Church gets Anonymous $52,000 Check in Christmas Card

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Church gets Anonymous $52,000 Check in Christmas Card

The Africa Lighthouse Baptist Temple has received an early Christmas blessing.

An anonymous donor wrote a big check for the church located in Albemarle County, Virginia, a gift that enabled the congregation to pay off the mortgage on the property.

Peter Chege, the church’s pastor, recounted how a church spokeswoman opened the envelope containing the check. He said he was shocked when he was shown the contents.

“She opened it up, thinking it was just a regular Christmas card, and in the middle she found a check. And it was not just a check for $1,000 or $2,000, but a check for $52,000,” the pastor said.

Chenge said it would have taken his church a decade to raise that amount of money.

Services on Sunday saw the Africa Lighthouse Baptist Temple congregation celebrating and giving thanks for the generous donation they have been given.

“One year ago, we moved to this property with nothing but faith and $5,000 we had put down for the down payment for the property,” Chenge said according to NBC29.com.

The church of African refugees needed $120,000 more, so they began raising money to pay off the property.

Now, thanks to the substantial donation, the property is paid for in full a year after the church members started their fundraising efforts.

Laura Kesavuka, a church member, said, “We now have our own piece of land. We pray in peace and in our own language, and we are truly grateful.”

Chenge, who emigrated from Kenya nine years ago, said the money will help the church support African immigrants in central Virginia.

“We help them with their first cellphone, we help them even get cars, learn to drive, learn English lessons, apply for a job,” said the pastor. “Now we have a home, we have [a] base from where we can operate and grow and launch more into the community.”

As for the future, the church, whose goal is to “reach the world for Jesus through evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and church-planting endeavors,” has big plans.

“The future is exciting. We want to have a homeless shelter, we want to have a lot of things that we want to do just for the community,” shared Chenge.

Source and Original Content by CT

“Al Shabaab Militants Have Put Bounty on my Head” ,Kenyan Pastor

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“Al Shabaab Militants Have Put Bounty on my Head” ,Kenyan Pastor

A pastor in Kenya of Somali descent whom Islamic extremist Al Shabaab militants have threatened for leaving Islam fears he soon could be killed.

According to the East Africa Correspondent of Morning Star News (morningstarnews.org), Somali Al Shabaab rebels have offered a reward to anyone who kills the Rev. Mahad H. Birik, and after a video of him describing his conversion from Islam seeped into major Somali broadcast, Web and print media two months ago, the pastor of an undisclosed church on the outskirts of Nairobi said longstanding threats on his life became concrete this month.

“My family is now living in a sleepless state,” said the father of two children – one age 15 from a wife who was taken from him when he left Islam, and a 2-year-old from remarriage.

“My life and that of my family is in imminent danger. It is very serious and real, as Muslim extremists are strategizing on having my head.”

Morning Star News reports that on Sunday (Dec. 14) Somali men unknown to him followed Birik and his wife to their church. A security guard stopped the men, asking them who they were and what they wanted, and they left. Birik said police identified their car as registered to Kamau Kamotho, whom officers have long sought on suspicion of being a hit-man for hire. After several masked men hovered near his house one night early this year, he relocated his family to another area of Nairobi.

On Dec. 4, masked men showed up at about 7:30 a.m. at their new residence, located in a compound where around two dozen other families live. They arrived in a car with tinted windows, he said, according to the Morning Star News report.

“One of them came out of the car and started asking whether a Somali pastor was still inside the compound,” Birik said. “The watchman became suspicion as it was very early in the morning. He was able to see through the lowered window, where the driver of the car came out from, and saw two masked men, and then he raised an alarm by whistling.”

A second person got out of the car, and the watchman retreated backwards, he said; residents rushed to the scene, and the suspicious figures got back into the car and drove away.

The Morning Star News explained that Al Shabaab, an Islamic extremist insurgent group in Somalia, announced through Kenyan and Somali media and over mosque loudspeakers in 2009 that they would pay a large sum of money for Birik’s head, he said.

“The Al Shabaab have a sophisticated network,” said Birik, who also works for a relief agency. “I do not know when they will hit me; I am sure I can no longer hide myself. I therefore want the Christian world as well as human rights groups to know that my life is in danger, and I need urgent rescue…Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN1

School Assignment on Islam Angers Parents

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School Assignment on Islam Angers Parents

Parents of children attending a North Carolina school are demanding to know why their children were given a vocabulary assignment that included the Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith.

“It really caught me off guard,” a Farmville, North Carolina High School student said. “If we are not allowed to talk about any other religions in school, how is this appropriate?”

Students were given a worksheet that read, “In the following exercises, you will have the opportunity to expand your vocabulary by reading about Muhammad and the Islamic word.”

