News, September 2006

News from the Churches

Evangelical TV program Buenas Noticias TV is growing and is looking for an assistant editor. Tax changes for Catholics could also benefit evangelicals. Summer outreach reports are starting to come in. Galicia fires caused one summer camp for children to close. New agreements with the government are bringing joy and grief to the churches. Read on!

Good News for evangelical TV! The program Buenas Noticias TV, which goes out on Sundays on state TV channel TVE (and on TVE Internacional by satellite), has just announced it is recruiting an assistant editor. After the recent addition of a weekly radio program to the state network this is good news indeed, although the evangelicals would still like permission to run their own station. Pray for the right person to apply and be chosen!

El Mundo reports new State financing model for the Catholic church. The government says it is also in discussions with Evangelicals and other recognised religious groups over adoption of the same model. The idea is for tax payers to select which religious body to give 0.7% of their tax bill. While the Catholic church is one organisation, almost each evangelical church is independent, thus complicating maters, but government will now discuss options with the representative body FEREDE. On the other hand, many evangelicals don't want to be 'on the record', after having experienced not just discrimination, but also physical persecution in their lifetime. Until 1967 only Roman catholicism was permitted as the religion of the Spaniards.

5000 were reached by the puppets of Titriteros para Cristo in Ciudad Real during early August. Decision's outreach photos are also on line. Other outreaches are also posting reports.

The summer camp of the brethren assembly in Marín in Galicia, one of Spain's historically largest churches, has had to close temporarily due to the fires burning close by. Fire broke out some 2 km away on the afternoon of 7th august. Some 80 camp participants were affected, as well as numerous parents and other visitors (some 300 in all) who were there when the fire broke out.

National radio programme gets goahead The national station Radio Nacional de España has awarded the evangelicals, jews and muslims a shared programme on Sunday mornings from 17th September. Called Faith and living together, each of the faith groups have a slot in the Sunday morning schedule, starting at 6.00 a.m. The evangelical slot, of 15 minutes will be called Protestant World. In this way, the religious monopoly of Roman Catholicism on the public service station comes to an end. FEREDE will continue to press the state for an end to the Catholic monopoly on ownership of radio stations as such.

New regulations for prison visiting have been accepted by the different faith groups, including the Evangelical Federation, FEREDE. This means only fully employed (and included in the special Social Security system for pastors) 'Ministers of Religion' have the right to enter prisons for religious purposes. As a result, most of the churches' appointees for prison visiting are now excluded, since they are non-employed church ministers and elders or specially trained volunteers. Under the previous system, all these people were acceptable. Nor are the ministers allowed to take in others to accompany them. As a result, over-worked and under-paid (but paid!) pastors have to do everything, while volunteers are left frustrated at the prison gates. These include many from the well-established MEP (Ministerio Evangélico en Prisiones).
To stress the importance of this prison visiting ministry, we rejoice at the news that on 21st July 22 inmates were baptised at Huelva prison, close to Seville. Church members were allowed to join the pastors and prisoners at the prison's pool side for the ceremony.

The 2nd National Leadership Congress will take place on 11th to 13th October with guest speaker Paul Yonggi Cho. Cho will be in Las Palmas at a crusade with the Korean church on the 11th and join the Congress for the 12th and 13th. !2th October is Spain's national day. The first Congress took place in 2004 and guest speaker was David Wilkerson. AoG.

The previous weekend Edmundo Ravelo of the Spanish church in London will key a conference in Valencia.

During September, as families get back to the daily routine and schools start back, so church programmes including Sunday School start up again. Likewise, Bible Schools - in residential, evening class and correspondance varieties, relaunch themsleves over the month.