
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-05/15/2017

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Flood-damaged church's baptisms reflect renewal
by Brian Blackwell/Louisiana Baptist Message
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

SPRINGFIELD, La. (BP) -- Nicole Wall and her family have experienced their fair share of tragedy, including damage to their home caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

But they also have been blessed, evidenced most recently when their son Noah was baptized seven months after 36 inches of rain inundated the region, damaging their home church, Woodland Baptist Church in Springfield, La., 40 miles east of Baton Rouge.

The family returned to the area after the record August 2016 flood to join in the revitalization of the community.

"We are thankful God has allowed us to be a part of the rebuilding process," Wall said. "For us, because we had already been through a flood back in 2005, we were more burdened for them and wanted to help. It's been neat being back with family and seeing the community come back up."

The March 5 baptism of Noah -- who publicly professed Christ as Lord last year -- added to the evangelistic renewal of the congregation, where Nicole and her husband were members of the youth group and where they were married.

<b>Beyond rebuilding</b>

Woodland Baptist Church baptized 40 people from September 2015 until the flood hit in August 2016 and averaged 150 in Sunday morning worship services.

For six months after the flood, however, the church was in rebuilding mode, recovering from the effects of the historic rainfall.

Finally, in February, Woodland turned a corner, with the first of four baptisms since the storm, providing a sign of better days ahead.

The congregation also is approaching its pre-flood worship attendance average, now drawing 130 for Sunday services.

Moreover, with help from volunteer groups who have come from in-state as well as Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma, the church is making progress on rebuilding its infrastructure, which when done should help them regain their former strength in numbers -- and more.

All of the Sunday school rooms are fully operational while the fellowship hall and youth building are 85 percent complete. Meanwhile, staff offices should be finished in the next couple of months. The congregation has met in the gymnasium since the storm, missing just one Sunday, and members hope by the end of the year to finish remodeling the interior of the worship center.

"We are starting to get back up in the right direction," said Josh Powell, Woodland's pastor since 2013. "God is good. I think in the long run the campus will be nicer than it was before the flood and the body of Christ stronger."

In getting back to reaching the community, Woodland Baptist hosted an Easter egg hunt that drew 80 people on April 2.

The congregation plans to venture into the neighborhood with gifts and prayers and host an Experiencing God weekend from June 9-11 during which people can share testimonies and principles learned from the discipleship study as well as God's favor shown to them in spite of the flood.

Additionally, Vacation Bible School is well on its way in terms of planning and organizing, and a youth mission trip in on track for the summer.

"A lot of our people are ready to get back to that mode of ministry and outreach," Powell said. "Woodland has always had that reputation. It's a sigh of relief and a return to normalcy."

Reminiscing about the months following the flood, Powell said God's faithfulness has been a lesson learned.

"Even in the midst of situations you can't imagine, He won't abandon us," Powell said. "Before the flood, we were having all these baptisms but then when the flood came, it took the wind out of our sails.

"So many were hit hard in our church," he said. "We could either get upset and give up, or we could realize God has a reason for this and He has good things ahead for us. It's just a matter of being faithful like He is and following and listening."


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Prayerwalking lifts church's heart for its community
by Julia Bell
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

GREENWOOD, S.C. (BP) -- Members of Abney Memorial Baptist Church have prayerwalked every street within a five-mile radius of the church.

The South Carolina congregation's two-year outreach has encompassed 2,000 homes and businesses, praying for the people living or working inside.

It has become a meaningful ministry that affects residents and church alike in Greenwood, S.C., pastor Brent Bennett said.

"Prayerwalking has opened our eyes and helped our church catch the vision that there are lost people all around us," Bennett said. "If we can catch the vision to go into their communities, then we can catch the vision to go to the ends of the earth."

Prayerwalking is an intentional form of prayer in which a person prays spontaneously or with pre-written prompts for people and places as they walk around them. The prayerwalking idea came to Bennett several years ago after Abney Memorial made the decision to relocate to the opposite side of Greenwood.

"If our congregation was going to move from one side of town to the other, then we needed to reach people for Jesus in that community," Bennett said. "First, we needed to get to know the people. One of the best ways to do that is to get into the community."

A core group of 10 church members met to pray about how to organize the prayerwalking. They looked at a map to identify their ministry area, then obtained physical addresses through public county records.

It was important to have a personal touch in its outreach, so the team sent handwritten notes to each address. The church began Sunday Prayer Nights, when members met to write the notes to be sent to the next month's addressees.

