The GV Tribune (Grandview, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 28, Ed. 1 Friday, July 20, 2007 Page: 3 of 12
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Christian Voice
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‘‘BURDENS ARE LIFTED AT CALVARY”
A Test of Faith
Former Muslim
a
Bible Class
7:00 p.m.
myths and questions frequently raised by abortion proponents, and
family out of the country before the Iranian hostage crisis.
“There’s ajeTacefor you here!”
Be heart
father. So he covered up his conversion for more than a year.
“I would hide my church clothes in my car on Saturday night protection.
and go change at a restaurant on Sunday morning before I went to
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Are you ready?
ETHODIST
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healthy...
Attend
church this
Sunday!
Sunday School
Morning Worship
Evening Worship
Wednesday service
Ji
the Muslim community and lingering prejudice about his heritage.
Bom in Houston to Iranian parents. Ziafat’s father, a doctor,
was a devout Muslim and expected his children to be. When Ziafat
_______________________Page 3
FBC Grandview TEAMKids Serve
- f
God by Serving the Community
$
5
Myth: Abortion is an unfortunate necessity and doesn’t happen
often.
Reality: At least 1.2 million abortions take place each year in the
United States. According to a 1999 study by The Alan Guttmacher
Institute, nearly one in four pregnancies ends in abortion.
Sunday Morning Bible Fellowship
every Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
Located at Hometown Pizza in
downtown Maypearl
Come Join us for a word of Encouragement,
a time of Praise & Worship,
and a word of Salvation
“te people perish
Bethlehem Missionary
Baptist Church
100 W. Spurgeon St.
Itasca TX 76055
Henry A. Diggs, Sr. - Pastor
254-687-2800
July 20, 2007____________________
Rejoice in the Lord!
Service imes
bunday School - 9:45 am
bunday Worship - 1 O:50 am
bunday Lvening- 6:00 pm
Wednesday F vening— 6:30 pm
Who Converted to and his father eventually reconciled on the condition that he become
a doctor like his dad.
Church School begins at 9:45 a.m.
Morning Service begins at 11:00 a.m.
in the Maypearl Service Club
"The Place Where Everybody is Somebody"
Church 817-866-3475 • Pastor 817-426-2577
A ministry of Calvary Baptist Church, Cleburne TX
Abortion Myths
Many advocates for life are challenged with myths and
word scalded him like boiling water: “Then you can no longer be
my son.”
“Everything in me wanted to say, 'Forget it, I’m a Muslim,”’
Ziafat said. Instead, he told him,'“Dad, if I have to choose between
you and Jesus, I choose Jesus. And if I have to ,choose between my
earthly father and my heavenly Father, I choose my heavenly
Father.”
Ziafat went on to attend the University of Texas at Austin,
where he roomed with a Christian student who also was from a
Muslim family and-also had hidden his faith from his father. Ziafat
was 2, the family moved back to Iran and lived there until the late tough questions posed by abortion supporters. Much of the truth
1970s. Then came the Islamic revolution. When Ayatollah about abortion receives little attention in public discourse, for it
Khomeini overthrew the Shah of Iran, Ziatat’s father rushed the exposes what we, as a nation, would rather not see. Following are
I.......
20 v
I e
The material printed on these pages does not church," Ziafat said. “I would hide my Bible and intercept mail
necessarily reflect the opinion of the staff of "tomzhafatsrchthevdsventadiygspotted the Bible and confronted his
the GV Tribune. son. When Ziafat confessed he had become a Christian, his father’s
Brown Chapel African
" - S Methodist Episcopal Church
$ ■ 8 Reverend Gregory Watson, Pastor
“4p• Maypearl Texas
■
eA Baptist Church of
Grandview
( • 301 Hughes Lane (CR 105)
4 invites you to worship with us
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^£8
0′3868
.ea
...where there is
no vision the
Sunday School - 9:30 am
Sunday Worship - 10:30 am
Youth Group - 5:00 pm Sundays
Choir Rehearsal - 7:00 pm Wednesdays
300 South 4th Street ~ Grandview, TX
817.866.3636 ~ www.fumcgv.org
biological human being is a “person” worthy of rights and
msgLCHURCH OF CHRIST
LORD’S DAY SERVICES: WEDNESDAY SERVICES:
Ladies Bible Classi 0:00 a.m.
