A widening rift is forming in the Presbyterian Church of the USA, and threatens to render it apart, as conservative elements continue to slam its decision to ordain openly gay clergy.

The most recent indication of the split came with the National Mexican Presbyterian Church of Mexico, which determined on a 116 to 22 vote to part ways with the PCUSA.

The NMPC parted ways due to the PCUSA decision last May to allow gay clergy who are involved in same-sex relationships to be ordained. The Mexican church is traditionally more theologically conservative than the PCUSA.

The PCUSA expressed sadness at the decision of the NMPC. On its website, it said it is likely the split will affect the work of U.S. missionaries in Mexico and along the U.S. — Mexican border.

The split will further affect some 24 partnerships that have been forged between PCUSA and NMPC, as well as short-term mission trips to Mexico that were slated in the near future.

The NMPC voted that the relationship with the PCUSA could only be re-established if the decision to ordain homosexual clergy with committed relationships is revoked.

Earlier, the NMPC also voted overwhelmingly against ordaining women by a vote of 158 to 14; and decided on a 103 to 55 vote against granting a grace period to presbyteries that already ordained women priests on their own.

“We have had initial conversations with Mexican church leaders since the decision, and together we shared a hope for healing and a renewed ability to engage God’s mission together,” Hunter Farrell, U.S. head of World Mission said in the PCUSA website. “But at this moment, this is not possible and it brings me great sadness.”

“Presbyterians do mission in partnership here and around the world, so we take the voice of the Mexican church very seriously,” Farrell said on the website.

The PCUSA, whose mission work included building clinics, hospitals and academic institutions in the U.S. and overseas, has a number of missionaries in Mexico and South America.

Conservative Presbyterians

The PCUSA is also hounded by a 2,000-member group of conservatives within the church who met last Aug. 24-25 in Minneapolis to discuss how they would respond to the decision to allow ordination of openly gay clergy.

The conference was organized by the umbrella group, Presbyterians for Renewal, and convened by the newly-formed group, Fellowship of Presbyterians.

The conference became a venue to examine ways that churches who oppose the new ruling can respond. Options include the possibility of forming a conservative group within the PCUSA, or to completely break ties and form a separate denomination.

The PCUSA has been facing a decline in membership for decades. At its peak in the 1960s, it had four million members. Today, its membership has fallen to almost half, at two million.

During the convention in Minneapolis Dr. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, suggested the formation of a subset within the denomination, with the aim of returning the PCUSA to its original theological roots.

Mouw cited the example of the Catholic Church, saying, “[When] Catholics felt the church had gone astray, they didn’t leave. They formed special orders who took special vows according to their commitments. The commitment to theological orthodoxy for many of us should take the form of a special vow, to witness to the essential tenets and the power of the Reformed faith,” The New American reported.

Others, however, feel there is no longer any hope for the PCUSA. Rev. John Crosby of Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minnesota, told the Huffington Post, “We have tried to create such a big tent trying to make everybody happy theologically. I fear the tent has collapsed without a center.”

An openly gay minister in Australia has been appointed to head a major branch of a Christian church in Sydney.

Reverend Ben Gilmour, 34, an Anglican minister for 10 years in Australia’s north coast, will head the Paddington Uniting Church in Sydney. Another branch of the church, Balmain Uniting Church, also in Sydney, is headed by Rev. Nicole Fleming, who is also openly gay.

Fleming, 36, was appointed to head Balmain church last month, while Gilmour, 34, joined Paddington one week later.

Gilmour admitted to the Sydney Morning Herald that the issue of homosexual ministers has been “the dividing issue of our time” within the Anglican denomination. However, he is grateful for the “immense hospitality that is being offered in Paddington.

Gilmour admits that for quite some time, he felt that his situation in his previous post had become untenable because of his sexual orientation. He told SMH, “It really got the point where if I was going to continue on the track I was, I wouldn’t be licensed.”

He considered moving to countries where the Anglican Communion is more open about homosexuality, he told SMH. But in Paddington, “’I still identify as Anglican but I’m happy to journey into what Uniting Church means with an open heart and a sense of generosity of how that is.”

