Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

Martyr’s Widow Perseveres in Leading Church – February 28th

Voice of the Martyrs, February 22nd, 2024

Feliciana’s husband pastored a church in a town in Oaxaca, Mexico, until he was killed in 2014 for his bold witness for Christ.

After her husband’s murder, Feliciana struggled to provide for her family, and her two children became seriously ill. With help from foreign believrs, she has been able to continue the work of leading the church in her town, and her children are healthy and thriving. She hopes to start a small business this year to further support her family.

Specific areas within Mexico have a high concentration of indigenous minority groups. These minority communities, which maintain a separate identity and language, are systematically oppressed by local authorities. Christians among them are persecuted by Marxist and animist groups as well as village leaders.  Despite persecution, the number of Christians has continued to grow in these areas.

Many people in rural Mexico practice Christo-paganism, a syncretistic blend of ancient pagan practices and Roman Catholicism. There is a strong Marxist (atheistic communist) movement in some southern areas, especially in the state of Chiapas.

Christian converts are rejected by their community and are often forced from their homes and villages in some rural areas. Large groups of Christians have at times been driven from their homes in the south. Converts and faithful witnesses for Christ lose their jobs, inheritances and land. Those who remain in their communities are marginalized, partly because they will not participate in pagan celebrations that feature drunkenness and debauchery.

Mission Support within the Congregation, Missions

Steadfast Global – February 28th – Update 1

Steadfast Global, 23rd February 2024

Vietnam:

A Vietnamese Christian was given a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence on 26 January after being convicted of ‘secession and incitement’ for holding prayer meetings in his house. According to local media reports, Nay Y Blang (48) who is a member of the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ, was denied access to legal representation during the hearing.  

China:

The trial of ten Christians accused of illegal business operations in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia finally concluded on 8 January. The charges stem from the resale, at a loss, of Bibles purchased from the Three-Self Church. One of the accused, Wang Honglan, spoke in court and while admitting giving away Bibles, she denied that she had committed a crime. The prosecutor is seeking a sentence of at least 5 years for Honglan and others.

Pakistan:

Christian man, Fanson Shahid (56) has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of blasphemy on 26 January. Mr. Shahid, who is from Lahore, was arrested in March 2022 after he was accused of making derogatory remarks about the prophet of Islam on social media. His family are seeking help to lodge an appeal against the sentence.

Uganda:

The parents of four young children were murdered on 2 February in an attack believed to have been motivated by their recent conversion from Islam to Christianity. According to neighbours, Twaha Namwoyo (38) and his wife Nadiimu Katooko (27), were killed outside their home in the village of Bulalaka by a group of people who were heard talking in both Arabic and the local language.

Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

The Cocos Islands Malay in Australia – Febuary 28th

Joshua Project, February 23rd, 2024

The Cocos Malays are the majority population of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a territory of Australia. The Malay were the first permanent inhabitants of the island, along with Alexander Hare. They were brought as slaves and members of his harem. When a previous claimant, John Clunies-Ross, arrived a year later in 1827, he took the island back, employing the existing population in the harvest of coconuts.   

Because of the unbroken European rule of the islands, the culture has been mostly Western. The Cocos Malay have their own dress code. Those in the Australian mainland, however, conform to Australian dress habits. They have their own language, but to function in Australia, they must be fluent in English.

Since they don’t have any Christ followers among them, the Cocos Islands Malay Muslims will be hard-pressed to give the gospel a chance.  There are plenty of vibrant Christian believers in the Cocos Islands who can reach out to them. 

Pray that many from today’s people group will allow their spiritual lives to be transformed by the Lord, and that they will begin to publicly praise Him.

Pray for a movement to Jesus to multiply among families and communities. Pray for the Lord to anoint and thrust out workers to the Cocos Malay people. Pray for them to understand that the Lord wants to bless them with spiritual abundance.

Mission Support within the Congregation, Missions

Blythswood – January 31st – Update 1

Daniel Centre

Balazs had just returned on Sunday from his trip to Kenya with James Campbell on his final visit there, so had not yet caught up on Daniel Centre news though Dani reported no major issues during his 10-day absence. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury is due to visit their partners in the Ukraine, Serve Now and Light of Reformation, in coming months as titular head of Christian Aid.

