INDIA: Pastor Killed and Wife Injured in Andhra Pradesh

Date of Bulletin: 22 January 2014

India

Photo: Pastor Sanjeevulu

Pastor Sanjeevulu and his wife, Prema, were brutally attacked by Hindu radicals on Jan. 10 in Vikarabad village. The pastor and his wife had continued their ministry work in defiance of warnings from the radicals to stop sharing the gospel and holding prayer meetings.

Pastor Sanjeevulu, who led the Hebron Fellowship Church, was at home with his wife on Jan. 10, when they heard a knock at the door. When the pastor opened the door, members of a Hindu radical group attacked  him, hitting him over the head and stabbing him. His wife tried to intervene, but she was then stabbed in the hand.

Neighbors and church members rushed the couple to the hospital. The next day, Pastor Sanjeevulu's heart stopped beating, but he revived after pastors and church leaders prayed over his body. Pastor Sanjeevulu  died from his injuries on Jan. 13. Before taking his last breath, he said, "God forgive those people who did this to me."

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

• Please pray that God will comfort and console Pastor Sanjeevulu's wife, Prema, and family.

• Pray that they will not lose heart but continue to faithfully serve the Lord.

• Pray for the salvation of the Hindu radicals involved in the attack.

"The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness." Is. 57:1-2

Voice Of the Martyrs is assisting the family through the Families of Martyrs Fund. VOM assists other Christians in India  through the Families of Martyrs fund, the Participating with Strategic Partners program and Bibles Unbound.

TURKMENISTAN: "Singing About God Here is Banned"

 

Date of Bulletin: 15 January 2014

Turkmenistan Flag

Police and Ministry of State Security (MSS) secret police recently raided the homes of two Christians who attend Light of the East Church in Dashoguz, Turkmenistan. The authorities seized religious literature, including personal Bibles, and threatened one believer with a 15-day jail term and deportation, even though he is a Turkmen citizen.

One raid occurred during a music rehearsal for the following Sunday's worship service. Officials stated that "singing about God here is banned." They also threatened to revoke the church's registration, thus making it illegal. A state religious affairs official, who is also an imam, pressured the church's pastor, Yuri Rozmetov, to become a Muslim because the Christian faith "is wrong."

Individuals and communities are increasingly faced with fines for exercising their freedom of religion or belief. Officials have refused to discuss the cases with Forum 18.

Forum 18 News Service

Please Pray!

• Pray that Christians in Turkmenistan will stand firm in their faith and that they will find favour with Turkmen officials.

• Pray that the church will not lose its registration and that members will be able to meet freely and without government interference.

• Pray for the salvation of Turkmen lawmakers and enforcers.

"Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." 1 Pet. 3:16-17

Voice Of the Martyrs provides Christian literature and other means of assistance for believers in Turkmenistan.

World Watch Monitor: Christian deaths double in 2014 World Watch List

This article is written by World Watch Monitor.

Published: January 08, 2014

More ‘killed for faith’ in Syria in 2013 than in whole world during 2012

The civil war in Syria has been especially deadly for the country's dwindling Christian population.World Watch Monitor

Nearly twice as many Christians died for their faith in the past year than in 2012, according to Open Doors International’s 2014 World Watch List.

Open Doors International, a charity that supports Christians under pressure for their faith, said 2,123  Christians were reported to have been killed during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 2013. That compares to 1,201 during the previous 12 months. During the most recent period, more Christians were killed in Syria alone than were killed globally in the previous year.

The World Watch List, which annually monitors the media worldwide for all reported incidents, emphasises that this is the “very, very minimum” count – only those who have been documented as killed.

Estimates of the total number killed range from around 7,000 or 8,000, according to the International Institute for Religious Freedom’s Thomas Schirrmacher, to the lofty 100,000 estimate of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity.

Beyond those killed, the World Watch List recommends that three more categories of Christians should be considered: Christians whose death is never reported; Christians killed due to increased vulnerability, such as those in conflict areas; and Christians who die due to long-term discrimination.

Taking these into account, as well as those whose deaths are reported by the media, the World Watch List suggests Schirrmacher’s estimation is roughly accurate, although the figure may be higher still.

“Christians aren’t always directly killed, but are so much squeezed with regulations and vulnerabilities that they just perish – not at once, but in the course of years. If we would include them in the counting, it would be an enormous number of people. However, the precise number of Christians who die due to these factors is very difficult to quantify,” according to the World Watch List.

Not surprisingly, Syria heads the list of the countries in which the most Christians were killed for their faith (1,213), followed by Nigeria (612), Pakistan (88) and Egypt (83).

Of the top 10, six are in Africa – with Kenya (20), Angola (16), Niger (15) and the Central African Republic (9) joining Nigeria and Egypt on the list.

The World Watch List states that the number of Christians killed in the Central African Republic is especially likely to have been under-reported because “most analysts still failed to recognise the religious dimension of the conflict”. The list says the same is true of North Korea, where “it is extremely difficult to get public information”.

Beyond the number of Christians killed, the World Watch List focuses upon other instances of violence, including: physical aggression; threats; the destruction of churches or other Christian buildings; attempts to destroy churches or Christian buildings; the closure of churches or Christian buildings; house expulsion or destruction; kidnap for ransom or intimidation; sexual assault; arrests; and displacement.

