wfn.org | ALC Noticias Oct 15 05 Venezuela Uruguay Gutemala Bolivia

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ALC NEWS SERVICE
E-mail: director@alcnoticias.org

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CONTENT

VENEZUELA: President Chavez to deport US religious mission
URUGUAY: More than 1,000 children "vaccinated" adults against child and
adolescent abuse
BRAZIL: The US is considered arrogant by the world, said Lutheran Bishop
GUATEMALA: Evangelical Churches increase aid to thousands of flood victims
BOLIVIA: Communicators from 26 countries to participate in Coicom 2005
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VENEZUELA
President Chavez to deport US religious mission

Caracas,  Oct. 13 (ALC).  The Venezuelan government announced it will expel
the US "New Tribes" religious organization as it is a "true imperialist
penetration" said President Hugo Chavez Wednesday. New Tribes has been
working in Venezuela for 60 years.

The move came two months after US tele-evangelist Pat Robertson asked the
US government to physically eliminate Hugo Chavez as he was a "terrific
danger to the United States."

While Robertson made a public apology and the White House spoke out against
the comments made by the Evangelist, the Venezuelan government proceeded to
investigate all US religious missions operating in the country and at the
end of August decided to not grant or renew visas for US missionaries.

According to Chavez, the religious who form part of this organization are
part of the CIA and he recently said he received a report about their
activities in the plains and the Orinoco that indicates that they "obtain
sensitive and strategic information and exploit the Indians."

New Tribes began working in Venezuela in 1946. It currently has 160
missionaries, including American and indigenous who are working in 12
tribes in states like Amazonas, Apure, Bolívar and Monagas.

Its work consists in preaching the Gospel, planting Churches in indigenous
tribes, translating the Bible into indigenous languages and developing
educational, literacy and health programs and farming projects. It is based
in Sanford, Florida.

Chavez, during a ceremony to commemorate the Day of Indigenous Resistance
held in Barranco Yopal said he requested a report from the Ministry of
Interior and Justice Jesse Chacon about the work of fundamentalist US
missionaries in the country.

"They have plants for solar energy, electricity plants, radio communication
systems, they have landing strips where planes come from abroad without
going through customs to areas where indigenous people live in poverty,"
said Chavez. His decision is irrevocable, he said.

ALC tried to communicate via Internet with New Tribes representatives in
Venezuela but they were not available for comment. However, pastors
consulted by ALC said the measure was abusive and that in 60 years no
missionary has ever been detained for espionage. The aircraft, said the
pastors who did not wish to be identified, belong to Alas de Soccoro and
New Tribes pays for transport to areas where they carry out their ministry,
they said.

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URUGUAY
More than 1,000 children "vaccinated" adults against child and adolescent abuse

Montevideo, Oct. 13 (ALC).  Some 1,300 Uruguayan children "vaccinated"
55,000 adults against child abuse in different parts of the country,
offering candy and an immunization certificate in exchange for a commitment
to not harm children and young people in the third annual "For a Good
Treatment" campaign to be held in the country.

The campaign began Monday and will end Sunday after covering 75 percent of
national territory according to the program Claves de Juventud para Cristo
in Uruguay and the Andenes cooperative, which spearheaded the activity and
managed to involve more than 120 organizations.

The young "vaccinators" gave adults a vaccination certificate against abuse
and a candy, symbolizing the sweet treatment that children need on a daily
basis as well as a sticker with a campaign logo.

The aim of the campaign is to raise public awareness about situations of
public violence that Uruguayan children and adolescents face, in which
children promote conduct that respects their dignity and integrity,
inviting adults to assume a personal commitment, according to the organizers.

The initiative has the support of UNICEF, the Ministry of Education and
Culture, the Ministry of Social Development, among others. It is carried
out by more than 100 associations and movements that work directly with
young people such as schools, Churches and centers for child attention.

The Evangelical Waldensian Church of the River Plate and the German
Reformed Church of Montevideo are active participants.

The level of child abuse and sex crimes against children is of concern for
Uruguayan social organizations. Police reports show that there are two
denouncements for sex crimes against children on a daily basis and the
Pediatric Psychiatric Department of the local Pereira Rossell Hospital
indicates that 10% of its consultations are related to situations of sexual
violence.

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BRAZIL
The US is considered arrogant by the world, said Lutheran Bishop

By Micael Vier B.

Porto Alegre, Oct 13 (ALC). The United States is considered arrogant in the
eyes of the world because it refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol and to
participate in the International Human Rights Conference in Durban, South
Africa in 2001 said Bishop Mark Hanson, president of the Lutheran World
Federation and of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).

