KENYA: Six Killed and 15 Injured in Church Attack

 Date of Bulletin: 9 April 2014

KENYA

Three unidentified, armed men attacked the Joy of Christ Church near Mombasa on Sunday, March 23, killing Pastor Philip Msasa and five others. The gunmen entered the church during Sunday morning service  and opened fire on worshipers.

In addition to the six believers who were killed, 15 others, including some children, were hospitalized with  gunshot wounds. The men later attempted to attack the nearby Redeemed Church, but security guards prevented them from entering.

The attack on the church came one day after Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku warned a radical Islamic imam to stop inciting youth to violence. On Feb. 2, police stormed the Masjid Musa  mosque and arrested several youth after finding materials linking them to radicalization.

One week later, six bombs, an AK-47, ammunition and grenades were found in a vehicle in Mombasa. The situation is very worrisome for Christians, who have been the main target of these attacks.

VOM Sources, AllAfrica

Please Pray!

• Please pray that God will stop the infiltration of radical Islam in Kenya.

• Please pray that He will protect the churches and believers there and give them a stronger burden to reach the lost with the gospel.

• Pray for the injured and the families who have lost loved ones.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

- Romans 8:18 -

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

#Kenya #ChristianPersecution #Jesus #Prayer #PebblesForChrist #Christian

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