Barnabas Prayer May June 2014

THE AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

to help you pray for the persecuted church

www.barnabasfund.org

prayer

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Thank you for your prayers for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ, which make such a difference to them. We sometimes have to change or omit their names for security reasons, and we have only limited space to share their stories. But the Lord knows the people and places we are praying about. Thank you for your understanding.

Please do not feel limited by the specific prayer requests, but pray as you feel led. On each Sunday we have provided a set prayer; please feel free to use these in their current form, to adapt them as you prefer, or to use the information they contain to frame your own prayers.

MayThursday 1 Cry out to the Lord for Christians in the Central African Republic (CAR) who have been driven from their homes by the violence that has engulfed their country. Attacks by Islamist Séléka militants and retaliation from “anti-balaka” militias has generated a huge humanitarian crisis in which around two million people, many of them Christians, are in need of emergency assistance. Give thanks for the work of Barnabas partners who have been providing food rations to hundreds of displaced believers in the capital, Bangui, and distributing food, medicines, clothing and seeds to thousands in various regions. Pray that the aid will reach those who need it most, and that the Lord will comfort the relatives and friends of the thousands who have been killed in the fighting.

Friday 2 Give thanks for the Christ-like responses of Christian leaders in CAR to the crisis that threatens them and their churches. They

have distanced themselves from the anti-balaka militias, saying that these should not be labelled as Christian and that they hold no mandate from the churches. The leaders have also condemned the violence in the country, whatever its origin, and have called on Christians to pursue forgiveness, reconciliation and healing. Churches are hiding, defending and caring for thousands of Muslims endangered by the anti-balaka, and one of CAR’s most senior church leaders has invited the president of the country’s Islamic community to move into his church compound. Pray that this powerful witness to the grace and love of Christ will help to bring peace to the shattered country.

Saturday 3 Violent attacks by militants from the Islamist group Boko Haram continue unabated in Northern Nigeria. On one horrendous day of violence on 26 January, at least 138 people were killed. A church in Wada Chakawa village in Adamawa state was targeted; the attackers locked the congregation inside and then detonated bombs, shooting and cutting the throats of people who tried to escape. They then went on a four-hour rampage in the village. Later the same day, Kawuri village in neighbouring Borno state was burned to the ground. Boko Haram is fighting to establish an Islamic state, and Christians are among its main targets. Pray that the Nigerian authorities will succeed in containing its insurgency.

Sunday 4 Heavenly Father, we pray for the residents of a mainly Christian village in Borno state, Northern Nigeria, in the aftermath of a horrific attack by Boko Haram militants on 15 February. We ask for Your comfort for the relatives and friends of the 106 people in Izghe who were gunned down and slaughtered in their houses or in the

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open as they tried to flee. We pray for strength for the numerous residents who were wounded or whose properties were looted and torched. We pray too for the many Christians who fled into the neighbouring state after the attack, and ask that the Christian community in the North of Nigeria will be preserved in the face of Islamist violence.

Monday 5 Pray for Barnabas Fund partners in South Sudan who have been supporting Christians forced from their homes by violence. Conflict between supporters of President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar in December and January displaced around 860,000 people. Churches were burned down and a number of pastors killed, while many people lost their belongings and were left destitute. Give thanks that churches in and around the capital, Juba, were able to provide food and other essentials to many families with help from Barnabas. Pray that they may continue to be salt and light in their country at this unstable time (Matthew 5:13-16), and that it will soon be safe for displaced Christians to return home.

Tuesday 6 Praise God for the release of John Short, an Australian missionary who was detained

in North Korea for distributing Christian leaflets. John, who is 75 and based in Hong Kong, was reported to security officials in Pyongyang after he was spotted leaving a Christian leaflet at a Buddhist temple, an act that is illegal in North Korea. Further Korean-language Christian pamphlets were subsequently found in his hotel room. John, who was released on 3 March after two weeks in custody, was required to sign a confession probably scripted by the authorities. Other foreign missionaries arrested in North Korea have been given long prison sentences. Give thanks to God that John has escaped further punishment, and pray for him as he recovers from his traumatic ordeal.

Wednesday 7 Cry out to the Lord for 33 Christians who have been sentenced to death in North Korea. The believers are thought to have been working alongside Kim Jeong-Wook, a South Korean missionary who was arrested in October 2013. Jeong-Wook has admitted trying to “create a network of house churches in North Korea” and was also said to be carrying Bibles and other Christian literature. His alleged associates are accused of trying to overthrow the government and of receiving a large sum of money for the construction of 500 house churches. Pray that these executions will not be carried out and that international pressure will be brought to bear on North Korea to release Kim Jeong-Wook and to cease its intense anti-Christian persecution.

