Praying for the Persecuted Church 2017 by Barnabas Fund

Praying for the Persecuted Church 2017 barnabasfund.org

This booklet is provided to inspire and focus your prayers for our Lord’s suffering people. Most pages are dedicated to a particular country where Christians experience discrimination, harassment or violence for His sake, giving background information and suggestions for prayer. Some pages focus on a particular group of persecuted believers, and the final page encourages us to rejoice in the glorious hope that we have in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, a hope that can sustain us all in our trials for Him. Some Christians like to observe the traditional season of Lent to prepare themselves for Good Friday and Easter Day. The booklet has been structured for use during this time, with a page for every day from Ash Wednesday 1 March to Easter Day 16 April. A reading plan for this period can be found on the inside back cover.

© Barnabas Aid Inc. 2017 Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®. Unless otherwise stated, images are © Barnabas Aid Inc. Front cover: Project Joseph is providing 1 million meals a month in Zimbabwe.

Creative Commons image sources: Page 5: Magharebia, “120402 Amazigh film honoured in Kabylie” April 20, 2012, via Flickr, Creative Commons License Page 11: Allen Li, “the prayer” October 15, 2008, via Flickr, Creative Commons License Page 26: Neil Weightman, “Medina, Tripoli” November 22, 2009, via Flickr, Creative Commons License

Page 27: theihno, “Christian church, Rabat, Morocco” October 29, 2008, via Flickr, Creative Commons License Page 45: Peretz Partensky, “Ashgabat” September 2, 2009, via Flickr, Creative Commons License Page 46: mariusz kluzniak, “local tourists, uzbekistan” April 28, 2014, via Flickr, Creative Commons License

he Easter story is one of terrible suffering, but also one of triumphant grace. For Jesus’ followers, the shattering of their dreams – so brutally wrought upon the bruised and broken body of the man they thought would be their Saviour – left their world an empty and uncertain place. The Gospels recount how they huddled, terrified, while Jesus lay entombed. But the night is always darkest before the dawn. The people of God have, throughout history, endured times of great trial and tribulation. Today is no exception, although today it is believers from the cradle of Christianity, where the Apostle Paul’s ministry bore so much fruit, who are bearing the greatest burden; where the early church once flourished it is now under threat. Hundreds of thousands of believers have been forced to flee and many have been called upon to pay the ultimate price for their faith. In recent times, the word “martyr” has been claimed by Islamic extremists for those who die committing acts of violence for self-serving aims: the prospect of immediate and certain entry into paradise followed by eternal pleasure. But for believers, to die for Jesus’ sake is not a guarantee of eternal glory, for that is already promised to all who are in Christ. Rather, it is the earlier fulfilment of a pre-destined purpose: “to live is Christ, to die is gain”, wrote Paul in his letter to the Philippians. While death in this life is a cause of great sorrow and grief – especially for those whose loves ones have been violently taken from them – the stories of those left behind, some of which are mentioned in these pages, speak of hope and grace and love, in the midst of tears.

Across the world, Christians are suffering for their faith. Some are displaced, refugees, or facing the threat of death because they have chosen to hold fast to a sure and certain hope. Their faithful perseverance through great trial is both a profound challenge and powerful proof of the Apostle John’s wonderful words: “greater is he who is in you than in the world” (1 John 4:4). As we witness their suffering, it is right that we are moved to compassion and to help them in their plight. It is what we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, are called to do: “when one part [of the body] suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). But it is easy for us to be weighed down by the violent darkness we see around. As Jesus’ disciples tried to console each other after the crucifixion, they seem to have forgotten his promise of resurrection – even though it was Jesus’ statement that He would rise again that prompted the Jewish religious leaders to demand that Pilate station guards around the tomb. Indeed, when the women first told the disciples of the resurrection, the Scriptures record that most did not believe it was, or could be true. As we prayerfully consider together the period leading up to Easter, we do so remembering the suffering and the sadness, but also the promise and the hope brought about by Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. As the mourning of Friday turns to the joy of Sunday; the darkness of night to the resurrection dawn, we can stand with believers around the world, firm in the knowledge so eloquently phrased by the old hymn: “Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, It is well, with my soul.”

27 5

31 9

Contents 4

Afghanistan

Holy Land

Algeria

India

Bangladesh

Indonesia

Brunei

Iran

Victims of violence

Iraq

Cameroon

Kazakhstan

CAR

Refugees

Mauritania

Kenya

Egypt

Kyrgyzstan

Eritrea

Laos

Ethiopia

Libya

Children

Morocco

21 45

44 40 16 20 12

37 38

47 25

7 18

Myanmar (Burma)

Sudan

Syria

Women

Tajikistan

Nepal

Tanzania

Nigeria

Elderly

North Korea

Turkey

Pakistan

Turkmenistan

Russia

Uzbekistan

Saudi Arabia

Vietnam

Converts

Martyrs

Somalia

Zimbabwe

Sri Lanka

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Living Hopeâ&#x20AC;?

Afghanistan Barnabas Fund Projects include: Needy and persecuted Afghan Christians around the world (01-901)

here are thought to be around 1,000 Christians in Afghanistan, which is still blighted by conflict, 16 years since the U.S. invasion which toppled the Taliban’s Islamic regime. All of them are converts from Islam and face grave danger if they openly declare their faith. The resurgent Taliban, which has openly targeted Christians and kidnapped foreign Christian workers, now controls more than 30% of the country and is most dominant in the south, where it brutally enforces sharia. Afghanistan is officially an Islamic republic and the country’s constitution maintains that no law may be contrary to Islam, the state religion. The criminal code only covers offences where there is not a specific penalty laid down in sharia, making Afghanistan one of only a handful of countries where Christian converts from Islam can legally face the death penalty for apostasy; the last time a case reached the courts in 2006, international outcry led to the man charged being declared “insane”, thus saving him from execution. Members of the Afghan parliament have called for the death penalty to be carried out against converts and Afghan media is vehemently anti-Christian. There is strong public hostility to apostates from Islam; converts risk total rejection by their families, as well potentially being murdered by relatives, community or the Taliban. Many Afghan Christians have fled abroad. Before Muslim

invasions in the 7th century, the country had a significant Christian population, although Afghanistan’s Christian history is no longer visible; the last church building was destroyed in 1973. In January 2015, Islamic State announced the formation of a franchise in Afghanistan. The group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Afghan’s capital, Kabul, in November 2016 and controls an area of territory in eastern Afghanistan, although it is engaged in a bitter rivalry with the Taliban.

Afghan Christians meeting Pray for embattled Afghan Christians, that they will know the Father as their hiding place and deliverance (Psalm 32:7), and be protected from hostility. Pray that they will be encouraged by Christian radio and internet ministries reaching Afghanistan. Ask the Lord to provide for Christians who have left the country and now live as refugees.

Algeria Barnabas Fund Projects include: Christian nursery school (02-1045)

ast year, an Algerian Christian convert from Islam was sentenced to three years in prison and fined for “offending the Prophet [Muhammad]” and “denigrating the creed and precepts of Islam”. He had posted on Facebook that “Jesus overcomes the lies of Islam”. Although Algeria’s constitution provides for freedom of religion and it is not illegal for Muslims to convert, Islam is the official state religion and Christians from Muslim backgrounds face persecution and harassment. Christians are prohibited from worshipping anywhere except in a registered building as a result of legislation introduced in 2006, and church leaders report that applications to register are repeatedly rejected. The government also regulates religious literature and all imported Christian literature must be approved by the authorities. Witnessing to Muslims is illegal and anyone deemed to be evangelising can face a fine and up to five years in prison. Despite the limitations placed on Christians, the church in Algeria has witnessed remarkable growth in recent decades, particularly among indigenous Berbers. There are now thought to be perhaps as many as 80,000 Christians in a country that is 99% Muslim. Before the Arab Islamic conquest of north Africa in the 7th to 8th centuries, Algeria had a significant Christian population,

which included the famous Christian theologian Augustine, but despite a dedicated effort by missionaries in the 19th century, there were very few new believers until the 1970s. Islamist militants from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a group which is now affiliated with Al-Qaeda but which originated in the Algerian civil war (1991–2000), have stated that they aim to fully establish sharia law in Algeria. The presence of the group is a concern for the longer-term safety of Christians.

Northern Algerian city of Tizi Ouzou, where many Christians live Pray that Algerian believers will boldly share their faith with their Muslim neighbours, despite the possibility of imprisonment. Pray that the provisions already existing in the Algerian constitution that assert religious freedom will be observed and that Algerians will be free to choose their own faith without experiencing harassment or persecution from their neighbours. Ask that the government will allow Christians to meet together freely for worship anywhere without the need to register.

Bangladesh Barnabas Fund Projects include: Christian schools (04-807) Student ministry (04-640)

ossain Ali was walking near his house early one morning last year, when three men on motorcycles murdered him in a knife attack. Since converting to Christianity from Islam in 1999, the 68-year-old father of four had been threatened and pressured to recant his faith. Instead of giving in, he was instrumental in bringing two other Muslim families in his neighbourhood to Christ and setup a house church in his home. Hossain Ali was one of the 1% of Bangladesh’s population who are Christian. Christians have increasingly been targeted by Islamic extremists in Bangladesh, which is 90% Muslim. In June 2016, a Christian shopkeeper, who also tended the grounds of his church, was hacked to death. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said was “part of a series of operations” in Bangladesh. The country’s constitution recognises the rights of minorities to practise their religion and share their faith. But in 1988, seventeen years after Bangladesh secured independence from Pakistan in a brutal ethnic conflict, Islam was formally made the state religion. Attempts by secular activists to overturn the special status for Islam were struck down by the High Court last year. Converts to Islam are at risk of discrimination and attack, particularly in rural areas, and Christians have also been the victims of illegal land seizures.

Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s hardline Islamist party, which has been banned from taking part in elections, remains a powerful force; violence against Christians and other minorities following the 2014 parliamentary elections was attributed to groups associated with the party. Tension between secularists and those wishing to Islamise the country continues to make the political situation in Bangladesh volatile, leaving Christians potentially vulnerable.

Barnabas Fund is helping to feed impoverished Christian families in Bangladesh Pray that God will watch over and protect believers in Bangladesh and that attempts to strengthen the political power of Islam will be thwarted. Give thanks for those Christians, especially believers from Muslim backgrounds, who have held fast to their faith in the midst of trial and tribulation. Ask God to comfort the families of those who have lost loved ones, may they know that they are not alone.

Brunei

2014, the Sultan of Brunei announced that the influence of sharia would be extended into criminal law; sharia already governs many aspects of civil law in Brunei. The first phase, implemented in 2014, introduced fines and imprisonment for the preaching of religions other than Islam and made attendance at Friday prayers mandatory for Muslims. The second phase, originally planned to be enacted in 2015, will introduce flogging for the drinking of alcohol and amputations for theft, with a third phase implementing the death penalty for “blasphemy” against Islam and stoning for adultery and homosexuality. At the time of writing, the establishment of the second phase is still delayed. The public celebration of Christmas was banned in December 2015 and sermons by local imams published in the government-controlled press announced that religious symbols such as crosses and even Christmas trees were contrary to the Islamic faith. Importing or distributing Christian literature is also forbidden and there are tight restrictions on the teaching of Christianity to children. Brunei, a tiny, oil-rich enclave on the island of Borneo, has been ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world’s wealthiest men, since 1968 and is an absolute monarchy. Christians comprise around 9% of the population, which is 78% Muslim. Church activity is

closely monitored by security agencies and believers have been arrested and jailed for actions deemed to constitute attempts to spread Christianity.

Brunei Give thanks that the implementation of the second phase of sharia law has been delayed. Pray that continued international pressure will lead Sultan Hassanal to reverse the introduction of sharia – which treats Christians and other non-Muslims as inferior – and allow religious freedom for all citizens in Brunei. Lift up believers as they seek to remain true to the Lord with all their heart (Acts 11:23) in the face of the current repressive laws. Pray also for children in Christian families, as they grow up being persecuted; pray that despite the tight restrictions on teaching Christianity they will develop and mature in their faith.

Victims of Violence Barnabas Fund Projects include: Victims of Violence fund (00-345)

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; (Isaiah 41:10)

ntan Olivia Marbun, a twoyear-old Christian girl playing outside a church in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province, was killed in an Islamic State (IS)inspired terrorist attack in November 2016. Angela, a mother of three from Aleppo, was forced to move to Armenia after IS seized and beheaded her husband Mina and his father, and then repeatedly threatened to rape and murder her and her children if they would not convert to Islam. Persecuted Christian communities live under constant threat of violence from extremists, hostile local communities and, at times, the authorities. Islamist militants such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and Cameroon, al-Shabaab in Somalia and Kenya and IS in Syria and Iraq, rampage across vast swathes of territory, spreading their ideology of murder, rape and slavery. Islamist attacks also occur in countries such as Pakistan, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Christian gatherings in Sri Lanka are often violently disrupted by militant Buddhists, Hindu extremists in India frequently carry out acts of antiChristian violence and Christians can suffer brutal treatment under former communist regimes. State-sponsored anti-Christian violence also happens:

in North Korea, Eritrea, Iran and Sudan Christians are subjected to violence, torture, incarceration and sometimes martyred. Barnabas Fund’s Victims of Violence Fund helps to rebuild shattered lives by providing medical care, legal assistance, places of refuge, small-business start-up costs or vocational training that victims of anti-Christian violence may need in order to make a fresh start. The fund also cares for the families of prisoners and helps Christians who have suffered statesponsored injustice.

Barnabas funded successful surgery for Aqeel, a father of five, injured in the Easter Day suicide bombing in Lahore Lift up Christians whose lives have been torn apart by violence. Ask the Lord to bring peace to the hearts of those who have endured or witnessed violent attacks. Ask also that He will meet the material needs of those who have been left destitute after being forced to flee their homes. Pray that vulnerable Christian communities will find in the Lord a mighty rock and refuge (Psalm 62:7), and ask Him to give them the courage they need to maintain a loving witness to Him in the face of violence.

Cameroon Barnabas Fund Projects include: West Africa Relief Fund (00-568)

“

very day there are suicide bombers, there is theft of cattle, there are killings and kidnapping of people and theft of goods,” writes a church pastor, explaining the challenges faced by Christians in northern Cameroon. Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group well known for its attacks in Nigeria, has for several years also engaged in a violent campaign against mainly Christian villages inside Cameroon, close to the country’s porous border with north-eastern Nigeria. Militants have torched Christian homes, churches and markets, and deliberately targeted supplies of maize and other vital food stocks, leaving communities desperately short of food. Boko Haram have also kidnapped Christians as they work in the fields; some are freed when ransom demands are met, others are never seen again. Government efforts to counter the attacks, imposing curfews and police checks, have stifled economic activity. Schools have also been closed and some villages are now deserted. Cameroon, an amalgam of former French and British colonies, has enjoyed relative stability since gaining independence in 1960. Around 70% of the population is Christian, with Muslims comprising 20%; conflict between the different religious communities is rare apart from Boko Haram’s violence. The violence in the north of the country, where the dominant ethnic

group is Muslim, has displaced thousands of people who have been forced to leave their homes and employment, joining thousands of Nigerian refugees who had originally sought safety from Boko Haram in Cameroon. Christians who have fled south have faced further violence from Muslim cattle herders for attempting to grow crops in the bush.

Emergency aid for Christian children refugees in Cameroon Pray that God will bring peace and stability to northern Cameroon. Pray that the violence against Christians perpetrated by Boko Haram will not spread and that those who have been displaced from the poorer northern regions of the country will be welcomed as they seek to rebuild their lives. Ask that widows who have lost loved ones will know the comfort and presence of the Holy Spirit; may they be held in the Father’s everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Central African Republic Barnabas Fund Projects include: Aid for Displaced Christians in CAR (105-1172)

“As

the church mobilises in prayer, we ask you to join us in continuing to pray for our country,” a contact wrote to Barnabas in October 2016. The Christianmajority Central African Republic (CAR) continues to be wracked by violence, despite the presence of a UN peacekeeping force, as Seleka Islamist militants have refused to accept the results of elections in February 2016, when Faustin-Archange Touadéra, a Christian, was voted in as the country’s president. “The horrors taking place are indescribable,” explained our contact, describing Seleka attacks on believers. In September, Seleka descended on the southern town of Kouango, slaughtering men, women and children; over 200 were killed. In the same month, Seleka attacked another town and destroyed a Bible training centre. As a result of the attack, a church in the town was forced to the move the location of its meetings. Churches have been targeted with grenade attacks, with the violence being further fuelled by reprisals by “anti-balaka” armed groups – who misleadingly call themselves Christians, despite their actions being condemned by church leaders. As well as the threat of Seleka attacks, Christians are also facing violence from ethnic Fulani Muslims and a militia group called the Lord’s

Resistance Army, which has taken Christians hostage. The Seleka’s brutal uprising led to the overthrow of the CAR government in 2013, when the Seleka leader Michel Djotodia declared himself president. Since the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in 2014 there have been periods of calm, but Christian leaders reported increasing violence following the elections in 2016.

Barnabas has aided Christians affected by conflict in CAR Pray for an end to the violence in the CAR and the establishment of a stable government under Faustin-Archange Touadéra. Lift up the many Christians who have been displaced by the violence, as well as those who live in fear of attack; may they know the perfect love of God which drives out all fear. After a period of deep despair in 2015, when many pastors fled their posts, give thanks that efforts to rebuild the church across the CAR are beginning to bear fruit; lift up church leaders, that they will be strengthened in the knowledge that the Lord is the God of the nations (Isaiah 62:6,7).

Mauritania

he Christian population of Mauritania is very small – and many of these are expatriate believers. Believers in this Islamic Republic have been imprisoned, beaten for their faith, or endured ostracism by family or tribe. According to the country’s constitution, only Muslims can be citizens of Mauritania. Apostasy from Islam is forbidden and those who do not recant within three days can face a death sentence and have their property confiscated, although no one has been officially executed for this offence to date as far as is known. All non-governmental organisations which are linked to a religious body must be officially registered with the government and must not promote any religion that is not Islam. Government permission is required for all group meetings, including religious meetings by nonMuslims, even when these are held in private homes. The tiny number of Mauritanian Christians must meet secretly; although expatriate believers can meet in churches, they are increasingly subject to persecution. In 2009 an American Christian, Chris Leggett, was assassinated by Islamic terrorists when he resisted being taken hostage. There have been protests against Christians by Muslims. At one public demonstration they accused Christians of burning the Quran and called on the

government to punish them. They were not specific about which Christians they were accusing. Radical forms of Islam are spreading across North Africa. For some time Islamic terrorists have been active in Mauritania. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has exploited porous borders between North African countries and carried out attacks.

Desert scenes such as these are characteristic of the Mauritanian landscape Source Michał Huniewicz

Pray for God’s blessing on Mauritanian Christians who have made the decision to leave the religion of their families and communities to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray also for their protection as they live under authorities which can place a death sentence on those who leave Islam, and pray that they will have courage to press on toward the goal (Philippians 3:14). Pray that laws against Christian activity will be eased so that Christians will be able to meet together freely for encouragement and teaching. Pray that the seeds of radical Islamism will wither before they take root.

