wfn.org | ALC Noticias Cuba, Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ALC NEWS SERVICE
E-mail: director@alcnoticias.org

ALC HEADLINES:
CUBA: Evangelicals rap in Cuba
NICARAGUA: Police hold surprise peace march
PERU: Multi-media presentation in Lima of A guy called Jesus
NICARAGUA: Three Evangelical Parties To Run in Municipal Elections
ECUADOR: Ecumenical ministry opens access to consultations by Internet

CUBA
Evangelicals rap in Cuba

By Josi Aurelio Paz
HAVANA, May 25, 2004 (alc). A Christian rap festival organized by 
Evangelical Churches in San Jose de las Lajas, east of the capital, brought 
together more than 700 young people in the local movie theatre last 
Saturday night and demonstrates that new generation Cuban believers are 
seeking contemporary ways to praise God.

Nine groups, including soloists participated. Some came from Havana and 
Matanzas. In total, 12 Churches supported the activity with applauses and 
praise for the Lord.

The Rev. Manolo Delgado, of the Baptist Church Fraternity that organized 
the festival said it was a memorable experience. The idea emerged from a 
group that has the same name as his Church: Emmanuel. The young people 
encouraged to the pastor to implement this wild idea which is 
unprecedented in the Cuban Church environment, as rap is generally 
considered marginal.

The concert began when Emanuel presented its first CD in the Lajero movie 
theatre. Later groups like Divine Power and Selah, or Melody and Base and 
Foundation, together with soloists offered songs like Dont Give up, The 
end times, To Him Be the Glory, Love without Fear, among others that 
were applauded by believers and non-believers alike.

Invited journalists included Ariel Fernandez, director of the magazine 
Movimiento (the Cuban Hip Hop magazine) who was interested n this genre 
that had previously only be known as an urban phenomenon and not as part of 
the Church.

We want the next event to be national so that Churches, to some extent, 
assume the genre within their broad spectrum of adoration and participate 
in this fraternal competition where the only winner is Jesus Christ, said 
the Rev. Delgado

The rap, while it seems incredible, fills us with blessings. It was a 
night unlike any other and we give thanks to God and local authorities for 
allowing us to have this event in a public venue, opening up the road for 
future experiences, said the Baptist Pastor.

NICARAGUA
Police hold surprise peace march

By Trinidad Vasquez
MANAGUA, May 25, 2004 (alc). A march on the part of police for peace and 
non-violence in this capital and other cities in Nicaragua took people by 
surprise Monday as it was an unprecedented event.

Police marched with signs that said No More violence, Yes to peace and 
distributed flyers that said Respect the law, respect the rule of law.

Police Chief Edwin Cordero said that the police were willing to die to 
uphold the law but are not willing to kill students because they are our 
brothers, sons, nephews and grandchildren.

Last week Managua and other cities were the scenes of violent 
confrontations between police and university students who demanded that the 
government fulfill a law that designates 6% of the national budget to post 
secondary education. Students have vowed to continue until the government 
makes good on its promise.

The police chief said his institution remains firm in its mandate to combat 
crime and is willing to die to maintain peace and citizen security but not 
to continue beating students and much less killing them. In confrontations 
on May 18, Police officer Roger Rodriguez lost his life and two students 
were seriously hurt.

In the manifestation police also demanded salary increases and more fuel 
for their vehicles. The demands were made in the presence of Government 
Minister Julio Vega, who remained mum.

For their part, Evangelical leaders William Gonzalez, of the Church of God, 
and Sixto Ulloa, of the Baptist Church, said the march was an excellent 
sign of change. We must not forget that the police are a repressive 
apparatus but today we see signs of unity, they said.

This march is an example of civism and a culture of peace. It is a message 
that they want to live in harmony with society, said Gonzalez.

Ulloa commented on how the march surprised Nicaragua. I think it is time we 
began to think of walking together under the banner of peace, he said.

The Baptist pastor added that President Enrique Bolanos, present at the end 
of the police march, did well to remain silent	given that he opted to 
attend the royal wedding in Spain while his people continued to go hungry.

Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, after Sunday mass in the Cathedral, called 
on the government, the opposition and students to participate in a dialogue 
for national unity to avoid a catastrophe. He said that destruction and 
death will continue if the violence generated by the students demands is 
not detained.

University deans have called on the head of the Catholic Church to mediate 
the conflict. However, as of Monday there was no word as to whether he had 
accepted.

Some journalists asked the Cardinal about a Vatican document that bars 
priests from addressing political themes in mass and the prelate answered 
by saying that same document calls on them to illuminate lifes events from 
Christs perspective.

Yasser Martmnez, Leader of the National Union of Nicaraguan Students blamed 
the president for the protests and their consequences and affirmed that the 
protests would continue until the universities receive the funds they are 
entitled to under the law.

PERU
Multi-media presentation in Lima of A guy called Jesus

By Rolando Pirez
LIMA, May 26, 2004 (alc). A tireless traveler, passionate, provocative, 
ingenuous, funny, friendly, an extraordinary story teller, a man unhappy 
with the situation in his time and country and that of the poor, is the 
Jesus that this multi-media presentation, A guy called Jesus offered us 
in this capital on May 20

The work was produced by the Cuban siblings Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez 
Vigil and was inspired by a radio series with the same name that has been 
used for the past 25 years in grassroots education regarding the challenges 
of liberating Christianity

Now a multi-media production that includes images from the places where 
Jesus walked and interactive animation, it was presented by Jose Ignacio 
Lopez in the Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University auditorium in Pueblo Libre. 
The event was sponsored by the University and the Communication Studies 
Institute.

