Monthly archive for November 2020

On 18th October this year, as a Sunday prayer service was concluding, a Sri Lankan pastor and a member of his congregation were chastised for continuing worship activities despite opposition from villagers. The pastor was ordered to cease all church operations immediately. A list containing the names of all the congregants, a document that had been intended for COVID-19 contact tracing, was also seized.

In another incident, a pastor of a church in Nawalapitiya was questioned about the church’s registration status and the total number of members.

Please uphold our Sri Lankan brothers and sisters in prayer. Whenever they are questioned, pray that they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit who will give them the very words to say in their moments of need (Luke 21:11-12).

Pray that they will be encouraged to continue serving the Lord and fervently representing Him in their communities. Pray that they will be shining witnesses of the love and warmth of Christ such that even their persecutors will be drawn to God.

 

(Source & Photo Credit : VOMC)

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Pastor Zhetis Raulov is the pastor of New Life Church in the city of Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

During the COVID-19 quarantine in April this year, Zhetis was summoned to meet representatives of the Religious Affairs at his church building. Pastor Zhetis parked his car outside city limits and took a taxi to the meeting so that he could not be accused of breaking quarantine driving restrictions. However, no one showed up for the meeting. So, he returned to his car only to be pulled by the authorities for breaking quarantine.

After a five-minute trial, Pastor Zhetis was sentenced to 10 days in prison and during this time, his family was harassed by thugs.

Pray that God would give Pastor Zhetis and his family the strength, courage and wisdom to handle such challenging situations. Pray that they will be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matt 10:16).

 

(Source & Photo Credit : VOM)

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An Indonesian Christian was not allowed to renovate her house if she intend to use it for Christian purposes. The believer received a letter from the local village council of Ngastemi village, telling her that her Christian activities had caused unrest in the village. “It is prohibited to hold Christian meetings and/or prayer meetings … in order to create a harmonious atmosphere between people, especially in Karangdami colony,” the letter said.

Pray that this woman along with other believers in her village will come to an agreement with authorities about practicing their faith in Christ. Pray for wisdom to handle the situation.

 

(Source & Photo Credit : VOM)

#persecuted church

Do you recall how the members and pastors of Early Rain Church in Chengdu, Sichuan, were arrested and the church raided in December 2018?.

Pastor Wang Yi, founder of Early Rain Church, is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence. The location where the congregation used to meet has since been demolished and all future gatherings have been banned. Despite these measures, church members sought alternative ways to continue meeting for worship and to share the message of the Gospel.

On October 11th, Xuewei Jia was taken for interrogation because he participated in a retreat service. According to his social media account, he was forced into a van, verbally abused, and interrogated for eight hours before being allowed to return home.

Li Yingqiang, an elder of Early Rain Covenant Church, and fellow church member, Xiao Luobiao were participating in an online worship session when their home was raided on the morning of October 25th. Both Pastor Li and Xiao were detained until afternoon. Pastor Li was forced to delete all tweets from his Twitter account and ordered to remove the listed names of all his followers.

Although Pastor Li and his family moved away from Chengdu to Leshan, which is about 180 kilometres away, the harassment continued and the lease he signed for the rental of his current home was ordered to be rescinded. He is once again forced to leave his home.

Pastor Li has requested for prayer, “May the Lord provide us a place…(helping) us lean on His grace and guidance as we take each step…so we can bear witness to His justice and mercy.”

Please pray that the Lord will provide Pastor Li and family with protection and a safe new home to live in. Pray that as they wait for God’s leading, they will be filled with renewed strength and encouragement to face daily challenges.

Pray also for the other members of Early Rain Covenant Church during this season of heightened persecution, including the imprisoned Pastor Wang Yi. While praising God for their unwavering faith in the midst of difficulty, continue to prayerfully uphold them so that they will have the courage and resolve to remain obedient to our King.

Pray that God, in His abundant mercy, will touch the hearts of His opposers, in hopes that they too will walk in the love and salvation of Christ.

 

(Source & Photo Credit : VOMC)

#persecuted church

Khampang came to salvation in Christ after witnessing God’s goodness and after being healed of an ailment.

In his village, there are only two other Christians, and both experienced harsh reactions from their families because of their faith in Christ. One young man was disowned by his family whilst the other Christian, a teenager, was kicked out of his family home. Both young men were forced to leave the village.

Community leaders did not punish Khampang because he is an elder in the village. However, they still persecuted Khampang by convincing his wife that his decision to become a Christian was illegal. As a result, she refused to sleep in the same bed as Khampang and she would give him small either portions of food or nothing at all. When Khampang recently met with VOM partners, large tears rolled down his cheeks as he shared how his family had rejected him.

Pray for Khampang and the two Christians who were forced to leave the village. Pray that they will find peace and comfort in the Lord during this difficult time.

Pray that God will soften the hearts of their family members and they will be reconciliation. Pray that Khampang and the two Christians will continue to remain faithful to God and trust in His sovereign plan in their lives.

 

(Source & Photo Credit : VOM)

#persecuted church