Your Advocates International
Bi-Weekly Update

The Good and Other News from or about Advocates around the World
Vol. 4, Issue 15                                                                                           August 14, 2012
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Prayers & Praises
A global chronicle of our advocates prayers & praises 
AdvAI Prayer Logo (50%)ocates Calls for  Prayer Around the World  

 


Let Us Know Your Needs 

Advocates' international prayer & praise correspondent,  Bulgarian human rights attorney Diana Daskolova  reminds all advocates to  e-mail AI Prayer Net  your Advocates International prayer requests for inclusion in the next AI Prayer Calendar.            _______________ 

 

The entire Advocates Africa team thanks you for your prayers.  For inclusion in the next Advocates Africa Prayer Calender.  Please send any items of prayer or praise to Alison Diarra at [email protected]Thank you.

_______________      

  

Advocates Asia Prayer Calendar updates should be sent to Gregory VijayendranThank you so much. 


 

 

Advocates Africa @ ABLI Forum:
A Great Success   
 
Dear Friends,

Last year, Peter Rathbun, President of CLS and General Counsel for the American Bible Society, introduced me to a fine young Ethiopian man name Amanuel Mengistu.  Amanuel is one of the coordinators for the African Biblical Leadership Initiative (ABLI) Forum, and they wanted to include a Justice track, led by attorneys.  Following the Advocates Africa conference in Abuja, Nigeria last August, I connected them with the board of Advocates Africa.
 
Just last week, the third ABLI Forum was held in Kampala, Uganda, and Advocates Africa played a key role in the gathering of 200+ leaders from across the continent and around the world.  The ABLI Forum was composed of three tracks, Social Life and Harmony, Justice, and Economic Life, with our colleagues from AA given the role to coordinate the Justice Track.  Here is a brief report from AA Coordinator, Misgana Kifle:

On the first workshop, Peter Rathbun presented on "A Biblical Framework for Legal Practice." On the afternoon session there was a panel with AA President Professor Bankole Sodipo (Nigeria), gave a brief about AA and our engagement with the ACHPR sessions, Mike Tishonga (South Africa) on Corruption, Teresa Conradie (South Africa) on Homosexuality in relation with the Constitution of South Africa and Misgana Kifle (Ethiopia) on the Peacemaking work we are doing in Ethiopia. The third workshop, held Saturday afternoon, was led by Justice Mike Chibita (Uganda) on the various issues Church leaders face, particularly legal. The morning general worship sessions and panels were also full of encouraging and challenging words! Last but certainly not the least, the welcome banquet by the shores of Lake Victoria with the Word from Archbishop Henry Orombi was quite an experience!


In addition to the ABLI Forum meetings, the board of Advocates Africa held its annual meeting, further planning for the next gathering of the continent's lawyers, set to take place August 6-10, 2013, in Kampala, Uganda and co-hosted by Uganda Christian Lawyers Fellowship and Lawyers of Hope Rwanda.


The AA board also discussed the effect of Islamist movements and AA's response.  Particularly, they discussed the ongoing situation in  Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Mali.  Their plans going forward include the collection of concrete data, and a written statement that will be forwarded to AI, the UN, the EU, and others. They also addressed further involvement in Sudan and South Sudan.

Click here to watch a short interview with Mr. Mwencha
Also discussed was AA involvement with the ACHPR (African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights), and the African Union. One very encouraging aspect of AA's involvement was a meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the AU, Erastus Mwencha, whom Teresa Conradie describes at a humble, God fearing man who is keen to have better liaison with AA.  Mr. Mwencha agrees that civil society (the Church) involvement with the ACHPR is vital.  He stressed the importance for prayer for the AU board and especially for the new Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma (South Africa). 


Finally, AA board members were also blessed to meet with with Pastor Chalubi from Zambia, a senior pastor at one of that country's largest churches.  He has offered to receive an AA delegation to meet with Christian lawyers in the judiciary.

They were incredibly encouraged by the entire ABLI Forum and the time of fellowship that they were able to engage with leaders from Africa.   Among those was Dr. Dion Forster Campaign Coordinator for EXPOSED 2013, an anti-corruption campaign.  Advocates International, along with WEA, Salvation Army, the Bible Society of UK, American Bible Society, the Micah Network, and Unashamedly Ethical, are the key coalition partners for EXPOSED 2013.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and financial support for the work of Advocates.      

    

May the Lord bless you with His perfect . . . 

  

Grace and peace,
Brent Sig
Brent McBurney
President & CEO
Advocates International 
Advocates Caribbean Conference
September 21-23 in Barbados   

Our friends and colleagues from Advocates Caribbean invite you to join them at their annual conference this September in Barbados at the beautiful Accra Beach Hotel and Spa in Christ Church.  The theme of the conference is Sanctity of Life.  Come and join us in this tropical paradise for some great fellowship, fun and family time on the beach.  To find out more details regarding the conference, please click here, or to register, click here.  We hope you'll join us.  

Registration closes on September 14.


 
Advocates International & Campus Crusade for Christ International
to co-host joint conference in Hong Kong in April 2013 
 
Please be sure to Save the Date for this joint conference, "Transforming the World Through Faith & Law," which will be held in Hong Kong in April 2013.
We are already working hard on details related to this conference and will provide more information on speakers, location, registration costs and attendance limitations as they become available.  Because of the limited size of this conference, those interested in attending will need to contact their regional boards or the AI headquarters office.

Thank You for Your Financial Support


        AI is not a recipient of government funding and is solely dependent upon the financial contributions of those who believe in its mission, thereby enabling it to serve "clients" ranging from heads of state seeking to implement constitutional reforms to persecuted and imprisoned believers sentenced to death for their faith. We are most grateful and thank you for whatever financial support or voluntary service you can provide in support of AI's mission. Here's how you can help: (more)