Thursday 8 Christians in the Syrian city of Raqqa have been given a devastating ultimatum by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the Islamist group that controls it. They must either convert to Islam, pay the humiliating Islamic jizya tax and abide by a list of restrictions, or risk being killed (in line with sharia law). Every Christian man is now required to pay a levy

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Food aid from Barnabas for displaced Christians in South Sudan


in gold, with the wealthiest needing to pay the equivalent of £435 (US$717; €520). ISIS claims that a group of 20 Christian leaders has agreed to the pact. Pray for the Lord’s guidance for this beleaguered community, and pray that they will know that regardless of the status they have on this earth, they are God’s chosen people, holy and beloved (Colossians 3:12).

Friday 9 Give thanks that Barnabas Fund has been able to help Syrian Christians to make their voices heard in the US. We sponsored a delegation of senior Christian leaders to visit Washington to raise the plight of Syria’s beleaguered Christian minority and to try to persuade the US to shape its foreign policy in the region to help vulnerable Christians there. Although our delegation was received sympathetically by many departments, no assurances of support were made. Give thanks that the truth about the suffering of Syrian Christians has been told in the corridors of power in the US, and pray that moves to support them will be made by the US and other Western governments.

Saturday 10 By God’s grace, Barnabas Fund has been providing some of the few Christians who remain in the Syrian city of Homs with food and basic essentials. These believers suffered intensely during the two years for which the Old City area was cut off and under rebel control; essential supplies were extremely scarce, and anti-Christian attacks became commonplace. Elsewhere in Syria, Barnabas is helping Christian children in Aleppo to retain some normality by enabling their schools to stay open. Praise God that aid from Barnabas Fund is making a concrete difference to Syrian Christians, and pray that our help will continue to reach those who need it most.

Sunday 11 Our loving God, we praise You for how You are working through the Christian school that Barnabas supports in Bethlehem. We praise You that the Christ-centred education that the school provides to needy Christian children is inspiring them to relate to one another in a loving, giving way, and we pray for them as they reach out to the poor in their community. We give You thanks that the school is thriving: that it has an excellent reputation in the area and that places are in high demand. We pray that as the children learn to be more like our Lord, they will grow in faith and become shining beacons of His love in an area where Christians are despised and discriminated against.

Monday 12 Egypt’s Christians are rejoicing after the passing of a new constitution that replaces a 2012 Islamist version and strengthens their rights and freedoms. The document guarantees the equality of all citizens and forbids discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, sex, race and other factors. In a significant shift,

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The Barnabas-funded school in Bethlehem provides a Christ-centred education for Christian children

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“absolute” freedom of belief has been granted, while Christians and other minorities are given greater political representation. Restrictions on church buildings have also been lifted. Provisions of the 2012 constitution that paved the way for the establishing of an Islamic state have been removed. Give thanks that the constitution was supported by a large majority in a referendum in January, and pray that its positive provisions for Egyptian Christians will become reality.

Tuesday 13 Christians in Egypt remain vulnerable to acts of targeted violence by Islamists, including killings and kidnappings. In February, a Syrian Christian family living in Alexandria were stabbed to death at their home; a 30-year-old Christian woman was killed and a teenager injured in a knife attack on a Christian community in Kom Ombo; a 25-year-old Christian was kidnapped at gunpoint on his way home from Minya City; and four Christian tourists from Korea were killed and 14 injured in a suicide bombing on a bus. Since the removal of former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, his supporters have used violence to undermine the political transition; the Muslim Brotherhood has now been outlawed as a terrorist organisation. Pray for protection for our brothers and sisters at this unstable time.

Wednesday 14 “For months and months, families and entire communities in Assuit have lived in anguish. Kidnappings occurred every day. The perpetrators of these crimes were known to all, but when the Christians reported them to the security forces, nothing happened.” The words of a church leader highlighted the distress recently caused to the Christian community in Assuit province by ruthless Muslim gangs. But praise God that in February the Egyptian security forces dismantled the organised crime network behind the campaign of kidnappings, robberies, attacks

and extortions; the church leader called their action a decisive change in police policy. Pray that God will bless Christians in Assuit with strength and peace (Psalm 29:11).

