Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – August 18th 2021

by Robert MacNaughton

Pastor’s son killed in Nigeria

Barnabas Fund, 13 August 2021 (excerpts)

Local authorities have demolished a church building in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, leading to the death of Ezekiel Bitrus, the son of a pastor.

The Borno Geographic Information System (BOGIS) conducted the demolition on 5 August as church members gathered to protest.

It is alleged that the Civilian Joint Taskforce (CJTF) accompanying the BOGIS demolition group then opened fire on the protesters, killing 29-year-old Bitrus and injuring five others.

29-year-old Ezekiel Bitrus was allegedly shot and killed by Borno State’s Civilian Joint Task Force while protesting against the demolition of a church building

It is further alleged that the CJTF had confiscated the phones of church members in order to prevent documentation of the demolition process or the subsequent shooting.

The CJTF operative accused of shooting Bitrus has been arrested as part of an investigation ordered by Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update – August 18th 2021

by Robert MacNaughton

Fraser was finally able to successfully update the software he was struggling with.  Issues impacting Fraser’s work are the next issue of the NetACT journal, new NetACT email addresses, racial/cultural bias (conscious or not) and the extent to which NetACT should involve itself with continent-wide issues in its overall focus as an organisation.

The leadership of our church in Wellington have some big decisions to make about the church property and the future direction of the church.

Half of the Drakenstein inmates have been vaccinated against covid, the others have refused. Thank God that there haven’t been the major outbreaks we feared. Pray that the “spiritual workers” will be allowed back in.

The Wellington area is now a covid hotspot with many cases and deaths.  Pray for those who sleep on the streets.

Prisons might not reopen to spiritual workers until level 1 (level 3 at the moment). A prison officer was murdered at a Johannesburg prison this week. Pray for the safety of officers, and for Christian officers and inmates to be encouraged and distinctive in behaviour and attitude.

Dawn’s friend Beauty lives with her 2-year-old daughter as a single parent in a township on the edge of Cape Town. Abused and exploited by co-workers and others, she is still trying to live all out for Jesus, holding down a job selling clothes at a stall, attending work-based training, running a Bible study group, the music team at church, the youth group, attending the weekly prayer meeting and discipling individuals without much practical support from church leadership who just seem glad she’s taken on most of the work. Pray for love and pastoral concern.

Covid is still rife in the Western Cape. Pray that people will take sensible precautions.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions, Whats On

Blythswood Update – August 18th 2021

by Robert MacNaughton

The foundations of the new storage centre are now laid but lack of labour has slowed the work considerably with Nepali and Vietnamese workers now recruited.

The Kenya project for July had to be cancelled at the last moment because of a lockdown in Kenya.

There have been the ongoing departures and returns of Daniel Centre residents – most of the young men are very restless at this stage of their lives.

There are currently in residence with two possible new arrivals on the horizon to bring the Centre up to capacity.

 

Talita Kum

Adi has been very busy with summer students at TK1 and TK2, a summer camp in the mountains for 25 of the highest TK1 and TK2 achievers, make-up lessons weekly for 6 to 8 students who failed their high-school leaving exams in June, and ongoing uncertainty over the summer on EU funding.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – August 4th 2021

by Robert MacNaughton

False narratives used against Indian Christians

Barnabas Fund, 26 July 2021 (excerpts)

A police directive, issued by the Superintendent of Police in the state of Chhattisgarh, India, to keep “consistent watch” on Christians demonstrates the “false narratives” used against Christians by radical Hindutva nationalist groups.

Chief among the false narratives are that Christians – and Muslims – are engaged in forced conversions of Hindus and adherents of other traditional Indian religions.   

Second is the false accusation that Christians are supporters of the Communist Party of India – as Christians provide help and education to tribal communities and low-caste “untouchables”. 

Thirdly, Christians are accused of undermining Indian values by promoting an undesirable Western culture.

Furthermore, Christians are accused of eating beef and therefore taking part in the slaughter of “sacred” cows.

The false narratives are given legitimacy by the governing Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which views evangelistic and missionary activity as “a security threat” with the potential to “destabilize the nation”.

An Indian legal expert has argued that “a ban on conversion motivated by any sort of gain is in effect a ban on all conversion”, and that anti-conversion laws nullify India’s constitutional commitment to freedom of religion.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update – August 4th 2021

by Robert MacNaughton

Continue to pray for South Africa after looting and riots and for how communities are coming together to clean up and rebuild.  Give thanks that churches were allowed to open last Sunday for people to meet in person.

