Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

Christian leader kidnapped in Burkina Faso – June 06th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

June 5, 2018 By World Watch Monitor

A Christian pastor and three members of his family have been kidnapped in Burkina Faso’s north-eastern province of Soum, two weeks after the kidnapping of another Christian leader and his wife.

The circumstances of the kidnapping are not yet known, but Islamist militants are known to be active in the region.

The kidnapping of the two Christian clerics have created an atmosphere of anxiety among Christian communities in the land-locked Sahel nation, seen as a model of tolerance in a troubled region.

The country’s 20 million inhabitants have long enjoyed peaceful co-existence.

Until recently, attacks carried out by Islamist militants only targeted military personnel and civil servants in the region, leaving civilians generally untroubled.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update, June 06th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Fraser is starting to redo all the work which was lost, a long and tiresome process.  Pray that he would not get discouraged.  There are eight elements to be built and he has now put together the basic structure of six of them. 

Thank God that there are many opportunities for Dawn to get involved in prison ministry. Pray for the continuing follow-up sessions from the Restorative Justice course, that change in the men will be deep and lasting. 

It was amazing to witness how God is working in the prison. Prisoners still need to find the courage with God’s help to go further.  Pray that their families can help them face up to the need for repentance, restitution and real change.  Pray for stamina and wisdom for Dawn. 

Pray for South African society.  Absentee fathers, gangsterism and a lack of good parenting continue the cycle of deprivation and criminality. 

A Nigerian pastor who recently did the InReach programme has written, “In all my studies and learning I’ve never seen anything like this.  I was embarrassed when a woman said to me, ‘Pastor, now I see Christ in you,’ just because I helped her fetch water from the well.”

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update, June 06th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Barnabas Fund and religious freedom, Barnabas Fund, 5 June 2018

Though their major emphasis has been on the persecuted church abroad, Barnabas Fund has warned EU Parliament members, in a first-time debate in the European Parliament, that religious freedom is one generation away from being lost in Europe.

Their Chief Executive stated, “You can’t pick and choose which types of freedom you want to defend.  Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, academic freedom or freedom of religion. You must defend all of them. Those freedoms are only one generation away from being lost.”

He, and other speakers, highlighted recent instances of violence, marginalisation, and discrimination against Christians across Europe.

It was Barnabas Fund’s campaign for “Our Religious Freedom” that prompted the setting up of the meeting at the European Parliament.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update, June 06th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Talita Kum

Over 1000 Romanian children have been provided with a place to learn, with nutritious food and with showering facilities at Talita Kum since it opened in 2001.

Like many of the children, Ramona was a shy girl, living with her grandmother on a low income and had no-one at home to help and encourage her in her studies. 

At Talita Kum, she discovered a gift for writing.  She produced the script for our musical show Esther and went on to take the lead role!  

She was able to finish secondary school, successfully passing her exams.  Since the clothes industry is big business in Romania, her training in leather and textiles will help her find work locally. 

Daniel Centre

Blythswood have five shops in Romania which help to generate income for the Talita Kum and Daniel House projects.  Castle Street also contributes each month to these projects from our Mission Fund. 

Teams from Culloden, Inverness Royal and Millburn Academies head to Romania this month to help run camps for young people there. 

Pray that the Scottish students will be inspired towards a lifelong commitment to serving others for Jesus’ sake through their summer experience.

Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

Nuns Beaten in Hanoi – May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

CSW, 10 May 2018

A group of Catholic nuns peacefully protesting construction on land belonging to their congregation were physically assaulted on 9 May by unknown assailants.

Nuns of the Sisters of St Paul in Hanoi marched to the Hoan Kiem District People’s Committee Office and the Tran Hung Dao Ward Office on 8 May, carrying banners demanding that the authorities order a halt to the construction.

A group of unknown ‘thugs’ insulted and beat the nuns with batons as they tried to peacefully protest. Police nearby did not intervene. Numerous reports indicate that unknown assailants or ‘hired thugs’ are commonly used by police and authorities in Vietnam to intimidate, harass and assault religious communities.