The assignment included the words “astute,” “conducive,” “mosque,” and “zenith.”

“I was reading it and it caught me off guard,” the unnamed student said. “I just looked at it and I knew something was not right, so I emailed the pages to my mom.”

A parent called the assignment Islamic propaganda.

“It’s very shocking,” she said. “I just told my daughter to read it as fiction. It’s no different than another fictional book you’ve read.”

A school district spokesman said the lesson adhered to the Common Core standards for English Language Arts.

“The course is designed to accompany the world literature text, which emphasizes culture in literature,” a statement from the district said.

Source and Original Content by Christian Headlines

Bin Lorry Crashes into Christmas Shoppers

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Bin Lorry Crashes into Christmas Shoppers

A minister from a church in Glasgow City Centre says he’s praying for the families of people who have died after a bin lorry crashed into a group of pedestrians.

Police Scotland has confirmed there is an “ongoing serious incident” in Glasgow’s George Square close to Queen Street Station.

The Ambulance service says two people have died whilst the number of causalities is in double figures.

Revd Dr Colin Dow from Glasgow City Free Church told Premier: “It’s too raw to even think about it at the moment.

“When you think about things like this, you just have to think, why oh Lord?

“How long will these things happen? Last year we had the Clutha crash here in Glasgow and this year we’ve got this.

“And you want the Lord to bring peace to these people at Christmas because their families are going to be absolutely devastated.”

Eyewitnesses described bodies lying in the road and ‘hundreds’ of emergency services.

The Scottish Fire Service tweeted: “Firefighters are in attendance at a serious incident in Queen Street, Glasgow. Our crews are working alongside other emergency responders.”

Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, who’s a Catholic, tweeted: “There is a major incident in Glasgow’s George Square. Multiple emergency services on the scene. Thoughts & prayers with everyone injured.”

Source and Original Content by Premier Christian Radio

British Ambassador Accused of Supporting Christian Missionaries in Nepal

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British Ambassador Accused of Supporting Christian Missionaries in Nepal

The British Ambassador to Nepal has been accused of supporting the work of Christian missionaries in the majority-Hindu nation.

Andrew Sparkes, who became the ambassador in Kathmandu in April 2013, wrote an article in the Republica newspaper to mark International Human Rights Day on 10 December.

“We encourage you to ensure that the right to change religion is protected and that the right to hold opinions and to express them freely will remain strong,” he wrote.

It was framed as an open letter addressed to members of Constituent Assembly in Nepal, the body currently responsible for redrafting Nepal’s constitution.

His remarks, which were interpreted by Hindu conservatives as part of a conspiracy to convert Nepalis to Christianity, led a number of Hindu groups to call for the British government to remove Sparkes from his post, EKantipur news website reports.

The British Embassy in Kathmandu responded with a statement last week to clarify Sparkes’ comments. “Some have misunderstood the letter’s reference to protecting an individual’s right to change religion. This was simply a reference to a fundamental individual right, set out in Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was not a reference to supporting ‘forced’ conversion or proselytising.

“Nor was the Embassy or its officials preaching or imposing any religious point of view on Nepal’s democratically elected representatives and Nepal’s citizens. Contrary to some claims, the Embassy does not hold any position on secularism – that is a matter for Nepal’s people and their elected representatives to decide,” the statement said.

Christians make up just under three per cent of Nepal’s population, although there has been significant growth among the Christian community in recent years. Critics in Nepal say this growth is owed to conversions with ‘monetary inducements’, according to the national newspaper The Rising Nepal.

Nepal was a Hindu kingdom until the end of the civil war in 2006, when it became a secular state. Hindus constitute about 80 per cent of the population, and some are calling for it to return to being a Hindu nation.

Source and Original Content by CT

Winners Chapel Membership Adopts New Salutation

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Winners Chapel Membership Adopts New Salutation

Believe it or not, members of Living Faith Church Worldwide, a.k.a. Winners Chapel, have adopted a unique way of greeting themselves.

Speaking at the weekend during a special thanksgiving programme of the church which was held at Canaanland, the headquarters of the church, along Ota-Idiroko road, Ogun State, Bishop David Oyedepo, general overseer of Winners Chapel, informed the church’s congregation of the new way of greeting.

According to reports, the new way of greeting is called “Heaven on Earth”.

It was disclosed that Oyedepo informed his congregation that the new greetings is a divine one which will now be a global way of greeting for all Winners Chapel members.

“As the year’s running to an end, several things will be happening and it shall be good ones. Like from now in our church, we have adopted a new form of greeting which will now be the way we greet one another.

“The new greetings shall be, “Heaven on Earth” and the response will be, “Wonders without end, that is your realm and that is my realm,” Oyedepo stated.

