In the first four days of September 2023, two churches in the same town of Lumbini Province were attacked. Church facilities were damaged and two male pastors were assaulted on the street. A sticky black substance was smeared on the pastors’ faces, a cultural sign of disrespect and hatred.

These attacks are the latest in a series of at least seven incidents of violence against churches in Nepal over a two-week period.

Pray that the Lord will provide the resources needed to repair the damage done to these churches. Pray for protection, wisdom and guidance for our Nepalese brothers and sisters in Christ as they continue faithfully to serve the Lord and minister to the community.

(Source & Photo: VOMC)

#Persecuted Church

Twenty-Four year old Ajay, was pressured by his community and the police to renounce his Christian faith.

The police arrested him and brought a false charge against him in an attempt to make him recant his faith. He was jailed for 9 days.

Despite the ongoing pressure, Ajay has persevered in his faith. The pastor of Ajay’s church attends the church occasionally and Ajay leads the service when the pastor is not there.

Ajay knows that he will face difficulties as a follower of Jesus but he has chosen not to forsake Christ.

Pray that the Lord will strengthen Ajay and help him to overcome every challenge. Pray that Ajay will learn to depend more and more on the Lord for wisdom and guidance. Pray that they church will continue to grow and flourish even in an oppressive environment.

(Source & Photo: VOM)

#Persecuted Church

Shaukat Masih and his wife, Kiran, live in Lahore, Pakistan, with their three children aged thirteen, nine and seven.

Shaukat was at work while his wife was at a neighbour’s house when another neighbor spotted pages from a holy book on the street near the Christian couple’s house. Upon investigation, a bag containing more pages from this book was discovered on the rooftop tucked behind a water tank. The neighbour threatened to physically harm the Christian family and also incited others to do the same.

The Christian couple was subsequently detained by the police even though there is no evidence that they committed a deliberate act of desecration. According to Kiran, the bag of paper was given to her by an employer to sell to a scrap vendor.

As no other family members were available to help, the couple’s three school-aged children had to temporarily stay with another Christian family in the area. The eldest suffers from rickets, the nine-year-old is mentally handicapped and the youngest misses her detained parents.

Pray that all charges against Shaukat and Kiran will be dropped. Pray that they will be released early and be reunited with their children. Pray that the Lord will protect and provide for this family. Pray that the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard their hearts and minds in Christ (Phil 4:7).  

(Source & Photo: VOMC)

#Persecuted Church

Shiva and Kamleshor are leaders of a group of 20 Christians who have been meeting for fellowship in a Maithili-speaking region of Nepal.

On 24th June 2023, a group of more than 40 thugs surrounded the home where the Christians were meeting. The thugs threatened and mocked the believers and live-streamed the abuse on social media for 3 hours.

The believers were discouraged by this incident but thankful that the Body of Christ remembered them in prayer. Despite the threats, the church continues to meet regularly.

Front-line workers recently distributed audio Bibles in the Maithili language to these believers to encourage the church as most of them are illiterate.

Pray that these faithful believers will remain firm in their faith. Pray that they will continue to grow in their knowledge and maturity in Christ and be powerful witnesses for Christ wherever they go.  

(Source & Photo: VOM)

#Persecuted Church

Members of the Bethel Indonesia Church meet for worship in various homes in Jalan Banuaran, a village located in Padang, Indonesia.

On 29th August, as believers were worshiping God in the home of Juni, a hostile woman from the community, Liza, broke the windows of the house and demanded that the believers stop worshipping.

Shortly afterwards, Liza’s husband came to Juni’s house, along with two of his brothers who were armed with a machete and a wooden club. The men threatened to kill the Christians if they refused to stop their worship meeting.

The believers prayed while Pastor Hiatani tried in vain to calmly diffuse the situation by explaining that the landlord of the property and the head of their Indonesian community are aware of the church’s activities.

Liza, a relative of the owner of the house church and who lives in the back of a nearby house, was subsequently detained by the police who referred to this incident as a “misunderstanding”.

Pray that there will be a peaceful resolution of this situation. Pray that the believers can continue worshipping the Lord in that house church without any fear of harm. Pray that God will work mightily in the hearts and minds of the opposing community members, as well as the authorities involved in this case, so that harmonious relationships can be built between the church and the landlord’s family and neighbours.  

(Source & Photo : VOMC)

#Persecuted Church