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WORLD NEWS ROUND-UP
Children walk after prayers AFRICA – Two children who couldn’t walk were healed at a gospel campaign held in Tanzania, East Africa. Six-year-old Gwameka Musakjuma, who couldn’t walk without a crutch, was brought to the crusade by his auntie Christina Samatele. She said: “He was walking with a crutch and had to spend one month in hospital. He had been playing with his friends and had fallen down. “The pain was so dreadful and he couldn’t walk without the aid. After prayer he started to walk and is now not using his stick. In fact, he has thrown it away.” Meanwhile, Neema Dickson was heartbroken because her baby boy Nelson was unable to stand straight or walk. But after prayer at the crusade, run by UK-based Shake the Nations Ministries, the 18-month-old was miraculously healed. Neema said: “He had pain in his stomach and legs, which stopped him from standing or walking. He came to the crusade and now he can walk! I have served God for 20 years but have never seen anything like this. I am so happy!”
Chaplain team rally over fires USA – A team of crisis-trained chaplains were deployed to southern California where “mega” blazes of fire destroyed more than 800 homes and thousands of acres of land. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team focused on bringing hope and comfort to the victims, while Samaritan’s Purse assisted people physically. Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organisation, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association both share Franklin Graham as their president and chief executive. “Once again, our hearts and prayers go out to our friends in California who are facing the ravages of these fires,” said Jack Munday, director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, in a statement.
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Obama’s policies ‘will be underpinned by his faith’ POLITICAL author and biographer Stephen Mansfield says he believes the US President-elect’s policies will be underpinned by his Christian faith. The self-described conservative Republican gained critical acclaim when his 2004 book The Faith of George W Bush stayed for 15 weeks on the New York bestseller list. This year, he penned The Faith of Barack Obama in which he dismissed question marks over Obama’s commitment to Christianity. “I believe that Barack Obama is a serious Christian, though of a theologically political liberal type,” he said. “First and foremost, we should all pray for the
new president. His challenges ahead are daunting and his vision must be clear.” In his book, The Faith of Barack Obama, Mansfield makes the case that at least part of Obama’s vision for America is fuelled by his Christian faith. “I believe that he will govern out of a religious base. He has already said that he’ll continue many of President Bush’s faith-based initiatives, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he continued policies oriented towards prayer and bringing faith into the public square,” he said. Mansfield said it was important for people to know where the next president stands theologically. “If he is serious about his religion,
movie STAR vi viNG’ NG’S NG’ S miSS mi SSio SS ioN io N Po PoSS SSiiBL BLe e! GLADLY DRAWN BOY... Ving Rhames and, inset, with Mission Impossible co-star Tom Cruise
BRAZIL – Christian relief groups have rallied to help victims of a flood being labelled the “worst environmental calamity” in the history of Brazil’s Santa Catarina state. More than 1.5 million people have been affected and the death toll has reached 116 in the flood-ravaged state. The downpour of rain in the past two months, including 35 inches of rain in November, has left 80,000 people homeless. Officials are investigating reports of an outbreak of a potentially fatal water-borne disease.
USA – Singer Jessica Simpson looks like she might be heading to college to study Christianity after revealing in an interview her love for the subject. The 28-year-old told Marie Clare magazine that she was contemplating taking the course. Songstress Simpson has been trying to return to her roots after years of criticism from the media, her father, a church minister, said.
Barack Obama
New film’s message draws actor to part
Flood crisis help
Singer to study
and I believe Barack Obama is, it is one of the most important things about him, it frames his world view, frames his sense of justice, frames his sense of right and wrong and, therefore, frames his polices.” The Faith of Barack Obama has been endorsed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said: “You must read this perceptive and well-written book, then you will know why Barack Obama has such a passion for justice and equity, such a gift for filling people of different generations with a newfound hope that things can and will change for the better. “His inspiration comes from his faith; he is an ardent believer.”
by Hugh Southon HOLLYWOOD’S Ving Rhames – who starred in the Mission Impossible trilogy – has told how he was “drawn” to his latest movie, Saving God: One Soul at a Time. Rhames, a devout Christian, revealed it was “his personal appreciation for the film’s message of faith” that ensured he auditioned for the role. He plays an ex-prisoner trying to revive his father’s old church and declared: “It presented the need to put your faith in something larger than man, and for me, that’s God.” The 12A-rated drama sent Rhames for a freezing winter shoot to Hamilton, Ontario. Chief Executive Officer André van Heerden said: “Rhames really wants to show that there are positive and negative choices we all make, and that this voice of conscience is given to us by God. He was passionate about it.” Rhames – one of Hollywood’s busiest actors – got his big break when playing Marcellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction. He also starred in the medical drama ER. Soon after he landed the role that brought him to a global public – ace computer hacker Luther Stickell in Mission Impossible. But the highspot of his career probably came in 1988 when he received an award for his performance in the TV show Don King: Only in America. At the ceremony, Rhames gave his award to fellow nominee Jack Lemmon saying: “I feel that being an artist is about giving, and I’d like to give this to you.” The veteran actor tried unsuccessfully to give the award back and later said: “It was one of the sweetest moments I’ve ever known in my life.” In March 2005, Rhames played the lead role on a new Kojak series seen on ITV4. After Saving God he will appear in the new Coach Carter TV show, taking the place of Samuel L Jackson who made the role famous in the 2005 film.
Hospital ship volunteers recognised for work Pledge welcomed MORE than 1,200 volunteers who served on board the world’s largest charity hospital ship in Liberia were recognised for their work during a special day last month. The Africa Mercy has spent the last ten months in the war-torn African country, and the volunteer crew has treated over 35,000 people and performed over 17,000 free procedures. Run by the international charity Mercy Ships, the ship relies entirely on volunteers who serve on board from as
little as two weeks, with some crew having been with the charity for more than 20 years. The Africa Mercy, which was refitted in the UK, houses up to 450 volunteers at any one time, ranging from medical staff to engineers and cooks. Dr Nigel Barker, an anaesthetist from Sheffield, who volunteered on board the Africa Mercy for seven months this year with his wife, said: “The work that Mercy Ships does is amazing and really does make a big difference.”
A CHARITY has welcomed assurances from the Government that it will keep up its aid commitment to poor countries. International development organisation Progressio said it was delighted the Government had repeated its promise to deliver 0.7 per cent of gross national income in aid.