Religion Today Summaries - Sept. 19, 2007

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Crosswalk.com | Published: Sep 18, 2007

Religion Today Summaries - Sept. 19, 2007

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

  • Thank You Billy & Friends: A People’s Tribute
  • Medical Teams International Ships $1 Million in Medicines to North Korea
  • Aglow International Adds Iraq and Madagascar to Its Global Outreach
  • Church Leader Released From China Prison

Thank You Billy & Friends: A People’s Tribute

Rev. Billy Graham has touched the lives of millions, having spoken in 185 countries and to over 200 million people – more than any other person in history. Together with his late wife, Ruth Graham, who passed away earlier this year, this humble farmer from North Carolina became the most respected and well-known evangelist of our time. His ministry even reached the White House. Now, according to a Religion News Service release, the grandchildren of Billy and Ruth Graham are asking you to get involved. They are hoping people will share their stories of how the Grahams have impacted their lives for the better, on a new website they have launched at www.thankyoubilly.com. “Ever since I can remember, I have been approached by so many people from all walks of life who have told me how they came to know Christ during a Billy Graham crusade”, said Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian, grandchild of the Grahams’, and co-founder of the website. “Many of us have heard how our grandparents have impacted the lives of presidents, kings, queens, and other famous people. We believe it is now time to hear the stories from the multitudes of ‘everyday’ people who filled the stadiums, watched the programs, and read the books”, said Tchividjian.

Medical Teams International Ships $1 Million in Medicines to North Korea

Medical Teams International and its partners are air shipping emergency medicines valued at $1 million to North Korea this Thursday. The medical supplies will help thousands of North Koreans affected by some of the worst flooding in decades. According to aid officials in North Korea, government authorities are now calling medical assistance the number one priority to help the more than 1 million people directly affected by last month’s disaster. The medical supplies from Medical Teams International include antibiotics, malaria and cholera medicines. The essential medicines will help 20,000 people for three months. North Korea’s urgent request for humanitarian assistance is its first appeal since 1995, when severe flooding killed nearly 2 million people.

Aglow International Adds Iraq and Madagascar to Its Global Outreach

ASSIST News Service reports that Aglow International, one of the world's largest Christian organizations, is expanding into Iraq and Madagascar. The women’s group will now operate in 168 countries. On May 2, Aglow launched an affiliate group in Douhuk, Iraq, after Abby Abildness, an Aglow member from Hershey, Pennsylvania, traveled there with a medical mission team. While on the field, Abildness shared the vision of Aglow International with some Kurdish women who were eager to form a cell group in their home country. “They appreciate the good works that Christians do to help and rebuild their community,” she said in a news release obtained by ANS. According to Aglow International President Jane Hansen, this story is very similar to how the Seattle based Christian women's organization has started in nations around the world.

Church Leader Released From China Prison

The Associated Press reports that a leader of China's underground Protestant church has been released from prison after serving a three-year sentence for distributing Bibles and other religious literature without a business license. Pastor Cai Zhuohua returned to his Beijing home on Sept. 10 in good physical and mental condition, the China Aid Association said in a statement. The association, based in Midland, Texas, said Cai had been told not to speak about his prison experience and to report to a local police station once a month.

Religion Today Summaries - Sept. 19, 2007