by Wesley WJ RichardsPosted: Friday, June 25, 2010, 13:35 (BST)
The new President of Colombia, Dr Juan Manual Santos was overwhelmingly elected with strong support from one of the world’s fastest growing churches.
On Sunday, the former defence minister won 69 per cent of the vote defeating Mockus in the Presidential run off.
The vote is a declaration of support for the policies of former President Alvaro Uribe, who has led Colombia into a new era of security and prosperity since 2002.
Santos, who only started his campaign in March following the Supreme Court’s decision to deny Uribe a third term, was behind the rescue operation which liberated Ingrid Betancourt and fourteen other hostages in July 2008.
During his campaign Santos attended campaign meetings hosted by Misión Carismática Internacional (MCI), with more than 200,000 members.
In March, leaders from the church were elected to the Senate, Congress and Andean Parliament for the ‘U’ party, led by Santos. Three other leaders are members of the 45-seat Council of Bogota.
In January, he had attended the annual conference of MCI.
Pastor Wes Richards, from King’s Church International in Windsor welcomed him on behalf of international pastors. He said, "You helped to give this nation hope in dark moments of despair and when you have faced entrenched evil.
"We are all very grateful for the contribution you have made to the security of this nation."
Founder of MCI, Pastor Cesar Castellanos said, "Dr Santos, you have been loyal. When someone is waiting with patience God rewards them greatly.
"God bless you. I believe this is the Kairos (timing) of God for your life.
"God's hand was on your life throughout the time you were a Minister of Defense, directing you in Operation Checkmate. The hand of God has supported everything you’ve done and will continue to support you.
"Thank you for not anticipating events, thank you for waiting, because in His time you will receive the reward. May God bless you."
Santos said: "I have great optimism about what is going to be Colombia's future."
On Sunday he received more than 9 million votes - a record for a Colombian president - and will take office in August.
"Colombia expects so much from us and we are not going to let them down," Santos, 58, told cheering crowds.
"This is your victory too, President Uribe."
source:http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.welcome.columbian.presidential.victory.for.santos/26180.htm
Showing posts with label Columbia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Columbia. Show all posts
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Persecution reports from in Colombia, India and Iran
Pastor Manuel was shot and killed by Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas in San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia on September 21.
When the guerrillas scheduled a visit with Pastor Manuel, he believed the meeting was in response to his request to officially have a church. However, when they arrived, Pastor Manuel was shot five times outside his home while his family was inside. One of the guerillas entered the house and yelled, "Make sure that dog stays dead." The guerillas then shot the pastor again, this time in the neck. His wife, Gloria, ran outside to the body of her martyred husband. She cleaned his face and she and her children dragged his body under a tree. She then grabbed her Bible and preached to those who came near. Her 10-year-old son tried to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, Dad died for Christ and now he is with Christ."
Pastor Manuel and his wife had been pastoring a church in Chopal village, south of San Jose del Guaviare for about eight years. Many churches in the area had been closed by FARC guerrillas but Pastor Manuel decided to open the church regardless of the threats and risks. In April, he was part of an evangelistic event at which three FARC guerrillas and seven members of the paramilitary militia accepted Christ.
Praise God for this family's faith. Ask God to comfort Pastor Manuel's wife and children. Pray that Pastor Manuel's courageous testimony will draw nonbelievers into fellowship with Christ.
At approximately 7:00 p.m. on October 4, Hindu militants attacked Pastor Singaram Prakash (60) after he attended a prayer meeting in Kaiwara village, Karnataka. The militants beat the pastor and accused him of "cheating" people. Police detained the pastor and questioned him for hours about his Christian activities. Twenty-five local people have reportedly presented evidence in support of Pastor Prakash, emphasizing that he had not conducted illegal activities and had only entered people's houses for prayer at their request. At last report, he was still in custody. Pastor Prakash has been leading a church in the nearby village of Tharabanhalli for 10 years.
Pray for Pastor Prakash's release. Pray for safety for his wife and two daughters, who are also involved in ministry in the area.
There have been significant developments in the past week regarding Maryam Rustampoor (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (30), who have been imprisoned in Tehran, Iran for their Christian faith since March. When the women were brought before the Revolutionary Court in early August and ordered to recant their faith, they refused and were sent back to prison.
On October 7, Maryam and Marzieh were unexpectedly taken back to the Revolutionary Court and three charges were brought against them: anti-state activity, propagation of Christianity, and apostasy (i.e. leaving Islam). The judge then acquitted them of the charge of anti-state activity. Because this charge has been dropped, their case will now be transferred to a general court where the other charges will be considered.
Continue to pray for Maryam and Marzieh as they are now back in prison, awaiting their next hearing. Pray for their health as they have been denied proper medical treatment apart from care Maryam received for severe food poisoning. Pray that they will continue to shine the light of Christ among their fellow prisoners. Pray that all charges will be dropped and that they will be released soon.
Source: http://www.christiansunite.com
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