Egypt Barnabas Fund Projects include: Needy families (11-220) Support for families of 21 martyrs (11-1240) Christian schools (11-1214)

ast year, when a church in the village of Madamoud, east of Luxor, was discovered to be on fire, local Muslims assisted their Christian neighbours to put out the blaze. It was a rare example of Muslim support for the Christian minority, in a country where the presence of Christian places of worship is resented and sometimes violently opposed. There were multiple attacks on churches, or buildings rumoured to be converted into churches, in the last year. Although occasional arrests were made, Christian communities were also forced into one-sided “reconciliation” meetings with local Muslim leaders. The overthrow of Egypt’s Islamist president, Mohammad Morsi, in 2013 was followed by increased violence against Christians and the destruction of some 60 church buildings. President al-Sisi promised in January 2016 to rebuild those churches that were attacked and at the time of writing most if not all had been completed. There was further positive news for Christians in August 2016 with the passing of new laws governing the construction of churches, which were previously strictly regulated by a law dating back to the Ottoman Empire; the new legislation makes it easier to get approval to build a church, although the size of buildings is restricted. Christians still face at times violent abuse and attacks, in addition

to discrimination in employment. However, the new constitution introduced by President al-Sisi does formally protect freedom of belief and Christians’ right to practise their faith. In December, a suicide bomb at a church service in Cairo killed 27 Christians, mostly women. President al-Sisi declared three days of national mourning, and ordered the army to repair the building.

Christian places of worship are frequently targeted Praise God that the government of President al-Sisi continues to support and protect Christians. Pray that local authorities will implement the new laws governing church building and will deal favourably with believers looking to establish places of worship. Pray for continued protection for Christians from Muslim extremist violence, especially for converts from Islam and believers living in northern Sinai who face attacks by IS militants.

Eritrea Barnabas Fund Projects include: Eritrean Christian refugees (12-954)

hristians in Eritrea live in constant danger. The country has been ruled by a repressive Marxist government since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year war, and religious freedom is severely curtailed. Only three Christian denominations are legally permitted and non-registered groups, which are considered a threat to the state, are severely persecuted. Christians are subject to arbitrary arrest and detention. Those arrested are rarely formally charged and are not permitted to practise their faith in prison, whilst Bibles and all Christian literature are banned. There may be as many as 3,000 religious prisoners, most of whom are Christians, detained in Eritreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notorious prison system, where abuse and torture are widespread; some have been confined in crowded 20-foot shipping containers, subject to extreme temperatures, while a number have been detained for more than ten years. Prisoners who have been released have reported being pressured to renounce their faith or sign statements that they will cease religious activities and no longer meet to worship. Registered churches are required to submit regular reports of their activities to the authorities and the government itself appointed the national leader of the largest denomination, following the arrest of his predecessor. Authorities have

withheld supplies of water and other utilities to Christians known to be part of non-registered churches. Thousands of Christians have fled the country to escape persecution, although in doing so they put themselves at grave risk of exploitation and kidnap at the hands of human traffickers, as they attempt to reach safety.

Barnabas has provided support for Eritrean Christians imprisoned in Egypt Cry out to the Lord on behalf of our brothers and sisters held in Eritrean prisons, who face abuse and torture, with no recourse to proper justice; may they know the presence of the Lord who will never leave them or forsake them (Deuteronomy 31:6). Pray that repressive power structures will be replaced by a government for justice and truth. Pray that believers who have fled will be protected as they travel and that they will find safe places to rebuild their lives.

Ethiopia Barnabas Fund Projects include: Project Joseph famine relief (00-1313) Ethiopia General Fund (13-920)

thiopia is a country with a strong Christian heritage dating back to the first century (Acts 8:26-39). It officially became a Christian nation around 330 A.D. Ethiopians often describe their country as a “Christian island in a Muslim ocean”. Around one-third of Ethiopia’s population are Muslims, and since the overthrow of the country’s Marxist government in 1991 there has been a gradual process of creeping Islamisation and a rise in the violent persecution of Christians. In the last eight years, more than 2,000 church buildings have been burnt or demolished by Islamic extremists and over 5,000 Christians injured or killed. Christians are particularly vulnerable in areas where Muslims are in the majority. Sharia courts were first sanctioned in 1994, before being fully legalised in 1999. Large numbers of mosques and Islamic schools have been built, many of which promote radical Wahhabi Islam and were constructed with funding from Saudi Arabia. Churches which are not part of the Ethiopian Orthodox denomination are required to register with the government; a recent census recorded that 18.5% of Ethiopia’s population of around 100 million are evangelical Christians. Ethiopia has the second largest population in Africa, and the country has been repeatedly hit by severe famines. The worst drought in 50 years

was recorded in 2015, followed by floods which destroyed crops and livestock in large parts of the country, displacing an estimated 120,000 people. Ten million people who were recorded as being at risk of starvation in the last year.

Christian children in Ethiopia Pray for all Ethiopians who have been affected by the most serious famine for decades. Give thanks that Barnabas Fund, through its Project Joseph, has been able to work with local churches to help some of the neediest; ask that God will send rain in due season and that the land will again yield crops (Leviticus 26:4). Pray that attempts to Islamise the country will be thwarted and that the church in Ethiopia will unite and stand up for righteousness and truth in the face of threats from Islamic extremists.

Children Barnabas Fund Projects include: Children’s Fund (00-665) Christian schooling for Christian children (00-794) Abba Home orphanage, Pakistan (41-1095)

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

counselling that restores childhood to war-weary little ones.

esus’ words show how God treasures children. They are precious, but they are also vulnerable. Caught up in conflict, they are robbed of the innocent joys of childhood and some are left as orphans. In some countries, Christian parents – trapped in poverty through antiChristian discrimination – send their children out to work, forced to prioritise feeding the family over schooling. Christian children who attend nonChristian schools may suffer hostility, harassment, injustice or even violence in the classroom, from classmates and teachers alike, and may be pressurised to convert to the majority religion. In Egypt and Pakistan, Christian girls and young women are commonly abducted, compelled to convert to Islam, and then forced into marriage with a Muslim. The abuses meted out by Islamic State (IS) militants to Christian girls and women – some have even been sold as slaves– drew worldwide condemnation. When conflict, persecution, cultural practices or discrimination bring poverty and hardship for children, Barnabas helps by providing Christian schools and orphanages, family feeding programmes and specialist trauma

Barnabas funds 76 Christian schools in Pakistan, educating 7,500 Christian children Pray for the children of persecuted Christian families around the world. Ask the Lord to be their Comforter and Protector at all times of violence and their Provider when families have to flee in the face of danger. Pray for those who have no access to education that He will enable them to break free from the cycle of poverty and illiteracy, and for those for whom the classroom is a place of trauma and danger, that He will make a way for them to study in a safe and nurturing environment. Ask the Lord to guide persecuted children and enable them to grow up to be faithful men and women of God. Please contact your local Barnabas Fund office for information about how to sponsor a Christian child.

Holy Land Barnabas Fund Projects include: Christian School, Bethlehem (65-420)

hristians in the Holy Land face discrimination from both Jews and Muslims. Christians make up around 2% of the population of the state of Israel. Although the country, and in particular the city of Jerusalem, is home to historic churches, some ultra-Orthodox Jews have targeted believers. Christians from a Jewish background have been especially singled out because of their decision to recognise Jesus as Messiah; Messianic churches have been vandalised and on occasions members of congregations have been physically assaulted. The number of Christians in the Palestinian territories is declining. In the West Bank, difficult economic conditions and discrimination from the Palestinian Muslim majority have encouraged many of the believers to emigrate. As Palestinians, they face restrictions on their freedom of movement put in place by the Israeli government, and as Christians they are in the minority in the Palestinian community and experience systematic discrimination in employment and education. Christians have also been the targets of violent attacks. In the Gaza strip, Christians are in a perilous position. Hamas, a Sunni Islamist group which is classified as a terrorist organisation by the US and EU, came to power in elections in 2007. The group has close links to the Muslim Brotherhood and, whilst

it claims to provide protection for the estimated 1,000 Christians who live in the Gaza strip alongside over 1.7 million Muslims, the group has imposed restriction on womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dress and attempted to introduce elements of sharia. Many Christians in Gaza live in dire poverty and in fear of violence from Islamist extremists.

Bethlehem, where the Christian community is in decline due to discrimination and poverty Pray for Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; followers in the land of His birth; ask that God will give boldness to Christians who face opposition for their faith, especially Messianic believers in Israel, and Palestinian Christians in the West Bank enduring discrimination. Pray that attempts by Hamas to sow fear among the Christians who remain in Gaza will fail and that they will not let their hearts be troubled (John 14:27). Pray that God will rein back those who plan violence and bring peace to a region that has experienced so much conflict.

India Barnabas Fund Projects include: Divya Shanthi children’s ministry (21-1226)

ast year, two pastors were visiting a Christian friend one evening in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, when Hindu extremists burst into the house. They dragged the three men outside where a mob of 50–60 attacked them. They were punched and beaten with a cricket bat. “They accused us of luring innocent Hindus with money and benefits and converting them. They threatened us and told us not to pray or to meet fellow Christians,” recalled Pastor Bharat Kumar Wadhwani to Barnabas Fund. The three men were then taken to a police station, where police registered a case of religious incitement against the believers, before later releasing them. Since Narendra Modi, leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, became Prime Minister in 2014, the persecution of Indian Christians has intensified. Research by the Evangelical Fellowship of India, which was funded by Barnabas, recorded 134 incidents of hate or targeted violence against Christians in the first half of 2016, up from 103 in the first half of the previous year. Although India’s constitution upholds the rights of religious minorities, Hindu extremists have been emboldened by the often lax response of law enforcement agencies to anti-Christian persecution. In Chhattisgarh state, laws to safeguard traditions, culture and customs are used by Hindu extremists to ban non-Hindu practices and to prevent Christians from

building churches. Many of India’s Christians are Dalits, at the bottom of the Indian caste structure and therefore traditionally discriminated against. A quota system now ensures that Dalits get access to jobs and education. However, it does not apply to Christian or Muslim Dalits, only to those from religions which originated in India. It is not illegal for believers to share their faith, but false accusations that Christians have bribed, tricked, or forced Hindus to convert are used in some states as excuses for physical violence against Christians. Those who evangelise in public are often threatened and attacked.

