
Hip-hop gospel pioneer Vicki Mack-Lataillade, whose discoveries include gospel star Kirk Franklin and a group called The Gospel Gangstaz, said she understands the challenges of "doing radical music" and applauds companies like Xist Worldwide for thinking outside the box.
"It's healthy for the industry to have ... new visions," she said. "It's the lifeblood."

GOD'S WORD GOES PUBLIC FOR 90 STRAIGHT HOURS ; 5 DAY BIBLE READING MARATHON TRUMPETS EVERY VERSE FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION

STUART, – "In the beginning was the Word."
And beginning tonight in this small city on Florida's Treasure Coast, those who love the Word of God commenced a nonstop, Bible-reading marathon that will take them from the first verse in Genesis to the last line of Revelation, lasting some 90 hours and finishing up Sunday afternoon.
The outdoor event features people of all ages and beliefs reading the King James Version of the Good Book at a public park owned by the city of Stuart which, for the first time this year, is joining Martin County in endorsing the project.
"Here we are on government property, and we have the Ten Commandments right there in front of the pulpit," said Donna Healton, a pastor with Spirit of Prophecy Ministries who organized the event along with her husband and fellow pastor, Gene Healton. "Our vision is that every county in Florida will be doing a Bible marathon."
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The Christian couple began their first marathon in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
They said God had prompted them to start the event as a "protection of our nation against terrorism." They originally thought it was just going to be a one-year project, but the reading has blossomed over the past years, popular with not only ministers, but just ordinary folk who wish to read Scripture publicly.
Bible-reader-wannabes either sign up in advance for a 15-minute time slot of their choosing, or just show up off the street to jump in whenever there's an availability.

A handful of volunteers actually camp through the night at the park, ready to take over the duties if someone from the public is not at the podium.
At times, reading the Bible can be difficult when it comes to mouthing some of the names found in the Old Testament. For instance, Genesis 10:26 states, "And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah."
When one woman had trouble making it through that list, she ad-libbed a bit, saying, "Lord, you know who they are!"
And why do people come from all over the Sunshine State just to read the Bible out loud?
"We're here basically to pronounce the Word of God," said Father John Bower of the Church of the Holy Comforter in Stuart. "The Word of God is to be pronounced at all times and in all places for the salvation of mankind."
"We're not the minority," stressed Michele Mazone of Jensen Beach, Fla. "We are the majority and we have to put a voice to that majority. We have to let people know that we're not going to go away, we're not going to go away quietly, that we're still going to come out and voice our opinions about the Lord and our commitment to Him and that we commit our lives to him. He is with us and He will always be with us to the end."
In years past, unseasonably cold weather made it uncomfortable for some readers and listeners, as they wore parkas, hats and gloves to stay warm through the overnight hours. This year's forecast has low temperatures expected to remain in the upper 60s.
Gene Healton was sporting a T-shirt with a Christian cross and a message stating, "This shirt is illegal in 52 countries," which he says is a reference to Islamic nations that have little or no tolerance when it comes to promoting Jesus Christ. He says it's important to be public in proclaiming God's truth, and feels there's a growing threat in America that's diminishing freedoms of speech and religion.
"That's for sure," he said. "They're trying to pass the hate bill and taking God out of more and more things all the time. We have to stand in that place and continue to pray. The Bible says there's always going to be a remnant [of those faithful to God], and a remnant is going to do a great work."

POLICE ARREST WOMAN FOR WEARING PRAYER SHAWL AT WESTERN WALL, JERUSALEM

Police on Wednesday arrested a woman who was praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, due to the fact that she was wrapped in a prayer shawl (tallit).

The woman was visiting the site with the religious women's group "Women of the Wall" to take part in the monthly Rosh Hodesh prayer. Police were called to the area after the group asked to read aloud from a Torah scroll.
Police said they arrested the women in the wake of a High Court ruling, which states that the public visiting the Western Wall is obligated to dress in accordance with the site's dress code. Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz said the act was a provocation meant to turn the wall into a fighting ground.