Our Children’s Day Out P rogram
still has spots available.
Contact us at 8 1 7.866.4-430.
Arriving back in Houston at age 6, Ziafat entered the first facts that will help you with the abortion debate.
grade. Even though he was a native Houstonian, he spoke Farsi and Myth: Abortion is only legal through the first trimester,
very little English. Prejudice and persecution against Iranians made Reality: Due to the radical scope of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton,
adjusting to American life even more difficult. . a right to abortion was effectively established for the entire term of
When people found out we were Iranian,, we had rocks thrown pregnancy for virtually any reason, whether for sake of personal
through our windows and our tires slashed, Ziafat recalled in a finances, social convenience, or individual lifestyle. Therefore, no
solemn tone of voice. My brother and I were kicked off the soccer significant legal barriers of any kind whatsoever exist in the United
team. We were threatened to get beat up.” States that prevent a woman from obtaining an abortion for any
The only positive American influence in his life was a tutor reason during any stage of her pregnancy. .
who taught the boy English by reading him books every day after
school. When Ziafat entered the second grade, she handed him a Myth: Women really need abortion for health reasons
small New Testament Bible. “You won't understand this book now,” Reality: An Alan Guttmacher Institute survey found that nearly
she told him, “but I want you to hang on to it and read it later in one-half of women obtaining abortions said they used no birth
your life " control method during the month they got pregnant. Add to this the
Ziafat hid the Bible in his bedroom. He grew up a Muslim. fact:that, at most, only five percent of all abortions are done for the
While in high school, though, Ziafat said he became mother s physical or psychological health. Rape and incest are cited
“fascinated” by the story and teachings of Jesus Christ. “Every night as reasons for less than 1% of all abortions. Nationally, 82% of
I would read that Bible underneath the covers with a flashlight so women obtaining abortions are unmarried. These statistics strongly
my parents wouldn't figure out what I was doing if they happened to sug8est abortion is used primarily as birth control
walk in,” Ziafat recalled. “Every day at school this annoying Myth: No one knows when human life begins.
Christian kid would come and talk to me about Jesus. I'd debate Reality: Biologic human life is defined by examining the scientific
with him on the side of Islam. At night I'd go home and read more facts of human development. This is a field where there is no
about Jesus.” controversy and no disagreement. Science has confirmed that the
A few weeks later Ziafat was invited to attend a crusade. He beginning of any one human individual’s life, biologically speaking,
still remembers that day when he converted to Christianity — Sept, begins at the completion of the union of his father’s sperm and his ‘
28, 1989. mother’s ovum, a process called "conception," "fertilization" or
On the way home, though, what he’d done smacked him in the "fecundation." This being, from fertilization, is alive, human, sexed,
face. Ziafat’s father was a prominent Muslim in Houston - president complete and growing. Ultrasound and medical technology have
of the Islamic Medical Society and chairman of the Iranian Islamic come a long way toward helping the public understand when life
Center’s board. Ziafat adored him and didn’t want to disappoint his begins. The point on which there is disagreement is whether this
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2531 Si ilmmlI 3
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Tirst baptist Church Grandview
4-01 E. Criner
Bible Classes 9:30 a.m.
Worship 10:30 a.m.
Worship 5:00 p.m.
eK ' ' men •
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FREE Bible Correspondence Course or Need to contact us:
P O Box 206, Grandview TX 76050
817-866-2160 or gvcc@alltel.net
Chambers Creek Baptist Church
11100 E. FM 916 (2.2 mi east of 135^) 817-866-3144
A Country Church with a conservative heart
and contemporary Worship, where
‘all people’ are welcome!
SS - 9:30, Worship 10:45, Evening 6:00 pm.
Wednesday Classes 6:30
We Invite you to come Worship with us!