Indian Christians are experiencing increased persecution from Hindus Praise God for the growth of His Church in India. Pray that India’s government will make a stand for the right of the Christian minority to worship and share their faith freely. Pray that Indian believers will continue to boldly witness that in Christ all are equal children of God, loved by him, regardless of their status in society.

Indonesia Barnabas Fund Projects include: Church planters (22-828)

ndonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world, but Christians and Muslims have been used to living together peacefully as equals. However, since the 1980s, the role of Islam in public life has increased, as has violence against Christians. In 2006, laws regulating places of worship were revised, requiring applicants to obtain supporting signatures from at least 60 local households of other religions, making it extremely difficult for Christian congregations to secure permission for places of worship. Since the amendments were introduced over 1,000 churches have been forcibly closed, while others have been demolished. The vast geography of Indonesia means that Christians in some areas are at much greater risk of persecution, because of the differing attitudes of provincial authorities. In Aceh province, local authorities have implemented sharia law and last year saw the first cases of Christians being flogged for breaches of sharia. Churches in the province have also been set on fire and demolished by Muslim mobs under the pretext of not having permission to be used as places of worship. Christians comprise at least 15% of Indonesia’s population, although some regions which have previously been majority Christian are gradually becoming Islamised as large numbers of Muslims are “transmigrated” by the government to those areas. Despite

an increasing threat from Islamist extremism, the church in Indonesia continues to grow. In November 2016, the Christian governor of the capital Jakarta was accused of “blasphemy” rejecting claims that only a Muslim should be allowed to govern non-Muslims. There followed mass protests by Islamists demanding his arrest. Indonesia introduced a statute against religious “defamation” in 1965, which has become a de facto blasphemy law; those found guilty can face up to five years imprisonment. At the time of writing the governor’s trial is pending.

Governor Basuki Tjahaja Pumama, who has been accused of “blasphemy” Pray especially for Christians in Aceh, who live under sharia. Ask that they will have peace and boldness to stand strong in the Lord’s power (Ephesians 6:10). Give thanks that Indonesia’s Home Affairs Minister has stated that the government will consider revisions to the 2006 building regulations; pray that new legislation protecting Christians’ right to worship will be enacted speedily, and that forces seeking to Islamise the country and murder Christians will be defeated.

Iran Barnabas Fund supports many projects to help Iranian Christians. Although we cannot publicise these for security reasons, gifts to the Iran General Fund (19-940 ) will be used to fund them.

October 2016, three Iranian Christians were sentenced to 80 lashes each for taking communion. Because they are Muslim background believers, their conversion to Christianity is not recognised by the Iranian authorities and they were charged with drinking alcohol, which is illegal for Muslims in Iran, just as it is in sharia law. Iran, whose population are mainly Shia Muslims, became an Islamic republic following a revolution in 1979 which overthrew the shah. The government is led by an Islamic cleric as Supreme Leader, who appoints the heads of the judiciary and military. Although the Iranian authorities permit historic Assyrian and Armenian Christian minorities to meet together for worship, converts from Islam, who worship in the national language Farsi, are fiercely persecuted. Because Iran is ruled by sharia law, apostates from Islam can be executed by the state; this last happened in 1990. Christians are often arrested, especially former Muslims and anyone active in evangelism. Security forces confiscate Bibles and Christian literature, including hymn books; the government forcibly closed the Bible Society in 1990. In August 2016 alone, 43 Christians were detained across Iran. Believers who have been imprisoned may be tortured and held for long periods without charge. The election of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;moderateâ&#x20AC;?

Hassan Rouhani as president in 2013 has not led to a decline in persecution. On the contrary, there are now more individuals from religious minority communities in prison in Iran than there were in 2013, but despite strong persecution the Church continues to grow rapidly as many Muslims decide to follow Christ.

An Iranian Christian baptism taking place in Sweden Lift up to the Lord our Iranian brothers and sisters, especially those who are converts from Islam. Ask that God will watch over and protect church leaders and Christians who have been imprisoned for their faith, who face the prospect of torture and long periods in prison without recourse to proper justice. Give thanks that the Church in Iran is growing despite every effort by authorities to stop the spread of the Gospel.

Iraq Barnabas Fund Projects include: Food and basic needs for Christians in Iraq (20-246)

late October 2016, Christians were able to gather for communion in a church in Qaraqosh, near Mosul, for the first time since 2014 when Iraq’s then largest Christian town was taken by Islamic State (IS). Last year IS suffered a series of military defeats in the Nineveh Plains, the traditional Christian heartland of Iraq where Qaraqosh is located, but Christians in the country are still far from safe. Most who fled the advance of IS are still displaced and fear that they will face discrimination and violence if they return to what is left of their homes. Since the Gulf War of 1990-91 and especially after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iraqi Christians have experienced increasing hostility, and, during the chaos after the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003 they were violently persecuted. Churches and Christian-owned businesses were attacked, believers were kidnapped and held for ransom or murdered. Many thousands fled the country. In 2014, when IS gained control of parts of Iraq, the situation for Christians became even more precarious. Although efforts to oust IS have been successful in many places, the recent history of persecution has left the Christian community in tatters; Iraq’s Christians now number only a few hundred thousand, having dwindled from 1.5 million. The political situation in the country remains extremely uncertain. The Shia-

dominated government is not held in high regard by many minority Sunnis, who enjoyed preferential treatment under Saddam. Last year, a Shia Muslim religious leader thanked Iraq’s Christians for promoting peaceful coexistence: despite having suffered greatly, he said, the Christians had never responded with violence.

The church in Qaraqosh liberated from IS Lift up in the prayer the thousands of Iraqi Christians who have been internally displaced, as well as the many of have been forced to flee the country and become refugees. Pray that they will know that they have a sure and certain hope (Hebrews 6:19). Pray especially for those who remain, facing an uncertain future, having experienced and witnessed terrible things; ask that God will provide for their needs and that they will be able to re-establish a Christian community without fear of persecution.

Kazakhstan Barnabas Fund Projects include: Children’s Christian magazines in Central Asia (80-664) Provision of Christian cemeteries (24-1328) Kazakhstan General Fund (24-775)

azakhstan – a mostly Muslim country (around 70%) and a former Soviet republic – is defined by its constitution as being a secular state which guarantees freedom of religion. However, the country has become increasingly restrictive of religious freedom as the government seeks to tighten its control over the population. This heightened in 2011 with the introduction of a Religion Law, including a ban on “missionary activity” and the demand that all religious groups re-register under greater restrictions. In order for a religious group to register locally, for example, it must provide the names and addresses of at least 50 members. Under amendments made in December 2016 aimed at combating extremism and terrorism, restrictions on religious literature were further curtailed. Individuals are now only allowed to import into the country one copy of each title for personal use, without prior approval. The broad-ranging nature of the religious laws tends to result in them being arbitrarily applied at a local level, leaving Christians, especially those belonging to unregistered or nontraditional (e.g. Protestant) churches, continually vulnerable to accusation. Christians in Kazakhstan, comprising some 26% of the country’s population, are often fined for Christian activities, such as meeting to worship

in an unregistered building. Forum 18 reports that the Baptist Council of Churches in Kazakhstan and other countries of Central Asia are seeking to claim their rights to religious liberty by a policy of civil disobedience. They refuse to pay fines imposed on them for practising their Christian faith. As a result some have had their property, including washing machines and cars seized, or have had restraining orders placed on their property to prevent them selling it. Some are prevented from leaving the country or put in prison for short periods.

Barnabas supports training for Kazakh believers Pray that Christians in Kazakhstan will “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10) as they face various restrictions and pressures. Ask the Lord to grant Christians wisdom, boldness and protection as they seek to meet together and share their faith with others. Pray that Christians will be treated fairly in their dealings with the police and official authorities, and that restrictions on religious liberty in Kazakhstan will ease.

Refugees and Internally Displaced People Barnabas Fund Projects include: Refugees Fund (00-1120) Operation Safe Havens (00-1199)

“Be a safe place for those on the run from the killing fields.” (Isaiah 16:4, TMB)

hen Christians flee conflict, their situation is often dire and their need for help and support is always urgent. “Surrounded by the armed rebels and under the rain of rockets, we fled to Lebanon in March 2014. We had to leave Syria due to the horrific civil war taking place in our dear country. It was both emotionally and mentally distressing to abandon my home town … on the other hand, Syria was extremely dangerous to live in, so there was no going back,” says Ghassan, a Syrian Christian refugee. In their own country they are Internally Displaced Persons; upon crossing an international border, they become refugees. Some try to build a new life wherever they have found refuge, but many countries do not welcome refugees, especially Christian refugees. Even in refugee camps, particularly where Muslims are in the majority, Christians are not necessarily safe from persecution. Despite officially being afforded protection under the UN Refugee Convention, some believers are treated like criminals; thousands of Eritrean Christian refugees are held in a detention centre in Israel, while Pakistani Christians who have fled to Thailand can find themselves jailed for

years while they await the processing of asylum claims. Ghassan and his family have started a new life in Australia thanks to Barnabas Fund’s Operation Safe Havens, which has rescued more than 1,000 Syrian and Iraqi believers who chose to leave their homeland, but most Christian refugees are not as fortunate.

A young Christian girl from Iraq, arriving in the Czech Republic Lift up in prayer Christian refugees and believers who are internally displaced. Pray that they will take refuge in their Heavenly Father, who will not put them to shame (Psalm 31:1). Pray for Syrian and Iraqi Christian refugees, Nigerian believers fleeing continued violence from Boko Haram, and especially for those “forgotten” Christians –detained in Thailand and Israel – that they will know comfort and peace and can look to a better, heavenly country, where the Lord has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:16).

