Barnabas Prayer May June 2015

BARNABAS FUND – AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

barnabasprayer To help you pray for the persecuted church

May /june 2015 barnabasfund.org

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.

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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.

May Friday 1 A senior church leader from Borno State, Nigeria, estimates that the Islamist militant group Boko Haram has killed over 20,000 people so far, Christians being one of its main target groups. He knows of 35-40 pastors that have been killed.

“Only the Person of Jesus Christ can stop Boko Haram,” he said. Another senior leader from Borno reported 70 of his 150 churches destroyed.

Media reports tend to underplay the terrible violence of Boko Haram terrorists, who have the ability to appear suddenly in a new place making it difficult for the Nigerian military to protect the population from them. Pray to the Person who is able to stop Boko Haram through His resurrection power, that He will intervene to save His people and other innocent civilians.

Saturday 2 “This is just the beginning of the killings. What you’ve witnessed is a tip of the iceberg. More deaths are coming.” These were the chilling words of Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, after his Islamist militants massacred as many as 2,000 civilians in the north-east Nigerian town of Baga in January. He said that the killings had been committed at the command of Allah. Boko Haram’s frequent attacks target Christians, schools, and security forces, as they seek to establish their version of Islam in the territory they control. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to reveal Himself to Abubakar Shekau, and show him what God really wants him to do. Pray that Abubakar Shekau will become a man who does justice and loves mercy (Micah 6:8).

Sunday 3 Heavenly Father, as we look

around the world we hear news from every side of Your children being attacked, especially where they are few in number, poor and oppressed.

We feel overwhelmed by the scale of suffering but we remember that you are the everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth, who will not grow tired or weary. So we pray with confidence, asking You to act in power to deliver our brothers and sisters from their enemies who seek to destroy them. Please strengthen their faith, increase their hope and enable to them to respond with forgiveness and love, as our Lord Jesus did, in whose Name we pray.

Monday 4 Every church building in Zinder, the second city of Niger, was destroyed by Muslim rioters on 16 January. The next day riots in the capital Niamey burned or destroyed another 55

churches, bringing the total to 72, as well as 30 homes of pastors or Christians, at least four Christian schools and two orphanages. The rioters were protesting against the publication of a cartoon of Muhammad by the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. Pray for the tiny Christian minority in this desperately poor nation, as they struggle to deal with this destruction. Ask God to comfort those who mourn for ten people killed over the weekend of violence, one of them burned to death inside a church.

Tuesday 5 After the riots in Niger in January (see above) Christian leaders held a press conference in which they said that they had forgiven those who did them harm and that persecution was part of their life as Christians.

Their attackers could destroy everything, said the Christians, “but they couldn’t take Jesus away from us.” Pray that these words will have a lasting impact on Muslims in Niger and open many hearts to Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Wednesday 6 The deadline for gathering signatures for Barnabas Fund’s petition “Save the Christians of the Middle East” was 30 April. Please pray for wisdom as plans are made for the presentation

Thursday 7 Tial Cem, a Chin Christian in Burma (Myanmar), built a 16m high concrete cross on the top of a hill in Chin State, on land owned by another Chin Christian. On 30 January he was ordered to dismantle it or face two years in prison. This would make it the fourteenth Christian cross to be destroyed in Chin State. Christians make up 80% of the Chin ethnic group, but they are prevented from building churches and are subjected to forced labour and eviction from their lands. Praise God for the perseverance and courage of the Chin believers and pray that their witness will draw many to the Lord.

Friday 8 Pray for the mainly Christian Kachin people of Burma (Myanmar) who have been facing a fresh onslaught from the Burmese army in its struggle with the Kachin Independence Army.

Hundreds of Kachin villagers who wanted to flee were instead trapped and used as a human shield. At the same time, two Kachin Baptist women in their 20s, working as voluntary teachers, were tortured, gang-raped and killed by the army. According to local people, the army threatened to set fire to the homes of anyone who spoke of the rape. Pray for an end to the violence against Kachin people.

