NGOs

Russia has threatened to freeze child adoptions to U.S. citizens, but so far there seems to be no changes, said a Christian ministry with an adoption program in Russia.

Buckner International’s Russia staff said they have not received any notice of changed policies regarding international adoptions.

“[There] has been no official announcement from the Ministry of Education regarding the suspension of adoptions,” said Andrei Pukhlov, director of Buckner International Russia’s adoption program, to Mission Network News. more >>

The apparel company behind popular clothing brands Calvin Klein, Van Heusen, and IZOD is lending a hand to the Salvation Army’s national clothing drive.

People who donate clean and gently used clothing, furniture, and household goods to Salvation Army stores from April 1 through May 31 will receive a $10 gift certificate at any Van Heusen, IZOD or Bass retail location.

The goal of the campaign is to replenish the clothing, furniture and household goods at Salvation Army Thrift and Family Stores, which have seen demands spike during the economic downturn. Money from the sales in these stores in turn directly support the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers where more than 300,000 men and women receive treatment for drug and alcohol addictions each year. more >>

They were kidnapped and imprisoned by the Taliban for 105 days. But what the Taliban could not do was break their faith in God nor destroy their hope.

Eight Western humanitarian workers were held by the Taliban in Afghanistan on trumped up charges of proselytizing in the days leading up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and remained imprisoned through the early U.S. bombings of Afghanistan.

The book Kabul24, released last fall, captures the harrowing tale of the workers’ experience in prison, the “angels” they met along the way, and their compassion toward the Taliban and the Afghan people. more >>

More than 100 church-based relief and development organizations worldwide have formally united under an umbrella group.

ACT Alliance, one of the world’s largest humanitarian bodies, was formally launched Wednesday with the main celebration in Geneva. The new body is a merger of the disaster relief network ACT International and its sister organization ACT Development.

Both ACT International, established in 1995, and ACT Development, formed in 2007, were created through the leadership of the World Council of Churches. The two bodies coordinate the work of agencies related to member churches of the WCC and the Lutheran World Federation in the areas of humanitarian emergencies and poverty reduction, respectively. more >>

A seventh World Vision worker in Pakistan has died after the office was attacked last week by gunmen, the Christian humanitarian agency announced Tuesday.

Imtiaz John, 34, served as a field coordinator with World Vision since 2006. He passed away Sunday, leaving behind a wife, a four-month-old baby and an extended family who depend on him for financial support.

In total, seven local staffs working for children and displaced communities in North Western Pakistan have died following Wednesday’s attack on the World Vision office in Mansehra District, north of the capital, Islamabad. The staff members who died from the violent act range in age from 23 to 43 years old. more >>

Anti-poverty Christian groups are up in arms after popular political commentator Glenn Beck urged Christians to leave their church if it talks about social justice.

Beck, a Mormon, said the word “social justice” is code for communism and Nazism.

“Beck says Christians should leave their social justice churches,” wrote the Rev. Jim Wallis, CEO of the social justice ministry Sojourners, in response to Beck’s comments. more >>