A handful of millimetres of rain a year; dry; hot; high pollution levels; one of the highest densities of people per square kilometre in the world; driving a car is like being in the chariot race in Ben Hur! This is the wonderful city of Cairo.

It's not every day that the local school asks a church to come and start a new ministry on its grounds. But that's what happened to St Bede's, Beverly Hills late last year, leading to this year's launch of a new service.

Tortured, persecuted and living in fear, Mansok Lado and his family continued to trust in God and eventually found help through the Refugee Support Ministry in Sydney.

Two decades ago, Gocha Chachanidze and Tamara Gagnidze were a long way from Australia, and a long way from God. Born and raised in the Soviet state of Georgia, Gocha was ‘a young, devoted communist' in an atheistic society. Today they are both committed Christians, living in Sydney as Australian citizens.

A $2.4 million gift is on its way to hungry Iraqi families thanks to the generosity of American Baptists. Boxes, all stamped with a Bible verse and filled with rice, flour, beans and other staples, will be in Iraqi hands by August. But, as Southern Baptists and other Christian aid workers rush to meet the needs of an Iraqi population devastated by war and years of harsh economic sanctions, a debate is brewing over whether Christian relief organisations should be seeking to evangelise there.

Anglican and Uniting churches in Boggabri have combined to bring the light of the gospel to the community

The new kid on the block at Anglican Youthworks says his motto is ‘whatever it takes' to bring a young person to Christ. James Fong, recently appointed to the new role of High School SRE Adviser for the Diocese of Sydney, is keen to get the gospel message out to the city's 220 state High schools.

Moore College, already known as one of the nation's top theological training centres, has a new role. Each Sunday evening since Easter it has played host to a regular congregation of 70-80 people. “It is an ideal venue,” according to the Rev Andrew Katay, Senior Associate minister at St Barnabas', Broadway, and the man responsible for the congregation plant.