The note communicated that a team from Abney Memorial would be walking by their home and praying for them. A stamped postcard was enclosed in the note, inviting homeowners to respond to the church with specific prayer requests. When a homeowner included a phone number, the church followed up with a call as well.

"We initially wrote 768 letters, with about a dozen church members addressing them," Bennett said. "By June 2017, we will have prayerwalked everywhere in the community -- every house, every street."

Methodical planning went into the details of the walk routes. The team divided the northwest area of Greenwood into four zones, with smaller sections within each zone, drawing two-mile routes for each prayerwalking group.

Church members meet one Sunday every month for the prayerwalks and divide into groups of four to eight, depending on the routes set for that day.

Church member Lena Sprouse said the ministry has brought all generations of the congregation together, providing a way for everyone to participate.

"We have had little children place stamps on the envelopes," she said. "Older adults, who may not write well, place the letters in the envelopes, and children and youth have handwritten some letters."

Bennett said Lander University Baptist Collegiate Ministry students also have played an important part in the prayerwalking efforts. The BCM group partners with South Carolina Baptist churches in its association through the Lamp Lighters ministry, which pairs students with churches for longer-term service and ministry support. Lander BCM director Scott Smith said the students have been amazed at Abney Memorial's compassion and concern for the community.

"Abney Memorial has taken our Lord's mission of praying for the lost in a big way," Smith said. "By using two years of prayerwalking all the communities around the church, by sending prayer cards to every house, and by following up with each of these, they truly have been an example of sharing hope."

Bennett said he can think of only one negative encounter experienced church members since they began the initiative. They were turned away from prayerwalking in a gated community. The team prayed for those neighbors anyway.

"I've never bumped into anyone who, when I asked how I could pray for them, said they have nothing to pray for. Even non-believers will share something to pray for," Bennett said, adding that prayerwalking has opened doors for many Gospel conversations.

During the very first prayerwalk, a woman stopped the group because she saw them praying. Her daughter was considering aborting a pregnancy, and the group was able to pray for her and offer words of encouragement. The outreach also paved the way for Bennett to meet and share the Gospel with a news reporter.

Sprouse, a member of Abney Memorial church for 20 years, said the ministry has opened her eyes to the needs around her. "I have been given the opportunity to pray for community members on the spot, and I would never have met these people or known how to pray for their needs if we had not been out walking the community," she said.

Prayerwalking also has stirred the hearts of Abney Memorial members for missions. For the first time in the church's history, it has formed local, state, national and international missions partnerships, Bennett said.

"God is working through sending our people out, and the prayerwalks were the first step in doing that," he said.


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FIRST-PERSON: 10 steps to finishing strong
by Todd Gaddis
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

DALLAS, Ga. (BP) -- After some 27 years as a senior pastor, at age 58, I have taken on what I hope will be my fourth and final church. By the grace of God, I've made it this far and with His help I plan to finish strong.

Based on experience, accumulated wisdom and the Spirit's guidance, here are 10 practices I will give special attention to as I head into the home stretch.

1. Shed Saul's armor (1 Samuel 17:39). Rather than fretting over another church's success and trying to emulate someone else's style, I'm going to try harder to be what God called and equipped me to be.

2. Build margin into my schedule (Psalms 46:10). As a younger minister, I felt validated by staying as busy as possible. In the years that remain, I'm going to maintain as much "white space" as possible, ready and anticipating needed refueling time and spontaneous ministry opportunities.

3. Keep in shape (1 Corinthians 6:19). I used to run -- now I walk. And I plan to continue to do so as much as my body and time will allow. This is not only good for physical conditioning, but mental health as well. I might even kill three birds with one stone by listening to books, sermons and music on my phone as I walk.

4. Stay relevant (Proverbs 29:18). I refuse to be the flip phone guy in a smart phone world. Whereas, I may not trade in my pleated pants for skinny jeans, I do plan on staying as current as possible in this ever-changing world.

5. Speak positively (Colossians 4:6). I want to spend the rest of my life in full awareness that the Lord hears and records every single word I say. Suppressing the flesh, I want to take the verbal high road, both privately and publicly. I love it when I run across older men who exude graciousness and kindness. I want to join their tribe.

6. Focus on the family (Ephesians 6:4). No grandchildren yet, but my two girls are married. My wife and I plan to make the most of moving closer to them, as well as traveling when we can.