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A pastor’s house in Niger, destroyed in anti-Christian riots

of the petitions to various governments and the UN. Pray that politicians and decision-makers will take notice of the public interest and concern indicated by the number of signatures, and will respond in practical ways to help the beleaguered Christians of the Middle East. (It is not too late to post your signed petition sheets to your nearest Barnabas Fund office.)

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Saturday 9 A drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre run by Christians in Sychevka, in north-east Kazakhstan, is due to have re-opened in April after being closed down for three months for conducting religious worship, after the police raided the centre and found religious books. Another case against the same centre was dropped six months ago; the four-year case accused its owners of inciting religious hatred, but finally the police admitted they had no evidence to support their accusation. Pray for the director of the centre, Yuri Morozov, who has been fined because of the religious worship charge, that he may be strengthened as he faces these repeated attacks on him and his ministry.

Sunday 10 Lord Jesus, we pray for

Christians seeking to be salt and light in the very restrictive societies of Central Asia, living with laws that grow ever tighter. We pray for Christian parents and their children, as more and more legal obstacles hamper the work of ministry to children. We pray for church leaders who have to wrestle with bureaucracy that seems designed to make it impossible for them to fulfil all the regulations imposed on them. Please bless them with joy, hope, perseverance and wisdom as they respond to the constantly changing situation. May all they do bring glory to You.

Monday 11 Iranian Christian Ebrahim Firouzi completed his prison sentence on 13 January 2015 but was not released. The judge issued a bail demand, but when his family went to pay it they were rejected. Ebrahim, a convert from Islam, has been

arrested several times for his Christian activities. Pray that the Iranian authorities will set him free.

Tuesday 12 Around 300 Muslim students, armed with iron bars and sticks, ransacked Panel High School in Bannu, north-west Pakistan, on 23 January, having jumped over the perimeter walls and forced open the gates. The Muslims were protesting against a cartoon of Muhammad published in the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, and they selected this school because it is a Christian school. “Whenever incidents occur in Western countries, the faithful Pakistanis are attacked. Christians, who are already living in constant fear for their lives, become even more vulnerable,� commented a Pakistani Christian. Ask that the Lord will wonderfully protect His faithful people in Pakistan (2 Kings 6:15-17), especially in the north-west, where they are very few in number and living in a strongly Islamic environment.

Wednesday 13 Hindu extremists attacked two Christian congregations at worship on 11 January, one in Jehanabad, Bihar state, and the other in Kushulanagar, Karnataka state. The Christians were accused of forcing or luring Hindus to convert to Christianity, but no formal charges were brought against them by police. Pray that Indian Christians will not be dismayed or discouraged by the frequent false accusations against them with regard evangelism but will continue to proclaim the Good News boldly.

Thursday 14 Indian Christians gathered in Delhi in February to protest against church attacks. “What

have we done wrong?” asked one protestor. “Is serving the poor a crime, feeding the hungry a crime, visiting the prisoner a crime? … We are not going to stop doing good.” Police forced many of the protestors on to buses and drove them away. Pray that the Indian police will grant justice to Christians and protect them from violence.

One of 208 Sri Lankan Christian families whose flood-damaged homes have been repaired with help from Barnabas Saturday 16 Praise God that Pastor Tandin Wangyal has been released early from prison in Bhutan on 19 January after paying a fine. Pastor Mon Thapa, who was arrested at the same

Sunday 17 O Lord, we rejoice at the rapid

rate of Church growth in China. Only You know the number of Christian believers in that vast country. We want to pray today especially for our brothers and sisters in the city of Wenzhou, which has so many Christians that it is sometimes called “China’s Jerusalem”, and for the rest of the province of Zhejiang in which the city is situated. We ask for an end to the surge of violence against church buildings in the province last year, during which hundreds were targeted for demolition and at least 410 crosses were torn down. We pray that you will cause the Chinese authorities to look favourably on the growing number of Christians and recognise them as people who contribute to a peaceful, harmonious society. We ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Monday 18 A senior Kenyan Christian leader explains, the aim of the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab for Kenya (a nation which is 80% Christian) is to make it ungovernable, to make the Church fearful, and to prevent Christians from doing outreach in Muslim areas of the country. Others

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Friday 15 Barnabas Fund has helped to repair 208 Christian homes and twelve church buildings in Sri Lanka.