"We must distance politics and disagreement from this sacred place," Rabinowitz said. Chairman of the women's group, Anat Hoffman, said that this is the first time in the history of Israel that a woman has been arrested because she wrapped herself in a tallit and read from the Torah. Rabbi Gilad Kariv, associate director of Israel's reform movement, said that all over the world women are entitled to wear the tallit, and only in the land of the Jews are they excluded from the social custom and even arrested for praying.

"Israeli police should be ashamed of themselves," Kariv said. Last week Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the Shas party's spiritual leader, said during his weekly sermon that the women in the feminist movement are "stupid" and act the way they do out of a selfish desire for equality, not "for heavens' sake." Rabbi Ovadia also said about the groups' custom to pray at the Western Wall that "there are stupid women who come to the Western Wall, put on a tallit (prayer shawl), and pray," and added that they should be condemned.

REPUBLIC AIR CEO BRYAN BEDFORD PUTS HIS FAITH TO WORK

Nine years ago, Bryan Bedford decided to bring God to work with him.
"We've been building a business together ever since," said Bedford, chief executive of Republic Airways, which recently acquired Frontier Airlines.
Bedford has infused his Christian faith into Republic's vision statement and believes it has made the company stronger.
Republic employees may be used to Bedford's tack, but as new members of the Republic family, a number of Frontier workers find it jarring — as do some outsiders.
"It worries me that the environment created by the boss feels like: If you're not with Jesus, you're not on board with Republic," said Buie Seawell, an ethics and legal-studies professor at the University of Denver and a Presbyterian minister.
Bedford says he doesn't try to convert anyone or require faith as an employment litmus test.
But he also says he isn't shy about sharing his religious faith along with his faith in Republic's business plan in company newsletters — signing them: "I pray for God's continued blessings on our families and our airline."
"This tells you where I come from, what makes me tick, and this is what I believe and what the company value system is," Bedford said.
Republic's vision statement says, in part, "every employee, regardless of personal beliefs or world view, has been created in the image and likeness of God."
Some might reel at the mention, but others say it doesn't cross the line.
As the statement doesn't mention Christianity, "there is no reason why that couldn't have been written by someone who is Jewish," said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the Denver office of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Silverstein said Bedford has a right to express his values to company employees as long as he complies with statutes protecting religious freedom.
A devout Catholic, Bedford said he decided nine years ago to avoid compartmentalizing his life by being one person at work, another at home and another on Sundays.
"I needed to be a whole person in all facets of my life each day," he said.
There is a big trend globally to build businesses on religious foundations of integrity, character and trust, said Steve Stanley, chief executive of Christian Business Leaders.
The Texas-based organization helps develop "spiritual business statesmen out of business leaders," Stanley said, "where their public and private conduct is guided by the same principles and values."
DU's Seawell said he's uncomfortable with mixing business and religion, that principles such as respecting co-workers are "universal values."
"God would be pleased if we did that without doing it in his name," Seawell said.
Bedford said in a recent newsletter that he was sure the vision statement reference to God was getting a "fair amount of debate."
"Gasp . . . He talks about God in public and to his employees," mused Bedford, 48.
Some Frontier workers who want to remain anonymous out of concern for their jobs said they have been stunned by Bedford's writings. "Very bizarre!!" one wrote to The Denver Post.
There have been a few complaints, Bedford said, but he also has heard from 300 Frontier employees whom he described as grateful for his words.
Bedford doesn't limit himself to religious views. He also writes on issues that don't directly affect the airline.
Several years ago, Bedford created what he calls a "community dialog" in Republic's home base of Indianapolis when he wrote about abortion.
"This is more than words on a sheet of paper," Bedford said. "God is an important contributor to our business, and there is more going on here than flying airplanes."
On Internet pilot forums, where Bedford is referred to as "Rev. BB," some pilots question how Bedford's "cutthroat" business practices jibe with his expressions of religious faith.
Bedford shrugged off the comments.
"Business is competitive," he said. "I think Scripture quoters — and I'm not — would refer to parables about using your talents, that we each have gifts and are called on to use these gifts to our fullest potential."