The Uniting Church, in its 2003 National Assembly, introduced the issue of ordination of people in same-sex relationships. In 2006, it determined that each congregation could make its own decision regarding the appointment of a gay minister.

Clergy supporting marriage for gays

The issue of openly gay clergy in Australia has been brewing for quite some time, as has the issue of marriage for gay couples. Christians have been divided on the issue. The movement, Christians 4 Equality in Australia has been lobbying for same-sex couples to have the right to marry.

In its website, Baptist Minister Rev. Rowland Croucher said, “How can I, a heterosexual who’s been very happily married for 50 years, tell anyone else they don’t have the right to form a loving, committed, lifelong union and enjoy the fruits of marriage as I have done? Marriage is not a club to be restricted to some. Like the Gospel, it is a blessing to be shared.”

Platform for respectful debate

Christians 4 Equality seeks to respect the “deeply and sincerely held beliefs of those who oppose marriage equality,” but provides a platform for respectful and mature debate that does not resort to denigrating other people’s views.

The website says, “Just as we acknowledge that it is possible to oppose marriage equality without hating homosexuals, so we ask those who differ with us on this important issue to acknowledge that it is possible to support marriage equality without seeking to undermine marriage, family or religion.”

“We can behave like people who believe in God’s reign, where all people have dignity and hope,” Anglican Rev. Chris Bedding of Perth said in the website. “I urge you … to subvert the narrative of exclusion and call forth a Christianity which rejoices in God-given diversity.”

A psychologist who was raised as an evangelical Christian said on the website, “I have seen the profound danger done by condemning, excluding and discriminating against same-sex attracted people,” Paul Martin, Centre for Human Potential said.

Martin added, “I have also seen the immense healing and wellbeing that comes from people of faith embracing their gay and lesbian Christian peers and standing up for equality.”

Gilmour told SMH that he became open about his sexuality because for him, it was an issue of integrity. “I feel as though I’m on the right journey. It’s about walking the path that’s in front of you with the light that you’ve got.”

At the same time, he acknowledged the issue remains confusing within his new denomination. He told SMH, “I think there are people in the Uniting Church who see this as a grave issue that will destroy the church.”

The issue of same-sex marriage is also undergoing debate in Uniting Church, which officially upholds the definition of marriage as a union between a woman and a man.

Nonetheless, some Uniting Church ministers have expressed support for Christians 4 Equality, as have other leaders of Baptist and Anglican churches.

While polarity exists for some, an underlying question remains: Can this subject be discussed in a mutually respectful way, where each side is given some benefit of the doubt?

Vietnamese police forces swooped down on a house church in a village, attacking worshippers with firearms, batons and tree branches, leaving 16 men and women injured, including a 13-year-old girl, and a man who was beaten unconscious, then arrested.

The incident, which occurred last month, took place in Buon Kret Krot village, in the  province of Gai Lai. The police forces kicked and beat the worshippers until many were rendered unconscious.

The police also threatened the villagers, saying they would return and if they are worshipping in the same way when they come back, they will face five years in prison.

Twelve men and four women were attacked in the melee, according to an ICC report. Ten of the men and two women were attacked so viciously that they fell unconscious.

The villagers were attacked and beaten with firearms, tree branches and batons. When they fell on the ground, the policemen kicked and stomped on them, including Y Kang, a 13-year-old girl.

Also beaten by the police was A. Jung, 29, who was repeatedly hit with a baton until he fell to the ground, after which police kicked him and stomped on his stomach until he was rendered unconscious. He was arrested by the police and is in custody, where he likely is being tortured.

The International Christian Concern said on its website that the persecution of Degar Montagnard Christians continues to be purposeful through policing, harassment and violent coercion of this minority indigenous and religious group.

Hundreds of Christians are festering inVietnam’s harsh prisons for refusing to join government-sanctioned churches, which are heavily monitored and controlled by the Communist nation.

House church preferred

Christians prefer house churches, which are illegal, but which they believe are more genuine. One worshipper, Puih H’Bat, a Central Highlands Degar woman, was arrested for leading an underground church.