According to the Hanson, the US people want to be seen as a generous
nation, which loves liberty and is committed to democracy, said Hansom,
although he admitted that in my places the idea that Americans are
imperialist prevails, that they are concerned with the growth of the
globalized economy and the military capacity to invade nations, he said.
The United States needs to guide its actions taking into consideration the
image that other nations have of the country, he underlined.

The world Lutheran leader visited Brazil for the first time and in a press
conference said he was concerned about the manifestations of violence
around the world. He underscored the need to confront terrorism but warned
that we cannot allow terrorism to define the world's relations.

As president of the international Church body, Hanson emphasized the
importance of Christians contributing to reconciliation, justice and non
violence. In order to achieve this, he said, we must learn to walk and
promote these values with people from other faith expressions.

In referring to Pentecostal and neoPentecostal growth in different parts of
the planet, Hanson asked about the human need that is met by these
religious expressions. In response to his own question he suggested that
these people seek to be recognized as human beings, experience the presence
of God's spirit and joy in the midst of suffering.

I think we can respond to these needs and still be Lutherans, he said. He
also said that Pentecostal and neoPentecostal Churches should learn to
accept historic Churches and recognize that they are also an expression of
Christian faith.

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GUATEMALA
Evangelical Churches increase aid to thousands of flood victims

By Antonio Otzoy

Guatemala City, Oct 12 (ALC). Evangelical Churches redoubled their aid to
the victims of Hurricane Stan in this Central American nation and called on
the international community to help people who are suffering from a lack of
food and from epidemics.

Church leaders made a dramatic call for help from their members and the
population in general to help the victims of the pounding rains that have
caused massive flooding and mudslides.

Many Churches from different Christian denominations have created
improvised shelters and centres where Christians are working as volunteers
according to the National Presbyterian Church of Guatemala.

Since last Thursday, local TGN and Radio VEA stations have been
coordinating with the Evangelical Alliance of Guatemala, the Association of
Guatemalan Ministers and many other Christian institutions who are helping
the victims.

John del Salto, of the Association of Evangelical Ministers of Guatemala
called on all its members to help the victims and said that in current
circumstances we "must incarnate the Gospel. Religion is not just personal,
local but must be manifested in love for our neighbour in concrete actions."

The director of radio TGN, Esteban Sywulka, said that this station has
cancelled all regular programming since last week in order to broadcast
calls for help and to receive the donations. "To date, we have sent 100
tons of aid to the affected regions," he said.

The Evangelical Alliance of Guatemala called on 20,000 member Churches to
pray for people who are facing difficult problems, said its executive
secretary Manuel de Jesús Dionisio.

We hope that Churches are a shelter for all without religious distinction.
Christians in these cases are called to help. For this, Churches in
acceptable conditions in the most affected areas are working, he said.

The Conference of Evangelical Churches of Guatemala (CIEDEG) reported it
was sending aid to the most affected regions, said Julian Burgos,
coordinator of Risk Management.

The floods have affected 70 percent of roads and it is calculated that 20
percent were destroyed, isolating hundreds of residents. There is no water
or food, some people walk up to five hours to obtain some food being
offered by state and private institutions and individuals.

On the southern coastal region, 70 percent of crops were destroyed and in
the west basic grains and other crops have been lost. The north and eastern
areas are the least affected.

A report from the National Coordinating Committee to Reduce Disasters
(CONRED) confirmed on October 8 the death of 652 people, more than 500
disappeared, hundreds of injured, 107,833 evacuated to 364 shelters, around
6,000 collapsed homes and 515 affected communities.

Hurrican Stan swept across the Central American region and southern Mexico
in early October, leaving more than 2,000 dead in rural communities in
Guatemala and Nicaragua, where a State of National Emergency was declared
and in Mexico.

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BOLIVIA
Communicators from 26 countries to participate in Coicom 2005

Santa Cruz, Oct. 10 (ALC). Several hundred communicators from 26 countries
will participate in the 14th International Congress of Communicators and
Mass Christian Media (COICOM 2005) to be held the first week of November in
this city.

The event is unique given the massive presence of participants, said
organizers. It is also characterized by the vast amount of practical
information given to participants in concrete communication issues that
range from how to put together a radio program with limited resources to
the intensive use of internet as an informative source, they said.

COICOM is a movement inspired by God that seeks to promote excellence and
integrity in the field of Christian social communication, encouraging the
development of joint activities among organizations and ministries to
evangelize all Spanish speakers in the world.

COICOM, which organizes the annual Congress, is a non profit organization
that was founded in 1992 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

The Congresses take place in different countries each year and are a
meeting place for social communicators, Christian program producers from
all media, business leaders, and leaders and pastors from the Continent.

It is not just an event but a movement that through the Evangelizing arm of
the 1000 Days Plan is considered the largest Evangelical effort at a
continental level, according to a bulletin from the Congress.

The agenda will cover radio, television, written media, internet,
specialized courses and Christian communication.
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