Thursday 15 Pray for a holistic ministry in Egypt supported by Barnabas Fund that provides education, health services, parenting classes and discipleship programmes to Christian families. The project is focused on the needs of children, running Christian clubs for 4-14-year-olds in the villages of Upper Egypt; these provide education, address health needs and nurture the young people in their Christian faith. Regular seminars for parents teach them about child development, hygiene and spiritual needs. Give thanks for our partners’ vision to involve 25,000 children in the clubs in 2014, and pray that whole Christian communities will be transformed as the children grow up equipped to serve the next generation.

Friday 16 Ask the Lord to watch over the Christian minority in Aceh, Indonesia (Psalm 121:5), after a controversial new bylaw was approved by the provincial government. According to a council member, it obliges everyone in Aceh without exception to follow sharia; he said, “It would be unfair if Muslims were punished while non-Muslims were not, just because sharia violations are not stipulated in the Criminal Code.” Sharia police have already started reprimanding non-Muslims who break the dress rules; three-time offenders could be publicly caned. But Indonesia’s central government needs to endorse the law before it can be enacted, and a more recent report has suggested that the governor is downplaying its significance for non-Muslims. Pray that it will not be enforced on the province’s Christians.

Saturday 17 In a similar case, an Indonesian city is considering the introduction of a bylaw that

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would force all residents to join in daily Islamic prayers. The head of the Religious Affairs Ministry in Bengkulu, Sumatra, said that the move was part of the mayor’s plan to recast it as a religious city. Citizens would have to participate in prayer five times daily and attend public prayers on Fridays, whether they were Muslims or not. Give thanks that the Home Affairs Minister has spoken out against the law, saying that religious affairs are under the authority of central government. Pray that Muslims in positions of authority will stop trying to impose aspects of sharia on Christians in Indonesia.

Sunday 18 We pray, gracious Father, for our brothers and sisters in Talang Kelapa, South Sumatra, Indonesia, whose church land was forcibly occupied by hundreds of armed men led by local Muslim leaders on 20 February. We pray that the work on their new church building, which they had begun only three days before, will be able to go ahead, and that the objections raised by their Muslim opponents will not prevail. We pray too for all the Christians in Indonesia who face opposition to their construction works from local Islamists, asking that they may be left in peace to build on their land.

Monday 19 Give thanks that a number of politicians and other public figures in the UK have drawn attention to the plight of persecuted Christians across the world. In February, Baroness Warsi, the Minister for Faith and Communities, also drew attention to the problem of Islamic extremism and sectarianism in the UK itself. Her comments followed reports of the first suicide bombing attack in the Syria conflict known to have been carried out by a UK citizen.

Pray that the radicalising of British Muslims will be addressed seriously by those in authority, and that the spread of extreme and violent interpretations of Islam will be halted.

Tuesday 20 Praise God for the courage and concern of some moderate Muslims who take a stand against violence practised by Muslims against Christians and others. Some speak up for the victims and challenge the militants’ agenda; others provide practical aid to the victims. They may be put under severe pressure and threats from Islamists to intimidate them into changing their stance, and in extreme cases their lives may even be put at risk. Pray that these moderate and peaceable voices will become more influential within Islam worldwide and that conditions for Christians in Muslim-majority contexts will improve as a result.

Wednesday 21 Thank the Lord that when over 200 pastors and leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were trained in ministering to victims of violence, especially rape victims, many were personally impacted by the training. Not only did they acquire new pastoral skills, but many also received personal healing and a regained sense of freedom. Having

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Pastors and leaders pray for one another at the conference in DRC


witnessed many horrific incidences of violence, rape and displacement in the eastern region of DRC where they work, they were able to let go of those heavy burdens. Two pastors testified that spiritually they had been “raised from the dead”. Praise God that the training came at the right time for them, and ask the Lord to be with them as they minister to broken people.

Thursday 22 Two churches in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania, were targeted in bombings on consecutive days in February. Explosives were detonated at the main entrance of the historic Christ Church Anglican Cathedral on the 24th. The blast caused damage to a wall and parked vehicles, but give thanks that nobody was injured. The cathedral normally hosts a nursery school, but it had been transferred to a different location because of construction work; the children might otherwise have been caught up in the blast. The previous day, an Evangelistic Assemblies of God Tanzania church was bombed as the Sunday service was ending. The explosion shook the building and alarmed the congregation, but they escaped unharmed. Pray that any further evil schemes will be thwarted.

Friday 23 A 100-strong mob of Islamic extremists stormed a church on the island of Zanzibar on 11 January, saying they were “tired of the existence of this church near our mosque and the noise they are making”. The attack on the Pentecostal Evangelism Fellowship of Africa church in Kisauni village happened after an evening worship service. The assailants threatened to slaughter church leader Daniel Kwilemba, but he was not there at the time, and visiting preacher William Saidi came under attack instead. His clothing was torn, and he suffered bruising. The mob fled when the police arrived. Muslim extremists had previously threatened to burn down the church building and are

continuing to demand that it close. Pray for the Lord’s protection.

