Prayer Alert! China Continues Its Anti-Church Campaign without Signs of Stopping

I have received the following prayer alert, dated Friday 27 June 2014 from International Christian Concern:

Prayer Alert:

  

China Continues Its Anti-Church Campaign without Signs of Stopping

Dear Friend,

International Christian Concern (ICC) continues to follow the developing situation in China as the country continues its widespread and massive anti-church crackdown with 360 churches in Zhejiang province alone having been destroyed and/or their crosses (or steeples) torn down.  On the morning of June 20, 2014, believers from Yahui Church of Pingyang County responded in a peaceful protest as the government lowered the church's cross.  Believers burst into tears and sang a hymn, "Cross, cross, be my glory forever; all my sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus." Watch the powerful video here.

About Video:

Published on 25 Jun 2014 by International Christian Concern

Chinese Christians published a public letter to the local government and asked for communication facing the massive anti-church campaign in Wenzhou City. However, within the week from the day the letter was published, Yahui Church in Pingyang County was forcibly removed on Friday morning. The video shows while the cross was slowly removed by a government construction machine, believers were bursting into tears and singing the Chinese hymn "cross, cross, be my glory forever; all my sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus." Video link: http://youtu.be/-pqOrW5JvrQ

  

Please stop and pray fervently for China.

• Pray for the safety of the Christians in China who are defending their churches from demolition or modification.  Christians in the area have vowed to "guard their church to the end."  

• Pray for the Christians in China who are targeted and often attacked, oppressed, and harassed by the government simply for their faith in Christ. 

• Pray for the blessing of the millions of Christians in China who are forced to worship in underground house churches.  

• Pray for courage and faith of the Christians who are taking a stand against the government crackdown. 

• Pray that the truth about the anti-church campaign will be revealed and China's treatment of Christians will gain the international attention it warrants.  

• Pray for the unity of the Church in China facing persecution.

Sincerely in Christ,

Jeff King

President, ICC

- Matthew 5:10-12 (ESV) -

#China #ChristianPersecution #VOM #Pray #HumanRights #UN

SERBIA: Church Members Threatened by Attacks

Date of Bulletin: 21 May 2014

SERBIA

Attackers threw Molotov cocktails at a church in Serbia on April 21, causing minor damage and frightening local believers. One of the Molotov cocktails landed inside the church, partially burning the carpet.

Church members are thankful that the damage wasn't more severe, but several are still fearful. The attackers were arrested and sentenced to 30 days in jail, but the church continues to receive threats.

Voice Of the Martyrs Sources

 

Pray for Serbian Christians

• One of the church members wrote, "Please pray in the name of Christ for our church members and support them in prayer because they really need strength… the people who help in the work of God need strength."
• Pray also that the Holy Spirit will speak to these believers and release them from fear.

Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

- Psalm 64:1 -

VOM is assisting believers in Serbia with encouragement and literature.

#Serbia #ChristianPersecution #Pray

NIGERIA: Christian Killed by Boko Haram Militants

Bulletin Date: 5 November 2013

On Sept. 24, Boko Haram militants surrounded the home of 60-year-old Sunday Luka in Gwoza (Borno State) and set his house on fire. Luka died of smoke inhalation inside the burning house.

About three months earlier, Luka and his 14-year-old son fled their home in Gwoza after receiving death threats from Boko Haram. A pastor in Adamawa state provided refuge for Luka, his son and another refugee from Gwoza while Luka looked for a safer place to relocate his family.

On Sept. 23, Luka returned to Gwoza to share food and funds that he had received from Voice Of the Martyrs with his family. The following morning, members of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram burned down the house with Luka inside.

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

Please pray for Sunday Luka's family in their time of grief and loss. Pray that Boko Haram will be uprooted from Nigeria and that a spirit of peace will reign in their place.

"And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." Romans 16:20

VOM assists hundreds of pastors in Nigeria and also provides food, clothing and medical aid to Nigerian Christians who are attacked.

Prayer Request: Yang Rongli - China

http://www.be-a-voice.net/

Prisoner Profile

Prisoner Name: Yang Rongli

LOCATION: China
ARRESTED: November 2009
REVISED: 11 August 2013




On Nov. 25, 2009, Pastor Yang Rongli and four other Linfen-Fushan church leaders from Shanxi Province were sentenced to criminal detention for two to seven years, according to China Aid Association. The five church leaders were accused of "gathering people to disturb the public order," because they organized a prayer rally on Sept. 14, the day after 400 military police raided the church's grounds. During the raid, more than 30 believers were seriously wounded and 17 buildings were destroyed.

