Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 15 May 2023

Over the past five years, President Daniel Ortega has cracked down on all critical voices as he consolidates power.

Religious leaders, especially those the government views as critical of its actions, have been a particular target.  One of them told CSW that even preaching about unity or justice, for example, can be considered criticism of the government and therefore treated as a crime.

Several religious leaders were among the 222 political prisoners removed from prison on 9 February – but stripped of their citizenship and expelled to the United States.

Then on 15 February a further 94 political prisoners, including nine religious leaders, had their citizenship removed; most were already in exile.  Others, like Bishop Ronaldo Alvarez, remain unjustly imprisoned in Nicaragua.

Among those expelled from Nicaragua was Pastor Wilber Alberto Pérez – a Protestant pastor who was falsely convicted of selling illegal drugs.  In reality, he was targeted for promoting the campaign ‘Christmas without political prisoners’ in 2020, and was held for a prolonged period in solitary confinement with no natural light.

Joshua Project, 15 May 2023

One of the nine Munda-Santal tribes, the Agariya have worked with furnaces as iron-smelters for generations.  Much of their more recent history has been greatly influenced by British colonialism.  Today the Agariyas continue to work with metal.  They manufacture agricultural tools such as axes, ploughshares and sickles.  Only ten percent are literate, however that number has increased with more focus on education and beneficial programs.

Hinduism is the official religion of the Agariyas, and Dulha Deo is the family god.  Their religion is often a big part of their lives, and they may not be interested in new ideas and change.

Sending outreach teams to the Agariyas could be a possible way to help them understand the gospel.  Efforts by the church to stop economic exploitation might go a long way towards helping them see the work of Christ’s hands.

Pray that many family leaders from this people group will understand that their people are sinful just like the Israelis, and that they need to seek the Lord for forgiveness.

Pray for a church movement to grow among them and for their spiritual needs to be met and fulfilled.  Pray that they would find people who want to listen and spread God’s word through communities.  Pray education would be elevated among the Agariyas and that children would have access to all they need to thrive in India’s modernizing economy.  Pray they would have their medical and educational needs met.

International Christian Concern, 9 May 2023

Amid the escalating violence currently wracking Sudan, priests in violent hotspots have kept church doors open. They continue to minister and provide shelter despite increased dangers.

“I want to stay until the last minute, I do not want to leave the people here alone,” one missionary priest told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “But we face the same problems as the rest of the people.” 

At least 600 people have been killed since the conflict began on April 15, when fighting broke out between military units and the paramilitary Rapid Support. According to the UN, the number of displaced people inside Sudan has more than doubled this past week, now reaching more than 700,000.

Armed fighters also forced their way into the cathedral in Khartoum, and a chapel belonging to a religious congregation was bombed.”  Internationally, people push for dialogue, but there is still shooting.”

Sudan was removed from the U.S. Dept. of State’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) in December 2019. Advances in religious freedom lasted for only two years, however, until a military coup in October 2021. 

The coup brought back fears of repression and harsh implementation of Islamic law.

Morning Star News, 1 May 2023 (excerpts)

Jeremiah Mwanga, a second-year Christian college student was killed in his room at the school in northern Uganda on April 14 for sharing about Christ with Muslims.  He was 24.

Mwanga was a native of Kapchorwa, eastern Uganda, where the Muslim student at the school charged with killing him also lived.

“Jeremiah complained about messages from one of the students threatening to kill him for misleading Muslims by preaching to them the gospel of Christ as well as converting them to the Christian faith in the school,” a friend of Jeremiah’s told Morning Star News.

The friend said that on April 14 he heard screaming from a room on the school premises at about 10 p.m.  “After 30 minutes I rushed to the scene of incident and found out that it was Jeremiah’s room,” he said. “Inside the room was a pool of blood.”

Mwanga had already been rushed to a medical clinic near the school, he said.  “Reaching the clinic, I was told by the medical personnel that he had been referred to the Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival,” he said.  “I found him lying in the hospital bed, dead.”

The friend requested he be given Mwanga’s personal effects, including his mobile phone.  “Going through the phone, I found out that the threatening message was from a Muslim student who happened to come from Kapchorwa also,” he said.  “I then took the phone to the school administration who reported the matter to the police.”

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 22 April 2023 (excerpts)

“Although we would like to see total victory, we know that you have been praying for this.  He looks a little different to us, better.  Step by step.”  So says the wife of Pastor Lorenzo, Maridilegnis Carballo.

Be encouraged that your prayers are being answered step by step, for Pastor Lorenzo and his family.  The Cuban pastor is now in a minimum-security prison which is closer to home, so his wife and children can visit him more often.  Yet Pastor Lorenzo shouldn’t be imprisoned at all.  The independent church leader is serving a seven-year sentence for peacefully protesting on 11 July 2021.

Since these protests, the government crackdown has only intensified, and Cuba is experiencing the biggest wave of emigration in decades.