Saturday 24 The trial of suspects for the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian government minister in Pakistan, has been jeopardised by Islamists. The victim’s brother, a lawyer and two eyewitnesses have all received threatening letters from Islamist terrorist groups. Although Paul Bhatti and lawyer Rana Abdul Hameed are continuing with the case, the two eyewitnesses feared for their safety and failed to appear in court. Although the suspects, members of the Pakistani Taliban, have confessed, it is feared that they may walk free as part of “peace talks” between the government and the terrorist group. Shahbaz Bhatti was murdered in March 2011 after publicly supporting Aasia Bibi, a Christian who is on death row for blasphemy. Pray that justice will be done for his family.

Sunday 25 Our Father, we pray for Aasia Bibi, a Christian mother who has been languishing on death row in Pakistan for three and a half years. We pray for patience and perseverance for her as she waits for her appeal against her conviction for insulting Muhammad to be heard, and that the court dates that were recently cancelled will soon be rescheduled. We pray that even as she endures prison life and faces an uncertain future, she will be comforted in the knowledge that those whom Your Son sets free are free indeed (John 8:36). We pray that her appeal will be favourably received and that she will soon be released.

Monday 26 Our brothers and sisters in Pakistan could be under even greater threat from

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the country’s “blasphemy laws” following a ruling by the Federal Shariat Court (FSC). It has said that the option of life imprisonment for defiling the name of Muhammad should be formally removed from the statute book, leaving only the death penalty. Although the government is legally required to take steps to implement such rulings, no move has been made at the time of writing. In fact, however, the option of life imprisonment ceased to be legally valid in 1991 after a similar order was issued by the FSC, and no sentences of life imprisonment have been handed down since. Pray that the government will resist the new order and for protection for Pakistan’s Christian minority, who are particularly vulnerable to false accusations of blasphemy.

Tuesday 27 “Ovidio was very brave, and was famous in his community. We are shocked by what happened. Christians have the right to vote. Why are Islamists attacking us?” Ovidio Marandy, a young Christian man in the Gaibandha district of Bangladesh, was murdered on 11 January. Islamists had previously torched his village to punish the Christian residents who had voted in the recent parliamentary elections, and afterwards, Ovidio organised a protest against their violence; his family believe that this is why he was killed. Christians in two other districts were also attacked for the same reason. Pray that the Bangladeshi authorities will contain the intimidation and brutality of Islamist extremists so that Christians are free to exercise their democratic right. Pray too for Ovidio’s family and church in their bereavement.

Wednesday 28 Our brothers and sisters in Syria continue to be in intense danger. On 8 January, a Christian man was beheaded by Islamists after they noticed the cross necklace he was wearing. Fadi Matanius Mattah (34) was travelling from Homs to the Christian village

of Marmarita when five jihadists opened fire on his car. The militants then approached the vehicle and killed Fadi. Firas Nader (29), another Christian man, who was travelling with Fadi, was wounded and left for dead; give thanks that he managed to escape. Pray for Fadi’s grieving family and for all Christians in Syria who have lost family members to Islamist violence. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable them to forgive those who have taken their loved ones from them.

Thursday 29 Praise God that some Christians were able to escape the Old City in Homs in the evacuations that began in late January. The area, which was cut off for almost two years, was once home to 60,000 Christians, but only a few dozen of the most vulnerable remained, and these believers were persecuted and starving. Give thanks that some were able make the arduous journey out of Homs, despite the efforts of armed groups to prevent them, and pray that conditions will improve for those who remain.

Friday 30 Give thanks to God that Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American pastor imprisoned in Iran, has been moved out of a ward for murderers into one for political prisoners and is receiving slightly improved treatment. Saeed is being given

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A Christian man who has finally escaped from Homs speaks on the phone to his family


better meals and has been able to see a doctor; his Iranian relatives were also allowed to see him for the first time in six weeks. But the doctor was so concerned about Saeed’s internal injuries that he recommended that he receive surgery. Pray that the prison officials will allow this to happen and that Saeed will soon be released and restored to his family.