All had been damaged by floods during the monsoon. In this remote area of the country, where Hinduism and Buddhism are strongly represented, Christians experience discrimination and marginalisation and they knew it was unlikely they would receive government aid after the disaster. Thank the Lord for the generosity of Barnabas Fund supporters, which enables us to help these suffering believers.

time, as they carried a sick child to a clinic, received a lighter sentence and was released last year. Both had been charged with holding a religious meeting and showing a film without approval as well as collecting “illegal funds”. The Church in Buddhist-majority Bhutan was underground until 2008 but some Christians are now beginning to practise their faith openly. Pray for an easing of restrictions against our brothers and sisters. Pray that the release of Pastor Tandin will encourage them as they see their prayers answered (Acts 12:13-17).

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report that Christians are indeed traumatised by the violence of AlShabaab militants and have started to hide their crosses or other Christian symbols, and to travel in unmarked vehicles instead of vehicles painted with Christian wording. They are afraid of discussing Islam. The government has banned all-night Christian meetings because of security concerns. “Will the next generation find a Church in Kenya?” asked another senior Christian leader earlier this year. Pray that Kenyan Christians will heed the Lord’s command to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged” (Joshua 1:9).

Thursday 21 Many Eritrean Christians are held in prison for years, without trial and in the harshest of conditions.

But praise God the number is much lower than it used to be. According to “Church in Chains” there are now about 300 Christian prisoners, many of them held in Me’etr prison in the remote north-west. Pray for these brothers and sisters, whom the Lord knows by name, that He will sustain and comfort them.

Remember especially Dr Kiflu, Pastor Kidane and Rev Haile, who have each been held for eleven years. Pray also for a group of Christian women who were arrested at a wedding in 2006 and are still in prison.

Tuesday 19 George Karidhimba Muriki, a Kenyan church leader, was shot dead by gunmen on a motorbike outside his church in Mombasa, as people gathered for Sunday worship on 11 January.

Although Kenya is Christian-majority the city of Mombasa is Muslim-majority and there have been a number of attacks on Christians in recent years.

Pray for the Lord’s protection over His people in Mombasa and that they may react to the violence in a Christ-like way that brings Him glory.

Friday 22 Twen is a 32-year-old Eritrean Christian, who has been in prison since she was arrested at a prayer meeting in January 2005. She has refused to sign a statement that she will not engage in Christian activities and therefore continues to be detained.

Once, when ill, she was allowed to spend a month at her family home in Asmara, but after this she made her own way back to prison. She is active in caring for the other women in prison.

Pray that her life may bring glory to the Lord and be a powerful witness to the prison guards and authorities.

Wednesday 20 “We have secured a great victory today as the body of Christ,” wrote a Tanzanian Christian to Barnabas Fund on 6 February.

He was referring to the fact that the Tanzanian government had withdrawn a proposal to introduce Islamic courts using sharia law. Thank the Lord for this development. Pray also for the proposed new constitution and upcoming general election, planned for 28 October, that the Lord’s purposes will be fulfilled.

Twen has been in prison in Eritrea for ten years

Saturday 23 India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to a Christian audience on 17 February saying, “My government will not allow any religious group belonging to the majority or the minority to incite hatred against others, overtly or covertly.” This was a welcome message, especially given that Mr Modi is a Hindu nationalist and leader of the BJP party, which has strongly antiChristian elements within it . Pray that Mr Modi will follow his words with actions that match.

