Madrid, December 13th, 2004 (ACPress.net). 
This week the burning issue continues to be the cancellation by state TV, without warning or explanation, of the planned live broadcast of a Christmas service from an evangelical church.

The service was due to go out on December 23rd after positive reaction to the request by TV producers. Indeed, they visited several churches in Madrid to choose the one they considered most suitable, finally settling on the Baptist Church in General Lacy St. A representative choir plus musicians were chosen from among evangelicals in Madrid and the service was practically organised when news of the cancellation came from the TV station.

Meanwhile, the Evangelical Alliance continues with its campaign, getting signatures from all over the country to a petition asking for TV and radio broadcasts at special times of year as well as on a regular basis. The Christmas service would have been the first time a non-Catholic celebration was shown live on Spanish state television. The campaign is supported by the Federation of European Broadcasters, who have written to express their support, and the European Evangelical Alliance.

The Executive Secretary of the FEREDE has asked for an interview with Carmen Cafarel, the Director of the station, but so far nothing more has been heard. Indeed, it is unlikely to be until it is too late for the service to be broadcast. Why the cancellation? Are they scared this will open the door to many more requests? Are they anti-Protestant as so much of the Spanish establishment? Are they merely indifferent? Who cares about a group which accounts for less than 1% of the population?

And what should evangelicals think, and perhaps do, about the situation? Obviously for those closely involved in the planning, it is a great disappointment, but at the end of the day ­ to what extent does it matter? Such a broadcast would certainly give evangelicals some coverage and perhaps greater respectability in the eyes of society at large, depending on when they put the service on. But how much of the message of Jesus Christ would actually get across? Usually TV services are full of singing, the occasional prayer and the preaching gets squeezed to a minimum. It is hard to see TV producers swallowing a 20-minute sermon.

Nevertheless, it is worthwhile for the exposure, for the opportunity and particularly in Spain’s case, to break down some of the preconceived ideas people have of evangelicals. A live service on state TV just might end some of the prejudice against Protestants in this country. There again, it is perhaps precisely that prejudice which has made the TV producers think twice about broadcasting a Protestant Christmas service. Before the faithful can come and hear themselves sing ‘O come all ye faithful’ across the airwaves, the faithful will have to come to prayer, and to bring pressure to bear on the government. Otherwise, the true Christmas message will stay away in a manger.

Málaga, December 13th, 2004 (ACPress.net). 
The gypsy singer and evangelical Christian, José Ortega Heredia, known professionally as 'Manzanita', died last week from a heart attack at his home in Alhaurín de la Torre, Málaga. He was 48.

A neighbour, hearing shouts in the singer's house, alerted the emergency services but paramedics could do nothing to save Manzanita's life. He was buried in the local cemetery on December 7th. The singer had spoken publicly of his faith in Jesus Christ. He was born in Madrid in 1956 and began to play the guitar in flamenco 'tablaos' at the age of nine. Two years later, he accompanied the singer, Enrique Morente, on tour.

In 1974, he formed a group called 'Los Chorbos', together with some friends. Three years after that, he went solo and his first record came out in 1978. Manzanita is credited with being one of the promoters of 'fusion flamenco'. He came to faith in Jesus and this changed his life. "Now I have a greater spiritual control over me. I've got to know myself better, to discover my defects and virtues. This comes across in my music."

However, his fans lost touch with him for a few years after his conversion because his church believed that "if you sing for the world, you cannot sing for the Church, nor hold a position in it:" However, he later realised that music was an integral part of his life and he returned to the stage. "I saw that God was inviting me to testify in this world." When he spoke to the Press on his return to professional singing, he said: "Yes, I always feel I don't do anything if God doesn't want me to. When I go out on stage, I say 'Lord, my time is yours, all my life is yours and if you want me to sing tonight, I'll sing. But if not, howeve much I want to, I'm in your hands." Manzanita is now in His presence.

Barcelona, December 13th, 2004 (ACPress.net). 
As usual at this time of year, the Spanish Evangelical Alliance calls Christians to consider the plight of the suffering around the world. This year their attention centres upon Peru and central Africa. Neither area is given much prominence in the secular news, and sadly it seems that if something is not mentioned on TV, then it is as if it did not exist.

