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THIS WEEK

Moral Medicine

Trevor Stammers on ethical issues p 5

Parish Nursing Caring for body and soul p 10

Brat camp A family’s wilderness wanderings p 18

Theatre The Cross and the Switchblade p 20

News .............p3 Comment...........p5 Local news .........p6 Letters.............p8 Outside Edge........p9 Rackley’s reflections..p10 Resources .........p12

Feature ...........p13 Classifieds.........p14 TV & Radio ........p18 Hazel Southam .....p18 Books ............p19 Review............p20 Final Word.........p20

THE BAPTIST TIMES

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Radio station’s mission to the ends of the earth

By TOM RICHES

MALIAN Christians are looking to take the Gospel to the furthest reaches of the globe by setting up a new Christian radio station in Timbuktu. The new station Tahanint FM, located in remote desert city Timbuktu, will broadcast the Gospel in five Malian languages. Dennis Wiens, who works for Arabic television ministry SAT7, helped the station go on the air with the support of HCJB Global Voice. ‘Timbuktu truly is remote – it’s in the desert along the Niger river,’ he said. ‘I was a missionary out there and we were looking for a way to empower pastors, many of whom are subsistence farmers. Many of them have large families, and they all want to plant more churches, but logistically it’s difficult.’ According to HCJB radio, broadcasts from the station can be heard up to 100 miles away, which has sparked hundreds of positive responses from listeners. HCJB has designed and built eight of the 44 FM radio outlets now used in the country. Christians in Mali have formed an association to represent the media interests of the country.

Pic credit: HCJB Global Voice

Remote – HCJB radio has helped set up a new Christian radio station in Timbuktu

THE BAPTIST TIMESThursday, November 1, 2007

Saudi visit draws protests By DANIEL GROTE

ARMS campaigners lined the Mall on Monday in protest against the visit of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who was granted a ceremonial welcome to Buckingham Palace by the Queen. Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) staged a protest against his visit, arguing that the Government were ignoring human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and were more concerned with the regime’s arms deal with British firm BAE. ‘There should be an end to supplying arms to repressive governments who commit human rights violations,’ said Alun Morinen, coordinator of CAAT’s Christian network and secretary of Avenue Baptist Church in Beckenham. ‘I think the visit shows that the Government is much more interested in cultivating links for economic gain.’ Barnabas Fund director Patrick Sookhdeo urged the Government to raise the issue of human rights violations with King Abdullah during his stay in the UK Saudi Arabia was listed second in the Open Doors World Watch List, which ranks countries according to their persecution of Christians.

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November 1,2007