Last year, we recorded 657 violations of freedom of religion or belief – more than double the 272 we documented in 2021.  Pray that Cuban authorities would end their repressive rollback on human rights, which has affected both registered and unregistered religious groups.

Pray for more documenters to take up the work of those who have been forced into exile for investigating and exposing injustice, and for their safety.

Joshua Project, 02 May 2023

The Hadi people have low status, even for a low status caste community.  They are mainly street sweepers, a job that carries contempt among many Hindu communities.  The Hadi fear leaving the Hindu religion of their ancestors.  There is a lot of pressure to remain within Hinduism, especially from powerful castes.   

Followers of Christ can tell them about equal acceptance and forgiveness from the God of the universe.  There are many Christ followers among other people groups that can show them the way to salvation.

Pray for Christian believers to do whatever they can to establish Christ’s kingdom among the Hadi people.  Pray for the Hadi people to have their educational and physical needs met, and that they would give glory to God.

Pray the Holy Spirit would give spiritual courage to thousands of Hadi who need a new spiritual beginning.

Pray that Indian believers would demonstrate that following Christ can be done within their cultural context.  Pray the Hadi people would understand that following Christ will mean living an abundant spiritual life.

Voice of the Martyrs, 27 April 2023

Christians have been a primary target of Islamists in Burkina Faso since April 2019 when approximately 70 Christians were killed and five churches attacked.  In 2022, Islamist activity increased in the southwestern part of the country, resulting in numerous destroyed churches and the murder of several pastors.  As many as 10,000 Christians have fled their homes due to violence and threats; more than 1.7 million people have been displaced by the conflict.

Two years ago, when Muslim militants attacked their village, one young couple fled with their lives and almost nothing else.  They fled so quickly that they couldn’t even grab their Bible.  Front-line workers recently had the opportunity to provide Bibles for the displaced couple as well as many other displaced Christians.  “They were so happy they were crying,” said a front-line worker.  “They said it was an answer to their prayers.”

Burkina Faso has seen a sharp rise in Islamist activity since 2016.  Militants linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaida, who had been largely contained in neighbouring Mali and Niger, have crossed porous borders in the north to broaden their influence in the Sahel region.

More than 200 churches have reportedly closed in northern and eastern Burkina Faso because of security issues and threat of attack.

Morning Star News, 17 April 2023 (excerpts)

Muslim extremists exploded a fuel bomb during a church’s Good Friday night service in western Uganda on April 7.

The explosion at NABI Pentecostal church damaged part of the building, a parked car and several motorcycles.  Church security apprehended one of six suspects, Bwambale Sadadi, and turned him over to police.

“The police interrogated Bwambale, 28, who  confessed that he carried out a jihad activity for jannah [paradise] in this holy month of Ramadan as a way of serving Allah and that he will reward him in paradise.”

Area Christians were shocked.

“While members were praying, there was a loud explosion of fire that caught part of the front church with the petrol explosion while the faithful were conducting a night prayer meeting.”

Church security and members intercepted the suspects’ vehicle, a red Bajaj Boxer motorcycle.

“They were seriously pursued by the church security guard and other church members, but five other attackers managed to escape.  Bwambale was caught by security personnel who contacted the police, who responded immediately and arrested him.” 

Police were continuing to investigate as they sought the five other suspects.

Joshua Project, 18 April 2023

Today, Crimean Tatars are a minority group in Ukraine and continue to face discrimination.  The deportation of 1944 immobilized their culture; nearly half of their population died en route, and those who survived were forced to grow up among foreigners, far from home and often uneducated.  Their dress and language make it difficult to distinguish Crimean Tatars from Russians or Ukrainians.  Many of their traditions are falling away, especially among the younger generation.   

Someone with a good music background and the love of Christ can go to the Crimean Tatars as Christ’s ambassadors, using music as a culturally relevant way to teach biblical truths.   

Pray for Crimean Tatar believers to be ready and willing to win, equip and disciple those from a Muslim background.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to move through Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula during times of trouble and war.  May Christ’s light dispel the darkness in Ukraine and bring beauty from ashes.

Voice of the Martyrs, 13 April 2023

Three brothers in Christ and their families in southeast Asia have faced severe persecution from government authorities.  The men are now serving prison terms for their faithfulness to Christ.  Pray for their faith to remain strong, for them to have great courage in the face of their sufferings, and for their families to be protected and cared for by the body of Christ while the men are imprisoned.

Vietnam has a repressive Communist government that actively restricts Christian worship in many ways.  While Christian worship is legal, the government views Christians and churches as a threat to its power and control.  Minority tribal groups, such as the Hmong, generally face the most violent and harsh forms of persecution, while Christians in urban centres experience pressure and harassment instead of violent opposition.  Churches continue to grow as believers faithfully reach out despite these challenges.

Most Vietnamese people practice a blend of ancestor worship and Buddhism.  Only 2.5 percent of the population are evangelical Christians.

The government imposes some restrictions, while local authorities and community members violently persecute Christians in rural areas.  Christian converts are persecuted by family members.