They are due to sign the contract for the sale of their Cluj depot tomorrow, 24th January, at the lower end of the price they were asking.

James Campbell had accompanied Balazs for good visits to Sargy and Pamoja school and orphanage projects in Kenya as part of his farewell months as CEO of Blythswood.  The two schools have now been granted provisional accreditation to open intermediate years 7, 8 and 9.  Sargy was rated top of 40 schools on the island of Rusinga.

Balazs then continued, on his own, to visit the Worldwide Outreach Christian radio station in Burundi that Blythswood supports, and which supplies coverage to Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania as well as having a Health Centre in Burundi, mainly for HIV sufferers.

Talita Kum

Being just back from Africa, Balazs had not yet had an update from Adi in Jimboliya.

Mission Support within the Congregation, Missions

Jacksons – January 31st – Update 1 (excerpts)

Thank God that all travelling was completed safely.  The visa waiver was extended until the end of June 2024.

One of Fraser servers crashed this week, the last data restore point he can find is September 2023.  He needs a crucial file from after this date.  Please pray. With God all things are possible, including IT solutions.

Dawn is preparing for the prison Bible studies and music sessions. Pray that those who need and would benefit most get the chance to get one of the spaces.

Ministering to prisoners is great, but far better to help people leave crime than pick up the pieces in prison once lives have been wrecked. Ashley, a prison ministry colleague and ex-drug-dealer/gangster, wants to offer a Restorative Justice programme for gang members still in the community and has asked Dawn to be involved.

We would do the same RJ things with different gangs around Wellington.  Prisoners have said, “If only I had been shown these things years ago, my life would have been very different.” After the individual gang sessions, we hope to offer a united support group.

Pray for a place to meet, funds, printing and for other groups to allow us use what they’ve developed – to serve the same God and work towards the same goal.

Last week, we met one gang member. The others had jobs on local farms. Few want a criminal life; many feel they have no choice.  Ashley’s life, completely changed since he met Jesus, is a witness to the possibilities of what can be achieved with God’s help.

Dawn held the Bible study in Drakenstein Medium A today on Depression, how to recognise it and help both others and yourself.  A prisoner told of how even warders confide in him and ask him to pray for them because they see how he lives for Jesus.

Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

Armenian Christian on Trial in Iran – January 31st

International Christian Concern, 27th January 2024

Armenian Christian Hakop Gochumyan is still being detained in Iran. Last summer Hakop, an Armenian citizen, travelled to Iran to visit his wife Elisa’s family, an Iranian-Armenian.

On August 16th, they were arrested while visiting their friend’s home. Their arrests coincided with arrests of dozens of other Christian converts in Iran. Elisa was held for several months but was released and returned to Armenia with their children. Hakop’s trial was scheduled for January 7th. His current location and well-being are still unknown.   

While Hakop and Elisa live in Armenia and only were visiting family in Iran, Elisa’s father, Rafi Shahverdian, was a well-known pastor in Yerevan after fleeing Iran in the 1990s. It is reported that Christian literature was found with them when they were arrested in Iran.

The minority Armenian Christians are given certain protections under the Islamic Republic’s legal system. They are, however, forbidden from any proselytizing to Iranian Muslims, and Farsi language Christian literature is banned. Iran is estimated to be holding more than 100 Christians in prison detention by the end of 2023.

Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

Islamic State kills 10 Christians in Mozambique – January 31st

Barnabas Aid, January 24th, 2024 (excerpts)

Islamists have boasted of killing ten Christians in a series of attacks waged over two weeks against Christian villages in northern Mozambique.

The onslaught claimed by Islamic State coincided with the launch on 4 January 2024 of the group’s new global terror campaign, “Kill Them Wherever You Find Them”, announced in an audio message by its spokesman, Abu Hadhayfah Al-Ansari.

The wave of renewed violence in northern Mozambique centred on three districts in Cabo Delgado province, already known as “the land of fear” because of repeated Islamist terror attacks.