Puih, then 41, is a mother of four. In 2008 police broke into her home while some 20 worshippers were praying with her. She and two others were arrested, tortured and threatened. The two men were later released, but Puih continues to be in jail and is serving a five year sentence for “destruction of the unity of the people’s solidarity,” Canada Free Press reported.

Although Puih is expected to be released in 2013, the international community has made several failed attempts to speak to her or to see her. It is not known whether she had been murdered or if she died amid the harshness of the prison system.

ICC has petitioned the government of Vietnam to release information on the state of health of Puih H’Bat, for the benefit of her family and her community.

On its website ICC said, “Vietnam has a long-standing practice of policing, harassing, and arresting Christians who are unaffiliated with the government-sanctioned and only legally-recognized religious bodies in the nation.”

Scott Johnson of the Montagnard Foundation told ANS, “The Vietnamese government has targeted indigenous Degar Montagnards for simply being members of Christian house churches, in a long running policy designed to eliminate independent Christian house churches.

“Hundreds of Degar Montagnards remain in prison today and in custody many prisoners are brutally tortured and even killed. There is a shameful silence from the international community, including the United Nations and State Department, as to the plight of these forgotten prisoners even while the evidence of systematic religious persecution is overwhelming.”

ICC’s Kris Elliot, regional manager of Southeastern Asia said on its website, “We call upon the Vietnamese government to cease this systematic practice of violence and persecution against Christians, especially Degar Montagnards. We also urge the US Department of State to once again designate Vietnam as a Country of Particular Concern, as conditions for religious minorities have vastly deteriorated since the designation was lifted in 2006.

“A CPC designation backed by strong US policies has the potential to pave a path towards significant improvements for Christians and other religious minorities inVietnam,” Elliot said.

A Russian court determined recently that a painting that depicted the Sermon on the Mount, but with Mickey Mouse in place of Jesus Christ, is unacceptable.

The painting, which was shown in Aidan Gallery in Moscow, is the work of artist Alexander Savko. The Exhibition series was entitled, Mickey Mouse’s Travels Through Art History.

A lawsuit was filed upon a local complaint that was made to authorities. The Kaluga Region court decided to ban the painting from being shown in exhibitions, magazines, newspapers and television.

The Kaluga Region court determined that the painting is extremist. However, the court ruling can still be appealed.

On the website of the prosecutor in the case, a statement said, “During the court hearing, it was established that Savko’s technique of uniting the image of Jesus Christ, which is sacred for Christians, and the comical image of Mickey Mouse, which in this situation is vulgar, has turned the graphic work into a caricature of Jesus Christ,” Ria Novosti reported.

“The Gospel story is therefore presented by the artist in the form of a comic,” the statement said on the website adding that it is “an extremely cynical and mocking insult to the religious beliefs and feelings of Orthodox Christian believers,” according to Ria Novosti.

Forbidden Art

The painting was initially shown in 2007 in a controversial exhibition called Forbidden Art. That exhibition was held at the Sakharov Museum and had two controversial paintings—the Mickey Mouse Sermon on the Mount painting, and another showing a crucifix but with a medal from the Order of Lenin covering the face of Christ.

The Order of Lenin was the highest award of the former Soviet Union. The curators of that controversial show, namely Sakharov Museum and Andrei Yerofeyev were convicted last year by a Moscow court, on charges of inciting ethnic and religious hatred, and were fined for the exhibition.

The ruling comes within days after another exhibit defacing a crucifix was closed down in the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The display also included another painting showing the image of Jesus Christ with Mickey Mouse ears.

The exhibit was closed down early after government leaders echoed the sentiments of the people in this majority Catholic nation. President Benigno S. Aquino Jr. told The New York Times, “I was in contact with several board members yesterday and I told them I am a Christian, and our country is composed of at least 85 percent Christians. Depicting Christ in an unflattering manner by anyone is wrong,” The Christian Post reported.

Aquino noted to The New York Times that the center, which is supported by public funds, “should be in the service of the people. When you insult the beliefs of most of the people, I don’t see where that is of service,” according to The Christian Post.