Saturday 31 Moves are being made in Iraq to encourage what remains of the nation’s vulnerable Christian minority to stay in the country. The governor of Basra has promised Christians a piece of land to cultivate as well as job opportunities to encourage them to come back to the area. An autonomous province for Christians in the Nineveh Plain is also being considered, while a draft law on minority rights is in preparation to improve their status. But violence and instability continue to rock Iraq; January was the deadliest month in nearly six years, with more than 1,000 deaths. Give thanks that many Muslims want Christians to remain in Iraq; pray that they may prevail over the militants and make the country safe for our brothers and sisters.

JuneSunday 1 Almighty God, we pray for Ali Touahir (52), a Christian convert from Islam in Algeria, whose Muslim wife has left him, taking their seven-year-old daughter with her. We thank You that Ali gave his life to Christ in 2012, but we pray for him as he faces strong opposition to his faith from his wife, Maktour Wahiba, and from her brothers, who persuaded her to seek a divorce through the courts and threatened to kill Ali for leaving Islam. We thank You that Ali refused a judge’s suggestion that he renounce

his Christian faith, and that his right to see his daughter was upheld. But we pray for peace and strength for him in his distressing separation, and that he may be kept safe from harm.

Monday 2 Give thanks that the conviction of a Moroccan convert from Islam to Christianity for evangelising and “shaking the faith of a Muslim” was overturned on appeal on 6 February. Mohamed El Baladi had been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and a fine in September 2013. He was arrested, tried and condemned within a week without any legal representation; someone had complained to the police about an alleged conversation Mohamed had had with them about his faith. An appeals court judge dismissed the case because of lack of evidence. Pray for Mohamed as he recovers from his ordeal and that evangelism among Muslims will be legalised in Morocco.

Tuesday 3 Give thanks that the Tunisian parliament has adopted a new constitution that guarantees freedom of worship and enshrines the equality of men and women. The document has been hailed as a success for democracy and the principles of consensus and compromise after months of contention between Islamist and secular forces. The text was agreed after the then governing Islamist Ennahda party granted a number of concessions, including the dropping of references to Islamic law. The new constitution describes Islam as the religion of the state but not its source of legislation. It should give hope to the very small Christian community and other minorities in Tunisia. Pray that the rights and freedoms granted on paper will be honoured in practice.

Wednesday 4 Lift up to the Lord Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev (67), a pastor in Kazakhstan who

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has been convicted of harming the health of a church member. He was given a four-year prison term suspended for three years and ordered to pay damages to his supposed victim, Lyazzat Almenova. Lyazzat has repeatedly insisted that she is healthy and called for the case against the pastor to be dropped. A further charge was brought against him, and his lawyer has warned that a new criminal case could be launched. Give thanks that Pastor Kashkumbayev was released; pray that his appeal will be successful and that the authorities will stop harassing him.

Thursday 5 Four Christians in Kazakhstan were jailed in January for refusing to pay fines imposed upon them for attending a worship meeting without state permission. Maksim Kandyba, Pavel Leonov, Vyacheslav Cherkasov and Zhasulan Alzhanov were given sentences ranging from two to ten days. They believe that fines for exercising religious freedom are wrong, in light of the country’s constitution and international human rights obligations. Pray that the Kazakh authorities will lift their harsh restrictions on Christian practice, and that God’s people in Kazakhstan will follow the example of these brave brothers by obeying Him rather than human beings (Acts 5:29).

Friday 6 Pray for three church leaders in Belarus, who have been charged with holding an “unauthorised mass public event” following a police raid on their house-church gathering. Ten police officers broke into the home of Andrei Tupalsky in Gomel; after taking pictures and filming the meeting, they demanded that it be stopped. They recorded the personal details of those present and charged Andrei, the pastor and the preacher, whose Bible was confiscated. This was the second raid on the church in the space of nine months. In Belarus, all religious organisations must register with the state, but some churches

refuse to do so because they do not want to be subject to state interference. Pray that the Lord will uphold our brothers as they suffer disgrace for the sake of His Name (Acts 5:41).

Saturday 7 Give thanks that a popular Christian children’s magazine, supported by Barnabas Fund, is still reaching Christian children in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan despite the introduction of harsher religion laws there. Many adults as well as children read the magazine from cover to cover and are greatly encouraged by it in their faith. The staff can still post the magazine to families and use it in children’s camps in Kazakhstan, but they cannot hand it out to people they do not know. Pray that the Kyrgyz and Kazakh governments will stop imposing restrictions on the distribution of Christian literature and that the staff will be free to give the magazine to anyone. Ask the Lord to enable them to create content that will build up the faith of the readers and to stand strong in the face of pressure from the government.