CHINESE GOVERNMENT TRAMPLES ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BEFORE OBAMA VISIT

BEIJING -- Beaten, banned, and berated, house church Christians have endured increased religious persecution over the last two months in China. The Chinese government has stepped up its central government-led campaign repressing all religious activities, targeting registered and unregistered churches alike.

Read the most recent stories of persecution:
11/13/2009 - Linfen Fushan Church Leaders Rushed to Trial without Notice.
11/13/2009 - 2,000 Wanbang Church Members Hunted, Interrogated and Threatened after Stand-off with Shanghai PSB.
11/12/2009 - Beijing Continues Relentless Crackdown on Shouwang Church.
11/11/2009 - Wuhan Religious Spies Infiltrate Enguang Church and Officials Takeover with Three-Self Leaders.
11/04/2009 - Shanghai Wanbang Church Banned by State Agencies.
11/03/2009 - Prominent Chinese Legal Researcher Abruptly Dismissed for "Political Reasons."
11/02/2009 - Shouwang Church Members Forced to Sing in the Snow.
ChinaAid President Bob Fu expressed deep concern over the lack of accountability of Western powers to uphold human rights: "The Obama Administration's total silence on this issue has been seen as a green light and certainly emboldens the Chinese government's resolve to carry out this sweep, without worrying about international consequence.
"From the violence against the 50,000 members Linfen Fushan Church in Shanxi on Sept. 13 (with five church leaders facing trial among 9 still arrested), to the repression of Shouwang and Wanbang Churches on Nov. 1-2, as well as the forced dismissal of prominent moderate legal scholar and church leader Dr. Fan Yafeng; and from beating up human rights lawyers Zhang Kai and Li Chunfu in May in Chongqing to disbarring at least 18 human rights lawyers so far, neither the White House nor the U.S. Department of State has issued any public statement to show its concern on the deteriorating situation."
As President Obama travels to China on Sunday, November 15, a great opportunity arises for the United States to reclaim a strong stance on human rights, and specifically reassert the vital importance of religious freedom. Each time a key Western leader remains silent on these issues, the Chinese government is empowered to suppress even more freedoms. The cycle must be broken.
ChinaAid calls on the international community and President Barack Obama to bring these cases to light, and to take a strong stance in favor of religious freedom for all.

MAX LUCADO'S " FEARLESS " MAKES ALL TIME BEST LIST

The well-established magazine “Guideposts” has included Max Lucado’s latest book “Fearless” among the Top 10 among reader-selected life changing books.
This may seem surprising since the book was just released in September and shares company in the Top 10 with familiar reads such as Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life,” Joseph P. Young’s “The Shack” and “Tuesdays With Morrie” by veteran sports columnist Mitch Albom.
I’ve read the book and found it filled with helpful and practical advice for Christians to live confidently despite any number of concerns which gum up our lives. Lucado is also a polished storyteller who does a good job of weaving personal anecdotes throughout.
A chapter excerpt discussing the fear the God doesn’t exist.

MISSIONARY ACTIVITY COULD BE RESTRICTED IN RUSSIA BY THE NEW LEGISLATION : PRAY & MAKE A DIFFERENCE

MOSCOW --New legislation being considered by Russian lawmakers could drastically restrict missions activity if made into law.

Restrictions could include requiring missionaries and Russian Christians to obtain permission to engage in missionary activity and limiting its locations and participants, such as tourists and minors.While the proposals are currently in the draft stages, language introduced by the Russian Ministry of Justice Oct. 12 indicates that if these laws are enacted they will greatly restrict religious freedom.

Russian Baptist officials say they believe the new language primarily targets Roman Catholics and Protestants and believe it has already found favor with leaders of Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism -- Russia's four most prominent religions."Of course, when measures like this are talked about, we are always concerned and we should look at them with a measure of seriousness," said Ed Tarleton, a leader of IMB work in Russia.

"Evangelicals have enjoyed days of openness and freedom, so when lawmakers start talking about language that is contrary to that, we become concerned."The proposed changes include allowing only religious groups who have been registered in Russia for at least 15 years to apply for permission to engage in missionary activity. Foreigners in Russia on a temporary visa, such as a tourist visa, would be excluded from engaging in missionary work.Russian Baptist leaders add that wording in the proposed legislation makes no distinction between professional missionaries and average believers.