Kenya Barnabas Fund Projects include: Support for Kenyan missionaries (25-017)

ast October, Islamist al-Shabaab militants slaughtered twelve Christians at a guesthouse in Mandera, north-east Kenya, only a few weeks after killing six believers in another attack in the same county, situated on Kenya’s border with Somalia.“The fear among Christians here is now visible and can be easily felt,” said a senior Christian leader. Since the deployment of Kenyan troops to aid the African Union force in Somalia in 2011, the Somalia-based al-Shabaab has engaged in a series of brutal terror attacks in Kenya, including the infamous assault at a university in Garissa in 2015. In that incident, gunmen separated the Christian students and tutors from their Muslim colleagues and beheaded or shot those who could not recite passages from the Quran, killing a total of 148 people. Regular attacks have continued and churches in vulnerable areas have been warned by security forces to extinguish their lights at night to prevent militants identifying people staying in church compounds. Al-Shabaab is aiming to establish an Islamic state within Somalia and in parts of neighbouring countries where there are significant numbers of Muslim ethnic Somalis. Kenya is 80% Christian and generally Muslims and Christians live peaceably. However, a rise in militant Islam has led to increased harassment and persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority areas,

such as the north-east and the coastal strip. Christians can also face legal discrimination as Muslims are permitted by Kenya’s constitution to have certain civil cases decided in Islamic (Kadhi) courts. In January 2016, the Kenyan government announced plans to require religious societies, including churches, to compile annual memberships, declare all ministry and charity activities, and require anyone preaching to obtain a certificate of “good conduct” from the police, as well as provide evidence of theological training. Thankfully, the proposed regulations were quickly withdrawn following lobbying from a cross-section of religious leaders.

Sixteen-year-old Valary, saved from beatings and forced marriage by Barnabas Pray for Christians in Kenya, that the Lord will protect believers living in areas vulnerable to attack by al-Shabaab. Pray that al-Shabaab will be defeated and that the spread of Islamist ideology in Kenya will be halted. Give thanks that the Kenyan government reversed its decision to implement tight restrictions on churches; pray that there will be no further attempts to curtail religious freedoms.

Kyrgyzstan Barnabas Fund Projects include: Bible training (26-1099) Church buildings (26-895)

ocal Muslims refused to allow Jyldyz to bury her elderly mother in the village cemetery, because her mother had left Islam to follow Christ. After authorities found another burial plot, Muslims, supported by police, dug up the body. Jyldyz, also a Christian, has been forced to leave the village because of aggression from her neighbours and does not know where her mother has been laid to rest. The denial of burials for converts from Islam and several religious minorities is a chronic problem in Kyrgyzstan, which is more than 80% Muslim. The country was one of the freest of all the Central Asian republics, but the introduction of a strict Religion Law in 2009 heralded a clamp down on “unregistered” religious activity. Now every congregation must apply for registration, a laborious process which includes providing the passport details of 200 founding members. Many churches are refused approval or are simply too small to register, meaning that they find themselves functioning illegally. In 2014, the Kyrgyzstan Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for local authorities to require churches to list members for registration – in line with the Kyrgyz constitution which provides for religious freedom – although local officials have ignored the judgement in practice. Even registered groups are subject to intrusive government monitoring and

children are not legally allowed to be involved in religious groups, and there are strict controls on the publication and distribution of Christian literature – all under the guise of preventing “extremism”. Ethnic Kyrgyz who convert from Islam face fierce pressure from their families to deny their Christian faith, which is seen as betraying their Kyrgyz identity. New believers can experience violent opposition; at the recommendation of a local mullah one young woman was put into a psychiatric hospital by her parents for refusing to renounce Christianity.

Bible study training in Kyrgyzstan Lift up in prayer believers in Kyrgyzstan as they seek to live out their faith under pressure from restrictive government regulations; give thanks that plans to further tighten restrictions on churches – which would have required them to provide 500 members to register – appear to have been shelved. Pray that believers, especially Kyrgyz converts, will know God’s strength and peace (Psalm 29:11).

Laos Barnabas Fund Projects include: Laos General Fund (90-740)

uddhism is central to most aspects of Laotian culture and, although the country’s constitution provides for religious freedom, local authorities do not uphold it in practice. Christians therefore face local harassment and violence, and discrimination from the state. The government views Christians with suspicion, in part because of perceived connections with the West, and as a result authorities particularly target and arrest evangelists and pastors accused of spreading Christianity. There are tight restrictions on Christian activities and the printing of Bibles is illegal, whilst government approval is required to import Christian literature and build churches. Christians number around 150,000 out of Laos’ total population of 7 million, which is mainly Buddhist. In 1975, communists ousted the country’s monarchy, but the country remains one of the poorest in south-east Asia, with 80% of the population working in agriculture. Christians from minority ethnic groups, especially the Hmong, have been forced from their villages and denied access to education and medical care for refusing to renounce their faith. Christians are also prevented from obtaining many government jobs. Laws governing religious registration are difficult to navigate and the process for gaining approval is convoluted. Meeting together is extremely

difficult for Christians in areas where permission to build a church has not been granted, where local authorities have sometimes also banned believers from gathering in homes. Because of the restrictions on importing Christian literature, access to the Scriptures is limited and government officials have even confiscated Bibles from believers belonging to registered churches.

The population of Laos is 7 million; around 150,000 are Christian Pray that the law of the land will be upheld in Laos and that all Christians will be granted the right to practise their faith and worship together freely. Pray that those in prison will not be mistreated and will be able to witness boldly, despite their “chains”. Ask that God will provide for those Christians who have been forced from their homes and villages; may they look forward to being welcomed to new homes in a city whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10).

Libya

hristians in Libya face many dangers. After the fall of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011, the country descended into civil war, as different groups vied for control. Militant Islamist militias, including Islamic State (IS), filled the power vacuum and the country remains divided. Only a small number of Libyan Christians are known, all of them converts from Islam, but there may be many secret believers. Most of the Christians in the country (which is 96% Muslim) are migrant workers from other nations, or refugees using Libya as a staging post to Europe. Those attempting to reach Europe face acute danger, as they are targeted by both people traffickers and Islamist groups. One 21-year-old female Eritrean Christian was abducted along with other women by armed men near the port city of Benghazi, forced to convert to Islam and held as a sex slave for nine months. Even in official immigration detention centres, Christians have been abused by Muslim guards. IS has engaged in brutal attacks on Christians, including the infamous beheading of 21 Egyptian believers on a Libyan beach in 2015. However, at the time of writing, IS no longer controls significant ground in the country, as forces fighting on behalf of Libyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internationally-recognised unity government, backed by US air strikes, have reduced the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s territory to an enclave within the central coastal city

of Sirte. Despite the military success against IS, Christians still face severe persecution from almost 2,000 other militant Islamist groups in the country.

Libyan street scene Pray protection over Libyan Christians who live in grave danger because they have chosen to follow Christ; may the bravery of those who share their beliefs with friends and family draw others to faith. Raise up in prayer the many Christians among the migrants and refugees who have already made the heart-rending decision to leave their own countries, but who now face the threat of violence in Libya because of their faith. Pray that God will give them the perseverance and faith to stand firm.

Morocco

fter Arab armies conquered North Africa in the seventh century, Morocco was ruled by a Muslim dynasty. Although the country was occupied by Spain and later became a French protectorate from 1912 until 1956, the ruling family has maintained its influence, with monarchs claiming to be able to trace direct lineage from Muhammad. The Islamist Justice and Development Party secured another majority in parliamentary elections in October, although the runner up moderate Muslim party, which has campaigned against Islamisation, increased its representation. Islam is the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official religion and Muslims account for more than 99% of Moroccoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population, with the government refusing to recognise the existence of any Christian community among Moroccan nationals. Converts from Islam can therefore face extreme pressure to renounce their new faith, including harassment from their communities and police, and likely ostracism from their families. Foreign expatriate Christians are permitted to meet for worship. However, evangelism among Muslims is forbidden and the government has expelled many foreign missionaries. There are estimated to be between 800 to 8,000 Moroccan Christians, the majority of whom are ethnic Berbers. As a result of internal pressure for reform during the Arab Spring, King

Mohammad VI has implemented some political reforms that expand the powers of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parliament and give greater rights to women, but religious liberties remain extremely curtailed. Small groups of Moroccan Christians do meet discreetly, sometimes disguising church gatherings as family celebrations, and the authorities often turn a blind eye. But at other times Christians may be imprisoned on various (seemingly trumped up) charges.

The Moroccan government refuses to recognise the existence of an indigenous Christian community Praise God that Moroccan Muslims continue to come to Christ, despite the opposition and dangers they face. Pray that God will sustain and guide the small communities of Moroccan Christians who are forced to meet in secret for fear of persecution. Ask that the process of political reforms will be expanded into the religious sphere, so that Christians will be able to openly meet together and share their faith.

Myanmar (Burma) Barnabas Fund Projects include: Bibles (75-1042) Persecuted orphans (75-821) Myanmar (Burma) General Fund (75-810)

ost of Myanmar’s Christians come from non-Burman ethnic minorities, like the Kachin, Karen and Chin. In 2015, following decades of military rule, the country held a landmark election in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy secured a landslide victory. Despite voting being cancelled for security reasons in 400 villages in Kachin and Karen states, home to the majority of Myanmar’s Christians, a Chin Christian was appointed vice-president in the new government, with a Karen Christian made speaker of the upper house of parliament last year, and a Kachin made deputy speaker of the lower house. The military retains considerable autonomy, particularly in the minority regions in eastern and northern Myanmar, where the army has for decades fought a long-running and brutal war against separatists. Christians have been the victims of rape, torture and summary executions at the hands of government soldiers, targeted for both their ethnicity and religion. A ceasefire was agreed between the government and eight out of 15 rebel groups in October 2015. However, many Kachin, having lost their homes, live in internal displacement camps, where they are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Myanmar is 87% Buddhist and the previous government introduced laws restricting conversion and marriages

between Buddhists and those of other religions; in August 2015 a law was passed by the current government requiring anyone wishing to change religion to obtain official approval. The publication of Christian literature is strictly controlled and many believers do not have access to the Scriptures, with some sharing a single Bible between a whole church or a whole village. Conversion to Buddhism is actively promoted and children from poor Christian families in remote areas are offered free food and education in Na Ta La Buddhist schools, where they are prevented from practising their faith and must shave their heads in line with Buddhist religious custom.

