MEGACHURCH IN NORTHLAND BRINGS WORSHIP TO THE IPHONE

Northland, A Church Distributed, a megachurch in central Florida, is all about helping people worship where they are. Their latest iPhone Web app is helping thousands do exactly that.
Northland is one of the first churches to stream worship services live over the iPhone. Already 2,000 people are worshipping with Northland online every week.
"For us, the distinctive is, wherever we are, whether were gathered in ones or tens, hundreds or thousands, that we are gathering to worship our God together. That is key for us and that is what drove us to build the online worship environment that we built," said Nathan Clark, Northland's director of digital innovation.
The 12,000-member church has taken innovative approaches to growth since 2001 when it launched multiple sites, or "distributed sites" throughout Metro Orlando. It began webcasting its services in 2006 and later launched an interactive version of its webstream that includes an online pastor and a chatroom.
Its very name – Northland, A Church Distributed – reflects how they see church.
"It's not a place you leave your community to go, it’s the gathering of community for worship, service and equipping," Clark explained.
Northland's $42 million facilities in Longwood were built with the vision that it would serve as a "distribution point" rather than a "destination."
"The intent was never to see how many people could fit under one roof; it was to facilitate ministry worldwide with other believers," according to the church website.
The way Northland sees it, their church provides unlimited seating "virtually."
Launched in July, the newest iPhone Web app offers videos of past church services as well as live streaming. It works both on 3G networks and Wi-Fi on the iPhone, and via Wi-Fi on the iPod Touch. The megachurch recently released instructions on its website to also help other churches stream their own live services to the iPhone.
Considering the ability to connect the iPhone to an external display, Northland hopes the new technology will not only draw individual worshippers but also serve as a means to start home churches, especially in countries where advanced cell networks are far outpacing broadband connectivity.
"We continually hear stories of people who start to worship online and eventually find a community to worship with others, or start one of their own," Clark highlighted. "People are coming to church, and they are also watching the services online. We just don’t see this as a zero-sum game."
What's next for the innovative church is finding ways to serve and equip those who join the weekend worship services. People can easily access worship services now but where they go from there is the issue.
"The last thing we want to do is call people for worship and then leave them unequipped," Clark said.
Nevertheless, Clark is convinced that people are experiencing God through technology.
"[T]o me it's very clear that this is a tool God is using to do great things for His kingdom," he said.

MINISTRY REVEALS DISTURBING STATISTICS ON WORLD'S YOUTH

New research released ahead of the United Nation’s International Youth Day revealed startling statistics about the world’s youth including their views on personal salvation, virginity and attempts to commit suicide.
OneHope, a children-oriented Christian ministry, found that 91 percent of youths in Costa Rica say they do not believe they will go to heaven despite claiming to have accepted Jesus Christ.
In Spain, 74 percent of the youth say they do not want to be a virgin when they marry. And in Russia, 42 percent of the youth report having tried to commit suicide.
The above are only a few of the disturbing findings from OneHope’s comprehensive study that began in 2006. The ministry hopes the research will help organizations working with youths to more effectively customize their programs and materials to meet the needs of the children in their region.
“It isn’t enough to hear about the children in a community. To truly understand youth, we need to hear from them,” said OneHope president Rob Hoskins.
Since its founding in 1987, OneHope has tried to reach the world’s youth with the message of the Bible in a culturally sensitive way. The ministry, which this year changed its name from Book of Hope to OneHope, began its research project to find out why there is a lack of spiritual transformation in nations with high percentages of missionary activity and evangelical populations.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, OneHope noted how the Christian population is above 50 percent but many nationals continue to engage in idolatry while attending church.
“Our goal in providing this research free of charge is to allow others to benefit from its findings,” said Hoskins. “We hope this research helps other organizations to also become more effective in reaching the world’s children.”
Included in the research findings are insights on the daily lives of youths and their cultural beliefs regarding their relationships with families; behaviors and morals influencing their relationships with the opposite sex; social influences and future goals; and worldviews, beliefs and religious affiliations.
All the research findings have been made available for online to commemorate the 2009 U.N.-sanctioned International Youth Day. The findings can be viewed by country at no cost.
Though the research currently includes only 22 countries, OneHope plans to soon expand the number to 38 additional countries.
Since 1987, OneHope has worked with churches and ministries as well as the local governments and non-government organizations to reach some 600 million young people in 125 countries with the Bible through its Book of Hope publications and The GodMan animated film.
The organization changed its name from Book of Hope around March of this year “to better reflect its evolution in Bible delivery methods.”
In recent years, the ministry has expanded its delivery mechanisms to include video, web-based tools, text messaging and oral presentation strategies.

MANY CHRISTIAN CHILDREN AND WOMAN BURNT TO DEATH IN PAKISTAN

Many Christians are reportedly burnt to death when a Muslim mob sets on fire dozens of Christian homes on Thursday night for harbouring a Christian boy whom they accused had torn down pages of Quran, the Muslim Holy Book.
“Muslim attackers set on fire about 40 Christian homes in Korian village, Toba Tek district in Punjab Province on Thursday night, many including Christian children and women are feared burnt to death,” Pakistan Christian Post reported.

