After one year the BFF team came forward to induct new teachers! 13 candidates who had expressed their desire to be teachers in the commitment form were invited for a one day Teacher Training course at Panaiyur on 26.6.2017! The most important part was the teaching practice session! Each one was given 10 minutes time to teach!. Other participants evaluated them under 5 headings, Bible knowledge, knowledge on the subject matter, mode of communication and presenting the matter, using aids and general performance! After 2 more practices, the selected new teachers will be absorbed into the team of faculty! Welcome to the new BFF teachers!  - Sol. Vivian

India(Assam):Archbishop Menamparampil said that from August, the prayer that he composed would be recited throughout the region

Archbishop emeritus Thomas Menamparampil, of Guwahati (Assam state) and former apostolic administrator of Jowai (in Meghalaya state) has proposed a "special ecumenical prayer for peace and harmony among communities” at the start of each month, starting in August, by all Churches and friends, following an act of vandalism in the Catholic cathedral of Bongaigaon. The initiative to calm tension in northeastern India, one of the most restless regions of the country, has been enthusiastically welcomed by the United Christian Forum North East India (UCFNEI), a grouping of Christian, Catholic, Presbyterian and Baptist organizations. Archbishop Menamparampil told Asianews that from August, the prayer that he composed would be recited throughout the region. According  to the Salesian archbishop "all these initiatives at local level, such as training programmes, encounters, prayers, respond timely to the painful Bongaigaon episode."  Unknown vandals on 20 June broke open the tabernacle of the Light of the World Cathedral that contained the sacred hosts as well as the prayer intention box.  From evidence, Church authorities gather it was a case of theft.

The UCFNEI has issued a statement welcoming the proposal of Archbishop Menamparampil, a key figure in the process of pacification among ethnic groups in India. The statement launched "a passionate appeal to all Christian individuals, congregations, groups of friends, institutions and schools, churches and organizations to offer a prayer on the first day of each month of the year, with effect from August 2017, for peace and harmony in our society and in our country.” “What matters to the Christians of the region,” the leaders said, is to "assist the situation of instability, atrocities of various proportions, religious intolerance and violence in the name of religion, ethnic and sectarian sentiments, and all the undesirable that has recently taken place.”

The invitation to everyone is "to stand for a few minutes of prayer, at work, at school, in church, both with organized programs and individually, according to what everyone finds most convenient,"  the forum said.

India(Delhi):Christians are concerned over Hindu leader's hard-line ideology

Christian leaders have criticized the ruling pro-Hindu party for nominating as its presidential candidate a hard-line Hindu leader who reportedly once described Christianity and Islam as "alien" religions in India. The  Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) that rules the federal government and various Indian states, named Ram Nath Kovind, who is considered a leader of socially oppressed Dalit groups, as its candidate for President of India, June 19. He further suggested people from these religions should not be given social benefits or quotas for government jobs and educational institutions, even if they come from a poor socio-economic background. Samuel Jaykumar of the National Council of Churches in India said that the BJP's presidential nominee reflects the Hindu hegemony the party has been pushing for so long. "We hope and expect that the president upholds the constitutional and secular values" as he represents the whole of India, irrespective of any political party or religion, Jayakumar said. Kovind has previously advocated scrapping the recommendations of an official commission that studied the socio-economic situation of Christians and Muslims of Dalit origin in 2007. He also labelled the recommendation to reserve 15 percent of government jobs and educational seats as "unconstitutional." Dalits, often the target of oppression and persecution, belong to the former untouchable castes within the Hindu caste system. At least half of India's 25 million Christians are considered from the Dalit community.

At Least 21 Dead In Bombing At Egyptian Church

The blast struck as Egypt's Coptic Christian community marked Palm Sunday. Cairo: A bomb blast at a church north of Cairo killed at least 21 people and wounded dozens who had gathered for Palm Sunday mass, state media reported, in the latest apparent attack on Egypt's Coptic Christians.

Religious, Ethnic Minorities Face Persecution in Kurdistan

About 2 million people have fled to Kurdistan, in Northern Iraq, in recent years, escaping conflict, terrorism, and persecution in Syria and Iraq. Along with the Kurdish majority, minorities of Assyrian Christians, Yazidi, Sunni Arabs, Sunni and Shi’a Turks, and other ethnic and religious groups all now occupy the region. Those minorities found a haven with “comparatively robust” religious freedom, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). But only comparatively. Last week, USCIRF issued a report warning religious and ethnic minorities in Kurdistan need greater protection, especially if the recently announced independence referendum, scheduled for Sept. 25, succeeds. In spite of the region’s diversity, discrimination and violence against ethnic and religious minorities persists. They report systemic bias and often live as second-class citizens who endure arbitrary legal decisions. USCIRF also found Yazidis pressured to identify as Kurds, persecution of people who criticize Kurdish authorities, and Kurds seizing land from Christians. Kurdish police blocked a peaceful Christian demonstration against land encroachment in April 2016, Human Rights Watch reported. UN agencies also face accusations of ignoring the needs of displaced Christians living in the region, according to World Watch Monitor. USCIRF urged the United States and others to encourage regional authorities to institute reforms to protect religious freedom and minority rights now so that they exist if the region becomes its own nation.

Convergence Of Signs Prepares The Way For Third Temple

Bill Cloud, head of Shoreshim Ministries, author of "Esau Rising" and another vocal proponent of incorporating Jewish practices into Christian worship, is excited about the prophetic environment set in motion by the Israeli capture of the Temple Mount half a century ago. However, he has mixed feelings about the legitimacy of whatever new structure emerges on the Temple Mount. "Without a doubt, the reunification of Jerusalem and the capture of the Temple Mount in 1967 was a significant prophetic event," he told WND. "In my view, it set in motion other situations whereby other prophecies might be fulfilled.

"As far as rebuilding the Temple, I believe the Bible suggests that it will happen; however, I'm not convinced that the next Temple will be the residence of the Sh'kinah (Presence of God). I'm of the opinion that when the next Temple is built – maybe before it can be dedicated – the one we know as Antichrist will come in and put a stop to it and kill the two witnesses (Rev. 11:7-10), thus fulfilling what Paul spoke of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4."

Still, Cloud said it is undeniable there is a palpable sense that prophetic fulfillment could be taking place within our own time. "The efforts of the Temple Institute to create all the necessary components and furnishings for the Temple demonstrates the growing messianic expectations that exist in Israel today," he observed. "That, in conjunction with the instability in the world and particularly the Middle East, has set the stage for the prophecies concerning a temple in Jerusalem to be fulfilled."