Release Date

Yang Rongli is scheduled to be released in 2017
.

Yang Rongli Severly Ill - August 2013

Halfway through her sentence, Yang Rongli is suffering with severe medical problems. She is suffering from
diabetes, high blood pressure, and hepatitis € she feels dizzy and disoriented all the time. The prison will not
provide the medical care she desperately needs.

Please pray for her health and that the prison officials will have mercy on her and allow her to receive treatment.

Pebbles for Christ is a volunteer voice for the persecuted church.

You too could become an advocate voice for the persecuted church in your local church and community by becoming a member of VOM's Be-A-Voice Network. The Be-A-Voice Network is an online volunteer opportunity created by The Voice of the Martyrs. This ministry allows friends like you to help our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world in a real and immediate way. If you are willing to PRAY, WRITE or SHARE with others, then the Be-A-Voice Network is the tool for you. Click here to visit Be-A-Voice's website.

VIETNAM: New Believers Pressured to Renounce Faith

http://www.be-a-voice.net/

Bulletin Date: 31 July 2013

A young couple who accepted Christ last month have been beaten and
threatened by officials, according to a VOM worker. Local authorities hit the wife on the face with a stick and threatened to take the couple's land and home if they refuse to renounce Christianity and return to Buddhism.

The wife fears further beatings, and the husband is afraid they will lose their land and have no way of supporting their family. The couple, who survive through subsistence farming, have three boys aged 10, 12 and 14. Their pastor is trying to help, but he lives 15 miles away in another village.

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

Please pray for the protection and provision of this family and that they will stand firm in their faith. Pray for the salvation of the local officials.

"My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Ps. 62:5-8

VOM assists believers in Vietnam by providing Bibles, shortwave radios, Christian literature and support for families of prisoners, among other means of assistance.

http://www.persecution.com/

EGYPT: Islamic Extremists Lashing Out Against Christians

http://www.persecution.com/

The bloodshed in Egypt continues following former President Mohammad Morsi's removal from office on July 3 by the Egyptian military. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood are lashing out at Christians, apparently blaming them for the military's actions against Morsi.

On July 6, the Reverend Mina Abboud Sharoubeam was killed by gunmen on a motorcycle as he left his Coptic Christian church in the Al Masaeed area of Arish in Sinai, a VOM worker reported.

In additional post-Morsi violence, radical Muslims killed four Christians and
burned Christian houses and shops in Al Dabaa village in the Luxor region
of Upper Egypt. The injured and homeless in the area are taking refuge in a
church that also came under attack, our worker said. Three other Christian
churches have been burned across Egypt, and Christian businesses in
Dalga and Deir Mawas in Minya, Egypt, have also been attacked by Islamic
extremists.

VOM Contacts

Please Pray!

Christians in Egypt are asking for "prayers for protection of all Egyptians in this very hard time and for Christian families in Upper Egypt." Pray that the Lord will bring safety and stability to the region.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Rom. 8:35-37

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

Pebbles for Christ is a volunteer voice for the persecuted church.

You too could become an advocate voice for the persecuted church in your local church and community by becoming a member of VOM's Be-A-Voice Network. The Be-A-Voice Network is an online volunteer opportunity created by The Voice of the Martyrs. This ministry allows friends like you to help our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world in a real and immediate way. If you are willing to PRAY, WRITE or SHARE with others, then the Be-A-Voice Network is the tool for you!

Click here to visit Be-A-Voice's website.

Prayer Request: Wenxi Li - China

Prisoner Profile

PRISONER NAME: Wenxi Li

 

LOCATION: China
ARRESTED: December 2012
REVISED: 25 July 2013



A Christian bookstore employee, Wenxi Li, and another man associated with the
bookstore, Lacheng Ren, were arrested and sentenced to prison terms for their role in
the Enyu Bookstore in Taiyuan. On June 17, 2013, Wenxi Li was sentenced to two years
in prison by the court of Xiaodian district of Taiyuan in central China.

In 2012, Wenxi Li, a book store worker in Beijing, traveled to Shanxi province to help
local Christians there open a new book store in the capital city of Taiyuan. But police
raided the new business, Enyu Bookstore, and confiscated hundreds of books that
Wenxi had brought with him from Beijing.

