Monthly archive for May 2022

A Christian website, “Jona Home”, which has been operating for more than 20 years, was forced to shut down due to new measures severely restricting online religious content effective from 1st March.

On 12th April, the Christian website posted the following notice: “Due to reasons known to everyone, from now on our site can no longer serve brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks to all for your company and support in the past 21 years!”

A license is now required to post religious subject matter on the Internet and access to such licences are limited.

Pray that God will grant wisdom and guidance to leaders and ministry workers of churches and Christian organizations as they endeavour to share the gospel in a restrictive environment. Pray that believers will find new innovative and more effective ways to share the Word and minister to one another. Pray that believers will stand firm in their faith and beliefs undaunted by constraints of any kind.

 

(Source & Photo : VOMC)

#Persecuted Church

The children of persecuted Christians are often denied basic and/or quality educational opportunities and this puts them at a disadvantage when looking for employment when they grow up. We believe that education helps eradicate the poverty cycle and empower people to stand up for their rights and beliefs. Yet, the children of persecuted Christians in many parts of Asia are denied this most basic service.

Goshen aims to work with churches and non-profit organizations, to set up e-learning hubs, equipped with learning devices that can function on and offline, in the villages of persecuted Christian communities. These learning devices will be loaded with intuitive and interactive educational content to help users improve their literacy, numeracy and learn precious life skills.

We aim to reach approximately 5,000 children and young people in persecuted Christian communities in Asia, namely in Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and China.

Would you prayerfully consider giving towards Project “Advancing the Great Commission” and play a crucial role in helping children and youths in persecuted Christian communities to break out of the vicious cycle of poverty and empower them to not only stand up for their rights and beliefs, but to also fulfill their God-given destiny?

On 3rd April, police raided Zion Reformed Church’s worship service. Seven Christians, including the respective spouses of the church’s pastor and another member were detained in late 2021 under the guise of preventing the spread of coronavirus. Each believer was asked to sign a pledge stating they would no longer attend the church. The believers refused. As a result, they were each made to pay a fine of 500 yuan. Their handphones were also confiscated before being released.

Pray for Pastor An and another church member, Zhang, who are still in prison. Pray that God will strengthen and enable them to endure the challenges they have to face during their time in prison and during this time of separation from their loved ones.

Pray that members of the church who have endured persecution will grow stronger in their faith. Pray that they will be able to find other ways to gather for worship and ministry. Pray that the gospel message will continue to spread throughout China.

 

(Source & Photo : VOM)

#Persecuted Church

On 13th February 2022, a Christian father, Nin, died leaving behind two daughters, Neung and Nom, and a son, Ram. The three siblings had already lost their mother, grandmother and a sister, all of whom were Christians, since 2009.

Nin’s older brother and sister-in-law blamed the deaths on the family’s belief in God and offered to care for the orphaned teens only if they rejected Christ. The teens refused, saying they could never reject Jesus. This angered the teens’ uncle and he refused to care for them. So, Nom, 16, and Ram, 13, had to move in with their pastor’s family whilst Neung, who has since graduated from high school lives on her own.

Pray that God will bless these 3 young believers for standing firm in their faith. Pray that God will protect them and provide for all their needs in the absence of their parents. Pray that they will continue to grow in maturity and in their knowledge of the Lord. Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict the hearts of their uncle and aunt and lead them to Christ.

 

(Source & Photo : VOM)

#Persecuted Church

Six believers from the Shenzhen Trinity Harvest Church had been attending baptism classes for several months. On 5th September 2021, these believers, together with Pastor Mao and other church members, drove to a beach in Huizhou to celebrate the church’s anniversary. But the beach was closed by the authorities before they could gather.

To avoid encountering such a situation again, the believers decided to take a 2-hour drive on 16th April 2022 to a remote beach in a different city where they could hold the baptism service. Thankfully, the baptism service was able to proceed uninterrupted. However, pictures and videos of the event was posted on WeChat shortly afterwards and within 30 minutes Pastor Mao received a phone call asking him to verify his identity. Several minutes later, the authorities arrived at the restaurant where Pastor Mao and the church members were having lunch. The authorities checked the Christians’ identities and conducted facial recognition scans.

The Shenzhen Trinity Harvest Church is a relatively young church that has attracted much attention over the past 5 years since its inception. They have been victims of numerous police raids and arrests during the past year. However, Pastor Mao is convinced that God is still in control and they just need to trust and follow Him.

Pray that these newly baptized believers will be strengthened in their faith and encouraged to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. Pray that they will be emboldened to continue following Christ and sharing the Gospel wherever they go.

 

(Source & Photo : VOMC)

#Persecuted Church)