"Practically all believers will become susceptible to penal sanction," says Yuri Sipko, president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists.In addition, the new language indicates that missions activity will not be allowed in hospitals, orphanages or homes for invalids and the aging without the approval of government officials. Missionary activity would be prohibited on the grounds of government buildings. The proposed measures also take aim at minors, saying that Russian minors may not be present at religious activities or be given media materials without their parents' consent.

Over the past decade, Baptists in Russia, as well as other Protestants, have been involved with social work -- addressing the issues of drug and alcohol abuse. Sipko recently wrote, "Without missionary activities, drunkenness and the abuse of narcotics will only increase. If the state begins to destroy the social ministry of churches, it will be forced to build more prisons.

"IMB missionary Andy Leiniger has been working with Russian Baptists in Siberia as they develop social ministry programs. "If these laws were to pass and be enforced, they would officially shut them [the ministry centers] down," Leiniger said. "But I think it would be very hard to unofficially stop the work that is being done when it comes to helping people get away from their addictions."Baptist leaders are most concerned about the ambiguity of the language in the proposals. "Right now, it is like we are driving down the road and have speed limit and stop signs to tell us what we can and cannot do and police to enforce those specific rules," Tarleton said.

"If these new proposals remain as ambiguous as they appear to be at this stage, it would be like changing everything to caution signs, and religious groups would constantly be evaluated by officials making judgment calls based on their interpretation of the new laws.

"Tarleton and Russian Baptist leaders have urged the worldwide religious community to join them in prayer as Russian lawmakers consider the proposals, praying that language restricting missionary activity in Russia be excluded from new legislation, for Russian Baptist churches and leaders as they work with government officials, and for IMB missionaries serving in Russia as they continue to minister in these uncertain times.

VATICAN KEEPS CELIBACY IN RULES ON ANGLICANS

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican said on Monday that its new rules facilitating the conversion of Anglicans, including married Anglican priests, did not “signify any change” in its rules for priestly celibacy.
The announcement seemed aimed at dampening recent debate about whether in creating a new Anglican rite within the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican had brought in a kind of Trojan horse — married former Anglican clergy — a practice that might someday normalize the acceptance of married Catholic priests.
In a watershed in Catholic-Anglican relations, Pope Benedict XVI announced three weeks ago the creation of a new structure in which Anglicans could convert to Catholicism yet keep certain parts of the Anglican ritual, including liturgy. The move was widely seen as an effort to attract traditionalist Anglicans uncomfortable with the ordination of women and gay clergy members.
On Monday, the Vatican released the rules governing the new structures. They uphold current practice; the rules say married Anglican priests can become Catholic priests only on “a case-by-case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy See.”
The new norm “does not signify any change in the church’s discipline of clerical celibacy,” the Vatican press office said in a statement.
It added that the new structure was “consistent” with the church’s “commitment to ecumenical dialogue.”
The Vatican has emphasized that the new norms were not aimed at poaching Anglicans but were created in response to requests by traditionalist Anglicans. In its statement on Monday, the Vatican said the new structure was “a generous response from the Holy Father to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups.”
Nevertheless, the creation of an Anglican rite within the Catholic Church has been widely perceived as a bold and even aggressive act capitalizing on the weaknesses of the Church of England, which in recent years has been increasingly divided over the issue of female and gay clergy members.
A recent headline in The Times of London read, “Rome Parks Tanks on Rowan’s Lawn,” referring to the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion. Archbishop Williams, who jointly announced the new norms with the Vatican at a news conference on Oct. 20 in London, is expected to meet the pope in Rome next week.
The new rules stipulate that men who were baptized as Catholics and subsequently became Anglicans cannot become priests. They also say that Anglican bishops who convert to Catholicism will remain priests but will lose the rank of bishop.
Called Personal Ordinariates, the new structures are akin to dioceses but without geographic bounds. They are to be overseen by bishops or priests chosen by the pope. The ordinariates will work in conjunction with local dioceses but will not answer to them, and will belong to the local bishops conference.
It remains to be seen how many Anglicans will take the Vatican up on the offer.

