Joshua Project, January 31^st, 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.

Forum 18, 19^th December 2023

Military officials have denied four young Baptist men in Siberia and the Far East the opportunity to carry out alternative civilian service, rather than military service, despite their efforts to demonstrate their pacifist religious convictions to the military authorities. All had applied for alternative civilian service.

As of mid-December, only one – Timofey Reznichenko from Primorye Region – has successfully challenged this refusal in court, thus gaining the right to have his application re-examined (see below).

Brothers Daniil and German Strelkov, from Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region, failed in their attempts to have their refusals ruled unlawful in court and are now preparing to appeal. “Faith forbids him to take up arms, kill, or take oaths,” a witness in Daniil’s case told the court. In German’s case, his father testified that he “is a deeply religious person and will not take up arms or take an oath, as this is prohibited by his religion”.

Krasnoyarsk Region courts twice declined to uphold Zakhar Asmalovsky’s lawsuit against the military authorities, meaning he will now be subject to conscription in the future.

A higher-level Conscription Commission in Kemerovo Region granted a fifth Baptist, Sergey Myalik, the right to undertake alternative service after his initial application was rejected at the district level.

According to the Council of Churches Baptists, all five young men are members of the church, which has a strong pacifist tradition.

Release International, December 17^th, 2023

As India heads towards elections in 2024, violence towards Christians is growing. Partners of Release International warn that persecution has increased under the current Hindu nationalist government. And if the ruling BJP is given a fresh mandate in 2024, they fear persecution will rachet up again.

Two factors are indicative of the growing hostility towards Christians. The first is the spread of anti-conversion laws and the arrests of Christians who share their faith.

The second is the ethnic violence in Manipur in northeast India which broke out in May 2023, and turned into religious persecution. Indian media estimate 175 were killed. Release International (RI) sources say around 300 churches were burned down and 60,000 people were driven from their homes.

One pastor has been unable to hold Sunday services for the past for five months. In September, he had to resort to conducting services over the telephone. Another congregation whose church was destroyed in May has been unable to hold meetings. To care for his congregation, the pastor must visit them individually.

Threats and persecution have now spread to surrounding areas. But wherever possible, pastors continue to conduct Sunday services. 

Voice of the Martyrs, 28^th December 2023

Sed, the headman of his village and a faithful Christian, hosted a worship service in his home.  District officials reprimanded him and gave him an ultimatum: stop believing in Christ or lose his position in the village. Sed chose to follow Christ, telling the authorities, “I will not recant my faith.  I love God because he brings peace to my family.  I rejoice in my God.” He was immediately forced to sign a resignation letter, losing the post he had held for 18 years and the income he received from that position.

Villagers have begun to mock him and threaten his family with being shunned in the community. Despite this, Sed told a front-line worker that he felt stronger in his faith and still loves God very much. “I do not regret losing this income,” he said. “I want to follow my God and have eternal life.”   

The Communist government, in conjunction with Buddhist monks, persecutes Christians, with the exception of the government-controlled Lao Evangelical Church. Poverty, lack of infrastructure and mountainous terrain make evangelistic outreach challenging. Thanks to bold evangelists, churches continue to grow even as they experience ongoing persecution.

Some in Laos, particularly those in government leadership, view Christianity as a foreign religion and a tool used by the West to undermine the Communist Laotian regime. There are many house churches and some church buildings, but the vast majority do not have a trained pastor.

Joshua Project, January 1^st, 2024

The Turi are a Hindu people group who live in Bangladesh and northeast India. Their primary language is Bengali, and most live in the states of Rangpur, Rajshahi and Chittagong. They lead challenging lives. Many other groups of Hindus will not associate with them. The traditional occupation of the Turi involves making useful things from bamboo.  

The Turi are rejected by other Hindu communities. They may be hesitant to trust outsiders.   

Many of the Turi cannot read. Evangelists skilled in music can teach gospel concepts through songs and skits. Turi people can learn the songs and learn the ways of Christ and teach them to others.

Pray that this people group will be in awe of the Lord for His creation and realize that He is the only one worthy of worship and devotion.

Pray that believers among them would be elevated in their communities and that the word would be spread to those who need to hear it. Pray the church would grow in a healthy way, led by the power and goodness of the Holy Spirit. Pray the Turi would have good education and healthcare that help improve their communities. Pray that literacy rates would be improved so they can provide for their families.

Middle East Concern, December 11^th, 2023

Iranian Christians request prayer for Milad Goodarzi whose home in Karaj was raided today (11 December) by four members of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. Milad was arrested and has been taken to an unknown destination.

Milad had been released from Karaj Central Prison in March 2023 as part of a general amnesty granted to prisoners for the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. He was serving a three-year prison sentence (reduced on appeal from five years) after being convicted in June 2021 of “engaging in propaganda against the Islamic Republic” under the newly amended Article 500 of the Penal Code.

Milad had already served a four-month prison sentence in 2020 on the same charge. The 2021 amendments to Article 500 increased the maximum prison sentence from one to five years. Milad is one of the first Christian converts known to have been penalised for the peaceful expression of his faith under the new provisions.

Please pray that God will uphold Milad during interrogation, give him wisdom in his responses, will encourage and comfort Milad’s family, that no new charges will be brought against Milad on account of his faith and related activities, and that the Iranian authorities will cease harassing and persecuting their citizens on account of their religious beliefs. 

Church in Chains, November 30th, 2023 (excerpts)

Over eighty young Christians who belong to the Mahalians praise group have been released from Mai Serwa prison in recent months. The young people (most of them in their early 20s) were arrested in April in the capital Asmara where they had gathered to record a praise video.

Following their arrest, the young people were pressurised by prison guards to sign statements that they would not gather together for Christian meetings. Such pressure is commonly brought against Christian prisoners in Eritrea and while some prisoners have steadfastly refused to sign such statements, despite torture, others have taken the view that signing under duress is not binding. 

News of the release of some of the Mahalian prisoners first emerged at a conference in Dublin in September, when the keynote speaker Dr Berhane Asmelash told delegates that about fifty of the group had recently been released. Since then, more have been freed – generally in small groups of between three and ten and it is hoped that the remaining twenty young people being held in prison will be released in coming weeks.

The activities of the Mahalians praise group were no secret as they posted a praise video in 2022 on YouTube. Members of the group were drawn from several Christian denominations, united by a desire to gather together to sing and record worship songs.

Although there has been no change in government policy towards Christians, hundreds of Christian prisoners have been released in the past three months and fewer  Christians have been arrested during the same period.

Voice of the Martyrs, 7^th December 2023

A church in the Batticaloa area of Sri Lanka conducted their first Christmas Care Pack distribution early in the summer. One of the distribution points was in a hunters’ village deep in the jungle. The children in this village were overjoyed to receive their packs.

No church was in this village prior to the distribution, but this event gave front-line workers the opportunity to negotiate with the village leader to allocate land to build a church. These workers are now in the process of procuring the land. Pray for the church to be firmly established in this village and the whole area.

The island nation of Sri Lanka, off the eastern coast of India, has never fully recovered from a civil war between Buddhist and Hindu factions that ended more than a decade ago. The government has put significant efforts into resettling those displaced during the conflict between the majority-Buddhist Sinhalese population and the Hindu Tamil separatists.   

There are strong churches in the country as well as parachurch organizations that provide Bible training, theological education and missions training. Churches in Sri Lanka are actively sending missionaries to other countries in South Asia.

Buddhists are the primary persecutors, sometimes led by Buddhist monks who openly stir up communities against the Christians who live among them. Hindus also oppose evangelism and conversion to Christianity.