The Weekly
Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
Thursday, October 20, 2011
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who
loved us."
-- Romans 8:35,37
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In this week's edition: reports from Sudan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan
and Iran
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1. Officials to demolish church buildings in Sudan
(Source: Compass Direct)
Government officials are threatening to destroy three church
buildings in Sudan. The church buildings were marked for
demolition with red crosses on September 11, and local church
leaders say the officials simply said, "We are going to demolish
these churches." Officials from the Ministry of Physical Planning
and Public Utilities - Khartoum State arrived at the Sudanese
Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church of Sudan and the Roman
Catholic Church accusing them of operating churches on government
land without permission, although church leaders say the buildings
are not located on government land. Christians in the region also
said officials from the Ministry of Guidance and Religious
Endowment have called church leaders for information about their
church members and activities, collecting information in an effort
to make Islam the official state religion. "This is purely for
intelligence purposes, so that they can put more restrictions on
churches and Christians," said the Rev. Yousif El-Denger Kodi,
general secretary of the Sudanese Lutheran Church. "We as church
leaders are aware of their plans, but we pray for God to rescue us
from their evil plans."
Please pray for the Lord's protection over the church in Sudan.
Please pray that followers of Christ in Sudan would remain
steadfast in the face of persecution and that they would be free
to worship in their local churches without harassment or fear.
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2. Church closed and pastor arrested in Indonesia
(Sources: VOM-USA, Kabar Gereja)
The pastor of an Indonesian church established almost a quarter of
a century ago has been arrested for allegedly forcing people to
attend church. He faces up to three months in prison for the
charges against him. His church has also been closed. Officials
allege that the Indonesia Pentecostal Church (GPdI) in Sumedang
was using an illegal building permit. Officials had previously
asked the church to cease conducting Christian worship and had
also requested that the church move its services into a building
belonging to the Institute of Public Administration (IPND). An
Indonesian Christian organization said the IPND cannot accommodate
the congregations of any more closed churches, since about 14
churches have already been relocated to the building. At least 30
churches have been closed or burned in Indonesia this year alone,
according to Jakarta Christian Communication Forum.
Please pray that Christian brothers and sisters in Indonesia would
continue to find the means to worship despite church building
closures and the arrest of church leaders. Please pray that God
would multiply the faith and love of His followers in Indonesia in
the face of persecution. Please pray that this church would be
reopened and its pastor freed.
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3. New laws in Kazakhstan oppress Christians
(Source: Forum 18 News Service)
The president of Kazakhstan has ushered in two new laws that
severely restrict freedom of religion. President Nursultan
Nazarbaev signed the laws -- which have been adopted with what one
observer called "unprecedented" speed -- in mid-October. The laws
have attracted fierce criticism from local religious groups, human
rights defenders and the Organisation for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). "The Law on Religious Activity and
Religious Associations" imposes a very complicated registration
system for faith groups, bans unregistered religious activity,
promotes censorship and requires government approval to build or
open new places of worship. The other new law includes amendments
that may also have a far-reaching impact on religious freedom.
Pray for courage and wisdom for Christians and others who are
raising a voice against these restrictive new laws. Please pray
believers would be protected from legal persecution. Pray that
President Nazarbaev's heart would be softened and that he would
relent and repent (Acts 9).
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4. Update: Pastor Vahik and Sonia Abrahamian flee Iran
(Source: FCNN)
Iranian pastor Vahik Abrahamian and his wife, Sonia, left the
country for the Netherlands on September 15 with the help of the
Netherlands Embassy and with approval from the Iranian government.
Vahik and Sonia continually expressed their desire to remain in
Iran for the sake of their ministry; however, fears for their
safety caused them to flee the country.
The Abrahamians were arrested along with another couple in
September 2010. Sonia and the other Christians were released from
prison in April 2011. Sonia was told her husband would be released
10 days later, but Pastor Vahik was not released until August 29
Thank the Lord for guiding and protecting Vahik and Sonia. Pray
that they would sense His presence and direction in the coming
months. Pray for the many other Iranian Christians who are
imprisoned for their faith, including Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.
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