News, April-May 2010

News from the Churches

Pentecost silenced in Alcalá. Spring sees Open Air evangelism seminars - September brings Madrid a European preachers' conference. Pastor Miguel Rueda with the Lord. 'Spain, we're praying for you' - thousands prayed for Spain. WEA leader visits Spain. New Bible presented. This and more... Read on!

Coming soon!

Reaching North Africans through art in Southern Spain
OM reports that plans to open an art studio in Southern Spain are well under way. Artists were able to touch deeper areas of the heart and spirit of North Africans through art. Now based in Southern Spain, the same artists saw the potential to reach out to the North African immigrant community with a message of hope in Christ, and thus promote healing between the different cultures. The art studio is open for artists and non-artists alike, a place where true community based on Christian values is built and lived out.
The art centre is to open at the end of May. Ideally located in the centre of town, OM has turned a dismal property into a fresh, hip and colourful place, full of light and movement. Once open, artists plan to offer affordable creative workshops and cultural events to the community. Artists can exhibit their work, and believing artists will have the opportunity to display their creations, inspired by the Creator.
On 23rd September On the Red Box brings us their first European Open air Preachers' Conference. The Madrid based ministry, which under the local name Kilometre Zero reaches out daily at the city centre Puerta del Sol, is spreading its wings to bring back open air preaching to the centres of Europe's major cities. The conference lasts until 26th.
A new home-grown Spanish Bible translation, La Palabra (The Word), will be with us very soon! The new translation, made by the Spanish Bible Society, claims to use almost twice as many words as most current versions, increasing both accuracy and beauty. La Palabra was presented officially on 17th February at SEUT Bible School, El Escorial, Madrid, although it will not be available in shops until June. Several other pre-showings have already taken place.
Meanwhile, the Gideons have taken delivery of 5.000 copies of the Bible in Catalan. It is hoped this will be particularly welcome in Catalonia, but also in the Balearic Islands and Valencia, where Catalan dialects are also spoken.
Protestante Digital is to get a major overhaul and update. The news service of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance had almost 2 million visits in 2009 and from late spring 2010 will become a daily updated medium. We wish them well. Get a preview here! (To read the latest from PD scroll down.)
Meanwhile, our P4S renewal continues gradually as decisions are taken about the new look on the one hand and the underlying 'engine' continues to develop on the other. From May 1st the same engine (but not content!) is being used at St. Pixels, the online church.
CEDIB, the Evangelical Council of the churches in the Balearics, will be officially presented to society on 6th June. Local dignitaries have promised to attend, so it is hoped will the regional press - not to mention a good number of local church members.
The 'Evangelical Olympics' season has begun, with the XII Madrid Evangelical Olympiad taking place on May 15th. Pocket Testament League is the motor behind this event, which brings children from many of the region's churches for a great day of sport and meeting new friends. Madrid will be followed by other cities, such as La Coruña (Galicia) and Málaga (Andalusia), ending in Barcelona in September.

Recent news and events

On Sunday 23rd May the churches of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, planned an open air celebration of Pentecost. Permission had been requested from the City Hall to use an amphitheatre and while no permission had actually been granted, the authorities did offer a power socket for the sound system. Then, as the system was tested, local police officers arrived asking for the paperwork and ordered the churches to remove the sound equipment. Eventually, the celebration went ahead, although rather drowned out at one point by a Catholic procession nearby. It is clear that the City Hall, particularly the mayor, failed in its duty to authorise or refuse the event - if only due to a possible conflict of use with the Catholic procession. The churches plan a silent demonstration on 19th June.

Recently Luis Amaya became the first member of the gypsy Filadelfia Church to become a Doctor of Theology. He has been involved in ministry since the age of 14 and spent one year early on studying at the Brethren CEEB Bible school in Barcelona. He recalls the 'old days' when none of the pastors in Filadelfia could even read. Now he leads the Filadelfia training school, which is a four year distance course, based around 50 centres. How times have changed for this church which rose amongst one of Spain's most under-privileged groups!

On Thursday, 13th May a Spanish businessman in his 60s was expelled from Morocco, the sole reason appearing to be his evangelical faith. He had lived most of his life in the country, which was still a Spanish dependency at the time of his birth. (Morocco became independent in 1956.) He ran a business installing photovoltaic solar panels. This is the first Spaniard to be affected by this year's wave of persecution. Last year a literacy worker was expelled.