Sunday 8 Heavenly Father, we pray for church leaders in Kenya

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This Christian children’s magazine funded by Barnabas is very popular in Kazakhstan


following the murder of an assistant pastor on 2 February. We ask You to protect them from attacks by radical Muslims, and to comfort and strengthen the grieving family and congregation of Lawrence Kazungu Kadenge. We pray that, like him, they may be bold in sharing their faith with the Muslim community. We pray that the Kenyan authorities will succeed in containing the spread of radical Islam and the recruiting of young Muslims for terrorist groups, and in addressing the security threat to Christians and others. We ask too that the Church in Kenya will survive and thrive even in the face of such hostility and violence.

Monday 9 Islamists from Boko Haram have been exploiting existing tensions in Northern Nigeria to encourage anti-Christian attacks by ethnic Fulani Muslims. Hundreds of Christians have been killed already this year in suspected Fulani raids. In just one instance, in Kaduna state, an entire Christian family in Manyekrun village was murdered; Abin Kaawai, his wife, Ruth Abin, and their five children all died. The Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna criticised the deteriorating security there and called on the security forces to go into the bush to hunt out those responsible for the violence from their hiding-places. Pray for effective protection for Christians in the region.

Tuesday 10 “The brutality, cruelty and inhuman manner in which Nigerian Christians are being systematically and consistently slaughtered by individuals claiming to be adherents of the Islamic faith has reached [such] an alarming proportion that we are compelled to speak out.” A senior church leader in Nigeria has compared

the killings of Christians in Northern Nigeria to the Rwandan genocide and said that it had become imperative to call the world’s attention to the growing threat to Christians’ life and property. Pray that the Lord will give wisdom to Nigerian church leaders so that they can be peacemakers in their troubled country (Matthew 5:9).

Wednesday 11 Pray for justice for the Christians of Orissa state in India who were brutally attacked by militant Hindus in 2007-8. While some convictions have been secured, huge numbers of defendants have also been acquitted, and some crimes have gone unpunished. Meena Barwa was captured, beaten, stripped naked and dragged through the streets of Kandhamal before being gang-raped. But although nine men were charged with the assault, the courts recently acquitted six of them and convicted only three. A Christian leader described the verdict as “a travesty of justice”, indicating failure in the documenting, reporting, investigation and prosecution of the cases. Pray that all those responsible for the violence will be brought to justice, and for healing for the shattered Christian churches of Orissa.

Thursday 12 The Muslim-majority nation of Brunei is implementing a new penal code based on sharia. Many parts of this will be applied to non-Muslims, and it includes cruel punishments such as lashing and stoning to death. Some restrictions are targeted at non-Muslims, including Christians, who may be fined or jailed for sharing their faith or persuading someone to convert, teaching Christianity to a child under 18, or printing, owning or distributing Christian literature. Pray for Christians as they seek to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts (Acts 11:23) in the face of these repressive laws, and for a change of heart by Brunei’s rulers.

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Friday 13 The government of the Christian-majority Philippines reached a peace deal on 25 January with the country’s largest Islamic rebel group, which created a semi-independent Muslim region after a decades-long insurgency. The agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) establishes an area called “Bangsamoro” to replace what is currently known as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, on the southernmost island. The Muslim-majority local government will have broad powers, including the creation of its own security force, and the agreement allows for the enforcement of sharia law. While it is hoped that the deal will bring peace, other Islamic insurgency groups seem determined to continue their fight for a totally separate and strict Islamic state. Pray for Christians in Bangsamoro, that their rights and freedoms will be upheld by the MILF. Pray that there will be no more bloodshed over this territory.

Saturday 14 Just over a week after the Philippine government signed the agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a church was attacked in Zamboanga on the island of Mindanao. Five people were injured when a grenade was thrown into the church on 2 February while a group of elderly people was meeting there. It is not known who carried out the attack, but other Islamic militant groups that oppose the peace deal remain active in the area. Although Zamboanga is not in the Bangsamoro region, the Moro National Liberation Front laid siege to the city in September 2013, holding 100 people, including two church leaders, as human shields. Pray that the authorities in the southern Philippines will be able to counter the insurgents and provide protection to Christians and other vulnerable targets.

Sunday 15 Loving Father, we pray for the many Christians around the world

who are following in the footsteps of our Lord in fleeing their homelands because of persecution. As He found safety as a baby in the land of Egypt, may believers who escape anti-Christian violence or other dangers and pressures in their homelands find security in other countries. We pray for them as they endure many hardships, having left everything behind and found themselves poor and without support in their new locations. We pray that You will protect them from persecution in their places of refuge and that they may be granted permanent asylum. Please guide and uphold them in their vulnerability.