Sunday 24 Lord Jesus, as we remember

Monday 25 Please continue to pray for Iranian Pastor Farshid Fathi, a convert from Islam, who remains in prison. On 5 March the prison imam demanded his Bible for inspection, but Pastor Farshid refused to hand it over because he had permission from the prison superintendent to have it. It is likely that Farshid may have up to two years added to his sentence for “insulting” the imam because of this. Pray that the Iranian authorities will lose interest in harassing Christians who are active in ministry, especially those from a Muslim background. Pray that they will

Tuesday 26 Twenty-one Christians, who had been kidnapped in Libya, were beheaded by Islamic State (IS) militants, the whole process shown in a video released by IS on 15 February. Twenty were Egyptian while one was an African, also working in Libya. His nominal Christian faith had been re-kindled by the Egyptians, so that when IS came looking for Christians he refused to save his life by embracing Islam, but instead embraced martyrdom. Thirteen of the Egyptian men came from the same village. Pray for the grieving families, that they may find comfort in knowing that their loved ones were martyred because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Martyrdom is considered by the Egyptian Church to be one of the highest gifts that God can bestow on His faithful followers.

Wednesday 27 Praise God for the safe arrival in Iraqi Kurdistan of the 30 containers of high quality insulated tents and associated equipment that will comprise Sawra (Hope) Village for displaced Iraqi Christians. There were various delays on the long journey by land and sea, so pray that the setting up of the camp will proceed swiftly.

Barnabas Fund is financing this project to provide shelter for up to 1,000 displaced Iraqi Christians.

Thursday 28 The Saudi Arabian government makes no provision for religious freedom: the official religion is Sunni Islam, its constitution is the

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the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we pray for Christians in Iran who face constant harassment from the authorities, that they might know the Spirit’s enabling as they reply to questioning by security forces and as they witness to their faith in prison.

May their hope and confidence be like that of one pastor who said that he felt sorry for the authorities as they tried to suppress the Iranian Church, because they did not realise their efforts were doomed as they were trying to oppose the work of the Holy Spirit.

cease to fear the growth of the Church as more and more Iranian Muslims find Christ as Lord and Saviour. Pray for conversions of Iranians in senior positions of authority.

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Quran, and its legal system is based on a strict interpretation of sharia law.

No non-Muslim places of worship are permitted, and the small number of Saudi Christians practise their faith in extreme secrecy. Even expatriate Christians are sometimes punished merely for worshipping together in private homes. Pray that the Saudi government will yield to international pressure and introduce greater religious freedom. Pray for those who currently suffer for their faith in Saudi Arabia. Pray that Lord will be their strength and shield (Psalm 28:7).

Friday 29 About 35 predominantly Christian villages cluster along the banks of the Khabur river in northern Syria. On 23 February they were attacked by Islamic State (IS) militants, who captured almost 300 Christians.

Some 1,200 families fled and Barnabas has sent aid to assist them. Church buildings were destroyed in the attack including one at Tel Hurmoz, believed to be one of the oldest in the country.

Another attack occurred on 7 March.

Pray for all the Christians, captured or displaced, and that God will intervene to stop the advance of IS in Syria.

Saturday 30 A week after they were taken hostage by Islamic State (see above), 23 of the Christian captives from the Khabur villages in northern Syria were freed on the condition that would not return to their village. “They said if we returned and they captured us again they would kill us without any other option,” said one of those released. “They would behead the men and enslave the women.” Islamic State has already sold many Iraqi Christian and Yazidi women as slaves, and has a set price list, starting at AU$52 for the oldest. Pray that the rest of the Syrian hostages will be released, soon and unharmed. Pray also that God will comfort the 1,200 families who have lost their homes and that He will give them courage to face the future.

Sunday 31 O Triune God, we pray to

you for our Iraqi Christian sisters who have been captured by Islamic State militants and sold as slaves around the Middle East. We remember also the other non-Muslim women and all the children, even very little ones, who have also been captured and sold.

We pray that You will help each one to bear the unbearable, and to know themselves loved and treasured by You despite the human shame they are enduring. In Your mercy, enable them to find their way to freedom.