Considering only the sum of violent incidents recorded, Egypt (167) tops the list, followed by India (125) and Nigeria (118).

KENYA: Two Mombasa Pastors Killed the Same Day

Date of Bulletin: 8 January 2014

Kenya

On 19 October 2013, the pastor of Vikwatani Redeemed Gospel Church was shot to death in his church. Pastor Charles Matole, 41, was found slumped in a chair with a Bible in his lap. According to his widow, Clarice, the pastor had received death threats in the months prior to his murder, and people had thrown stones at the church during prayer services. Clarice told a Voice Of the Martyrs (VOM) worker that she thinks her husband was murdered to scare Christians away from the area.

Pastor Ebrahim Kidhatha, who started 36 churches and had recently been named pastor of a new church,  was also killed on Oct. 19. His wife, Sarah, grew concerned when he didn't return from an errand and she could not reach him on his cellphone. Pastor Kidhatha's body was found about 35 miles north of Mombasa.

Both murders are thought to be related to unrest between Christians and Muslims in the region, but no one  has claimed responsibility.

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

• Please lift up these precious women and their families in prayer, asking God to grant them comfort and peace in their time of grief.

• Pray that God will protect Christians in this area and give them an intensified burden for reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken." Ps. 37:12-15

Kenya is listed on VOM's prayer map as a Monitored Nation - an area being closely monitored by VOM because of a trend toward increased persecution of Christians.

 Below is a video from NTV Kenya reporting the shooting at Redeemed Gospel Church.

You can also watch the video on YouTube by clicking the following link: http://youtu.be/lhL0m3R-G-U

 

Colombia: In Search of a New Home (The Persecution of Paez Christians)

 Please pray for Christians in Colombia.

Colombia

 "When you see the joy of the indigenous Paez Christians from the Nasa tribe in southern Colombia, it's hard to imagine all that they have had to endure because of their faith in Jesus Christ. These evangelical believers were driven from their land because of their conviction to follow the teachings of God rather than engaging in practices that go against His Word. Many have paid a huge price for remaining faithful to the Lord. You'll be inspired by the devotion and perseverance of these followers of Christ and, at the same time, encouraged to hear how Christians in other parts of the world are helping them during their time of need."

From The Voice of the Martyrs Canada
Published on 31 Dec 2013

Link to video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/NNT4XYMX7HE

Update: 13 January 2014

Below is a link to an article at Mission Network News entitled, "Columbia's Persecuted Church Finally Finds Rest": http://www.mnnonline.org/news/colombias-persecuted-church-finally-finds-rest/

The Voice of the Martyrs' 2014 Global Prayer Map

Date of Bulletin: 1 January 2014




The Voice of the Martyrs' 2014 Prayer Map identifies three categories of nations where Christian  persecution merits our attention and assistance: Restricted, Hostile and Monitored.

Restricted -

Countries where government policy or practice prevents Christians from obtaining Bibles and other Christian literature, and that also leads to Christians being harassed, imprisoned, killed or deprived of possessions or liberties.

Hostile -
Large areas in nations where governments consistently attempt to provide protection for the Christian population, but Christians are victims of violence because of their witness.

Monitored -
Areas being closely monitored by VOM because of a trend toward increased persecution of Christians.

Watch for your free copy of the 2014 Prayer Map in the January VOM newsletter. Visit our online  Restricted Nations Map for more information.

Please Pray!

• Please remember to keep our persecuted family in prayer.
• Pray also for the salvation of those in leadership positions in these countries.

Click here for additional prayer needs of persecuted Christians, or go to  www.icommittopray.com.

"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them-those who are mistreated-since you yourselves are in the body also." Hebrews 13:3

You can order additional copies of the 2014 Prayer Map or sign up for VOM's free monthly newsletter by calling (800) 747-0085. You may also sign up for the newsletter at www.persecution.com.

EGYPT: High-Profile Convert Detained for Allegedly "Inciting Strife"

 Date of Bulletin: 25 December 2013

Mohammed Hegazy, now known by his Christian name, Bishoy Armia Boulos, was arrested on Dec. 4 at a cafe in Minya, Upper Egypt. Security forces claimed he had been working for a Christian satellite TV  channel and contributing to a "false image" that Christians in Minya are targets of violence.

Boulos's friends believe his arrest was another attempt to persecute Egypt's "best-known convert from Islam." Boulos was the first Egyptian to file a lawsuit in an attempt to change the religious identity on his ID card. He had previously been arrested and tortured because of his conversion to Christianity, and he was
forced into hiding after receiving death threats.

On Dec. 10, Boulos was transferred from the prison in Minya to a prison outside the city, due to concerns for his safety. Informants had told prison security that Muslim prisoners were planning to kill Boulos for  becoming a Christian.

Sources: Morningstar News, Release International, VOM Sources

Photo: Bishoy Armia Boulos

Please Pray!

• Pray that God will intervene and protect Boulos and that international attention will result in his release.
• Pray for his wife and two children, believed to be living abroad.
• Pray that Egypt's new constitution will protect the religious rights of its citizens.

"The proud have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your law. All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help me!" Ps. 119:85-86

Voice Of the Martyrs assists Christians in Egypt through the VOMedical fund, Families of Prisoners fund, Christian radio broadcasts and discipleship training for former Muslims.