Barnabas Fund has helped provide vocational trainng of Christians in Myanmar Praise God that Christians from minority ethnic groups have secured representation in the new government. Pray that God will give those Christians in leadership the wisdom to use their positions for good and to guide their country into ways of greater peace and equality. Ask that God will comfort those who have been the victims of violence at the hands of the military; may they know the Lord as their strength and refuge (Jeremiah 16:19).

Women Barnabas Fund Projects include: Cana Girls Rescue Home (25-663) Sewing and Literacy Centre for Women, Pakistan (41-1046)

ngela’s husband was held by Islamic State (IS) for more than two months after his abduction in Syria. Then, on Christmas Day, they murdered him. Two days later, IS militants telephoned Angela to inform her that her husband was dead and sent her a DVD of the beheading. Then IS began to pressure her to convert to Islam and threatened her children. Angela was one of over 90 Christian widows from Aleppo, Syria, helped by Barnabas Fund with practical aid, spiritual encouragement counselling. Angela and her children fled to a safe country nearby. She says, “Previously I had a gloomy future. Now I have trust and faith that God is with me. My future and my kids’ future are 100% in His hands.” Some Muslims consider all Christian women to be “immoral”, and therefore deserving of abuse. In countries such as Pakistan and Egypt Christian women and girls are liable to be kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam and then marry a Muslim – often their abductor. Christian women who become widowed in contexts of persecution are often left with little or no income to support themselves and their children. Barnabas helps with literacy projects, small business start-up grants and vocational training as well as feeding programmes.

Angela, whose husband was murdered by IS Pray for protection for Christian women, especially widows of martyrs. Pray also for those who have to go out to work in dangerous contexts, as in Pakistan, where women working in the homes of families from the majority community are at risk of physical and sexual abuse. Ask that the authorities in Pakistan and Egypt, where forced marriage is common, will do more to prevent it and to protect women believers. Ask that the Holy Spirit will enable persecuted women to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10) despite their vulnerability to abuse.

Nepal Barnabas Fund Projects include: Nepali General Fund (89-992)

ight Christians were arrested last year for distributing a book of Bible stories to Christian schoolchildren, and accused of attempting to convert non-Christian pupils. Under a clause introduced into Nepalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s constitution in 2015, it is illegal to attempt to convert someone to another religion. Nepal, previously a Hindu kingdom, was declared a secular republic in 2008, but the country is majority Hindu and extremist groups are violently campaigning for the country to officially become a Hindu nation again. The church in Nepal has grown rapidly since the 1950s when Western missionaries first arrived in the country, but Christians remain a tiny minority. Many are poor and are victims of discrimination, marginalisation and sometimes violent attack. The move towards secularism has disproportionately affected Christians; Christmas was banned as a public holiday last year, despite the fact that the government recognises 80 festivities for Hinduism and other faiths. Internet restrictions, expanded in 2015, have been used by authorities to block websites on a wide variety of pretexts; Christian websites are believed to be one the main targets of the legislation. The country is vulnerable to earthquakes and more than 8,000 people died as a result of major earthquakes in 2015. The process to repair the damage has been slow and

Christians have been overlooked in aid distribution. The government has also introduced new regulations requiring non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to get specific approval for individual projects, which have also hampered the provision of external help to those believers who have lost their homes. Nepalese Christians are concerned that the restrictions will paralyse their ministry activities, whether or not they are actively sharing the Gospel.

Most Nepalese are Hindu, although the country is officially a secular republic Pray that Nepalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parliament will change the law, so that Christians will be free to share their faith without risk of prosecution. Give thanks that the Church is growing despite believers facing discrimination and violence; ask that they will know the Holy Spirit as their Comforter (John 14:26). Pray that the plans of Hindu extremists will be disrupted and that Nepalese Christians will be able to live in peace and freedom.

Nigeria Barnabas Fund Projects include: Victims of violence in Nigeria (39-772)

statement from Boko Haram in August 2016 declared the group would focus on “blowing up every church that we are able to reach and killing all of those who we find from the citizens of the cross”. But for the last seven years, Boko Haram has waged a war against believers in north-east Nigeria, torching villages and churches, abducting Christian women and girls for forced marriage to jihadists, and slaughtering believers – aiming to establish an Islamic caliphate, like that declared by Islamic State in Iraq in 2014, to whom Boko Haram have pledged allegiance. While previously Boko Haram had also targeted Muslims viewed as non-devout, and Westernstyle schools, the August statement focuses solely on Christians, who have always been a main target. Last year saw a new wave of Muslim violence across the country. The wife of a pastor was beheaded for supposedly insulting Islam, while another pastor’s wife was murdered as she shared the Gospel in her neighbourhood, and a Christian man was stabbed for not observing the Ramadan fast. Attacks by Fulani Muslim herdsmen aimed at forcing Christians from their land have escalated, with the government perceived to be rewarding their violence by proposing a bill protecting Fulani grazing rights. Nigeria’s southern states are largely Christian, whilst Muslims are in the

majority in the north, where twelve states have instituted elements of sharia. Thousands of Christians have fled north-east Nigeria because of Boko Haram’s attacks and are living in often terrible conditions in neighbouring countries or in camps within Nigeria itself. Christian leaders have highlighted President Buhari’s failure to clearly condemn anti-Christian violence and his disproportionate appointment of Muslims to political posts.

Nigerian Christians were the target of a new wave of violence in 2016 Pray for the hundreds of thousands of Nigerian Christians who have been forced from their homes by anti-Christian violence. Ask that God will be their comfort and strength in the midst of great uncertainty. Give thanks that some of the school-girls kidnapped from Chibok in 2014 have been freed, although many others remain in forced marriages to Boko Haram fighters; ask that God will give them hope and that those released will be healed from physical and psychological trauma.

North Korea Barnabas Fund Projects include: Christian bakeries (86-642)

ens of thousands of Christians in North Korea are believed to be detained in unspeakably harsh conditions in prison labour camps. Abused and worked to death, Christians are often dispatched to the camps, along with their entire families, simply for possessing a Bible, or for being caught praying. Some have been publically executed. North Korea is consistently ranked as the most dangerous country in the world to be a Christian. Believers meet in secret, facing the fear of death or life-long imprisonment; authorities have been known to try and trap Christians by organising fake prayer meetings and asking children in school if they have seen their parents praying or reading the Bible. Although freedom for all religions is severely restricted in North Korea, Christians suffer the most severe persecution. Their failure to follow the ideology of Juche, which venerates the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s despotic ruler Kim Jong Un, is seen as a threat to the state. The economic situation for most of the population is extremely poor and has been exacerbated by flooding which damaged last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harvest, leaving swathes of the population facing starvation. The government maintains extremely tight control of information; North Koreans have no access to foreign media and the availability of Christian literature is severely limited.

Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans, including many Christians, have fled to China and South Korea, although the Chinese government routinely repatriates those caught crossing the border, or found living in China. Those returned who are suspected of being Christians experience the harshest treatment.

Children who are fed by the bakery Cry out to God for the people of North Korea, who are brutally oppressed by their government. Especially lift up in prayer Christians enduring beatings and abuse in labour camps; may they know that their suffering will bring an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). Pray for protection over believers as they meet in utmost secrecy. Ask that they will know peace and unity as they risk their lives to follow Christ.

Pakistan Barnabas Fund Projects include: Pakistan General Fund (41-980) Feeding Christian families (41-331) Christian lawyers helping persecuted Christians (41-645) Primary schools for needy Christian children (41-948) Full-time Christiian workers (41-432)

welve-year-old Monica, a Christian from Lahore, was kidnapped in August 2016. Her father, Alfred, was later told by police that Monica had converted to Islam and married a Muslim, showing him a marriage certificate that falsely stated her age as 18. Alfred refused to give up looking for Monica, knowing that she had been forced into conversion and marriage, but within weeks the stress had killed him. It is estimated that every year around 700 Christian girls are kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and forced into marriages with Muslims. Violent attacks against Christians have become disturbingly frequent in Pakistan. They come not just from local vigilantes but also from terror groups, like the targeted suicide attack on Christians at Gulshan Iqbal Park, Lahore, on Easter Day 2016 that killed 74 people. Pakistan’s notorious “blasphemy laws” – which include a mandatory death penalty for defiling the name of Muhammad – are repeatedly exploited to target Christians, often to settle personal grudges. Those accused, and their entire Christian community, stand at grave risk of violent attacks. Muslims and other non-Muslim minorities also suffer under the laws. Islam is the state religion of Pakistan and the country’s Council of Islamic Ideology advises the government on the compatibility of legislation with Islamic (sharia) law. School textbooks portray

Christians and other non-Muslims as inferior. Pressure from local Muslims and the superiority of a Muslim’s testimony compared to a non-Muslim makes it difficult for Christians to receive justice for crimes committed against them. The police themselves are sometimes involved in crimes against Christians. Most Christians do low-status jobs, such as cleaning the streets and sewers. Many who work as “bonded labourers” are effectively almost slaves.

Barnabas Fund provides regular food parcels to impoverised Christian families Pray that the “blasphemy laws” will be repealed, and that Christians and other innocent people currently on trial under the laws will be exonerated. Pray especially for Christian mother Aasia Bibi whose appeal against her death sentence due to be heard at the Supreme Court in October 2016 was postponed. Pray for God’s protection over Christians in Pakistan, including women and girls who are vulnerable to kidnap and forcible conversion and marriage.