After the assault, the nuns petitioned the authorities to intervene, but their request was not taken up.

Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

Ten-Year Sentences Upheld For Iranian Christians – May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

CSW, 9 May 2018

Ten-year sentences handed down to Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, Mohammadreza Omidi, Yasser Mossayebzadeh and Saheb Fadaie in July 2017 have recently been upheld on appeal.

The four were arrested in May 2016 during raids by security agents on Christian homes and their church accused of receiving money from the British government.

In July 2017, they were found guilty of ‘acting against national security’ by ‘promoting Zionist Christianity’, and sentenced to ten years in prison.  The pastor and Mr Omidi received additional two-year sentences. 

Mr Mossayebzadeh, Mr Fadaie and Mr Omidi are also awaiting the outcome of their appeal against a sentence of 80 lashes each, following their conviction for drinking wine during a communion service.

Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

Compensation for Indian Victims – May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

CSW, 10 May 2018

The Odisha High Court has awarded enhanced compensation to 14 Christians who were victims of targeted attacks in Kandhamal in 2008.

Human rights lawyer Tehmina Arora stated that this outcome reflected the judiciary’s commitment to protecting the right to freedom of religion in the country.

In 2008, the Christian community in Kandhamal was attacked by hard-line Hindu nationalists. Over 90 people were killed, at least 54,000 displaced and over 300 churches destroyed. According to local sources, although over 3,300 complaints were made to the police, only 727 cases went to trial in fast-track courts, where 88.6% of the accused were acquitted.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update, May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Jacksons – May Update 2

Fraser is thankful that Hugenote College, rather than Stellenbosch University, has formally agreed to host the server for the NetACT portal.

Dawn has been made welcome to help with a homework club run by another church which has at least thirty children attending each day. 

Thank God that we’re getting a day of rain most weeks now.

Thank God that no one was hurt on May 12th when our house was broken into – laptops, credit cards and Dawn’s driving licence were stolen.  Please pray for their speedy recovery.

Fraser discovered that two memory sticks with all his backed-up work were also stolen.  Nearly all his work from the last 6 months has gone.  Pray that he will find better ways to redo the work he’s lost.

Dawn had previously arranged to attend a Restorative Justice course, and will now do so with her own personal experience of the effects of crime upon victims!

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update, May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Vigilance required by Christian minorities

 Barnabas Fund, 10 May 2018

The United States recently announced that its embassy in Israel moves from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as from Monday 14 May 2018.

There has been widespread criticism of this move, especially from Muslims. It should be noted that Ramadan starts this year on 16 May, which often sees heightened tensions and violence against non-Muslim minorities.

Previous triggers have generated significant Islamist violence against others around the world, especially against Christians and Christian buildings. Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have often paid the price.

 Rushdie’s publication of The Satanic Verses novel, and the case of the satirical cartoons in Denmark come to mind.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update, May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Blythswood – May Update 2  

Talita Kum

With your support, a 12-year-old girl is working hard to make up for years of missed primary education.  When she was six, Andreea’s family moved to Italy and none of their children was ever enrolled in school there.

 By the time they returned to Romania, Andreea was severely disadvantaged.  She didn’t know how to read or write and was left very shy and withdrawn in the company of other children.

Talita Kum, where she receives a cooked meal and has access to hot showers and clean clothes, is now helping Andreea make up for lost time.  Since joining Talita Kum last summer, she has not missed a single day at school.

Daniel Centre

Following the death of his father, Adrian wanted to be able to take care of his mother and brother who has special needs, but poverty forced him to give up education.

With little education, getting or keeping a job is a real challenge but, again thanks to people like you, he is now taking a different path.

He is learning life-skills at the Daniel Centre and has discovered a talent for cooking.  As his confidence has grown, he has found a job at a bakery.  Adrian’s dream – to be a football coach – is now looking more achievable.