June One of the thousands of Syrian Christians who fled their homes in villages along the Khabur River

Monday 1 When “Samuel” and his wife were baptised in Bangladesh on 2nd February, to mark their decision to leave Islam and follow Christ, they were attacked by local people when they returned home that evening. An imam

slapped the wife’s face in front of their two young children and the family were threatened that they would be expelled from the village, where they are the only Christians. When two other Christians heard of this and told the police, officers visited the village and warned the community not to harass Samuel and his family, because every citizen has the right to practise their own faith in Bangladesh. Thank the Lord for action by the police, which is quite unusual in a Muslim-majority context. Pray that the family will be allowed to live in peace as Christians.

Wednesday 3 Police in the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan, northern India, detained a group of 20 Christians distributing leaflets to local residents on 26 February.

Inside the police van and at the police station, the Christians were kicked and beaten with belts and sticks. Then they were released. Although the Church in India is growing fast, so is harassment of Christians especially those engaged in outreach and witnessing for the Gospel.

Pray that they may count it pure joy to face such trials and testing (James 1:2).

Thursday 4 Narmurad Mominov, a Christian leader in Turkmenistan, was fined on 27 February after police

Friday 5 On Sunday morning 15 March, suicide bombers attacked two churches in the Youhanabad neighbourhood of Lahore, Pakistan. Youhanabad is one of the largest Christian communities in the country, and most of its inhabitants are very poor. Although the combined congregations numbered about 2,000, only 19-20 people died because the church member volunteers on security duty had stopped both bombers from entering inside the buildings. Pray for healing for the injured (at least 80 people) and consolation for the bereaved. Thank God for the courage of the Christians who prevented the bombers from doing worse damage, some at the cost of their own lives.

Saturday 6 After the suicide bombings against churches in Youhanabad, Lahore, Pakistan (see above), many local Christians protested on the streets. Church leaders from all over the city gathered in Youhanabad to show their solidarity and to urge Christians to respond peacefully. Responsibility for the attacks was claimed by the Islamist

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Tuesday 2 One of the Christians who went to the police on behalf of Samuel (see above) was “Paul”, the Bangladeshi pastor who baptised the couple, who is himself a convert from Islam. The night that he returned from the police, a mob attacked his house, destroying the fence and beating him up. He has now lost his job. Please pray that the Lord will provide for him and protect him and all the believers whom he cares for.

raided a family home he was visiting.

The police tried to force everyone present at the meeting to write statements renouncing their Christian faith and promising never to attend religious meetings, but most refused to do so. Narmurad’s fine was only AU$37 but this is equivalent to two weeks average income for a farmer in the region. Pray that Christians in Turkmenistan, especially those who are converts from Islam, will be strong in the Lord as they follow him in the context of strict and burdensome regulations and much harassment from the authorities.

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group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which has split off from the Taliban and pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS). They also announced, “We promise that until an Islamic system is put into place in Pakistan, such attacks will continue.”

Pray for Pakistan’s Christians, who will now be feeling very insecure in their homeland and wondering if they will forced out by extreme violence and threats in a repeat of what IS is doing in Iraq.

Some of the injured from Youhanabad in hospital. Barnabas has sent help for medical care, funeral costs and other needs Sunday 7 Father God, we pray for our

brothers and sisters in North Korea, who put their lives at daily risk by following Your Son. We pray especially for those detained in prison labour camps, where they could easily die under the harsh regime and the extra severe treatment which they get as Christians. Please sustain them through hunger, pain and exhaustion.

Enable them to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame.

In His Name we pray. (Hebrews 12:2)

Monday 8 Christian Montagnards from the Central Highlands of Vietnam are fleeing again to Cambodia to escape persecution in their homeland, where they are threatened with prison if they practise their Christian faith. While a few have gone to register as refugees in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, most are hiding in the jungle for fear of being deported back to Vietnam by the authorities. Hundreds had fled to Cambodia in 2001 and again in 2004 after being evicted from their lands. Pray that they may take comfort in the Lord’s words of affirmation and His promise of eternal life to those who have left homes and fields for His sake (Mark 10:29-30).