Poverty is widespread in the wake of a severe economic crisis and a not insignificant amount of mismanagement at governmental level. The poorest families are, of course, hardest hit. Many take their children out of school and send them to work. However, a lot of these children simply end up on the streets and substitute the family for gang life. In Huaraz, in northern Peru, it is estimated that there are more than 350 children who live on the street. The ‘Rainbow Centre’ works with abandoned or maltreated children and tries to befriend street children. Workers go out on a Saturday night to give them something warm to eat, to play with them and make friendships so that they can share the good news of Jesus with the children.

The ‘Rainbow Centre’ operates under the auspices of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance and is trying to set up apprentice workshops on land next to the Centre, so as to get the kids off the street and teach them a skill, as well as share the Gospel with them. The cost of the project is around 25,000 euros.

Central Africa has long been the victim of war, migration back and forth to avoid conflicts, and periodic drought. People are often unable either to plant their crops or to harvest them. The recent locust plague has devastated crops and caused many animals to die for lack of food. People flee to refugee camps but even there are not always safe, as militias have entered some and murdered hundreds of people. Without any of the basic commodities, life is often little more than a matter of survival and putting off death a little longer.

The Spanish Evangelical Alliance asks for prayer as well as financial donations to help alleviate the plight of millions who are generally forgotten by the mass media, in countries like Peru, Algeria, Chad, Sudan and Rwanda. Prayer is especially requested for suffering Christians in the Darfur region of Sudan. Donations may be made to the ‘Alianza Evangélica Española (Campaña 2004 Peru-Africa)’ through the following bank account: Caixa: 2100-0853-57-0200253551.

Barcelona, December 13th, 2004 (ACPress.net). 
The International Week of Prayer is the oldest inter-denominational activity currently held within Spanish Protestantism. The Evangelical Alliance was formed in Spain in 1877 and its first action was to organise a Week of Prayer in January 1878.

Churches all over Spain meet for one week in January to create greater fellowship and visible unity, and celebrate the Week of Prayer at the same time as millions of Christians all over the world. They also aim to make their witness more effective. In cities where there are more than one church the Week is an opportunity to meet together, and where there is just one evangelical church, believers meet knowing that thousands of other churches are praying for the same things all over the world.

A different European Evangelical Alliance prepares a programme each year, to guide praying throughout the week. It is then translated into each language as required and adapted for use in each country.

Madrid, December 15th, 2004 (ACPress.net).  
The website linked to A.C.Press, www.protestantedigital.com, has conducted a survey to find out whether people agree with government plans to give money to certain evangelical projects. People can only vote once (per computer) and of course the votes registered are only those who have visited the site and want to register their opinion.

23% of those who responded to the question of whether evangelicals should receive money from the state said ‘Never’. Only 1% said they did not know how to answer, which means that two-thirds (66%) are happy to take public money for certain activities undertaken by churches or para-church organisations. The most popular activity suggested as being a valid recipient for state funds was social action, which forms a major part of evangelical church life in Spain. 66% mentioned this.

Lagging behind social action were cultural activities (36%) and evangelical R.E. in schools (34%). Bottom of the list came the financing of representative institutions (20%) and church worship (13%).

La Coruña, December 15th, 2004 (ACPress.net). 
A special edition of ‘Born Again’, the evangelical TV programme broadcast on regional television in Galicia, north-west Spain, went out on December 7th and included snippets of the most popular interviews held over 18 years and 900 programmes. Two days earlier, the programme had broadcast its 900th edition. Those interviewed in that time include politician Desmond Tutu, singer Juan Luis Guerra, and footballers such as Silvinho, Valerón and Oliveira.

The 900th edition itself was given over to an exclusive interview with the Dominican Christian singer, Juan Luis Guerra, about his latest album ‘For you’. In the half-hour programme, he explained the reasons behind his songs and talked about his 20-year career, and of the transcendence of Jesus Christ in his life and that of his family.

