While generally Christians fare reasonably well in Egypt, some areas experience greater persecution, especially churches in Upper Egypt. In Beni Suef, a church building was destroyed in a massive fire. While the cause continues to be unknown, the building had five floors, offices and a library, and it also housed three schools. No children were injured, but 10 adults were badly burned and hospitalized because of the blaze. Pray for God’s deep care and providence after the loss of so many important facilities. Pray that the church can eventually be rebuilt.
Pray for the persecuted church in Upper Egypt.
Week of 12/15/24: Iraq
There are fewer and fewer Christians in Iraq. They leave because of the instability of the country and the fear of persecution. Before the US-led invasion of Iraq, there were about 1.5 million Christians in Iraq. Sectarian tensions meant that only 700,000 were left by the time the Islamic State seized a third of the country. Christians were among those subjected to violence and most were displaced from their homes. Now it is estimated that only 150,000 to 200,000 are left and this number continues to fall.
Pray for our brothers and sisters in Iraq who have suffered so much.
Week of 12/8/24: Pakistan
Pakistan has extremely harsh “blasphemy laws” which encompass any so-called blasphemy against the Quran or Mohammad or Allah (the Islamic god). The law is very broad and Muslims take advantage of this against Christians. Those accused are often treated violently by mobs, and imprisoned for years, often without trial.
The accusations are usually very flimsy. For example, in two recent cases four people were arrested for destroying pages of the Quran. All four were illiterate and had no idea they had pages of the Quran.
Pray for our imprisoned brothers and sisters in Pakistan.
Week of 11/24/24: Uganda
There are many persecuted Christians (and Muslims) in Uganda, although we are often not aware of it. Here is an example: Juspin, a Muslim woman, just came to Christ after being locked in her home by her husband for 40 years. He did not want her to connect with even other Muslim women! She was recently visited by some Christians who shared the Gospel with her, and she came to Christ!!
While such horrific circumstances abound among Muslims in Uganda, the Gospel is making amazing strides. God is on the move in Uganda! Rejoice over new brothers and sisters in Uganda and elsewhere as God brings in the harvest!
Pray for Christians (and Muslims) who are persecuted in Uganda!
Week of 11/17/24: Democratic Republic of the Congo
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the northern part (North Kivu) is the worst affected area. At least 84 people were murdered by fighters from Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in July and August. At least five more were killed in nearby Itrui province. This violence has been going on for several years. Terrorists also killed at least five others in August and burned down more than 50 houses. The fear is that Islamic violence is spreading to new areas of the country. Pray for the bereaved and that the Lord will restrain this evil.
Week of 11/10/24: Burkina Faso
On August 25, 2024, 26 Christian men were killed during worship in their village church. The Islamists who killed them and claimed responsibility were from a West African terror group affiliated with Al Qaeda. After killing the 26 men, the attackers set fire to houses and stole livestock. The Jihadists now control more than 40% of the nation's territory. Pray for the persecuted church in Burkina Faso, near the border with Mali.
Week of 11/3/24: Mozambique
“Islamic State Mozambique Province” in 2020 abducted and abused Christians, in particular Amina, a 27-year-old woman. By the grace of God, she kept her faith, wasn’t killed as others were, and was released in 2023. Pray for her and others who survived as they continue to heal from their extreme trauma. Since 2017, 6,000 have been killed by the Islamists. Many of those were Christians. Elections occurred last week in this country where the north is experiencing an Islamist insurgency. Pray that people who desire peace will be elected.
Week of 10/27/24: Pakistan
Several issues are critical to the persecuted church in Pakistan.
1) Many young Christian women and girls (as young as 13 or 14) are kidnapped and forced to marry significantly older Muslim men. Once married and often with children it is virtually impossible to get them away from their husbands and divorced. The state usually takes the side of the Muslim men.
2) Normally Christians are illiterate. They are often accused by Muslims of destroying pages from the Quran, which, of course, in most cases they cannot read. They are then arrested, imprisoned and accused of blasphemy. Their punishment is legal under Pakistan Penal Code 295-B. These actions terrify the Christian community because such action is often followed by violence by Muslim extremists. Pray for the Persecuted Church in Pakistan.
Week of 10/20/24: Haiti
Ongoing violence and criminal gangs have taken over most of the capital of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding agricultural areas. 500,000 people have been forced from their homes and in average one person is killed every hour. Furthermore, a missionary couple from the United States, Davy Lloyd and his wife Natalie, were killed in May 2023. Pray for peace and courage to sustain our Christian brothers and sisters in the midst of the violence and killings.
Week of 10/13/24: Laos
Six Christians were arrested and are not yet released in a village in Laos. In June a new village chief was appointed. Previous to June, they were allowed to pray together without harassment. In this primarily Buddhist country, it can be very difficult to pray and worship as Christians. Pray for these six brothers and sisters to be released and that in the future they will be allowed freedom to worship.
Week of 10/6/24: Tunisia
Pray for Christians in Tunisia: Christian converts in Muslim-majority Tunisia face violence from neighbors and family members who reject them and their new faith. Some often keep their faith secret. As they live in danger, pray that God will be present by His Holy Spirit to love, comfort, and protect them.