Christian churches are coming to see that preservation, care and stewardship of God’s creation is an important component of practicing their faith. One megachurch, in fact, did so well in its environmental campaign that it won a national award.

The First Baptist Church, Orlando, is a megachurch that was awarded the Energy Star from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year for its effective practices in energy management and reduction of pollution.

In so doing, FBC generated some $373,000 in annual savings in energy costs last year. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the church that same year was equivalent to carbon dioxide emissions annually of 300 homes through the use of electricity.

Darby Ray, associate professor of Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss. told Orlando Sentinel, “The surprising thing for me is there seems to be some consensus. We are seeing very conservative Protestant denominations embracing Earth care, and you are seeing some mainline, more-liberal denominations.”

The initiative to be more environmentally friendly seems to be largely coming from the worshippers themselves. Gerald Smith, religion professor, University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn., told Orlando Sentinel, “I think it’s congregation-driven rather than leadership-driven. This is what people are bringing to the church.”

However, some pastors are also taking the lead, largely inspired by the example of First Baptist. One of them is Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed.

Hunter told Orlando Sentinel, “The evangelical part of the church has always focused on saving souls. But these other issues we are facing here on Earth are just as important.”

At Northland, the church building is closed on Fridays. A team from its church ministry separates trash, and an information-technology department has been recycling old computers and electronics. Printer paper is reused before it is recycled, and there has been careful monitoring of the use of electricity.

“We’ve seen this explosion of activity at the individual and congregational level that is really a sign that this is firmly centered in terms of who we are as a religious people,” Matthew Anderson-Stembridge, executive director of National Religious Partnership for the Environment, told Orlando Sentinel.

The NRPE website is lush with stories of churches, both Christian and Jewish, that made great strides for the cause of environmentalism. One example is Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX which has been holding annual hybrid car shows.

Four years ago, the church started with just four hybrid cars for the church’s Earth Day Celebration. This year it has featured 19. Rev. Eric Folkerth said consumer choices put faith into practice.

Folkerth said on the NRPE website, “As Christian people we clearly see that God has called us to be stewards, not abusers of the environment. You can have scientific motivations for saving the Earth and for some, that’s enough. But there are a whole lot of other people for whom it is connected to faith—it’s the right scientific thing and the right moral thing to do.”

Also mentioned in the NRPE website is an initiative by the Washington State Catholic Conference WA to develop a greenhouse gas reduction plan. A new grant program was also set up to promote urban forestry programs and Evergreen Cities. It has also launched awards programs for waste reduction and recycling among private schools.

Churches are doing things, large and small, for a better earth. Winter Park Presbyterian Church grows food on its church grounds for the needy, and may consider solar power.

Christ Church Unity in Orlando uses rain water collected in a barrel to water church grounds, and sells metal bottles to replace plastic water bottles. Cloth napkins are replacing paper napkins, and china plates are replacing paper plates.

Even food scraps from church activities are recycled. It is fed to the church pig, who is named Mr. Greengenes.

Christian leaders and heads of other faith groups gathered recently in Washington D.C. to support a bill that will enhance U.S.foreign policy in support of global religious freedom.

The interfaith leaders attended a one-day conference, Stop Religious Persecution Now, at The Washington Times. Addressing the group was Suzan Johnson-Cook, the State Department’s ambassador-at-large for religious freedom.

“Everyone should have the right to believe or not believe,” Cook told the participants, adding, “That is their God-given right,” according to The Washington Times.

Included among the participants were Moslems, Sikhs, Hindus and other religious leaders, lawmakers, government officials, and citizen advocate groups for global religious freedom.

The conference was also designed to rally support for HR 1856, and to form a faith coalition to draw the attention of Congress, media and social networks towards issues of religious persecution.

The bill, authored by Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Virginia), will enhance the role of the State Department in advocating global religious freedom.

Also present at the conference was Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors. In his website he said of the event, “[The conference] not only focuses on Christians who face persecution, but people of all faiths who are persecuted for their beliefs. Nearly every global faith is represented at this conference.”

Moeller, in the Open Doors website described HR 1856 as “one of the most important initiatives to promote worldwide religious freedom.” First, because it reauthorizes the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which monitors religious freedom and makes independent policy recommendations to the President, for seven more years.