7. Dig deeper in the Word (2 Timothy 2:15). I have spent too much time riding on the back of past study. Oh, how I long for those days when I would spend hours at a time immersed and engrossed in Scripture!

8. Empower the laity (Ephesians 2:10). Too many people in ministry are getting paid for what volunteers can do. We rob lay people of blessings when we do their jobs for them.

9. Remember the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8). If God rested on the seventh day, then I certainly should. I've spent too many seventh days doing what I did the other six. I want to fully understand, fervently teach and faithfully fulfill what it means to keep the Sabbath.

10. Evangelize intentionally (Proverbs 11:30). Few people get saved without someone initiating a contact and engaging in a conversation. I'm going to pray for the burden and be on the lookout for those God places in my path.

I truly believe my best years are ahead and not behind me. This time of transition has rattled my cage and caused me to give careful consideration to how I can end up in the winner's circle, not only in the life to come, but in this one as well.

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Life & death have value, Akin tells SEBTS grads
by Lauren Pratt
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) -- As followers of Jesus, death and life hold great significance and allow for what Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, calls "the ultimate win-win scenario."

Akin challenged 234 graduates from the seminary and The College at Southeastern with a message from Philippians 1:21 during the 65th SEBTS commencement ceremony May 12. The seminary commencement was held at 10 a.m. and the college commencement was held at 3 p.m.

"To those who are graduating today, I want to say to you, wherever you go, whatever you do, whether in life or by death, I hope that you never forget it is all about Christ," Akin said, underscoring the personal, practical and powerful nature of living a life abandoned to Jesus. 

Quoting Maltbie Babcock, writer of the hymn, "This Is My Father's World," Akin said, "Life is what we are alive to." He asked graduates, family members and friends what they were passionate about, drawing the connection to the apostle Paul's sole passion for making Jesus known to others. 

Drawing from John 11:25 and John 14:6, Akin reminded gradates that Jesus was the embodiment of life itself.

Akin also spoke on the value of death in the Christian life, citing Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 5:8, "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

"There is a life worth living on the front end, but there is also a death worth living on the back end," Akin said, noting that Christ is worth more than anything on this earth. 

As he ended his address, Akin gave an invitation for those in attendance to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

To view Akin's commencement address, click here. Or to see spring 2017 commencement photos, click here.


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Credentials Committee for 2017 announced
by BP Staff
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

PHOENIX (BP) -- Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines has announced appointees to the 2017 Credentials Committee.

Appointed chairman is Dan Eddington, director of missions, Three Rivers Baptist Association, Wilmington, Ill.

Committee members are:
-- Scott Andrews, associate pastor, First Baptist Church, Sevierville, Tenn.;
-- Kevin Apperson, pastor, North Las Vegas Baptist Church, Las Vegas;
-- Kyle Bueermann, pastor, First Baptist Church, Alamogordo, N.M.;
-- Stephen Boldin, pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Las Vegas;
-- Kirk Carlisle, lead pastor, Pinewood Baptist Church, Pinewood, S.C.;
-- Larry Craig, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Troup, Texas;
-- Chad Fugitt, pastor, Central Baptist Church, Corbin, Ky.;
-- Dewayne Gamez, senior pastor, Morningside Baptist Church, Tucson, Ariz.;
-- John Green, senior pastor, Schindler Drive Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla.;
-- Joel Gunn, executive pastor, First Baptist Church, Bloomfield, N.M.;
-- Kevin James, pastor, New Creation Bible Fellowship, Tracy, Calif.;
-- Chris Johnson, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Van Buren, Ark.;
-- Lyle Larson, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Goodlettsville, Tenn.;
-- Mark Marshall, senior pastor, The Glad Church, Mt. Juliet, Tenn.;
-- Stephen Martin, community pastor, University Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Ark.;
-- Lori McClellan, music leader volunteer, Victory Baptist Church, Buckeye, Ariz.;
-- Rusty McMullen, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Sayre, Okla.;
-- Monty Mullenix, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Bloomfield, N.M.;
-- Ronny Raines, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Tallahassee, Fla.;
-- Charlie Scheffe, church planter, Palm Vista Baptist Church, Surprise, Ariz.;
-- Charles Smith, vice president, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo.
-- Daniel Wilson, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Pleasant Grove, Ala.


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Tellers named for 2017 SBC in Phoenix
by BP Staff
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

PHOENIX (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines has named tellers for the SBC 2017 annual meeting June 13-14 in Phoenix.

Brandon Park, lead pastor of First Baptist Church, Raytown, Mo., will chair the tellers. 