According to the South China Morning Post, one security worker allegedly shouted at
Wenxi and his co-workers, "Don't you dare bring Christian culture here. This is our turf."

On Dec. 19, 2012, Wenxi was asked to come to a police station to retrieve the $6,000
worth of books that police had seized. But when he arrived at the police station, he was immediately arrested and sent to prison. Police were quoted as saying Wenxi was denied bail because of the seriousness of his "crime."

His wife, Cai Hong Li, said police told her that her husband was arrested because he was involved in an "illegal business." However, Cai Hong said the bookstore had a legal license to operate and that her husband was not involved with managing the business. He was "just sent to find a rental place for a new store," Cai Hong said.

Since her husband's arrest, Cai Hong said she and her two children have received harassment from anonymous sources. She added that she fears for her children's safety.

While in prison awaiting trial, Wenxi led three people to Christ. His family is planning to appeal his case.

Please pray for Lacheng Ren and Wenxi Li.

TANZANIA: Eva Abdallah in Hiding from Muslim Extremists

https://www.be-a-voice.net/

Bulletin Date: 17 July 2013

In July 2012, 18-year-old Eva Abdallah was sentenced to two years in prison after being accused of desecrating the Quran. She was released from prison in January 2013 after being acquitted by the High Court of Tanzania.

Angered by Eva Abdallah's acquittal, Islamic extremists are now seeking the young woman to exact their own version of justice. For her personal safety, Eva has been relocated to another area and is adjusting well.

 

Eva Abdallah converted from Islam to Christianity four years ago. After her conversion, her parents disowned her and a group of radicals in her hometown of Bagamoyo tried to persuade her to renounce her Christian faith. When she refused, they falsely accused her of desecrating a Quran.

VOM Sources
Photo: Eva Abdallah

 

You can read further about Eva's case by visiting: http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_220_profile.html

Please Pray!

Please pray for Eva Abdallah's continued protection and safety. Pray that she will find acceptance and solace in God's family of loving and caring believers. Pray for the salvation of those who seek her life.

"But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. 'And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.'" 1 Pet. 3:14

VOM provides legal assistance to Christian converts from Islam and to other Christians in Tanzania.

http://www.persecution.com/

Pebbles for Christ is a volunteer voice for the persecuted church.

You too could become an advocate voice for the persecuted church in your local church and community by becoming a member of VOM's Be-A-Voice Network. The Be-A-Voice Network is an online volunteer opportunity created by The Voice of the Martyrs. This ministry allows friends like you to help our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world in a real and immediate way. If you are willing to PRAY, WRITE or SHARE with others, then the Be-A-Voice Network is the tool for you. Click here to visit Be-A-Voice's website.

TAJIKISTAN: Christian Convert in Hiding

 Bulletin date: 10 July 2013

Nadia, a Christian convert in Tajikistan, is experiencing severe persecution from her Muslim family members. Nadia converted from Islam to Christianity in 2011. When her mother found out, she beat Nadia, burned her Bible and tore her clothing. Nadia tried to run away, but her brothers found her. They shaved her hair, gave her a public beating and locked her in their house. When she ran away, they caught her again.

On June 9, a VOM contact learned that Nadia's family had beaten her again, this time for hours, and forced her to say the Muslim statement of faith. Nadia was rescued from her family by other Christians and is currently in hiding.

 

The government of Tajikistan prohibits teaching children about religion, except in government approved places. It also prohibits the printing and
distribution of religious materials that have not been approved by government censors. Open evangelism would result in a visit by the police.

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

Pray that Nadia will remain strong in her faith and that the Lord will strengthen and protect her. Pray that the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of her family members and draw them to faith in Christ.

"And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; and they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you; for I am with you to save you and deliver you," says the LORD. "I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible." Jer. 15:20-21

The Voice of the Martyrs has a variety of projects to help Christians in Tajikistan.

Pebbles for Christ is a volunteer voice for the persecuted church.

You too could become an advocate voice for the persecuted church in your local church and community by becoming a member of VOM's Be-A-Voice Network. The Be-A-Voice Network is an online volunteer opportunity created by The Voice of the Martyrs. This ministry allows friends like you to help our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world in a real and immediate way. If you are willing to PRAY, WRITE or SHARE with others, then the Be-A-Voice Network is the tool for you. Click here to visit Be-A-Voice's website.