Buzz

SPOTLIGHT

A Deeper Walk
Hunter Smith says worship is the goal of his new CD.

For Hunter Smith, writing and leading worship songs comes just as naturally as booting a football 45 yards and dropping it inside the 10-yard line. The Indianapolis Colts’ star punter led worship for a campus Bible study at Notre Dame before teaming with singer-songwriter Chris Wilson and becoming a worship leader at Every Nation Church in Nashville, Tenn. With the release of the duo’s self-titled debut, Connersvine, Smith says worship is still his goal. “If we can lead people into eternal life and into a deeper relationship with God—that they would know Him more intimately—then we will have completely succeeded in everything we’re supposed to do.”
Chad Bonham

Prayer Point

This month marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Since then, more than 40 million babies have been aborted in the U.S. This month we encourage you to pray that:

»Abortion would end in the U.S. and abroad
»Women grieving over their abortions would find healing through Christ
»Churches would help women find alternatives to abortion and encourage members to adopt.
To sign up for regular prayer updates from Charisma’s Prayer Initiative, visit prayerinitiative.com.

The Luke 18 Generation

The movement to establish nonstop prayer on college campuses will gain momentum this month when youth from across the U.S. meet in Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 2-5 for the launch of the Luke 18 Project. An outgrowth of the TheCall prayer ministry, the project draws its name from the parable of the persistent widow and seeks to mobilize 10,000 young leaders to plant prayer ministries, evangelize communities and fight injustice. This year, Luke 18 hopes to start 24/7 houses of prayer at every U.S. college.

MINISTRY

Bible Evangelism

Thom Miller came to Christ after reading a stolen Bible while serving time in prison for drug trafficking. Today he and his wife, Julia, help others read some of the most rare Bibles in existence through their touring exhibit of Christian artifacts. As part of their Special Visit ministry (specialvisit.org), the Millers have visited prisons, homeless shelters and churches across the U.S. and in Nigeria, displaying dozens of ancient artifacts including segments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Miller says people have broken down into tears, and thousands have accepted Christ. “People get around the people of God and the Spirit of God and the Word of God, and often they meet God,” he says.

Miller also shares his testimony in prisons, but the exhibit holds a special place in his heart because it reminds him of the transformation God’s Word can bring.
Adrienne S. Gaines

Activism

Churches in Europe To Mark Holocaust

Leaders say anti-Semitism is again on the rise in the region

Church leaders across Europe will unite this month to remember the Holocaust and challenge Christians worldwide to resist what they see as a growing anti-Semitic sentiment in their nations and the Middle East.

For the second year, churches are being invited to participate in the International Holocaust Remembrance Day to be held Jan. 27. Sponsored by the European Coalition for Israel (ECFI), the campaign (learnfromhistory.eu) is intended to remind Christians of the consequences that can result from a failure to confront genocide and anti-Semitism. Hundreds of churches are expected to participate. The effort has received support from such ministry leaders as Jeff Fountain, European director of Youth With a Mission; Colin Dye, pastor of Kensington Temple London; Swedish pastor Ulf Ekman; and Catholic and Orthodox leaders from Austria, France and Ukraine.

Organizers say Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s calling for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and European protestors’ calling for “death to the Jews” are signs that anti-Semitism remains an international threat. “Europe is being given a second chance to stand up for the Jewish people and the state of Israel,” ECFI executive director Tomas Sandell says. “Rather than just getting emotional about the past, we need to speak up in our neighborhoods and churches about the fact that while Hitler rose from obscurity, today we have a world leader of an oil-rich nation who is a member of the United Nations repeating quotes of Hitler and taking steps to build a nuclear bomb.”
Renee DeLoriea