HUNDREDS OF CHRISTIAN TEENS GOING TO VISIT COSHOCTON FOR THE PURPOSE OF HELPING CITIZENS THEY DON'T KNOW

COSHOCTON -- Some 400 teens will descend on Coshocton next summer from across the country for the purpose of helping citizens they don't know.
"You can go to band camp, you go to soccer camp, you can go to football camp and you can go to a work camp. And they've chosen not to go to another country or to a big city, inner city, but to go to places throughout the United States and work," said project co-chair Mayor Steve Mercer.
The work camps program started in 1975 in Colorado when a storm caused a flood that wiped out a small town and church. Locals from around the area, particularly youth, pitched in to help with the rebuilding of the city and the program grew from that.
Project co-chair Brad Fuller recently spent a week in Colorado where he learned more about the program and its workings. Fuller is in charge of home selection and assembling the needed materials.
"It's a well oiled machine," Fuller said. "They're teenagers, they're not skilled laborers, but they're all coming to this camp because they have some degree of skill."
The program will see 400 youths and 100 adult supervisors stay in Coshocton from June 13 to 19. They will do light repair and painting on 70 to 80 homes. When staying in Coshocton for the week, they will sleep and eat at Coshocton High School.
The youths ages 12 to 18 pay $424 to take part in the program, which pays for transportation, food and other needs. Those who wish to have their house worked on pay nothing.
"I see it as something that will be such a tremendous help to our community and to people in need. It's geared toward low to moderate income, the elderly or disabled, and certainly the economy the way it is it is difficult for that demographic to do much maintenance. So to have a group like this to come in at a time like this is just a perfect fit to give our community a real shine," Mercer said.
The program is Christian-based and provides more than physical repairs and work to the teens taking part and the communities they go to.
"It's not just home repair. That's a nice by-product. What happens is, it's a spirit that happens in the community and people really get on board with it and see this community spirit and take more pride in their homes," Fuller said. "Spiritually what happens (with the teens taking part) is a great thing. It's building them up personally. They know they have the ability to help their fellow man. The by-product is we get out town looking a little better."
Locally, $19,000 needs to be raised to pay for materials and supplies for the work. Paint, tools, ladders and other equipment also can be donated.
"I'm confident that we'll be able to raise the dollar amount that we need without city funds," Mercer said. "That money stays right here, it goes nowhere else."
The Coshocton Baptist Church is acting as fiscal agent for the project. Checks can be made to Coshocton Work Camps and mailed to the Coshocton Baptist Church, 1631 Denman Ave., Coshocton, OH 43812.
Applications for the project soon will be available at City Hall and those who wish to donate materials or some how aide the project can call the mayor's office at 622-1373 or Brad Fuller at 623-8027.

PASTOR TED HAGGARD GOING TO LEAD WORSHIP AGAIN

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Ted Haggard, who was dismissed from the megachurch he founded after a man alleged a cash-for-sex relationship with him, plans to lead people in worship again.
The pastor told The Gazette he is holding a "prayer meeting" November 12 in his Colorado Springs living room, but said it would also be correct to call it a church.
Haggard says he has no goals of building something like New Life Church, which began with about 25 people in his basement in 1985 and grew to thousands of members.
Haggard resigned from the church in 2006 after a Denver man said Haggard paid him for sex.
The gathering on Thursday will include music, an offering to New Life Church, and a talk from Haggard about the power of prayer.