Tuesday 9 Remember in prayer the mainly Christian Kachin people of Burma (Myanmar) as every day more and more flee their villages, which are under heavy air attack by Burmese military. Some are taking shelter in camps within Burma and others are crossing the border into China. In Northern Shan state, where it was reported in March that there was fighting every day, hundreds of people, mainly women and children were newly displaced that month. Some had lost their husbands and fathers, killed by the Burmese army. Barnabas Fund has sent help. Please pray for all who are suffering so intensely that the help they are receiving from fellow-believers will bring them hope, encouragement and spiritual strength as well as relieving their practical needs.

Wednesday 10 “If I ever tried to do this ministry in my own strength, I would have given up long ago. But the Lord is my joy and strength,” said Rudiman, an Indonesian church-

planter supported by Barnabas Fund.

When Rudiman received death threats, his little congregation begged him to hide in his house, but he told them to trust, pray and leave it to the Lord.

Over time the new believers recognised that Rudiman’s response was the right one and this built them up in their Christian faith. Thank the Lord for Rudiman’s example and pray for him and the 39 other church-planters supported by Barnabas Fund in Indonesia; all of them are ministering in Muslim-majority areas, where they are likely to face hostility.

Thursday 11 Most churches in Cameroon are in the south, and church leaders pay little attention to the plight of fellow-Christians far away in the north, which is very poor and where the Islamist militant organisation Boko Haram is active. Many people in the north have been killed, many cattle stolen and crops burned, more than 100 villages stand empty. Hundreds of schools have closed down and many church buildings have been destroyed.

Tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees

Friday 12 “Every night they target a predominantly Christian village to plunder,” wrote a pastor from Maroua, Cameroon earlier this year, about the activities of Boko Haram in his country. Pray that the Cameroonian military may win back control of the territory that Boko Haram has taken.

Ask that the faith of the Christians will not fail as they wait nightly to see if they will be attacked. May they not give way to fear, but know in their hearts a peace that passes understanding.

Saturday 13 Christians in Mali comprise only 7% of the population, so they are conscious that, if Islamists were to target them consistently, it would not take long to overpower them completely.

The Malian Church is teaching its members to respond to provocation and violence with peace, to try to overcome by the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11) and to be salt and light in their society (Matthew 5:13-16).

Pray that the Lord will strengthen, guide and enable them to live for Him in their Muslim-majority nation.

Sunday 14 Almighty God, we join our

prayers with those of many Christians in Africa, asking for your blessing and guidance on believers who hold positions of political power in their continent. We pray that they will have

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Rudiman and his family

have sought safety there as they flee from Boko Haram’s violence in their own country. “We ask prayer, prayer, prayer for this crisis,” pleaded a Cameroonian church leader. Pray that church leaders will have the skills to respond effectively to this crisis and also to bring pastoral care to those traumatised by what they have suffered.

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wisdom and courage to use their position to help Your people, especially in responding to the challenges the Church currently faces. May they recognise that they have been given their position “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). We pray that other Christians will support and pray for their brothers and sisters in politics, recognising that they need special help to walk with You in such a calling. We ask this in the Name of Christ.

Monday 15 Christians form about a third of the population of Chad.

They are very aware of the pervasive influence of their strongly Islamic neighbour, Sudan which has been seeking to re-Islamise the Muslimmajority north of Chad and to Islamise and Arabise the Christianmajority South, where 1,000 mosques have been planted. Muslims dominate politics, “pulling the strings” even if not in actual power. The police force has been effectively Islamised by the forced retirement of the older officers who were mainly Christian. A Muslim who converts to Christianity may be seized by security forces and brainwashed. Chad is surrounded by countries where Islamist militant groups are very active. “We are sitting on fire,” said one Chadian Christian leader, “Pray for us.”

Tuesday 16 In February Boko Haram attacked targets in Chad and Niger for the first time, apparently in retaliation for a decision by the African Union countries on 30 January to fight against the Islamist insurgency group. Christian homes in Niger had been marked in advance with the sign “P52”* to identify them

for attack. The government of Niger invited Christians to participate in a protest against Boko Haram, putting them in a prominent place at the front of the procession. Thank the Lord for this affirmation by the Nigerien government and pray that both the Nigerien and the Chadian governments will be able to prevent Boko Haram from attacking again.