Second, it addresses weaknesses in the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act including ensuring that the IRF Ambassador reports directly to the Secretary of State.

Moeller said in the website, “All of these changes are critical to improving the way the US government promotes international religious freedom and helps us achieve our goal of serving persecuted Christians.”

Generally, it was felt that while persecution is not a major problem in the U.S., there is the issue of discrimination.

“The U.S. is surely one of the freest of countries,” Ramesh Rao of the Hindu America Foundation said, “but even we have discrimination problems,” citing problems the group has encountered in seeking permission to build temples in the US, The Washington Times said.

Another speaker at the conference, Hansdeep Singh of the United Sikhs, said that in airports across the country he is often patted down like a “caged animal” at airports before even going through the metal detector because of his turban. “What did I do wrong?” The Washington Times reported.

“The problem is that no faith community is safe,” Tina Ramirez, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty’s director of government relations, said. “You might be the persecutor in one but the persecuted in another. So, unfortunately, religious persecution knows no bounds,” The Washington Times said.

Six churches were attacked recently in Dakar, Senegal, amid protests over proposed constitutional amendments by the government that would have ensured reelection of its president next year.

The attacks, which were primarily aimed at Pentecostal and Baptist churches, are not believed to be motivated by religious conflicts.

Godfrey Yogarajah, executive director of World Evangelical Alliance-Religious Liberty Commission, said in the WEA website that he believes the assaults were intended to take advantage of unrest in the country.

“The protests had nothing to do with the churches that were attacked,” Yogarajah said on the website. “[They] were not spontaneous; they were planned and organized, taking advantage of the protests. How else do you make sense of mobs launching attacks on six churches when there was absolutely no immediate provocation?”

Puzzling

The attacks were described as “puzzling” in the website. Senegal, a Muslim-majority nation, has long been upheld as a standard for tolerance and harmonious coexistence among people of different faiths.

Since June 22 there have been protests when the government of President Abdoulaye Wade tried to amend the constitution through a bill that would reduce the required 50 percent of votes to qualify as president to only 25 percent.

The passage of the bill would have ensured the reelection of Wade, who has already been in power for 11 years, in next year’s polls.

The bill also aimed to include a vice president in the presidential ticket, which would have paved the way for Wade’s son, Karim Wade, to succeed him automatically if he should resign or pass away.

The changes were shelved after riots broke out led by the “23 June Movement,” a collaboration of opposition parties and civil organizations. Some 100 were left injured in the melee.

Aligned with the 23 June Movement is a group of rappers called Fed Up, a youth group, that among other things, is trying to get more Senegalese to register as voters.

Cyrille Toure of Fed Up told AFP, “Between what President Wade has promised, and what he has delivered, it is like night and day. Wade must declare that he will not be a candidate … The constitution and his age do not allow him to run for office.”

Wade, who is 85 years old, was elected president in 2000 and reelected in 2007. Senegal’s constitution only allows a president to hold office for two terms. However, Wade’s party contends that his countdown should only begin from 2007, when an amendment was introduced that lowered the presidential term to five years.

Regarded with suspicion

The churches that were attacked by mobs were largely Baptist and Pentecostal, both of which are experiencing consistent growth in the country. However, some Protestant churches are regarded with suspicion of having alignments with foreign groups, unlike the Roman Catholic Church which is considered a traditional organization in Senegal.

While violence against churches has occurred in the past in Senegal, it has never reached such scale, as Sufi Islam, the majority faith of the Senegalese (at 90 percent), is largely tolerant of other faiths.

The violence has been condemned by Abdoul Aziz Kebe, an Imam of a mosque in Dakar, and an Islamology professor at Cheikh anta Diop University, Assist News Service said.

Appeal for investigation

Yogarajah of WEA urged the government to investigate the attacks on the churches, saying on the website, “It is worrisome that no one, not even the government, has a clue who the attackers were, although the attacks raise many questions.

“Does that mean a section of the Sufi Muslims have become extremist? If so, is a foreign group behind it or some insiders are promoting radical Islam? Who is their leader? What is the strength of this new grouping and what are their plans?” Yogarajah asked on the website.

