Month: February 2022

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Inside Church

‘We Need More Bibles’: Ukrainian Store Runs Out of Bibles

The thirst for hope and the spread of uncertainty have been so rampant in Ukraine that at least one Christian store has totally run out of Bibles.

Robert L. Briggs, president and CEO of American Bible Society, wrote a commentary Thursday for Christianity Today, explaining how Christians in Ukraine are responding to the Russian crisis.

“As people grapple with unknown, many are experiencing the Bible’s message for the first time ever,” Briggs wrote. “According to [Anatoliy Raychynets, deputy general secretary of the Ukrainian Bible Society], priests and pastors over the past weeks have been flocking to the Bible Society store in Kyiv to buy Bibles.”

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Pixabay

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Inside Church

WCC urges Russian President to stop war, restore peace to Ukraine

“The World Council of Churches affirms and supports the appeal issued on 24 February 2022 by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate),” said Sauca.

“Recalling the ties of history and affinity between the Ukrainian people and the Russian people, His Beatitude called directly on President Putin to stop the war, which he likened to Cain’s murder of Abel.”

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Pixabay

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Inside Church

Rev. Thabo Makgoba on a story that was “a much beloved, central theme” to Tutu’s theological thinking

“We navigate difficult times in which many feel the burden of uncertainty. But as Desmond Tutu said: nothing, no one, no situation is beyond redemption; no situation is totally devoid of hope.”

It was a privilege to have the Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town preach on the Transfiguration today, a story that was “a much beloved, central theme” to Archbishop Tutu’s theological thinking.He explores the Arch’s treatment of the Transfiguration as a “divine, radical transformation” that cleanses and cauterizes so that a new beginning becomes possible.

“Nothing was incapable of being transformed in the eyes of Jesus,” he reminds us, so as we strive for healing in a world racked with fear, poverty, prejudice, and war, “the Transfiguration leaves us no choice but to act…to come down from the mountain, renewed and revitalized, to be the yeast in the world.”

Watch his sermon from Sunday, February 27. The readings are Exodus 34:29–35, Psalm 99, 2 Corinthians 3:12—4:2, and Luke 9:28–36.

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Pixabay

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In The News Worldwide

Pope expresses ‘deep pain’ in call to Ukraine’s Zelenskyy

According to Deccan Herald, Pope Francis expressed his “deep pain for the tragic events” resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyiv’s embassy to the Vatican said Saturday.

“Today Pope Francis had a telephone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Holy Father expressed his deepest pain for the tragic events unfolding in our country,” the embassy wrote on Twitter. 

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Pixabay

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In The News Worldwide

President Ramaphosa: Mediation needed in Russia-UKraine conflict

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for mediation in order to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

A Russian military invasion of Ukraine is currently unfolding, and has left at least 137 Ukranian civilians and military recruits dead and hundreds of others wounded.

“That… conflict should be subjected to mediation, negotiation [and] engagement. It is not necessary for people to go to war and have people getting killed, and infrastructure getting damaged.

“…Countries of the world, particularly the United Nations [UN] Security Council… should be getting more engaged in a mediation process… This is what I believe should happen to bring the hostilities to an end,” he said.

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: GCIS

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In The News Worldwide

WCC urges to stop this war, and to restore peace to the people and nation of Ukraine

The World Council of Churches affirms and supports the appeal issued on 24 February 2022 by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate),” said Sauca. “Recalling the ties of history and affinity between the Ukrainian people and the Russian people, His Beatitude called directly on President Putin to stop the war, which he likened to Cain’s murder of Abel.”

This call must be heard, Sauca said. “WCC makes the same appeal to President Putin, to stop this fratricidal war, and to restore peace to the people and nation of Ukraine.”

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Unsplash

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In The News Worldwide

‘Pray for us,’ says Ukrainian Bible Society

Spokesman for the Bible Society of Ukraine, Rostyslav Stasyuk said, ‘Please continue praying for peace in our country, for the governments on both sides that their hearts are influenced by the Holy Spirit, pray for our soldiers who are sacrificing their lives to protect their homeland.’

He added, ‘Also pray for church leaders and especially ministers to remain strong mentally and physically as they carry the message of hope and encouragement.’

Currently, all Bible Society staff are accounted for, though there are concerns for those who live in areas close to the fighting.

Rostyslav said, ‘It is crucial that we continue providing support for our churches and people, with Bibles’.

The news comes in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this morning.

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Unsplash

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In The News Worldwide

How Russia-Ukraine conflict could influence Africa’s food supplies

According to The Conversation, wheat and other grains are back at the heart of geopolitics following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both countries play a major role in the global agricultural market. African leaders must pay attention.

There is significant agricultural trade between countries on the continent and Russia and Ukraine. African countries imported agricultural products worth US$4 billion from Russia in 2020. About 90% of this was wheat, and 6% was sunflower oil.

Major importing countries were Egypt, which accounted for nearly half of the imports, followed by Sudan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Algeria, Kenya and South Africa.

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Unsplash

Categories
Inside Church

WCC calls for an immediate end to the current armed hostilities

The World Council of Churches denounces any and every use of deadly armed force to resolve disputes that could be resolved by dialogue. We firmly believe that dialogue – based on the principles of international law and respect for established national borders – was and is the proper path for the resolution of tensions surrounding Ukraine.

We call for an immediate end to the current armed hostilities, and for the protection of all human lives and communities threatened by this violence. We urge all member churches and all people of good will around the world to join us in prayer for peace for the people of Ukraine and the region.

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Unsplash

Categories
Media Room

World Relief Responds to Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis, Urges Diplomatic Solutions

Today, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, plunging the nation into further conflict. As an organization that resettles refugees and assists vulnerable people around the world, World Relief recognizes the significant impact this situation will have on the civilian population in Ukraine as well as those in surrounding communities.

Yesterday, the United Nations indicated that a Russian invasion could lead to as many as five million refugees fleeing into neighboring countries. World Relief has been monitoring the situation over the last few weeks and is working with partners to respond as needed. World Relief is also reaching out to our Ukrainian staff in the United States and resettled Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. to offer support.

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  • Bible Media News (BMN)* is an independent faith-based media organization.
  • This is the first installment of a series of short interviews with faith leaders.

Photo: Shutterstock