Also appointed as tellers are:

-- C.J. Adkins, senior pastor, Westmoreland Baptist Church, Huntington, W.Va.;
-- Andrew Bailey, Phoenix campus pastor, Palm Vista Baptist Church, Surprise, Ariz.;
-- Alan Chan, pastor of church ministry coordination, Mandarin Baptist Church of Los Angeles, Alhambra, Calif.;
-- Justin Compton, pastor, Redemption Hill Baptist Church, Fishersville, Ky.;
-- Jed Coppenger, lead pastor, Redemption City Church, Franklin, Tenn.;
-- Derek Duncan, lead pastor, Living Water Church, Poughkeepie, N.Y.;
-- Dennis Dunn, senior pastor, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, Albuquerque, N.M.;
-- Debbie Eddington, women's ministry director, Island City Baptist Church, Wilmington, Ill.;
-- Joseph Gaston, reverend, Redemption Baptist Church, Pompano Beach, Fla.;
-- Michael Guyer, minister to students/families, Open Door Church, Raleigh, N.C.;
-- Brian Jump, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Clever, Mo.;
-- Martin Lizarraga, Morningside Baptist Church, Tucson, Ariz.;
-- Mike Manning, associational missionary, Harmony Baptist Association, Pine Bluff, Ark.;
-- Leslie Manning, serves with husband, Harmony Baptist Association, Pine Bluff, Ark.;
-- John Mueller, discipleship & shepherding pastor, University Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Ark.;
-- John Powell, First Baptist Church, Hamlin, Texas;
-- Jeremy Roberts, lead pastor, Church of the Highlands, Harrison, Tenn.;
-- Richie Stanley, minister of education, Victory Baptist Church, Buckeye, Ariz.;
-- A.B. Vines, bishop, New Seasons Church, Spring Valley, Calif.;
-- Brad Wheeler, senior pastor, University Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Ark.


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First Amendment upheld in Ky. Court of Appeals
by Myriah Snyder/Western Recorder
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (BP) -- In an apparent victory for religious liberty in the marketplace, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on May 12 in favor of a Lexington, Ky., T-shirt company's refusal to print gay pride shirts in 2012.

Hands On Originals, managed and owned by Blaine Adamson, a professing Christian, originally came under fire in 2012 when the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization in Lexington sought to hire him to print their shirts for the Lexington Pride Festival.

Represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, Adamson and Hands On Originals won their case brought by the city commission to a lower court previously.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's ruling, stating that Adamson's refusal to print the T-shirts was not refusing service to an individual based on their sexual orientation, but rather, "the conduct Hands On Originals chose not to promote was pure speech. Nothing in the fairness ordinance prohibits Hands On Originals, a private business, from engaging in viewpoint or message censorship," Chief Judge Joy A. Kramer, wrote in the appeals court opinion.  

"This is a clear victory for the First Amendment and for the right of people of faith not to be bullied into agreeing with views they find objectionable," Martin Cothran, spokesman for The Family Foundation, stated.
      
Hershael York, chair of the Kentucky Baptist Convention's Public Affairs Committee, added, "While I celebrate this victory for religious liberty, I also lament that this has even been a question." York is the senior pastor at Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort and professor of Christian preaching at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
   
He continued, "No one should be compelled to act against his or her conscience in matters of faith. I'm glad the appellate court saw fit to apply the constitution correctly in this case, but I also can't help but feel that we are going to be challenged again and again by those pushing an agenda of erotic liberty over all others."

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Her missions journey: from orphan to a doctorate
by Lauren Pratt
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) -- Mary Ann McMillan never intended to earn a full degree when she enrolled at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She just needed 20-30 hours of course credit to go back to the mission field full-time. 

On May 12, McMillan received her doctorate in Christian education, adding on to her master's degree in intercultural studies that she received in 2013 after deciding it would prove useful for her future.

The Lord was cultivating in McMillan a desire to go overseas to minister in closed countries, so she realized that having a doctorate in education would provide the platform for that goal.

For McMillan, it's incredible that she received her doctorate, knowing that she came from humble and challenging beginnings. She was an orphan until the age of 7, moved into foster care and then was adopted "into a family that should not have adopted a child at all," as she recalled.

Her time in college was spiritually transformational as she became involved in a campus ministry and decided to follow Jesus as a junior in college. It was after she became a believer that God began giving her a heart for the mission field.