Yogarajah also appealed to the government to protect religious freedom and to halt any efforts to radicalize local Muslims.

The Duggar family, who star on TLC’s reality TV program, 19 Kids and Counting, forged a partnership recently with The Seed Company, which is among the fastest-growing bible translation groups in the world.

The projects that they will collaborate on are The Seed Company’s KidsDiscover program, an free online biblical interactive program for families and their children, and MakazieVille, an interactive online game that is designed to help children understand how other children in different parts of the world deal with social, environmental, religious and economical difficulties.

The Duggar family will feature both programs on its website. Currently, KidsDiscover is already being featured, while MakazieVille is currently scheduling a launching date.

“We feel extremely blessed to partner with the Duggar family in our shared mission of spreading God’s word,” Roy Peterson, president and CEO of The Seed Company said, adding, “Becoming a recommended resource on the Duggar’s new website is a great opportunity.”

Peterson added that the tie-up will help The Seed Company to reach a wider market and bring families closer together through the Scriptures. It will also help in “providing them with an opportunity to support the Great Commission.”

Under the KidsDiscover interactive and educational program, families learn of God’s word through storytelling in OneVerse ministry. Two 10-week programs are offered for free, one on the Old Testament, and the other on the New Testament.

Aside from taking a journey from creation onwards in the bible, children also are given tools to measure what they have learned, including challenge questions, downloadable worksheets, vocabulary builders, games, teaching activities and others.

Another offering is the VBS program, where children learn about the ways that Scripture changes people once they hear it in their own languages. Included is an exercise where children can help to translate specific bible verses for the first time.

This program includes a component for missions so that families learn of the more than 2,000 groups of people totalling 340 million who still do not have access to the bible in their spoken language.

Of the partnership, Jim Bob Duggar said, “By partnering with The Seed Company, we are not only providing families with the tools to grow closer to God, but we are also providing them with a way to grow closer as a family through God. It is our sincere hope that families utilize the KidsDiscover program as a catalyst to share the Bible together and simultaneously consider the opportunity to share the gift of God’s word with a family across the globe.”

The Seed Company was founded in 1993 by Wycliffe Bible Translators and has over 600 projects that are either ongoing or completed. Its vision is to develop novel ways to more efficiently, accurately and rapidly translate the bible for others.

Carma Naylor released recently Volume II of her book, “A Mormon’s Unexpected Journey: Finding the Grace I never Knew,” published by WinePress Publishing.

In the second volume, Naylor points out the shortcomings of Mormonism, but at the same time, she appeals to readers of the book to view the LDS with compassion.

Naylor also describes the challenges and emotional turmoil she experienced when she decided to let go of her Mormon roots. This was no small feat, as Naylor was raised by a bishop of the Mormon faith.

Furthermore, Naylor’s forefathers belonged to the Mormon church since 1856, when her ancestors travelled from Iowa to Utah, enduring extreme cold and hunger, the Mormonism to Grace website said.

On her website Naylor described her father as an inspirational leader, adding that he saw visions and learned from spirit guides who claimed to hear God’s voice. He kept, she said, practically every book that the LDS ever published.

Naylor embraced the Mormon faith for 40 years, and engaged as a full-time Mormon missionary in New Zealand. She and her husband met when they were students at Brigham Young University, and they married in the Salt Lake Mormon temple, according to her website.

Naylor said in her book that she and her husband participated in secret temple rites for 19 years, but she slowly came to see clear inconsistencies in the doctrine of the LDS.

Naylor said, “When I attempted to prove that Mormonism was the only true church, I realized that the unique teachings of Mormonism are found in modern-day revelation from Joseph Smith, not the Bible; Bible passages were taken out of context or contradicted by certain LDS teachings.”

Naylor was 40 when she became a Christian. The first volume of her book was published in 2006, her website said. Naylor noted, “Mormons need to see that a true Christian relationship with Jesus is better than what their religion offers them.”