‘Born again’ has been broadcasting in Galicia for 18 years and has received 35,000 telelphone calls from viewers in that time. It has interviewed more than 2,000 people from all over Spain, and beyond. It has become the longest-running weekly programme on the regional TV channel, and the oldest institutional programme on any Spanish TV station. The programme also goes out on more than 20 local TV stations in Spain, on digital TV (Channel 94), and on ‘Galicia TV’ which broadcasts for Latin America.

Barcelona, December 15th, 2004 (ACPress.net). 
As in the past in other Spanish cemeteries, Sabadell Municipal Cemetery near Barcelona has a space separated from the rest by a wall where, in the dark days of the Franco dictatorship, non-Catholics and suicides were buried. Among them, naturally, deceased Christian believers.

However, Sabadell Council decided to restore the dignity of those who had been buried ‘outside the wall’ by placing a commemorative plaque which recognises the discrimination suffered by non-Catholics until very recently. The so-called ‘dissident cemetery’, an area walled off from the rest, is now considered part of the main cemetery. Relatives of some of those buried in this area attended the dedication of the plaque, as well as members of Sabadell evangelical churches. One of them, Anna Griera, said “it is a symbolic act but important to remind people that there should not be discrimination on religious grounds.”

Victoria Moreno has her parents, uncle, aunt and grandmother all buried there. “They were separated from the rest because they were evangelicals. For years, they treated us as if we were people with different feelings.” The Mayor of Sabadell, Manuel Bustos, called the act “justice towards those buried there and their families.” Another Councillor, Pere Obiols, added that it was a situation “which deserved to be sorted out.”

The people buried in the cemetery ‘annex’ were Protestants, Jews, Masons and those who had committed suicide. The plaque reads: ‘The city of Sabadell wishes to restore the dignity and honour of those buried in this place, who during the years of intolerance and discrimination were marginalised because of their beliefs and ideals. The Council wants to leave a historical record of this. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1). The Council is Socialist-run.

Barcelona, December 15th, 2004 (ACPress.net). 
Terrassa Council and the United Evangelical Church in the town have signed a historic contract which is practically without precedent in Spain. The agreement includes the exchange of the current church building for 7,000 square metres of land owned by the Council so that the Church may put up a new place of worship, as well as developing an extensive social work in the town including a home for the elderly.

The agreement is hard won. Negotiations lasted 8 years and were not without difficulty. The Neighbours’ Association in the area of the new land rejected the proposal initially. The Evangelical Church has been in the central district of Ca n'Aurell for about 80 years, but is now planning to move to the Can Tusell part of town. As well as church services and other worship activities, the Church hopes to continue with its work with drop-outs, home visits for people in need, the handicapped and children.

The Church began with the help of Samuel Vila under the name ‘Ebenezer’. Ten or so years ago, the ‘United’ Evangelical Church came into being through the fusion of three local churches. It currently has about 250 members in a town which has about 30 evangelical churches. In the Council debate regarding the plan to exchange land with the Evangelical Church, Councillor Josep Arán commented that the project was of “social interest for the town and (specifically) that area of town, as it is not only a religious project.” The pastor of the Church, Andreu Dionis, attended the debate along with various members of the congregation, and he described the agreement as “historic”.

Madrid, December 15th, 2004 (ACPress.net).  
The so-called ‘I Congress of Evangelical Media in Spain’ is being held this week in Madrid. It includes an evangelistic event at which Yiye Avila will speak.

The Congress’s programme opens with Avila and continues with a short film, a talk on ‘Communication in Prophetic Literature’ by Juan Antonio Monroy, Chairman of ACPress, and the first evening closes with another ACPress contributor, César Vidal, speaking on ‘The importance of the evangelical Press in the current world situation.’

The second day includes a talk on ‘Modernity and postmodernity’, an exhibition and a concert by Jaime Murrell. The final day offers a talk by José de Segovia entitled ‘The Gospel we preach’, one by Miguel Díez called ‘The King and His Kingdom’, and closes with a concert by Michael Rodríguez and Essence of Life.