CHRISTIANS PROTEST AT POTRAYAL OF JESUS AS A TRANSSEXUAL WOMEN

More than 300 Christian protesters demonstrated in the centre of Glasgow last night against a publicly funded play that portrays Jesus as a transsexual woman.
The demonstrators, who waved placards and sang hymns and gospel songs, blocked Chisholm Street for about two hours from 6.30pm as they held a candlelit vigil outside the Tron Theatre where Jesus, Queen of Heaven will run until Saturday.
A ecumenical congregation including Catholics and evangelical Christians voiced their disapproval of the show, which presents Christ as a man who wants to become a woman.
One placard said: “Jesus, King of Kings, Not Queen of Heaven”.
Another stated: “God: My Son Is Not A Pervert”.
The production is part of the Glasgay! arts festival, Scotland’s annual celebration of homo­sexual culture, which receives funding from Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Arts Council.
The Christian Institute, which is opposed to equality for gay people, has said the festival is “further proof of an agenda to use taxpayers’ money to fund assaults on Christian values.”
Protesters said last night that they did not feel their demonstration would give more publicity to the show they wanted banned.
Jack Bell, pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in Polmadie, said: “We are here to protest against the blasphemy of this play.”
Another demonstrator, Peter Campbell of St Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church in Greenock, said: “I am here to say enough is enough. I feel I have to do something because I don’t feel this is right and I have to stand up for the cause of Jesus.”
Publicity material for the play shows the writer and lead performer of the piece – transsexual Jo (formerly John) Clifford – posing as Christ with crucifixion wounds and a halo.

READER'S DIGEST AND RICK WARREN ENDS MAGAZINE VENTURE

Less than a year after starting a hybrid magazine and paid membership organization, the Rev. Rick Warren and the Reader’s Digest Association said Wednesday that they were pulling the plug.
Their plan was to capitalize on Mr. Warren’s best-selling books, like “The Purpose Driven Life,” to create a group patterned on his calls to Christian evangelism and charitable works.
They sold $29 annual memberships to Purpose Driven Connection, built around local chapters and online social networking tools. Members received a quarterly magazine of the same name — edited by Mr. Warren — DVDs and study guides. The magazine were also sold through retailers.
But their timing could not have been worse; the project began near the worst of the financial crisis, in the depths of the recession.
“The numbers for the membership were quite disappointing,” said William K. Adler, a spokesman for the Reader’s Digest Association. The partners declined to release sales figures for the memberships or the magazine.
They plan to keep operating the organization’s Web site, purposedriven.com, which has been free.
“Our biggest discovery was learning that people prefer reading our content online rather than in print, because it is more convenient and accessible,” Mr. Warren said in a statement.
The fourth and last issue of the magazine will be published this month. The Reader’s Digest Association said it had just one employee who worked on it full time, Frank Lalli, the editorial director, who recently left the association.
The company filed for bankruptcy protection in August under a plan that would make its lenders its majority owners, while reducing its $2.2 billion in debt to $550 million.

DRUG LORD PABLO ESCOBAR BURNT $2 MILLION TO KEEP HIS DAUGHTER WARM FOR A SINGLE NIGHT !

Drug lord Pablo Escobar burnt cash worth Rs 9 crore to keep his daughter warm and cook food, during a night on the run, his son saysColombian drug lord Pablo Escobar burnt $2 million (Rs 9.4 crore) to keep his daughter warm during a single night on the run, it has emerged. The infamous cocaine baron is said to have lit a bonfire using wads of US dollars at a mountain hideout while he was being hunted by authorities.
Terror: Escobar's cartel controlled 80% of the global cocaine marketHis son, Sebastian Marroqui­n, who has changed his name from Juan Pablo Escobar, claimed his father burnt the notes when he realised his daughter Manuela was suffering from hypothermia.

Escobar's son, who moved with his family to Argentina after his father's death 15 years ago, also told the Colombian magazine Don Juan that the security-mad billionaire bought his own taxi firm to find out when outsiders arrived in their native Medellin.He also moved his family every 48 hours between 15 hideaways he had all over the city.

He even blindfolded them before each move so that they could never work out the whereabouts of each house and give the locations to torturers if they were captured.Escobar, head of the infamous Medellin Cartel, was shot dead in 1993 as he tried to escape police.Rich & PowerfulAt the height of his power in 1989, he was ranked the seventh richest man in the world by Forbes magazine with an estimated £18 billion (Rs 85,000 crore) fortune, while his Medellin cartel controlled 80% of the global cocaine market.