Wednesday 17 Christians in Niger number fewer than 250,000 out of a total population of 17 million.

Many political leaders assume that all Nigeriens are Muslim so any Christian is automatically regarded as a foreigner. Pray for a change of mindset within Niger, to recognise that Christians and the Christian faith can be a part of their country again, 14 centuries after Christian Berbers from North Africa first brought the faith, which slowly disappeared again.

Thursday 18 “What happened in the Central African Republic (CAR) can happen in any country,” said a church leader remembering the way in which Islamists seized political power by force in 2013. “We were not prepared with strategies. We realised the weakness of the Church.”

He explained how church structures did not allow the Church to resist the persecution that followed, as the Seleka Islamist militants destroyed church buildings, slaughtered pastors, and raped their wives and daughters.

Church attendance dropped, but church leaders met together to pray and plan a response, realising that greater flexibility was required in order to respond to persecution. “We need your prayers,” he said. Pray for wisdom

for church leaders in CAR and that they may be well prepared for further challenges in their country.

Barnabas provided aid for Christian victims of violence in CAR Saturday 20 Although Christian majority, the new nation of South Sudan has declared itself a secular state.

Muslims, who are estimated at less than 10% of the total population, are given equal priority and visibility with

Sunday 21 Lord Jesus, we pray today

for Pastor Yat Michael, from South Sudan, in prison in (north) Sudan along with Pastor Peter Yien. Together they are accused of sharing the Gospel with Muslims, which is illegal in Sudan.

Please sustain them and give them joy in You. We pray that their lawyer will be guided by the Holy Spirit as he represents them, and that they may be released soon. We pray also for their wives, who have been allowed very little communication with Yat and Peter since their arrest, that they will not let their hearts be troubled but will trust in You. (John 14:1) Monday 22 Church leaders in the Middle East lament the rapidly diminishing light of Christian presence there, as Christians are forced from

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Friday 19 “As a church we feel we are forgotten by the rest of the world. It is hard to understand. Barnabas Fund is the only organisation to this day who has given substantial help, supporting 500 families,” said a church leader from the Central African Republic (CAR) earlier this year, recalling aid given by Barnabas Fund to care for victims of anti-Christian violence.

When Islamists seized political power by force in this 85% Christian nation two years ago, “the church was forsaken and it was really hard to respond”. Some elements of the population responded instead with further violence. Pray that the current peace may be maintained, with a functioning government that is not seeking to create an Islamic state in CAR. Pray that CAR Christians will feel themselves part of a worldwide caring Christian family.

Christians at every formal event. As the war-ravaged country’s infrastructure is rebuilt, the booming construction industry is dominated by Muslims, who also own most of the hardware stores.

In Juba, the capital, three-quarters of the shops are closed on Friday afternoons because their owners have gone to pray at the mosque. Children are easily converted to Islam. Many Muslims from Kenya and Uganda are becoming South Sudanese citizens. This situation is a great disappointment to many South Sudanese Christians who had so looked forward to a nation of their own as respite from the pressures of the strongly Islamic northern state.

“The Church is unprepared and has no planned response,” commented one South Sudanese Christian leader recently. “The Church needs to be enlightened, empowered and envisioned for the task.” Pray for this.

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their homes and homelands by Islamist militants and especially by the brutal advance of Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria over the last year. The “religious cleansing” effect created by IS’s threats and savagery looks set to replicate the effects of the Armenian and Assyrian Genocide that peaked 100 years ago, which depleted Turkey of almost all its Christian population. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to act in power to maintain a Christian witness in the region where He Himself lived His earthly life and where the Gospel has been proclaimed continuously ever since.

Tuesday 23 On 16 March the militant group Islamic State (IS) published photos online showing their destruction of churches in Iraq, replacing centuries-old crosses with the black flag of IS. Earlier in the month, the international media were incensed by the IS destruction of ancient Assyrian statues in Nimrud, near Mosul, but little attention was paid when the same thing is done to the church buildings of modern Assyrian people. Pray that the international community will rally to the support of Christians and other minorities, whose very existence is threatened by the extreme and violent ideologies of IS. Wednesday 24 Ethnic Fulani Muslims killed at least 82 people from the village of Agatu, Benue state, in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” in an attack at 4 a.m. on 15 March, in which they also destroyed houses, food barns, trees and farmland.