Week of 9/29/24: Afghanistan
Afghanistan, now under the control of the Taliban, subjected 63 people to public flogging for various crimes in June. Their action underlines Afghanistan's return to hardline Islamist rule since the Taliban returned to power. We do not know how many Christians remain in the country, but if they are discovered they will face death as apostates from Islam. Pray for the Lord to protect and deliver His people from those who plan evil against them.
Week of 9/22/24: Algeria
Algeria is a Muslim-majority country. During a recent election, the incumbent president announced that he would run for a second term. During his presidency, 40 church buildings were closed in Algeria. Pray for the Christians in Algeria to have wisdom as they withstand the closing of their churches and as they find alternative meeting places, usually in small groups in homes.
Week of 9/15/24: Eritrea
Eritrea is a small Communist-dominated country to the north of Ethiopia. Christians are severely persecuted there. Many, especially pastors, are imprisoned. Three pastors have been imprisoned for 20 years (since 2004) without trial. They were abducted from their homes, without charge or trial. They have not been told when or if they will be released. Pray for them and other Christians similarly held. Pray for the persecuted church in Eritrea!
Week of 9/8/24: Nepal
The church in Nepal is undergoing steady growth but is persecuted by the Hindu majority. They encounter restrictions on meeting as Christians and sometimes are brought before the authorities for their faith. They face many unfounded accusations. Four Christians in one province faced trial and were accused of forcing conversions to Christ. They were fined what to them was an exorbitant rate. Pray for them and for Miranda, an Anglican Frontier Missions missionary who serves in Nepal.
Week of 9/1/24: Nigeria
Sporadic killings, persecution, kidnapping and abductions are part of the reality of today's Nigeria. This week we will cover another of the numerous disturbing issues and current happenings, especially in Christian Communities across Nigeria.
This ugly situation and senseless killing began as a movement by Fulani Herdsmen parading their cattle across Southern Nigeria seeking vegetation for their cattle. Little did the Nigerian population know that a greater agenda was for Muslim groups from North Africa to overrun and destroy Christian communities with the pretense of breeding and grazing cattle in various parts of Nigeria, especially in the Northeast, Southeast, and Middle belt regions. Sadly the Fulani-led government under the Buhari administration intentionally empowered them by instituting and passing an “Open Grazing” law that gave these Fulani Herdsmen the impetus to graze at will wherever they found choice vegetation on private properties, farmlands, and family backyard gardens.
Facts established that the Fulani strategy has continued to reveal their intentions to aggressively graze their herds, burn and persecute Christians who get in their way while on this destructive mission with a large number of casualties year after year.
Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who are simply trying to make a living or who are attempting to feed their families.
Week of 8/25/24: Myanmar (Burma)
Christians in Myanmar, especially in certain tribal areas, are under severe persecution by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military). They are regularly hunted down, bombed, and have their homes and churches destroyed. Frequently their pastors are killed. Groups of them flee deep into the jungle to escape torture. In the jungles they often survive by eating leaves, etc. The children suffer inordinately. This has been going on for decades. The Anglican Church has a strong presence there and welcomes short-term missions like SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad). Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Myanmar.
Week of 8/18/24: North Korea
Christians in North Korea are considered to be the most persecuted in the world today.
No display of Christianity is tolerated; all North Koreans are to “worship” their leader, Kim Jong-Un. No gatherings of Christians are allowed under any circumstance and all Koreans are under strict surveillance. No Bibles or Christian books are allowed, although a few Bibles are sometimes smuggled in. If a Christian is caught praying, reading a Bible, or in any way proselytizing, they are either severely punished or imprisoned in harsh labor camps where they are usually worked to death. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in North Korea!
If you wish further information, Mother Valarie suggests In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park.
Week of 8/11/24: Nigeria
Christians in Nigeria have been under extreme persecution for a decade now. Although Islamic insurgence and persecution began two decades ago, the North-East, North-West, South-East and the Middle-Belt have suffered unimaginable loss in the hands of these Islamic terrorists.
The peculiarity of these attacks occur in Christian communities where these terrorists intend to take over and expand their area of influence. These Muslim Jihadists, notably called “Boku Haram” (which means “Western education is forbidden”) were reported to have infiltrated into Northern Nigeria from The Niger Republic and the Chad region. They primarily abduct and kill Christian clergy, demand millions of Naira (tens of thousands of dollars) in ransom, kidnap children of Christian faith, burn churches and houses, and decimate villages and communities at will.
In 2014, they kidnapped about 276 teens from a Christian school in Chibok, Borno State in Northern Nigeria; forced them into marriages and also forced them to recant their Christian faith or be beheaded. Over the years, about 100 of these young women have escaped or been rescued from this terrorist group and returned with two or three children born in captivity.
Please cover our precious brothers and sisters with prayer.
Week of 8/4/24: Iran
Pray for Christians in Iran, especially for Christian converts from Islam who are in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran. Christian converts are often convicted and imprisoned for multiple years for “acting against national security” when all they have done is attend a Christian house church.