Monday 16 Pray for Le Quoc Quan, a Christian lawyer and activist in Vietnam, after his recent conviction was upheld on appeal. Although he has been repeatedly detained by the authorities, he has persisted in standing up

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Barnabas supports refugee children from Burma’s mainly Christian ethnic minorities


for human rights, and he was recently jailed for two and a half years for fabricated tax evasion offences. International rights campaigners have denounced his conviction as politically motivated. We pray for him to stand firm in his faith and that the protests made on his behalf will persuade the authorities to relent. Ask too for the Lord’s blessing on all Christians who suffer at the hands of the Communist regime.

Tuesday 17 A false blasphemy allegation triggered an arson attack on 3 January on an historic library owned by a church leader in Lebanon. The Al-Saeh library in Tripoli was targeted after rumours were spread that a pamphlet judged insulting to Islam and Muhammad had been found inside one of its books; the owner, Ibrahim Srouj, was also accused of writing a blasphemous article online. Ibrahim had met with Muslim leaders and satisfied them that he had nothing to do with any blasphemy, but the building was torched anyway; two-thirds of its 80,000 books and manuscripts were destroyed. Give thanks for Ibrahim’s gracious response to the attack; he said that he forgave those responsible and prayed for peace in the city. Pray that his Christ-like example may help to ease sectarian tensions in Lebanon as the conflict in Syria spills over the border. Wednesday 18 Pray for Christians across the Middle East as they face hostility and violence from Islamist militants fighting to create a cross-border Islamic state in the region. An al-Qaeda group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), has exploited the long-running conflict in Syria to gain control in parts of the north, where they are imposing strict Islamic law. It has also reclaimed vast swathes of northern Iraq and is focusing its efforts in a province bordering Syria. Christians in ISIS-held areas are acutely vulnerable, and the militants appear to want to

drive them out of the territory altogether. Pray that ISIS will not achieve its goal of an Islamic state and for protection and peace for our endangered brothers and sisters.

Thursday 19 Lift up to the Lord the Christians in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the most rigid and hardline states in the world. The small number of Saudi Christians must practise their faith in extreme secrecy, as conversion from Islam is officially punishable by death, while even expatriate Christians (who are permitted to worship in private) may be harassed, detained or deported. Saudi Arabia is the centre of Wahhabi-Salafist Islam, which wants to reshape Muslim societies on the pattern of early Islam, under Muhammad and his immediate successors. Pray that the grip of this repressive form of Islam will be loosened and that the government will grant religious freedom to Christians and other non-Muslims.

Friday 20 The Turkish parliament has adopted a long-awaited “democratisation package” that increases the rights and freedoms of minorities. The bill, which was drawn up in response to criticism by the EU, which Turkey aspires to join, and also to large-scale protests last year against the government’s increasingly authoritarian rule and programme of state Islamisation, was adopted on 1 March. It introduces and increases penalties for offences such as abusing the rights of people to practise their faith and discrimination on grounds including religion, race and nationality. The package also returns the historic Mor Gabriel Monastery to Christian ownership. Give thanks for these modest reforms, and pray for significant further progress in the treatment of minorities in Turkey.

Saturday 21 A church leader in India was brutally stabbed to death by four men who

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pretended they wanted to pray with him. The Rev. Sanjeevulu, who had previously been threatened by Hindu extremist groups, died on 13 January after being attacked two days earlier. After luring the pastor out of his home in Vikarabad, Andhra Pradesh, the unknown men stabbed him and beat him with sticks and clubs. His wife was also stabbed, but survived the attack. Ask the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) to be with the pastor’s family in their grief. The church leader was the second Christian in two months to be murdered in India, where attacks on Christians are frequent but fatalities are rare; pray that anti-Christian violence in the country will not escalate.

Sunday 22 Our loving Father, we cry out to You for our brothers and sisters in Christ in India. We pray for healing and peace for the roughly 4,000 believers there who were the victims of anti-Christian violence during 2013, especially for the more than 1,000 women and around 500 children. We ask that the more than 400 church and community leaders who were targeted will stand firm in their faith and ministry in the face of hostility, and that Christians will continue to meet despite the 100 attacks on churches or worship meetings. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will enable all the victims to forgive their attackers. We ask also that these shocking figures will prompt the authorities to provide better protection for vulnerable Christians from Hindu extremists and others who wish them harm.