The number of evangelical church buildings in Catalonia has reached 600, according to a survey by the regional government. In 2004 the Generalitat recorded 341 places of worship. A study by the Pocket Testament League in 1997 gave the number as 316, so there has been a doubling in the number of places of worship in the past 15 years, mostly in the past 5.

Chris Mathieson gave a workshop in Open Air evangelism in Terrassa, Barcelona on May 8th. 12 attended the event, which finished with an Open Air on Terrassa's Rambla, a street with wide pavement and cafés, dedicated to strollers. On 14th March, Ken Barrett gave a seminar in Valencia.

On 13th March there was another public Bible reading in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid. Alcalá is famous as the home of Don Quixote's author, Miguel de Cervantes. And last year it claimed fame as a city which won a court case over charging for the preaching of the gospel... or rather the provision of barriers and police protection. Councils, including Alcalá, usually provide these facilities for free to associations engaged in activities in public places. This year's reading went without problems. Another more recent open air event in Alcalá was a celebration of the resurrection, on Easter day (4th April).

We regret to announce the death of pastor Miguel Rueda, linked with Evangelism in Action in Málaga, who suffered a heart attack while preaching in his church on 14th March. He was a well respected and nationally recognised leader of the evangelical movement. He will be dearly missed.

Spain, we're praying for you' is an annual prayer rally held in Madrid since 2008 and again took place on 6th March between 7 and 9 p.m. This time there was a rally simultaneously in almost every region. The Evangelical Churches' Councils coordinated the event, which gathered people from across each region and denomination to pray for Spain. The promoters, based in the Canary islands, broadcast 30 minutes of prayer from the main centres, while some regions organised the events in their own way. For example in the Balearic islands, some 150 home groups involving up to 2000 people met in direct prayer for the nation.

Spanish evangelicals were among many calling recently for amendments to the Sexual Orientation document before the Council of Europe, so much so that it will be April before the Council is able to consider it - and then there could be more amendments proposed.

Earlier news in bullets:

Geoff Tunnicliffe, general secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance, met with the Justice Minister on 26th February as part of his visit to Spain. He also met with opposition leaders and attended the Unamuno friend of Protestants prize ceremony. The prize this year went to José Manuel Vidal, director of Religiondigital.
The Navarre government has approved the cession of 3000m2 to the (gypsy) Filadelfia church for new buildings in Tudela. This is a region where there are few evangelical churches of any sort and this is a very welcome move.

For earlier news from the churches, click here!

Finally, more news from the churches is always available at the Protestante Digital site.

You can also listen to some reports and comment.

This week on Protestante Digital: (28th May)

Government plans to negotiate tax allocation with ´recognised religions´
Forced Deportations in Morocco Worry Native Christians
The City of Madrid Council gives two Evangelical Churches free land
Cape Town 2010 Director visits Madrid
Evangelicals want reciprocity from Morocco on religious freedom
Castile authorities take daughter from parents over Pentecostal exorcism
´Freedom of speech is vital´, says Evangelical leader

(14th May)
The Government expresses its “definite interest” in solving pension crisis
Spanish don’t approve Pope’s passivity over abuse cases
Draft of new Religious Freedom law on the table
Religions allowed to laugh at each other (but only if they laugh at themselves first)
Fight for pensions for pastors under Franco goes to European Court
Catholic Church “is stagnant and old-fashioned”, says journalist

(30th April)
Evangelical Alliance denounces Morocco over campaign of Christian expulsion
Fewer Catholics and more atheists
Miguel Delibes, author of ´The Heretic´, dies in Valladolid
Novel in instalments to be published by Protestante Digital

(16th April)
Online polygamy rampant among teenagers
“I never reproach God for anything”, says murdered girl´s father
Madrid exhibition sculpture offends Israel

(3rd April)
´Maximum sentence´ demanded for the person who tried to swindle Mari Luz´s parents
Fireproof love released in Spain
Abortion rate rising faster in Spain than in rest of Europe
Non-alcoholic wine could be exported to Islamic world
Investigators from Alicante University surf the Internet with thought