NetACT partner colleges are keen to make greater use of the portal but Fraser is still struggling to update one NetACT site with a new and improved version of the software.  He also faces a couple of sensitive and challenging issues requiring wisdom, tact, courage, one concerning attitudes amongst NetAct colleagues of different backgrounds, and the other with church in Wellington and the attitude and hang-ups of another person in leadership.

Prisons are still closed to spiritual workers.  Pray for men who struggle to follow Jesus with no other encouragement and those tempted to return to gangs to be protected.  It’s always challenging to be released after a long prison sentence but in these days especially so.

Dawn asks for wisdom as she meets someone who believes all sorts of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.

A couple at church live by a river in Wellington where many people sleep rough. They are generous and try to show God’s love but have been robbed many times, often by those they’ve previously helped.  It’s a terribly stressful situation in which to live. Pray for protection for them.

Edwin and Mbulelo were released in July, need to join a Bible teaching church, be loving and patient as they rebuild relationships, and be protected against the temptations to return to their old ways.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – July 15th 2021

by Robert MacNaughton

18 killed by suspected Fulani Islamist militants

Barnabas Fund, 13 July 2021 (excerpts)

Eighteen Nigerians were killed in Christian-majority southern Kaduna State when suspected Fulani Islamist militants stormed two villages in Zangon Kataf Area.  9 villagers died and houses were destroyed in Makarau on 11 July in an assault that began at around 5 p.m.

“These attacks are too much for us to bear, no one is safe in our communities,” said a resident. “Nobody can go to his farm now.”

Residents of Warkan were asleep when a large number of gunmen swept into the village at 2 a.m. on 9 July, killing 9 villagers and razing houses. Many others were injured. “The entire village is in confusion,” said a resident. “The destruction by the suspected Fulani is unbelievable.”

The attacks were condemned by the Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians (CNNC), which called on the country’s President Muhammadu Buhari and State Governor Nasir El-Rufai to protect people from the “incessant killings” and said the growing insecurity has made it almost impossible for farmers to go to their farms and people to go about their daily lives.

They also called on the good people of Nigeria and the Christian body as a whole to rise up and pray for God’s intervention to touch the hearts of those that have given themselves to killings, kidnapping, rape, maiming and the destruction of properties to have a rethink and stop.”

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update – July 15th 2021

by Robert MacNaughton

Pray for a peaceful resolution to the standoff between ex-president Jacob Zuma and his supporters and the South African state.

Pray for prisoners who can have no visitors and are missing the spiritual input. Pray for prison officers as they have a dangerous and difficult job. Pray especially that those who know Jesus will be strengthened and able to minister to colleagues and inmates.

Dawn has delivered textbooks for men in Drakenstein Medium A to start a Bible study course.  The chaplain has to work as an ordinary officer in the single cells section and no one is providing spiritual input for the inmates at all. His concern is that some men will slip back into the gangs. Pray for believing inmates to encourage and strengthen each other in God and volunteer spiritual workers will be allowed back in.

Fraser is waiting for Stellenbosch IT dept. to help him with a computer problem as the IT department has retained control over certain aspects of his laptop

Jacob Zuma’s supporters have incited rioting and violent protests, businesses are being looted, locals are resorting to “mob justice”, the covid19 vaccination rollout is being halted and the army deployed.

A lot of shootings are occurring among the taxi firms in Cape Town, making it hard for those from the townships with no other means of transport to hold down honest jobs. So much seems to be conspiring against ordinary families.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – July 1st 2021

by Robert MacNaughton

Messianic believers in Israel celebrate

Barnabas Fund, 22 June 2021 (excerpts)

Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled to grant tax-deductible donation status to a not-for-profit organisation of Messianic Jews.

The organisation, Yachad, runs a congregation of Messianic believers (Jewish followers of Jesus). It has made repeated attempts to be awarded status as a public institution, but the Knesset Finance Committee, led by ultra-Orthodox Moshe Gafni, steadfastly refused.

In October 2020 Yachad appealed against the latest rebuttal as their submission was denied on the grounds of being involved in “controversial” activity.

On 15 June, the High Court of Justice ruled in Yachad’s favour, ordering the Knesset Finance Committee to award the non-profit status known as “section 46”.

The ruling established that the Finance Committee’s decision to refuse tax-exempt status was founded on a false assumption that they had the authority to take into consideration that a non-profit organisation is engaged in “controversial” activity. The judges declared that the committee had “overreached in its authority”. Judge Isaac Amit concluded that the committee’s decision was based on “feelings, beliefs and opinions, and not on any factual basis”.