News, April 2007

News from the Churches

Missionary Carlos Madrigal led mourning for dead workers in Turkey and now his church has been attacked. Book fair in Alcalá de Henares competes with Royal prize giving. Valencia sees 2000 Gospels given out at Americas Cup site. George Borrow 170th anniversary exhibition on the move in Madrid. Malaga gives evangelicals ground for new social centre. New magazine launched. New online bookshop. This and more... Read on!

Spanish missionary Carlos Madrigal, founder and pastor of two churches in Istambul led the mourning along with most of the Turkish church pastors for 3 Campus Crusade workers killed savagely on 18th April in an attack by fanatics on their printing works in eastern Turkey. Carlos has complained that the mixed messages of politicians and the press have put into the minds of many that protestants are worse than terrorists. In the past year things have got worse for Christians, with an Armenian Christian journalist and a Catholic priest also killed. Madrigal has been working in Turkey since 1985. On 25th april the church Carlos pastors in Izmit (Istambul), A number of windows were broken by youths. In addition, Carlos says that the Malatya killers had been looking for Carlos's co-pastor Wolfgang Hade.

Alcalá de Henares is the focus for Cervantes Day (23rd April) and the king gives away the Cervantes prize for literature. This year the evangelical churches also held a celebration of 'the day of the Book'. Ken Barrett writes: 'We had a good lecture today in Alcala University and the even the competition afforded by the King giving away the Cervantes prize did not stop a small group of 20 people hearing Pablo de Felipe on "Science and Faith - in conflict?" The sun is beating down on the Book Fair at the moment, where the churches' cultural section has a stand.'

Over the weekend of 20th April the Bible Society ran a Bible expo, reading and distribution called 'The Bible and the sea' at Valencia's Sailing Club (currently hosting the Americas Cup) and along the Malvarrosa beach front. A Catholic priest also helped! The reading began with the book of Jonah and also included other passages making reference to the sea. News about the Americas Cup: Go Sport.

A new George Borrow 170th anniversary exhibition is visiting the locations where the Bible Society colporteur visited during the years of his stay in Madrid, between 1836 and 1840. The first village to put it on is Cobeña, now a flourishing dormitory to the North East of the city. The local education and culture councillor opened the exhibition on the 14th. An Argentine missionary, Daniel Demai, now resident in Cobeña, read a letter and its translation which refers to Borrow's visit to the town. Other locations will shortly get this exhibition.

Malaga city has donated land to the evangelicals for a united social and conference centre. The Roca Viva association with support from the Malaga pastors' fraternal and regional Evangelical Council will be responsible for the construction and running of the centre.

A new magazine, Vínculo, has been launched by veteran evangelical leader and journalist Juan Antonio Monroy, his previous and very good offering, Alternativa 2000 having ceased publication in that very year.

Easter activities are here and mostly gone! Many churches held special activities, guest services, camps, etc.. Among the most significant events were an Easter outreach by the Brethren Assembly at Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), including a British team from GLO, 30th March to 8th April; Mission possible, a national youth missions congress in Huesca; and another youth congress in the Canaries.

A new online bookshop has opened its virtual doors. Llibreria Cristiana is the first online bookshop in Spain and will be a great blessing to many believers who find it difficult to get to the existing 'physical' shops in Madrid, Barcelona and a few smaller cities. It opened early March.

A new survey shows that one in four places of worship in Catalonia is not Roman Catholic. In fact, of the 3449 places of worship 453 are evangelical and a similar number are also non-Catholic, including mosques, synagogues, other kinds of temples and so on. The number of evangelical churches is particularly growing, having been only 341 in 2004.

On 3rd March the Bible Society opened it's new Spanish headquarters in las Rozas, near Madrid.

The Brethren Assembly in Marin, Galicia, is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Few evangelical churches in Spain date from earlier! This Assembly was planted by British missionaries and for many years has counted on the support of British workers -most recently, Timothy Glascock. For many years considered the largest evangelical church in Spain, it continues to be one of Spain's largest conservative churches.

José Cardona

One of Spain's most influential and beloved evangelicals over the past 50 years died on Wednesday 21st February. He was 87 years old. He had been ill off and on the the past months, due to developments in his diabetes. José Cardona was a Baptist pastor and for many years General Secretary of the Evangelical Defence Commission, which later became FEREDE. His death comes shortly after that of his former Defence Commission and FEREDE assistant Juan Lopez (see below). The national press echoed his importance with their own obituaries.Here is the one from El Mundo. More links at the FEREDE article (cut and paste): http://www.ferede.org/general.php?pag=vernoticia&cod=316

León church gets council land to build! The city council gave the Brethren Assembly, which dates back to the 19th century, 3000 sqaure metres to build a new church and other facilities. This is an amazing feat.
In a recent statement to El Mundo, Juan Ferreiro, Subdirector of Coordination and Promotion of Religious Liberty at the Justice Ministry said (in relation to the need for Muslim cemetries) "The reservation of space to build 'temples' and cemeteries is one aspect of the right to religious freedom. All the religious confessions have the right to be given plots by local authorities. The denial by a city hall to such a request must be 'motivated' (reasoned)." The fact is, however, that it is almost impossible for any religious group, other than the Catholic church, to get land for any purpose.

Carlos Anacondia preached in an evangelistic campaign in Córdoba, 8th to 10th February. Report available on answers page.

17 were baptised at the 1st Baptist church in Madrid (Calle General Lacy) on 11th February. At a time when many immigrants are joining churches across Spain, it is still a particular joy when churches can rejoice in the integration of those who previously did not hold to the evangelical faith, be they immigrants or Spaniards, from evangelical families or newcomers. after the sermon the pastor invited others to follow Christ and 7 made a profession of faith. New baptisms are expected to follow!