"Right before I was graduating college I really felt the Lord calling me to do missions full-time. I just didn't know what that looked like so I actually went overseas with the IMB as a Journeyman," she said of the mission board's two-year program.

McMillan's first year in a closed country was difficult stemming from obstacles to her ministry as an African American woman. She remembers times being chased down the street or having items thrown at her due to racial oppression.

"I had a curfew at 4 in the afternoon because it got dark at 4 and the majority of the ministries started at 8 at night, but I had to be in early because of my race," she recalled. "So that's why they decided to allow me to switch countries so I ended up in the Czech Republic my second year."

Even in the midst of spiritual and racial oppression, God proved Himself powerful during that first year as McMillan and her teammates were doing ministry one day. While some women were gathered in a field listening to a translator share his testimony, one of the women spoke up.

"She stopped him and said, 'I don't want to hear your story. I want to hear hers,'" McMillan recounted, "and pointed at me. She said that 'I've never seen a person of color before and I want to hear how she became a believer and why the Lord is so important for her.'"

At that moment, McMillan had the opportunity to share the Gospel with the group of women.

She had finished her two-year Journeyman term when she stepped onto the campus of SEBTS. Everything was new and the difficulty of reverse culture shock was in full swing. She remembers a professor who noticed she was struggling and encouraged her lovingly but truthfully.

"I can teach you anything you want to know in your classes, but your relationship with the Lord is more important than anything," he said. "You can get all the schooling you want, you can have the best job, succeed in life, but if you don't have a good relationship with the Lord you're not going to make it."

McMillan eventually became involved at Imago Dei Church, worked for SEBTS and, in April 2016, moved to California to work at Saddleback Church, pastored by Rick Warren. She is the training director for the PEACE Center, a program in which churches in different countries partner together in church planting, leadership development, health care and educational needs. 

The PEACE Plan became very personal to McMillan when she took a trip to Rwanda, a country that Saddleback has partnered with for years, where she saw how local churches were caring for orphans. In fact, 35 orphanages had been emptied because children were being given a home through families in local churches. 

McMillan was so impacted by the experience that she used this orphan care model within the local church to inspire her dissertation at SEBTS.

Ken Coley, director of Ed.D. studies at SEBTS, said he will never forget the first time he met McMillan "and she shared her dreams of completing her doctorate in preparation for being prepared for God to use her on His mission field. Well, she's seen two dreams come true -- she has earned her doctor of education degree and has a very special base of operations there at Saddleback to reach the world for Christ."

The Great Commission is still the heartbeat of McMillan's calling on her life. She hopes to one day either go overseas as a career missionary or stay in the States to train others to go from the classroom to the nations. Graduation is a little surreal for McMillan this time around as she knows that this is the last degree she will receive from SEBTS.

"It's so weird to think about this whole journey and going to seminary and it's like, man, &#91;I&#93; started out as an orphan and now I'm becoming a doctor," she said. 

The doctor of education program is a 60-hour degree involving learning through the classroom, mentorship and research to be grounded with a biblical foundation in order to teach the next generation. To learn more about education degrees at SEBTS, email edd@sebts.edu or call 919-761-2490.


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Trump tells Liberty grads: 'Never ever give up'
by Timothy Cockes/SBC of Virginia
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP) -- Liberty University's graduating class of 2017 were witnesses to Donald Trump's first commencement address as a sitting president May 13.

Over 18,000 graduates and their families listened to Trump speak as the first president to address a Liberty graduation since George H.W. Bush in 1990. Trump also received an honorary doctorate from the Baptist-affiliated university in Lynchburg, Va.

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., in introducing Trump, said he has done more to benefit the Christian community than any other president in recent history. 

"President Trump's actions in the last four months speak for themselves," Falwell said. "He reaffirmed this nation's support for the state of Israel, he appointed a conservative pro-life justice to the Supreme Court, he appointed more men and women of faith to his cabinet than any other president in recent memory and last week he signed an executive order in order to return political free speech rights to churches, religious leaders and universities like this one."

This is the third time Trump has spoken at Liberty following convocation addresses during his presidential campaign in January 2016 and in September 2012 when he also received an honorary doctorate.

"There's no place in the world that I'd rather be to give my first commencement address as president than here with my wonderful friends at Liberty University," Trump said.

Affirming the mission of Liberty University to train champions for Christ and for the country's commitment to God, Trump said, "In America, we don't worship government, we worship God."

Both Trump and Falwell spent much of their time on stage calling the class of 2017 to persevere through difficult times in their careers.