In the work, Jesus is a simple, vital man who loves people, who laughs and 
cries and danced at the weddings in Cana.

He first addresses those who are excluded from the religious and political 
power structure of the time. He gives people hope, a sense of dignity and 
ideas and reasons to change their conscious and to be capable of changing 
things.

In a culture with deeply marked sexism, he spoke freely with women. He is a 
man who was not interested in kings, or lords or bosses, but communities of 
people who live in liberty and joy, said Lopez Vigil, when presenting the CD.

The production invites people to affirm the Christian option that promotes 
a more just, more human society, which is marked by solidarity and is not 
exclusive. This project is located in history, in the Jesus of history. 
There are no concessions, no false divinities. Along this road, based on 
the resurrection, the believers, the witnesses will discover the Christ of 
faith, he added.

NICARAGUA
Three Evangelical Parties To Run in Municipal Elections

By Trinidad Vasquez
MANAGUA, May 27, 2004 (alc).  Three Evangelical parties announced they 
would be presenting candidates in Nicaraguas municipal elections slated to 
take place next November.

These include: Camino Cristiano (PCC), up until recently linked with the 
Partido Liberal Constitucionalista (PLC), which former President Arnoldo 
Aleman leads from jail; El Movimiento de Unidad Cristiana (MUC), allied 
with the Frente Sandinista de Liberacisn Nacional (FSLN) and Alternativa 
Cristiana (AC), which recently obtained legal status.

The presence of these three parties in the political scene demonstrates the 
growing importance of the Evangelical population, according to analysts. An 
investigation carried out by the In-Depth Evangelism Institute six years 
ago showed that 16 percent of the population was Evangelical.

Today, the Evangelical Pro Denominational Council of Churches (CEPAD), the 
Inter-Church Theological Studies Center (CIEETS), World Vision, the 
Waldesian Center, and other bodies estimate that around 28 percent of 
Nicaraguans are now Evangelicals.

PCC President and legislator Guillermo Osorno said they will only present 
candidates in municipal elections. Osorno also said he is repentant about 
the alliance with the PLC for 2001 elections because many of the leaders 
were arrogant.

Daniel Ortega Reyes, Pentecostal Pastor and president of MUC said that they 
now have 24 candidates for mayors and vice mayors to run in an equal number 
of municipalities. There are 152 municipalities nationwide.  He sees the 
Evangelical vote as being key in the election.

Ortega Reyes added that by 2005 he expects the FSLN and the MUC to 
administer some 100 municipalities because the rich Nicaraguan class has 
been harmful for the nation and people see Evangelicals as a viable 
alternative.

Mariano Suarez, vice president of Alternativa Cristiana, confirmed that 
they will compete without alliances in the election. We do not want to be 
the tail of another party, he said. He said they expect to gain 200,000 
votes or at least 10 percent of the electorate. He added that in the 
national election, their goal is to have eight seats in the National
Assembly.

AC president, legislator Orlando Tardencilla, called on people to no longer 
be hostage to the conflicts between the FSLN and the PLC. He criticized 
other Evangelical parties, saying that they seek to manipulate the sincere 
faith of the Nicaraguans.

For its part, the PLC announced that it will register its candidate for 
mayor and vice mayor on July 15, after they are ratified in a party 
convention on July 11.

ECUADOR
Ecumenical ministry opens access to consultations by Internet

QUITO, May 28, 2004 (alc). A team of priests, pastors and other counseling 
specialists who belong to an Ecumenical Ministry called Cordialogue 
(Ecumenical Ministry) recently launched an online counseling service.

According to the Rev. Felipe Adolf, former secretary general of the Latin 
American Council of Churches (CLAI) and coordinator of the Ecumenical 
Ministry, the team includes 10 people from the Catholic and Evangelical 
Churches who specialize in work with young people, women, children and 
migrants. Together with priests there are also sociologists, psychologists, 
family counselors and lawyers.

The team received 70 hours of classes on conflict management, mediation and 
pastoral advice as well as specific training in communication management 
via Internet as an alternative pastoral tool. Each member of the team has a 
computer connected to a central server. The web page is www.cordialogo.org

The Ecumenical Ministry also offers a face-to-face pastoral service, aimed 
specifically at families who face conflict due to the fact that they belong 
to different Churches. People are helped by a team that includes a Catholic 
and a Protestant (man or woman).

The aim is to help different families live in an environment of peace and 
mutual respect. The team believes that the Church should alleviate people 
to help them live a fuller life.

Its main objectives are: to respond to Spanish and Portuguese peoples 
needs, questions and concerns over the Internet, to strengthen ecumenical 
dialogue between Catholic and Protestant Churches, to accompany people and 
families who face conflict situations and to cooperate in re-establishing 
family relationships among people who are separated because of migration, 
deprival of freedom, etc.

------------------------
Agencia Latinoamericana y Caribeqa de Comunicacisn (ALC)
P.O. Box 14-225 Lima 14 Peru
Tel. (51 1) 462-0189  Telefax (51 1) 463 2496
Cell Phone (51 1) 9724 3959 / E-Mail: director@alcnoticias.org
Visit our web site: http://www.alcnoticias.org
To stop emails, please visit http://www.alcpress.org/StopNews.asp?lanCode=1