Russia Barnabas Fund Projects include: North Caucasus Radio Ministry (43-669) Support for convert ministry worker in North Caucasus (43-1299)

July 2016, President Putin signed into law new anti-terror legislation which places draconian restrictions on Russian Christians’ religious freedom. Although officially aimed at disrupting terrorist activity, the laws have been used to prosecute a church pastor for running a Christian children’s camp, charge a church leader for participating in a local festival and fine another pastor for conducting baptisms. All were charged with “conducting missionary activity”, which is punishable with a fine of up to 50,000 roubles (equivalent to £580). The legislation has so far been used to target non-Orthodox churches, which do not have historical connections to Russian nationalism and are viewed with suspicion by the authorities. Attention has particularly focused on those with close links to the West and on foreign nationals involved in churches in Russia. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the number of evangelical believers in Russia has increased significantly, but hostility toward Christians, especially those in non-traditional churches, has increased. Believers experience harassment from police and difficulties with local authorities over administration, and churches are required to register to own property. In September 2016, authorities in Suzanovo in Russia’s Orenburg province attempted to prosecute a church pastor for violating a 2004 state

security law restricting demonstrations, after his congregation built a temporary playground for local children on church grounds. The playground was supported by the village community and the pastor was eventually cleared. The Caucasus region in south-western Russia is home to a significant Muslim population and publicly announcing conversion to Christianity from Islam is therefore potentially dangerous for believers. There are several separatist movements in the region, including in Chechnya, and some militant groups in the Caucasus have issued statements supporting Islamic State.

New anti-terror legislation has been used to crackdown on evangelical Christians Pray that the new laws limiting Christians’ freedom will be rescinded and that believers who have been charged will find favour with local judges. Pray for believers who are not part of Russian Orthodox churches – who are singled out for harassment by Russian authorities – that they will preach boldly and always be ready to give a reason for the hope they have in Christ, despite the new restrictions.

Saudi Arabia

onverting to Christianity from Islam is officially punishable by death in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The government promotes a strict form of Sunni Islam (Wahhabism) as the official religion and no church buildings are permitted in the country. Saudi Arabian Christians can only practise their faith in utmost secrecy. Expatriate Christians living in Saudi Arabia are theoretically permitted to worship together privately. However, in practice, they face harassment from the authorities, as well as the possibility of deportation, with Christians from Asia and Africa receiving much harsher treatment than Westerners; non-Western migrant workers are also vulnerable to abuse by their employers. There is no separation between state and religion in Saudi Arabia and the country’s constitution comprises the Quran and the Sunnah (traditional record of Muhammad’s actions and words, which are viewed as an example to be followed). The judicial system is based on a strict interpretation of sharia, including punishments such as flogging and amputation, and mutawaah (religious police) enforce a rigid code of public conduct; ordinary citizens may also act as anti-Christian vigilantes. “Blasphemy” against Islam carries the death penalty and accusations of blasphemy are used to silence government critics.

Although there have been efforts to revise school textbooks, which have historically promoted violence against Christians and Jews, current textbooks still in use in Saudi schools include directives to socially exclude “infidels” [non-Muslims]. Saudi oil money is used to fund dawa (Islamisation) worldwide and Wahhabism is taught in Saudifunded religious schools around the globe. Saudi Arabia has also provided clandestine financial and logistical support to Islamic State and other radical Sunni groups.

Mecca, the holiest site of Islam, is in Saudi Arabia Pray that the suppression of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia will end and that Christians will be able to worship openly. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide, encourage and comfort believers from Muslim backgrounds as they seek to grow in their faith despite the threat of violent persecution and possible execution; ask that they will be protected from harm and know His presence even in the shadow of death (Psalm 23). Pray that the brutal and biased judicial system based on sharia will be overturned and replaced by a system that is humane and treats all citizens equally.

Converts Barnabas Fund Projects include: Convert Fund (00-113)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

a young Ugandan Muslim, Umar Mulinde first heard the Gospel while a student in 1990. In 1993, he converted to Christianity. Excommunicated by his family, threats against him mounted. He has been the victim of a dozen assaults and assassination attempts, the last being a vicious acid attack on his face and chest on Christmas Eve 2011. He lost his right eye and endured several years of anguish and continuing reconstructive surgery. Nissar Hussain, from Bradford, UK, converted to Christianity in 1996. He has suffered two decades of persecution from neighbouring Muslims, culminating in a brutal attack in November 2016 by thugs wielding pick-axe handles that left him hospitalised and his car smashed. With death threats against him and his wife, the family was forced to relocate to a safe house, under armed police escort. Converts from Islam also very often face pressure from their families to return to Islam or endure outright rejection if they refuse. They may lose their spouses, children, jobs, homes and possessions, or be forced into hiding because of the threat to their safety. Some are killed by relatives wanting to restore the family’s honour or by zealous Muslims seeking to put

into effect the sharia regulation that specifies death for apostates. Converts from Hinduism and Buddhism also tend to face rejection, hostility and even violence from their families and communities. Barnabas Fund’s Convert Fund supports vulnerable new Christians by providing them with safe places of refuge, discipleship training and education, skills training and smallbusiness start-up costs.

Nissar Hussain and his wife Give thanks for new converts who have faithfully taken up their own cross to follow Jesus (Luke 14:28), often enduring great loss and suffering. Pray that God will strengthen, encourage and protect them in their faith, and that they will be equipped with all that they need to grow in the Lord. Pray that those who are rejected by their families will be comforted by the knowledge that their place in God’s family can never be taken away from them. Pray that the testimonies and transformed lives of new converts will be used powerfully by God to draw others to Jesus.

Somalia

or most Somalis, to be Somali is to be Muslim, a position which is supported by Somali clerics, and the country’s constitution, which cites the Quran and Sunnah as the main sources of law and expressly prohibits Muslims from converting. Somalia is one of a handful of countries where converts can face the official death penalty for “apostasy” and therefore Muslims who become Christians and make their faith public put their lives at risk. Authorities have twice announced and then later rescinded an official ban on the celebration of Christmas. Somalia has not had a stable government in 25 years and has been ravaged by conflict since 1991 when rival warlords began fighting for control, leading to the breakaway of Somaliland. In 2006, central and southern Somalia, including the capital Mogadishu, were seized by an Islamist coalition. The Islamists’ military wing became known as al-Shabaab (meaning “The Youth”). The group has declared allegiance to al-Qaeda and its stated aims include the establishment of an Islamic state in East Africa. Although there has been a concerted international effort to defeat al-Shabaab, supported initially by Ethiopian armed forces and since 2007 by African Union troops, the group still controls significant areas, where it enforces sharia law, including punishments of floggings

and amputations. Al-Shabaab has repeatedly kidnapped and murdered Somali Christians (who are all converts from Islam), as well as engaged in terror attacks aimed at Christians in neighbouring Kenya. Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mohammad, was elected to power in 2012, but has suspended plans for further elections, citing ongoing security concerns. Foreign nationals have been arrested and deported on suspicion of being missionaries.

Somalia has been ravaged by conflict since 1991 Life up in prayer Somali Christians, who according to their own government are not supposed to exist. May they trust and not be afraid, knowing that the Lord God is their strength, song and salvation (Isaiah 12:2). Ask that they will be protected by the blood of Jesus. Pray that President Hassan Sheikh Mohammad will allow true freedom of religion in Somalia and that the country’s constitution will be re-written. Pray also that al-Shabaab will be driven out from the regions it currently controls.

Sri Lanka Barnabas Fund Projects include: Theological seminary (85-985) Emergency flood relief (85-887)

ast year, a mob of around 100 people, led by two Buddhist monks, forced their way into a church service in Alawwa, 40 miles north-east of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, and threatened to assault the pastor unless he stopped the meeting. The mob then attempted to assault a young female member of the church and demanded to know if the church had been registered. When the church pastor reported the incident to the police, the officer in charge refused to lodge a formal complaint and told the pastor that he should stop all worship activities. He also said that police would not provide the pastor or church with any protection. Sri Lanka’s constitution states that Buddhism shall have “the foremost place”, a status which is supported by the country’s Buddhist ethnic Sinhalese majority. Harassment by local Buddhist monks and police is commonplace, with Buddhists often claiming that churches need to be “registered” to operate, although this is not in fact a legal requirement. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka recorded 55 incidents of persecution in 2015 and a further 45 in the first half of 2016. Christians comprise around 8% of Sri Lanka’s population, although there are also significant numbers of Hindus (14%) and Muslims (9%). The largest Christian population is in Tamil areas in the north and east of Sri Lanka. A

26-year civil war between the Buddhist Sinhalese majority and predominantly Hindu Tamil separatists ended in victory for the government in 2009. As a result of the war many Christian communities were dispersed and at least 100 church buildings destroyed. Tamils continue to be discriminated against, Christian Tamils doubly so, because of their faith and ethnicity. Many Sri Lankan Christians in rural areas are very poor and work on tea plantations where they are harassed and exploited.

Barnabas has funded the building of homes for Sri Lankan believers Pray that Christians will have strength and courage in the face of persecution from Buddhist extremists, and that political pressure from the country’s powerful Buddhist Sinhalese lobby will not succeed in restricting Christians’ freedom of worship.

Sudan Barnabas Fund Projects include: Women’s prison ministry (48-575)

ince the secession of the mainly-Christian South Sudan in 2011, Sudan’s autocratic president, Omar alBashir, has intensified efforts to Islamise the Muslim-majority country. Sharia law is brutally enforced and Christians are detained without charge. Church buildings have been deliberately demolished by state authorities, sometimes with the excuse that the land they are built on has been earmarked for development, and congregations are unable to rebuild as the construction of new churches is prohibited by law. In October 2015, police bulldozed a church building in Khartoum State, despite the State Governor having assured church leaders the day before that the building would not be destroyed. The government has also waged a violent counter-insurgency campaign in historically Christian regions in the southern parts of Sudan. Arrested church leaders are frequently accused of supporting anti-government rebels fighting in the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan. At the time of writing, four Christians are on trial accused by the authorities of trumped up charges such as “espionage” and “crimes against the state”, charges which carry the death penalty. Security agencies have moved to shut down Christian schools. When officials raided a church and school in Omdurman, Sudan’s largest city, the pastor and his family were taken to the

airport and forcibly deported to South Sudan. They had to leave behind all their belongings. When South Sudan became independent in 2011, hundreds of thousands of Christians from the north were stripped of their citizenship and ordered to leave the country. A key Christian leader in Sudan, writing to Barnabas Fund in October 2016, explained, “There is no more recognition of other religions in the country except Islam; [Islam] is the only religion for the nation … but they didn’t put it in the constitution, only in government officials’ practices.”