“The entire village is like a killing field, with the stench of blood everywhere,” said a local resident. The village is inhabited by the mainly Christian

Egba ethnic group. Frequent attacks

by Fulani Muslim herdsmen add to the pressures faced by Nigerian Christians, who are also a main target of Boko Haram militants. Pray that the Lord will comfort those who lost loved ones and pray also for healing for the 25 villagers who were injured in the attack.

Thursday 25 “We are having the news of 2 churches been burnt in Bukoba, 1 in Mafia last week and 4 Christian houses have been burnt in Sakura, Pangani, Tanga.” This update came in an email to Barnabas Fund from Tanzania on 18 March, giving a snapshot of the ongoing anti-Christian violence there. The attack on Christian homes in Sakura came from local Muslims angered by the way the Christians did not follow sharia law. Pray for the protection of Christians in Tanzania and that the authorities will ensure they are free to live as Christians in this Christianmajority nation.

Friday 26 A recent four-day conference in Central Asia, funded by Barnabas, trained 54 pastors and ministry leaders, all from Muslim backgrounds, to help them recognise Islamic elements in their local culture and to adopt a more Biblical way of life. Many had unwittingly continued to lead a

Christian leaders’ conference in Central Asia

partly Islamic lifestyle, especially in the family home, despite their decision to follow Christ. Praise God for the eagerness with which the participants learned how to focus on the Bible’s teachings and to live in a more Christian way.

Sunday 28 Heavenly Father, we pray for

our brothers and sisters in Tanzania, who face increasing violence, with Christian schools, churches and Christian-owned vehicles being set on fire, sometimes several in a week, even though Christians form the majority of the population. Please protect church ministers and other Christian workers who are particular targets of violence. We ask that Your angels will keep a special watch over Christians in Zanzibar, where they are so few in number and face so much hostility. We

Monday 29 Christians in Burundi report that Islamisation has spread out from the towns into the rural areas.

Many Christians are converting in response to practical assistance from Muslim sources; Christian girls also convert after marrying Muslim men.

Muslims hold positions in government and other structures of society. There are not only Muslim schools but even Muslim universities. The impressive and beautiful Islamic buildings greatly outshine the equivalent Christian buildings. Christians see a growing assertiveness of the Muslim community, both on the political scene and in terms of deliberate acts of provocation, for example, destroying Christian symbols in some areas, and erecting mosques near churches. Pray that Burundian Christians will be strong in their faith and love for the Lord.

Tuesday 30 Muslims often pray that Christians will be divided.

African Christians are conscious that they are already very divided, for example, by the plethora of African denominations, by doctrinal issues, and by tribal differences. Pray that African Christians, and Christians elsewhere too, may be brought to complete unity to let the world know that the Father sent the Lord Jesus Christ and has loved believers as He loved His Son (John 17:23). * "P52" may be a reference to a very early papyrus fragment of John's Gospel, and a way of branding Christians as heretics.

May/June 2015 15

Saturday 27 The Muslim minority in Rwanda (5%) are very active in providing social care, for example, schools and health centres, visiting people in hospital, feeding the poor and vulnerable, providing low-interest credit, and hospital-visiting. Although Islam was mainly found in the towns previously, newly built mosques are appearing at 5km intervals in rural areas. Muslim young men are encouraged to marry Christian girls, who then convert to Islam. Five hundred young Rwandan Muslims were sent to Arab countries to study Islam in 2008, thus creating a strong cadre of well educated Muslim leaders that was previously lacking. Pray that Rwandan church leaders may be alert to Islamic strategies in their country and that Christians may be well grounded in their faith.

pray that Tanzanian Christians may live their lives wisely amongst their Muslim neighbours and show that they are different. (1 Peter 2:12)

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