It began on 3 January in Mocimboa da Praia district when IS fighters struck the village of Ntotoe, two days later they hit Chimbanga village, and on 7 January gunmen opened fire with machine guns on a village in the same district.

Two Christians were murdered, and 16 houses burned down in attacks on Chai and Litamanda villages in Macomia district on 4 and 9 January, respectively.

The village of Chinda in Muidumbe district was struck on 5 January, and two believers were killed.

Around 1,800 Christians have been murdered in northern Mozambique since October 2017 in sustained anti-Christian violence.

They are among more than 50,000 Christians slaughtered in a genocidal campaign waged by Islamists across parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

Bold Witness Beaten 40 Times – January 31st

Voice of the Martyrs, January 25th, 2024

Gabriela lives in a rural village in Oaxaca, Mexico, where members of her Mixteca community adhere to Christo-paganism, a syncretistic blend of pagan practices and Roman Catholicism that is opposed to the gospel.

Because of her boldness in sharing her faith, she has been attacked by her neighbours as well as her husband, who is embarrassed by her commitment to Christ. She has been beaten an estimated 40 times and hospitalized on several occasions.

Despite this opposition, she continues to make outreach trips into the Mixteca regions of the mountains of Oaxaca to spread the gospel where few others can go.

Specific areas within Mexico have a high concentration of indigenous minority groups. Minority communities like these, keeping a separate identity and language, are systematically oppressed by local authorities. Christians among them are persecuted by Marxist and animist groups as well as village leaders.

Tribal leaders persecute Christians in defence of their indigenous culture in several rural areas, and the federal government allows this. These communities are remotely located and difficult to reach. Despite persecution, the number of Christians has continued to grow in these areas. 

Mission Support within the Congregation, Missions

Steadfast Global – January 31st – Update 1

Steadfast Global, 26th January 2024

Sudan:

Christians in Al Jazirah state, south of Khartoum have been subjected to attacks and harassment since the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the main city, Wad Medani on 18 December. One Christian, Karbino Bla succumbed to his injuries on 5 January after being badly beaten by the militants on 1 January. There have been reports of murder, rape and looting and on 12 January, militants set fire to a city church, destroying Bibles, chairs, and documents. The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023.

Nigeria:

Four Christians, including a pastor and a police orderly were abducted in Katsina-Ala County, Benue state, around 06:30 on 13 January as they travelled to a funeral. Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists are suspected of ambushing the vehicle in which Rev. Haanongon Gideon was travelling along with his assistant Ior Silas Yuhwam.

Iran:

Two Nourmohammadi Christian brothers, Alireza and Amir, were freed on 11 January after spending 4 weeks in detention. The men were arrested in Karaj during raids on 11 December along with fellow believer Mildad Goodarzi. Mildad was released after a few hours but was told to expect a summons for further investigation. Alireza and Amir were finally released after submitting to bail of around £2,450 each. They both anticipate being formally charged for their Christian activities.

Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

The Rahmani (Muslim traditions) in India – January 31st

Joshua Project, January 31st, 2024

The Rahmani work mainly as farmers. Many do not read, so the gospel will need to be given in oral forms. However, there are also prominent people among them, and the Rahmani surname is well known across a number of countries.  

They are Sunni Muslims, and there is much social stigma about becoming a Christian in their families and communities. They need to find a way to embrace Jesus Christ without alienating the people they hold dear.

Culturally appropriate music and skits about the miracles of Jesus might help to turn their hearts and minds to the only Saviour.  Pray for an eagerness to hear and heed God’s word among this people group.

Pray for a spiritual breakthrough as there may be no followers of Christ among this Muslim people group. Pray for a spiritual hunger that will draw the Rahmani people to the only One who can save them from sin and death.

Pray for workers to go to them and find those who will welcome them and listen to the message. Pray for Rahmani community leaders who will give Jesus a chance to provide their community with the abundant life He offers in John 10:10.

Pray for a Disciple Making Movement to Christ among the Rahmani people group in this decade.