In her book Naylor advised that Christians “Lead [Mormons] to the cross with love, instead of attacking them and causing them to hold on more tightly to their religion. Ask questions that will get them to read Bible passages. Tell them about your assurance of salvation and what Jesus means to you.”

Naylor’s book has been lauded by a number of church leaders, including author and radio speaker Chuck Smith, who founded the worldwide Calvary Chapel movement. Smith said Naylor’s book is “A must read for any who have wondered what Mormonism is about,” according to WinePress Publishing website.

Baptist pastor Walter Price, author of God Focus, said, “Carma loves Mormons. Her greatest desire is for each one to hear the truth and to know the Eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, God come in the flesh,” WinePress Publishing Website noted.

Naylor currently lives in southern California. She and her husband have eight children and 27 grandchildren, according to her website.

International Mission Board is ministering to a lesser-known group of prostitutes who come from India’s middle class, and who have resorted to the profession out of desperation, according to Mission Network News.

India is described by The New York Times as the country with “the largest number of human-trafficking victims in the world today,” with some children from very poor districts who are sold as prostitutes, sometimes as young as five years old.

While there are many Christian organizations addressing their needs, IMB is focusing on what is commonly referred to as “fly prostitutes,” or middle-class housewives and students who have children to feed and bills to pay, MNN said.

Fly prostitute with HIV

One “fly prostitute” is Ajanta Gupta (name changed), a widow whose husband died from AIDS. She was in her early 20s when her husband died, and had to provide for two small children. She also had HIV.

Gupta was introduced to prostitution through her friend, Laghuri Kapoor (name changed). It was a way to get easy money and to earn more than a regular job would pay. MNN said a woman in unskilled labor earns only $1.25, while a man doing the same work would get one-fourth more.

Gupta told the IMB website, “I need money to run my family, and the money I was able to earn was not sufficient. Also, because I am sick, I am unable to work properly. So I had to go through with that work (prostitution).”

Kapoor told IMB that she regularly helps women to work as prostitutes, and more housewives have been joining the profession in the last few years. She blames this basically on desperation and a need for finances.

Kapoor, aside from bringing customers to the women, also cares for them when they are ill and trains them on ways to avoid AIDS. Of those who come to the profession, she told IMB, “No one comes into this profession happily.”

Vicious cycle

Rather, Kapoor told IMB that they come because they are desperate. One example is Darpana Rana (name changed), whose husband left her with three children. She said many women are victims of a vicious cycle. The husband is addicted or abusive, the wife looks for legitimate work, but when she comes home from work her husband continues to abuse her. Rana told IMB, “Slowly, slowly [the women] get involved in the profession.”

Oftentimes it is difficult to leave the profession. Yamini Chopra (name changed) worked as a prostitute, then later, found legitimate work with a nonprofit organization. However, at the end of the day her husband, an alcoholic, would abuse her and tell her she is worthless.

Chopra told IMB, “Since he is convinced I am bad, I decided to be bad. My family told me that since my husband was going to abuse me whether I was a prostitute or not, I might as well make more money as a prostitute.”

Spiritual needs

IMB perceived that the issue, more than a social and economic one, also has a spiritual factor and that spiritual needs, once addressed, can take care of all else. Such was the case with Gupta, IMB said on its website.

Seven months ago, two Indian pastors visited Gupta, the IMB website said. One of them used to work with her late husband. They had come to ask advice from her on how to minister to people with AIDS.

Gupta told them about her being a prostitute, and the pastors shared the gospel with her. This was followed by regular meetings by believers in Gupta’s home. Eventually both she and her mother prayed to receive Jesus, IMB said on its website.

On the day of the baptisms of Gupta and her mother, church members held a celebration in her home. Even during the celebration customers called, and Gupta turned them away. Today she is a teacher’s assistant in a preschool, IMB said.

Gupta continues to hold weekly prayer meetings at home, and she invites neighbors and friends who are still prostitutes to attend. One time, she hosted a medical clinic in her yard with the help of medical missionaries, according to IMB.

God has been using Gupta to bring people to the gospel, including some former prostitutes. She has incurred the ire of some of her former friends in the profession, but she and her mother are unstoppable in sharing the gospel, IMB said.