persecuted church

[totallylovedbygod]

"Pain and suffering are not good; disobedience to Jesus is even worse." ~ Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel Eritrean prisoner​

INDIA: Pastor and Family Detained; Multiple Other Christians Arrested​ Sources: UCA News, Christian Post, Church in Chains​ A worship service in India. Photo: VOMC ​ ​ A pastor, his wife and their three-year-old son have been jailed in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after holding a prayer service at their home in Haidargarh on July 30th. Pastor Harendra Singh and his wife Priya were arrested and remanded on allegations of "luring innocent people to Christianity." Because both of these parents were detained, they had to take their young son with them to prison. This family was among several other groups of believers who were recently arrested in Uttar Pradesh. An unnamed Christian leader in the region stated, "The situation has reached such a stage that holding a prayer service or reading the Bible at home can land you in jail." On the same day that Pastor Harendra and his family were taken into custody, Pastor Amarjeet Ram and 14 other Christians were arrested at a prayer meeting in the village of Balapur. While 11 of the believers had been released on bail soon afterwards, Pastor Amarjeet and three others remained in custody until they were granted bail on August 9th. Additionally, in two separate incidents that occurred around the same time in other districts of the state, similar arrests were made of seven other Christians. State law prohibits any change of religion through allurement, force or coercion. However, false accusations frequently lead to charges where there has been no such inducement. Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states in India where Christians experience persecution because of their faith. For more reports addressing the challenges encountered by our Christian brothers and sisters in India, go to our country report. Pray that all charges will be dropped against these Christians who now must legally contend with judicial authorities in defence of the false accusations presented against them because of their faith. In the interim, may Pastor Harendra and his family, as well as the other believers remaining in custody, tangibly sense the Lord's comforting presence with them. Amid the increasing religious tensions taking place in various states of India, pray that followers of Jesus will find effective ways to continue sharing the love and grace of God with those around them. INDONESIA: Access to Church Building Blocked​ Source: International Christian Concern​ A church in Indonesia. Photo: VOMC ​ ​ Gaining permission to build a church building in Indonesia has proven onerous for many followers of Jesus, creating multiple instances of conflict between Christians, community members, as well as their governing leaders. (For previously published reports outlining some of these incidents, go to our country report.) The Indonesian Pentecostal Church in Sungai Barar, which is located on the island of Sumatra, had managed to successfully go through the approval process and complete the construction of their new building with all necessary permits. Rather than being able to enjoy gathering in their government-approved facility, the congregation now faces a new challenge: local community members have built a wall that is blocking the only passable road to the building. In a social media post that was published on July 24th, Pastor Ruyanto Situmorang shared how surrounding landowners had constructed a wall across the road, preventing congregants from gathering. Alternate roads were impassable due to large holes and other obstructions. The church's leadership has brought their case before the Regional Representatives Council of Jambi Province, whose members are imploring the local government to help the congregation resolve the issue. Pray that the officials of Sumatra's provincial and local governments would be open and willing to assist this congregation in finding an amicable resolution to the dispute relating to the wall built by opposing neighbours. May this challenging situation serve as an opportunity for these church members to demonstrate the love, grace and peace of God to their opposers. Furthermore, please pray for the Lord's blessings upon the ministry of this body of believers as they faithfully reach out to those of their community with the Good News of the Gospel. PRAISE REPORT​ ERITREA: Several Imprisoned Christians Released!​ Source: VOM USA​ Pastor Haile Naizgi and Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel ​ ​ In a Persecution & Prayer Alert report that was published on July 27th, a call had been issued for prayer on behalf of two Christian leaders who have served more than 7,000 days in prison, without charge, because of their faith. (For more details about their situations, go to this page.) Although Pastor Haile and Dr. Kiflu presently remain imprisoned, along with hundreds of other Eritrean followers of Christ, we can at least rejoice over the good news that 13 believers were released from custody in late July. The seven women and six men had reportedly been in prison for approximately ten years. Due to security concerns, the names of these recently released Christians have not been made public. Speaking of the recent releases, Todd Nettleton from VOM USA states, "We may never know [on] this side of heaven exactly how all those pieces fell into place." Todd further explains that he does not believe it was merely a coincidence that these Christians were freed so soon after 'the call to prayer and action' was issued on behalf of believers imprisoned in Eritrea. This serves as an encouraging reminder to us all that prayer changes things! Please join us in praising God for the recent release of the 13 Eritrean believers, while also continuing to pray for the hundreds of other Christians remaining unjustly imprisoned in the country. May God intervene in the hearts and minds of the officials responsible for detaining these persevering followers of Jesus, as well as the fellow inmates with whom the Christian prisoners interact each day. Finally, pray that the Lord will grant His sustaining grace, protection and strength to each one of our suffering Christian family members in this East African nation.