Sources in Toba Tek district, which is also the district headquarter told Pakistan Christian Post (PCP) that on Sunday night Muslims were searching for one boy in a a large gathering of a Christian wedding ceremony; they accused that the boy accused had burnt down pages of the Koran (Quran) – the Holy Book of Muslims.

Though the Christian and Muslim elders in the village defused the tension on clarification of the Christian youth that he had not burnt pages of the Quran, the Muslim mob came back on Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. calling upon the Korian Muslims from Mosque’s loudspeakers asking them to gather and teach a lesson to “infidel Christians” who they said are protecting a boy accused of blasphemy on burning the holy pages of Quran.

The sources said the nearby villages also made same announcements from mosques and Muslims gathered before homes of Christians in large numbers.

Shouting “Allah Oh Akbar,” – Allah is great - “Kill infidels” and the Muslim mob started setting on fire homes of Christians. As it was night, the Christian children, women and men with fear locked their doors to hide inside and many are feared death inside their homes, sourced told PCP.

PCP said when news of attack on Christians came to the District Police Officer in Toba Tek, he ordered deployment of police and Fire Brigade but Muslim mob blocked roads by lying on road.

It is second incident of burning homes of Christian in Punjab province when Muslim mob on accusation of blasphemy attacked village Bahamin Wala in district Kasur on July 1, 2009;, at that time no lost of lives was reported unlike this time.

According to Pakistan electronic media, Chief Minister of Punjab has ordered District Police Officer of Toba Tek to reach to village Korian and take control of situation but still Faisalabad-Gojra Road is blocked by Muslim mob who are lying on road to block any help to reach village Korian where homes of Christians are burning.

The teams of Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), and Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP), Christian advocacy groups have left Lahore for Toba Tek after call from Christians in Gojra who are also hiding in homes on fear of attack by Muslims, the report said.

CLAAS Director Joseph Francis and SLMP Chief Sohail Johnson told PCP that they are on the way to Gojra to reach Village Korian and it will take 4 hours because of bad weather.

PCP reported that there is widespread fear among Christians in Punjab province on their safety and security from an attacks of extremist Muslims and misuse of blasphemy laws.

PCP said the details are awaited of this barbaric incident of burning of children, women and men in homes by Muslims as the teams of SLMP and CLASS approach the scene of the incident. The two teams are expected to give more detail on the incident.

SIX CHURCHES DESTROYED IN NIGERIA ISLAMIC VIOLENCE

At least six churches were destroyed in the last few days in Northern Nigeria as a result of the violence by members of a radical Islamic group.
Militants of the group Boko Haram, which translates to “western education is sin,” have damaged at least half a dozen churches across four states ruled by Sharia, or Islamic law, according to Open Doors sources.

A Baptist church was burnt to the ground in Potiskum, Yobe state. Another five churches were reportedly burnt in Maiduguri, Borno state.

Moreover, the Christian ministry has learned that unlike what the government is saying, the number of deaths may be over 250 people. The official figure is about 50 deaths.

This past Saturday, the group Boko Haram, also known as the Nigerian Taliban, launched a series of attacks in Bauchi state against police stations and state facilities in Northern Nigeria. The violence soon spread to three other states: Borno, Yobe and Kano states.

Boko Haram is reportedly attacking police because it felt the government has become too secular and it wants to cleanse Nigeria of western influences. The extremist group also wants to impose Sharia law throughout the country.

The Islamic group was allegedly also behind the violence in Bauchi back in February, during which at least eleven people died, over 1,500 Christians were displaced, and 14 churches, and numerous homes were destroyed.

With the latest attacks, Christians in the affected areas are said to be living in fear and “holding their breath.”

The Rev. John Hayab, the secretary of the Kaduna branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has asked the government to protect Christians who may be the next target.

“We were unable to sleep throughout the night as there was an exchange of fire between the group and the security operatives a stone throw from our residence,” said one Christian in Yobe, according to Open Doors. “They burnt one of our churches (the Baptist Church). Our lives are at risk. The group claimed not to be fighting Christians, but…we are not secured at all.”

In Bauchi state, Christians have taken refuge in police barracks. Some in the barracks are said to be wounded with machete blows received while they fled the violence on the streets.

While the atmosphere remains tense in Northern Nigeria, some Christians have started to return home, believing that the police have the situation under control. But Christian leaders urge them to remain on high alert.

“Our Christian brothers and sisters in Northern Nigeria are repeatedly the victims of mass violence, with churches burnt and people killed, just as we have seen again in the last few days,” said Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, international director of U.K.-based Barnabas Fund. “All too often, as in this case, it is apparent that the attacks have been well planned and orchestrated.

“Please pray for peace and stability in this part of Nigeria, also for freedom and justice for its Christian minority, which suffers much in the states where full Sharia is in force.”

He added, “Pray that Christians will not retaliate.”

The latest violence is the deadliest since last November, when more than 300 people died in the central city of Jos during sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians.

Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is about evenly split between Muslim in the north and Christians in the south with minorities of both religions living where the other faith is dominant. Since democracy was restored in 1999, there have been at least 15,000 deaths due to religious, communal or political violence, according to BBC.