EVANGELICAL MARCH IN BRAZIL DRAWS 1.5 MILLION

SAO PAULO — More than 1.5 million evangelical Christians joined Brazil's annual "March for Jesus" on Monday, an event sponsored by a church whose leaders recently returned after being imprisoned in the U.S. for money smuggling.
Now in its 17th year, the march unites faithful from hundreds of evangelical churches and attracts dozens of Christian bands, preachers and local celebrities.
It is organized by the powerful Reborn in Christ Church, whose leaders said they expected 5 million people to gather around a central Sao Paulo plaza where the main stage was located.
Hundreds of thousands followed Estevam Hernandes Filho and his wife, Sonia Haddad Moraes Hernandes, along the 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) route of the march, and still more gathered at the plaza.
Police said more than 1.5 million people turned out by mid-afternoon.
The couple returned to Brazil in August after serving five months in prison, five months under house arrest in Florida and two months of probation for not declaring $56,000 in cash they were carrying on a flight from Sao Paulo to Miami. The money was hidden a child's backpack and a Bible case, among other bags.
Filho said the theme of this year's gathering — "March to Topple Giants" — refers to evangelicals' battle against "discrimination, misunderstanding and mainly the stereotypes" in Brazil.
Brazil is home to more Roman Catholics than any other country but has seen a steady increase in the number of evangelicals in recent decades.
According to the 2000 census, 74 percent of Brazilians identify as Catholics, down from 84 percent in 1990. Fifteen percent classified themselves as evangelical Protestants, up from 9 percent in 1990.
Andrea Pazin, a 33-year-old human resources manger, bundled her two young children and husband into a car and drove 150 miles (240 kilometers) from interior Sao Paulo state for the march.
"It's one giant party for Jesus," she said, standing among a noisy throng of revelers.
While this year's march is a homecoming of sorts for Filho and Hernandes following their stint in prison, Pazin said the parade was a show of force for a higher power.
"We march every year, with or without them. They are important to us — they founded the church," she said. "But what is happening here is bigger than them. It's a celebration for Jesus."

15,000 BIBLES SEIZED IN MALAYASIA

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian authorities have confiscated more than 15,000 Bibles in recent months because they referred to "God" as "Allah," a translation that has been banned in this Muslim-majority country, Christian church officials said Thursday.
The alleged seizure of the Bibles, imported from neighboring Indonesia, is certain to reignite complaints by religious minorities that their right to practice their faiths freely has come under threat as the government panders to the Muslim majority.
A growing sense of discrimination among the minorities is chipping away at Malaysia's reputation as a harmonious multiethnic nation that practices a moderate brand of Islam.
The Rev. Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, said authorities seized a consignment of 10,000 copies sent from Jakarta to Kuching in Sarawak state on Sept. 11 because the Indonesian-language Bibles contained the word "Allah."
Indonesian language is similar to Malaysian language, both of which use "Allah" as translation for God in both Islamic and Christian traditions.
Another 5,100 Bibles, also imported from Indonesia, were seized in March, said an official from the Bible Society of Malaysia, who asked not to be named for fear of angering the government.
A Home Ministry official said he was not aware of the seizures. He said he couldn't be named without his superiors' clearance.
Malaysia has banned non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" in their texts, saying the word is Islamic and may upset Muslims. About 60 percent of the country's 28 million people are Malay Muslims while 25 percent are ethnic Chinese and 8 percent are Indians. Many of the Chinese and Indians are Christians.
The Roman Catholic Church is challenging the "Allah" ban in court, saying it is unconstitutional and discriminates against those worshipping in Malay language. The case has been stuck in preliminary hearings for almost two years.
Shastri said the church council is concerned over the continued detention "of our holy book, which is depriving congregations ... and denying them the use of their Bible."
"For most of the Christians, this is not an issue of going against the authorities. They have been using (the word "Allah") for a long time," he said.
Church officials say Allah is not exclusive to Islam but is an Arabic word that predates Islam.
Besides the Bible seizures, Malaysia has been embroiled in other religious disputes. Some were over the conversion of minors to Islam and the religion of deceased people who are said to have converted to Islam secretly before their death. Hindus have also protested the demolition of several temples by authorities.