Monday 23 Pressure on Christians in India over the issue of conversions from Hinduism

has continued to mount. A fundamentalist Hindu leader has called for an immediate end to all conversions to Christianity from Hinduism. Speaking at a rally on 22 February, Ashok Singhal said that if conversions continue, Hindus, who make up around 80% of India’s population, “will [soon] be a minority in India”. Mr Singhal is the leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, one of a number of Hindu nationalist groups that call for India to be religiously “pure”. Pray that his inflammatory comments will not lead to a tightening of the “anti-conversion” laws that exist in a number of states.

Tuesday 24 Seven Egyptian Christians have been rounded up by suspected Islamist militants in Libya, taken away at gunpoint and shot dead. Their bodies were found, with their hands tied, on a beach on the outskirts of Benghazi on 24 February. The night before, a group of masked men had raided the building where they lived, going door to door identifying the Christians. They also spray-painted messages on buildings offering a reward for anyone who turned a Christian over to them. This was the latest in a series of targeted attacks on Christians in Libya, where the government is struggling to control the activities of violent Islamist groups. Pray for comfort for the bereaved families, and for the restoration of order in Libya.

Wednesday 25 The authorities in Sudan have continued to crack down on the Christian presence in the strictly Islamic country. On 17 February, a church in Omdurman was bulldozed by the authorities, who said that the church was not wanted in a “Muslim area”. The building, which belongs to the 300-member Church of Christ, is one of numerous churches that have been destroyed in an official effort to Islamise the country. Believers have also been subjected to harassment, arrests and death threats, and

JUNE 22 - 25


foreign Christians have been deported. Pray that the congregation of the Church of Christ will be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10) as they deal with the unexpected loss of their building, and pray that the authorities will relent in their anti-Christian campaign.

Thursday 26 Pray for the grieving family of a Christian man who was killed when a village in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains was bombed by the Sudanese military. Two other Christians, including a 13-year-old girl, were injured when bombs were dropped on homes in Damardago village between 8-10 February. The military has been carrying out a ruthless campaign of ethnic and religious cleansing in the region, which is home to Sudan’s largest Christian community, since June 2011. Pray that as God’s people in the Nuba Mountains face such merciless persecution, they will find refuge under His wings and His faithfulness will be their shield and rampart (Psalm 91:4).

Friday 27 A Sudanese church leader was arrested on 23 February as he was preaching during a Sunday service. The Rev. Yahya Abdelrahim Nalu, who was detained for two days, was told that he would “face justice” if he did not relinquish his position at Omdurman Evangelical Church and allow a government-appointed committee to take it over. The pastor’s arrest appears to be part of an official campaign to seize

church properties. Pray for strength and wisdom for the pastor and for all other leaders in Sudan’s beleaguered Christian community, and ask the Lord to continue to raise up leaders for these vulnerable believers.

Saturday 28 Two churches in Sri Lanka came under vicious attack by a large mob led by Buddhist monks while the congregations were gathered for worship on 12 January. The offenders threw stones and bricks at the Assemblies of God and Calvary Free Church buildings in Hikkaduwa, smashing doors and windows to force entry. The mob shouted insults, burnt Bibles and Christian books and destroyed signs and musical instruments. Nobody was injured, but a pastor and others at the churches were threatened. Police were at the scene but failed to intervene. Both churches have previously been subjected to violent attacks. Pray that they will be able to recover their losses and that the Lord will be their fortress against those who are attacking them (Psalm 59:1).

Sunday 29 We pray, our Father, for a Sri Lankan pastor and his wife in the Kandy district who were dragged out of their house by a 250-strong mob led by eleven Buddhist monks on 16 February. We ask You to restrain the aggression of their enemies, and that their home, which was stormed by the assailants, will be a place of peace and security for them. We pray that You will give them courage in this hostile context and prosper their ministry for Your glory. We ask too that they and other Christians in the area will be free to worship You in peace, and that they will not be regarded or treated as traitors by the majority Buddhist community.

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The Church of Christ building in Omdurman was bulldozed by the authorities


Monday 30 Following the attacks on the two churches in Hikkaduwa, Christian and Muslim groups, along with various rights organisations in Sri Lanka, wrote a strongly-worded open letter condemning attacks on places of worship by Buddhist extremists. The letter, published in The Sri Lanka Guardian on 23 January, cited police inaction as “a clear indication of state

complicity”. In 2013, 103 attacks on churches and pastors were recorded, in addition to numerous anti-Muslim incidents. The letter said that many other similar incidents went unreported. Pray that the Sri Lankan authorities, who are increasingly being swayed by an aggressive Sinhalese Buddhist lobby, will protect and uphold the rights of all citizens.

JUNE 30

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Barnabas Prayer May June 2014