SBC________www.chamberscreek.org________SBTC_
First United Methodist Church
Christianity Takes But Ziafat decided to go into the Christian ministry instead. He
yy. A knew he had to break the news to his father. “My hand was shaking
MlS MeSSage the whole time,” he recalled. His father called Ziafat’s decision the
Arce e,c find "biggest stain" on his life.
f 1 x m- Ziafat received his masters of divinity degree from
Beyond Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth. His church paid for his first
semester's tuition. When he got to seminary a check for $100 was
waiting for him from an anonymous donor and he was a given a free
By Rebecca Hoeffner place to live for four years.
_ Texan News Service After he graduated, Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano
Earlier this year Afshin Ziafat strode up to the pulpit at First asked him to join the staff as the pastor's assistant. Ziafat preached
Baptist Church in Stephenville. His face was clean-shaven. He wore at the church a few times to an audience of around 20,000 and
a sport coat and spoke English without an accent. discovered his calling to evangelism.
Ziafat knows the surprise that ripples through an audience Now living in Houston again, Ziafat devotes himself to a
whenever he speaks about his conversion from Islam to Christianity, nationwide speaking ministry and continues to be affiliated with
He joked about the stereotypes he encounters-and that he shatters- Prestonwood as one of its missionary partners. This spring and
- whenever people hear his Middle Eastern name. summer he will address’churches, retreats and evangelist events.
“Before September 11, people could walk right up to the gate He’s also a regular speaker to groups in Huntsville and The
at the airport with a sign that had my name on it,” Ziafat told a Woodlands.
crowd gathered for a college retreat. “When I said, 'I'm Afshin,' For Ziafat, life has come full circle. He travels to Iran several
they're always amazed. They're like 'you're Afshin?' Well, you kinda times a year to work with an organization called Elam Ministries
look like us.' “ that trains Iranians to strengthen existing Christian churches and
Grandview - First Baptist Church’s TeamKids performed
community service by picking up trash at the Grandview Cemetery
Wednesday, July 11th and then had fun making headstone rubbings.
Those who participated: Kolbi, Allison, Missy, Shae, Ms.
Janette, Ms. Mary Sue, ShyAnn, Blake, Mr. John, Hannah, Grace,
Mr. Charlie, Ms. Rachel, Michaelas, Christian, Claire, Hannah,
LeAnn, Jackie, Trevor, Noah, Stephan, Mr. Brad, and Ms. Carolyn.
Wednesday, July 18, the TeamKIDs will be having fun with
water slides and snow cones for grades PreK-6. JOIN US in front
of First Baptist Church Grandview! -
As a society in general we have:
Abandoned Ignored His Neglected the-
—God____Church r°Ss___-
Chambers Creek Baptist Church
of Grandview Invites You
To our REVIVAL Services
August 12th-15th
Sun. 10:35 AM, and 6:00 PM
Mon. - Wed. night at 7:00 PM
Preaching: Kevin Kirkland Worship:
Oman’s Floor
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
Rom 5:8-9 (8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Much
more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through Him
Rom 10:9-10 (9) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after
this the judgment,
“Yes, I am human,” the evangelist added with a laugh. “All establish new ones in the Muslim country. He said he is convinced
right, let's work on my name. Think of the hair product 'Afro Sheen.' other Muslims like him will be drawn to Jesus and the Christian
Take the 'r-o' out, and you've got my name.” religion and its message of faith even in the midst of persecution. ,
Ziafat brought a message of hope and faith to Stephenville "My story is not about a man’s faithfulness to God - I went in
students and residents. Now he is taking his evangelic tour across kicking and screaming, Ziafat said. “My story is about God’s
Texas and beyond at a time when relations between Muslims and faithfulness to a man.
Christians remain strained due to conflict in the Middle East. For Ziafat’s speaking schedule, visit his website at
Ziafat knows those conflicts all too well. He rejected his www.afshinziafat.com.
Muslim upbringing and converted to Christianity, risking The ^exan News Service is a project of Tarleton State
disownment from his father, retaliation from extremist members of University s journalism program.
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Sunday School 1 0:00 a.m. Worship 1 1:00 a.m.
Sunday evening 6:00 p.m. Wed. evening 7:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
6:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m. SBTC-SBC
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Ray, Teri. The GV Tribune (Grandview, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 28, Ed. 1 Friday, July 20, 2007, newspaper, July 20, 2007; Grandview, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1473458/m1/3/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Grandview Public Library.