BREAKING NEWS
News 1: Arise Asia 2026 Concludes After Gathering 4,000 Young Christian Leaders
The Arise Asia 2026 Congress concluded in Manila, Philippines, after bringing together approximately 4,000 students and young Christian leaders from more than 50 countries between 27 and 31 July.
Held under the theme “For the Joy,” the five-day congress featured worship, biblical teaching and mobilisation for frontier missions. Speakers challenged young believers to persevere through suffering, develop hearts surrendered to God and participate in reaching people who have little or no access to the Gospel.
News 2: Latin American Evangelical Churches Challenged to Grow in Maturity
Latin Evangelical Alliance President Juan Cruz Cellamare has urged churches across Latin America to match their numerical growth with greater unity, transparency, discipleship and institutional integrity.
Speaking at a pastoral gathering in El Salvador, Cellamare said evangelicals now represent more than 20% of Latin America’s population, compared with slightly more than 1% several decades ago. He also said more than 26,000 Latin American missionaries are serving around the world, reflecting the region’s transition from primarily receiving missionaries to becoming a significant missionary-sending force.
News 3: Tearfund Encourages Churches to Support Family-Based Care
A new Tearfund Ireland report is encouraging churches to reconsider how they support vulnerable children overseas.
The study estimates that Irish Christians donate between €14 million and €21 million annually to overseas orphanages. Tearfund is calling for greater investment in family strengthening, foster care, kinship care and family reunification, noting that many children living in institutions have at least one living parent and may have been separated from their families because of poverty.
News 4: Manny Pacquiao Urges Christians to Set Soul-Winning Goals
Former world boxing champion and Christian evangelist Manny Pacquiao challenged delegates at Arise Asia to make evangelism a measurable personal commitment.
Pacquiao encouraged believers to set annual goals for sharing the Gospel and discipling others. He also spoke about his transformation from a life affected by gambling, alcohol and other destructive habits to one centred on Scripture, obedience and evangelism.
His message emphasised that evangelism should not be viewed only as the responsibility of pastors, missionaries or large ministries, but as part of the daily calling of every believer.
News 5: Pastor and Family Members Abducted in Sudan
The Rev. Yaqob Ibrahim Tia of the Sudanese Church of Christ was reportedly abducted from his home in Heiban, South Kordofan, alongside his two sons, a teenage nephew and another family member.
The abductors had reportedly made no ransom demand. Local Christian leaders said the incident forms part of increasing attacks against church leaders in the Nuba Mountains, where armed conflict and instability are placing Christian communities at growing risk.