The man of God admonished Nigerians to remain steadfast and prayerful especially at this trying period of the nation.
Oyedepo maintained that only God can deliver the country now, adding that, all hands must be on deck to ensure the country remains an indivisible one.

He however called on the people to allow God decision to prevail during next year election,as failure to accept that may cause crisis in the country.

Oyedepo submitted that God loves this country as it was blessed with both human and mineral resources, adding that, if politicians thread softly in 2015, the country will be better to live in.

Source and Original Content by Naij

House On The Rock “Project Spread” Outreach Touches Thousands

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House On The Rock “Project Spread” Outreach Touches Thousands

Two weeks after successfully hosting one of the biggest Gospel concerts in Africa and probably in the world (The Experience Lagos), House On The Rock, ahead of the Christmas celebration launched one of their community outreach initiatives to the less privileged simultaneously at four different locations in Lagos state on Saturday, 20th of December 2014.

Project SPREAD the theme of the outreach touched thousands of lives at the Makoko, Ijesha, Jakande and Isale Eko communities all at the same time. Inhabitants of these communities turned out en mass to receive food items, love and a short Message from the Founder and Pastor of HOTR, Pastor Paul Adefarasin who was on ground to witness the unmistakable Joy the People of the community had in their body language.

The children were not left out as they had time their own corner to party. Toys, edibles, gift packs were handed to every child present.

“Christmas is a special time for us to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is also a time of sharing gifts because the coming of Jesus Christ into the world is the ultimate gift which humanity received. It is only appropriate for us to extend gifts and indeed our love to those around us, especially those who cannot afford to celebrate as elaborately as we can.” This was a statement released by the organizers days before Project SPREAD took place…Read More

Source and Original Content by PraiseWorld Radio

Man Protests on Ledge of Vatican Roof

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Man Protests on Ledge of Vatican Roof

A man’s evaded Vatican security for the fifth time to protest about laws which he claims cost him his business.

Marcello di Finizio perched himself on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica by using mountain climbing ropes to lower himself down from an area open to the public.

The Italian appeared on TV pacing across the roof using his mobile phone late on Sunday night.

He’s still there and has posted a ‘selfie’ on social media.

Pope Francis is due to give his Christmas address directly below where Di Finizio is.

It’s the latest of five security breaches he’s managed at the Vatican – the last in March.

Source and Original Content by Premier Christian Radio

Microsoft Removes Third-Party Snapchat Apps from Windows Phone Store

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Microsoft Removes Third-Party Snapchat Apps from Windows Phone Store

Microsoft in a surprise move has removed numerous third-party Snapchat apps from the Windows Phone Store, leaving its users adrift without any official app for the platform.

The move follows Snapchat’s announcement from last month saying it would permanently lock down accounts of all the third-party app users from the service.

Microsoft confirmed to The Verge that the request for removal of third-party Windows Phone apps comes from Snapchat itself following its decision to disable the third-party APIs used by developers across platforms.

Those Windows Phone users who use 6Snap app, which is one of the most popular third-party Snapchat app for Windows Phone users, are also getting their accounts locked, as reported by Windows Central. Users who are blocked have been receiving an email (via Techcrunch) from the Snapchat team, stating, “Hi [user name]. Despite repeated warnings from us about the dangers of using third-party apps, our records indicate that you have continued to use these unauthorised programmes. We regret that we have now permanently locked your account.”

Rudy Huyn, the developer of 6Snap app, however tweeted that his team “will work closely with Microsoft now to convince Snapchat to change its mind.” Also, the ban is said not to stay for long as the firm is said to be already working on building its own mobile messaging platform, which could mean the release of an official API for third-party applications soon.

Notably, the ephemeral messaging service was said to have been hacked in October, and over 500MB worth of images were leaked. The leak was identified to be due to third-party services, with the popular Snapsaved.com named – a website that allowed users to save images sent via Snapchat.

However, none of this will help Windows Phone users who, without any official Snapchat app for the platform for the time being, will find it extremely difficult to use the ephemeral messaging service.

Source and Original Content by NDTV

Love Waits

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Love Waits

14-year-old Cheri Martin’s world is turned upside down after the death of her mother and a family move from a small town in Nebraska to a larger city in the South. Her fragile psyche appears to be an easy mark for Judy Green, the social queen at Cheri’s new school, who spearheads a stamp-out-virginity campaign.

Judy turns her attention and efforts toward converting Cheri when she finds out that the newcomer is still sexually pure. How will a young lady in Cheri’s predicament succeed in making Godly decisions, especially since her father has withdrawn from God since the loss of his wife?

Source and Original Content by CFDB

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