"When you begin your career, remember that nothing will take the place of persistence," Falwell said.

Trump, echoing the theme, said, "If I give you one message to hold in your hearts today it is this: Never ever give up." There will be "times in your life where you want to quit, but just never quit."

The president also urged students to dream big and hold fast to their convictions in the face of criticism.

"Nothing worth doing ever came easy, but the future belongs to the dreamer not the critic," Trump said. "Treat the word 'impossible' simply as motivation, and most importantly do what you love."

Trump told the graduates: "This is your day and you've earned every minute of it. I am looking at the next generation of leaders of our country."


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2 jailed Christians pardoned amid Sudan persecution
by Diana Chandler
Date: May 15, 2017 - Monday

KHARTOUM, Sudan (BP) -- A pastor and another Christian unjustly imprisoned in Sudan are free after presidential pardons, but their release came just days after the government destroyed the last Christian place to worship in Soba al Aradi, a suburb of the capital Khartoum.

The May 11 release of Sudan Church of Christ (SCOC) pastor Hassan Abdelrahim Tawor of Omdurman and Christian activist Abdulmonem Abdumawla of Darfur ended 10-year prison sentences the two had been serving since December, 2015. The men were wrongly accused of espionage, causing hatred among communities and spreading false information, Morning Star News reported.

In what is considered a systematic attack on Christian churches, the government on May 7 destroyed the Sudanese Church of Christ in Soba al Aradi. It's the latest incident in a string of 12 churches the government has demolished in the community since 2011, Morning Star News reported May 8. The loss of the church established in 1989 and most recently used by three congregations leaves no place for Christians to worship in the town.

International religious liberty advocates, including Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Middle East Concern (MEC) and Jubilee Campaign, praised God for the release of Tawor and Abdumawla. The groups continue to advocate for Christians in Sudan who have been increasingly persecuted since the 2011 secession of South Sudan.

"We welcome the release of Reverend &#91;Abdelrahim&#93; and Mr. Abdumawla, and are pleased they are finally able to return to their families after 17 months in detention," CSW chief executive Mervyn Thomas said. "However, their case highlights our profound concerns regarding the rule of law in Sudan and the politicization of the criminal justice system by the National Intelligence and Security Services, which pursued the case against them. We continue to call for the government to review and reform the powers of this body and to end the targeting of religious and ethnic minorities on spurious grounds."

Freedom for the two ends a case that began in 2015 and involved two others who were previously released. SCOC head of missions Kwa (also spelled Kuwa) Shamaal and Czech aid worker Petr Jasek were both jailed on charges including espionage, waging war against the state and gathering false news information, as well as inciting hatred between classes. Shamaal was acquitted and released in January; Jasek received a presidential pardon in February.

The arrest of the four was related to their support of a financial campaign that raised $5,000 for the medical care of Darfur student Ali Omer, injured and burned during a student demonstration in 2013, CSW said. The government claimed the money was in reality support for rebel activity in the South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur regions.

In its campaign against Christian churches, Sudan ordered in June, 2016 the destruction of at least 25 churches, claiming they were built on government-owned land or land zoned for residential or other uses. Churches targeted include SCOC, Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Jehovah Witness and Pentecostal congregations. Similarly situated Muslim mosques are allowed to remain standing, Christians told Morning Star.

"There is a nearby mosque in the area where the (Soba al Aradi SCOC) church building was destroyed, but it was not demolished," Morning Star anonymously quoted a source May 8. In late April, the Khartoum Bahri Administrative Court rejected a case brought jointly by the churches to have the demolition order overturned, CSW said.

On April 3, a member of the Bahri Evangelical Church was stabbed to death while peacefully demonstrating against government efforts to confiscate and sell the church and its school, according to reports. Younan Abdullah, an elder of the church that is part of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC), died of stab wounds, World Watch Monitor reported May 2. A second church member and stabbing victim survived.

On April 26, police and an armed mob occupied the church compound and school, including houses and offices, MEC reported April 27. During the takeover, police arrested and detained for 12 hours the wife and three young children of SPEC guard Azhari Tambra while he was away from home. The family's belongings were destroyed and they were not allowed to return to their home, MEC said.

The religious freedom advocacy group Open Doors ranks Sudan fifth on its 2017 World Watch List of countries with the most severe Christian persecution. Sudan has been a U.S. State Department County of Particular Concern since 1999 because of its human rights violations and treatment of Christians.