Prison ministry in Sudan Lift up in prayer believers in Sudan, who face imprisonment and intimidation and who are forced to live under sharia law. Pray that, in the midst of an uncertain future, they will be able to trust in Him who is unchanging, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray that the government’s efforts to eradicate Christian influence in Sudan, including destroying churches and Christian centres such as Bible colleges, will be thwarted and that regulations against the building of new churches will be overturned.

Syria Barnabas Fund Projects include: Food, medicine and basic needs (00-1032)

“T

oday it was a taste of Hell … Fires everywhere. Explosions. Mothers missing their children. Families shattered. No one is asking for food or support, but [instead] where they can hide themselves and their children.” These are the words of a senior doctor and Christian leader to Barnabas Fund following one rebel bombardment of the Christian areas in Aleppo last year. The city has been divided since 2012, when Islamist groups took control of large areas from the government, leaving the Christians under siege. For much of last year, the Christian community continued to be targeted by rockets and mortars, their plight largely ignored by Western media, who focused on the Syrian government’s war against the rebels. What began as a peaceful protest against President Assad’s government in 2011 has escalated into a six-year regional conflict. Prior to the war, Christians, who comprised around 10% of Syria’s population, were given equality and treated with respect. However, the rise of Islamist militant groups, and especially the emergence of Islamic State (IS) in 2014, led to a violent wave of anti-Christian persecution. Believers have been kidnapped and murdered, especially church ministers. Half the population is displaced and nearly five million people have fled the country, including at least half a million Christians, but most Western

governments continue to discriminate against Syrian Christian refugees, despite the European Parliament passing a resolution in 2016 which recognised the systematic killing of Christians and other minorities by IS as genocide. Rising prices have meant that even where food and medicines are available, for the poor and the elderly, decent regular meals and routine medical care are simply unaffordable. For the many Christian widows and orphans, their prospects are bleak even if there is a swift end to the fighting.

An 82-year-old man, who was helped to get surgery for cataracts by a Christian medical centre in Aleppo supported by Barnabas Cry out to God on behalf of the people of Syria, suffering in the midst of conflict. Pray especially for Syrian Christians, facing not only war but also violent anti-Christian persecution from IS and other Islamists. Pray that they will dwell in the shelter of the Most High. Pray for the safe release of those who have been kidnapped by Islamic militants and for the international community to come to the aid of those who have been forced to flee their homes.

Tajikistan Barnabas Fund Projects include: Support for church ministry workers (50-1248) Tajikistan General Fund (50-770)

ajikistan is mostly Muslim with around 150,000 Christians (approximately 2%). Following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, government repression of religious freedom has steadily increased. In 2016 the United States designated Tajikistan as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;country of particular concernâ&#x20AC;? for the first time because of its record on religious freedom. Under highly restrictive laws introduced in 2009, all churches need to be registered with the state and there are onerous registration requirements. Unregistered church activity, evangelism and private religious education (except by parents) are all banned, whilst the import, export and distribution of religious publications must be approved by the government. Official permission must also be given to provide Christian instruction. A 2011 law on parental responsibility means children under the age of 18 are now prohibited from taking part in public religious activities other than funerals. This is causing great concern to Christian parents. Some churches dutifully try to keep the law about children, while others are trying to find ways around it. The heavy government restrictions apply to all religious groups, including its Muslim majority. There is fear that radical groups like Islamic State will gain more influence.

Tajikistan is a very poor country. Emigration levels are high because of a lack of employment opportunities. Pastors are amongst those leaving the country as they seek to find work to support their families. Many churches suffer from instability as a result. Christians from Muslim backgrounds encounter persecution from the authorities and relatives.

Unregistered Church activity is banned in Tajikistan Ask the Lord to lead, guide and protect Christians in Tajikistan as they seek to live and share their faith whilst facing many restrictions and pressures. Pray that restrictions on Christian activity and publications will be eased. Ask the Lord to provide financially for all church leaders so that they do not have to leave the country to find employment. Pray that Tajikistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christian children will grow in their faith despite the government restrictions on their involvement in Christian activities.

Tanzania Barnabas Fund Projects include: Bible college students’ support (51-1105) Leaders’ Training Seminars (51-1293) Evangelists’ support (51-1242)

“

hose who think that destroying our church means we won’t pray, they are wrong … We have a big tree near the church and will continue meeting there for prayers, ”stated a pastor in Kagera, north-west Tanzania, after his congregation’s building was deliberately burnt down. Despite the fact that around 60% of Tanzania’s population are Christians, they are experiencing growing violence from the 36% who are Muslims. The attack on the church in Kagera was the thirteenth in that part of the country since 2013. Muslims hold many key political posts and also in the judiciary and the business world. Increasing Islamisation is leading to attacks against Christians, with church leaders particularly targeted. Pressure from Muslims has led some local authorities to ban the keeping of pigs, which are considered unclean in Islam. Muslims have customarily carried out animal slaughter to ensure meat is halal, but the custom is now being enforced as if it were law, and Christians have been attacked for slaughtering their own animals and even arrested for selling pork, despite it not being illegal. Christian nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) have also been closed down for “interfering with other faiths”. The Zanzibar archipelago is 98% Muslim and converts there are

extremely vulnerable. Churches on the island of Pemba need 24-hour police protection and many believers have fled to mainland Tanzania. Kadhi (Islamic) courts have jurisdiction over family matters in Zanzibar, including marriage and inheritance, and the government is being lobbied to implement the process on the Tanzanian mainland, which would undermine the country’s secular judicial system. President John Magufuli, a Christian who came to power in 2015, has shown that he is attempting to return Tanzania back to a secular state with equal freedoms for all religions. However, many of the President’s top aides are Muslims.

A church attack in Tanzania Give thanks that efforts to formally introduce khadi courts in mainland Tanzania have stalled. Pray that violence against Christians will diminish and that the families of those who have been attacked and killed in Islamic violence will be able to forgive the perpetrators. Pray for protection and strength for believers in Zanzibar, especially converts from Islam, who live in great danger.

Elderly “Even to your old age and grey hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4)

food and medicines are in short supply. Younger Christians living in hardship themselves may be unable to provide for their elderly family members as they would wish.

the face of violent persecution or genocide, many Christians see no alternative but to flee. But the elderly often have to stay behind, too frail for the rigors of life as refugees. As a result they face the brunt of persecution, and with no younger relatives to care for them. This happened in Aleppo, where thousands of elderly believers, many of them frail, alone and terrified, relied on strangers and the help of volunteer medical teams, like that supported by Barnabas Fund, simply to survive. “Maryam”, a resident of Aleppo and Christian woman in her 80s, for whom Barnabas Fund helped arrange hip surgery, says, “In spite that I was feeling that I lost all my relatives, and family members as they went abroad, God has sent His angels and extended His almighty hand to help me … I found my extended replacement family.” Wherever communities of Christians are suffering, the elderly are vulnerable. They are often unable to defend themselves against violence, and poverty may deny them access to legal aid or medical care. They are also more at risk of sickness, particularly in extremes of heat and cold, or when

Elderly Christians in Aleppo face grave hardship Pray for the older generation of Christians where they suffer poverty and endure persecution because of their faith. Ask God to bless them in their perseverance, meet their needs and make His power perfect in their weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Pray that they might know His peace and joy in their remaining years. Pray too that the care homes and other support that Barnabas Fund has provided in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt will be a blessing to hard-pressed Christian communities, ensuring that their elderly loved ones are properly cared for.

Turkey Barnabas Fund Projects include: Turkey General Fund (54-750)

ast year, an apparent attempted military coup against Turkey’s authoritarian President Erdogan triggered a massive wave of arrests as the government moved to crush those they claimed were supporters of Erdogan’s arch-rival, Fethullah Gulen. Gulen, who like Erdogan is an Islamist, now lives in the USA from where he controls a vast network of businesses and schools promoting Islam across the world. Although Turkey has a secular constitution, Islam is central to many Turks’ perception of their national identity; Christians and other minorities are treated with suspicion and in recent years some believers have been martyred. In the aftermath of the coup attempt there were several attacks on churches. In April 2016, the government took control of six church buildings in south-eastern Turkey, claiming that the seizures were part of a wider campaign against Kurdish separatists. The Turkish authorities have a long history of seizing churches and other Christian property. Authorities already strictly regulate churches’ ownership of property and closely monitor church activity, including evangelism and leadership training. In 1914, there were up to 3 million Christians in what is now Turkey. Today, there are fewer than 150,000 as a result of persecution, especially the genocide waged against Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Christians, which peaked in 1915.

In addition to the historical Christian communities, there are now also younger churches of Turkish converts from Islam. President Erdogan has made no secret of his desire to re-create the Ottoman Empire, which came to an end in 1922, and at its height controlled vast swathes of the Middle East. Turkey’s increasing involvement in the conflict in Iraq and Syria is also affecting believers. Thousands of Iraqi and Syrian Christian refugees have fled to Turkey and many report being ostracised by the Muslim communities in which they have been housed. In some cases they have been physically assaulted.

Barnabas has helped hundreds of Iraqi and Syrian Christian refugees in Turkey Pray that President Erdogan’s programme of Islamisation, which is particularly focused on the young, will be restrained and for bold voices of opposition to not be quieted by repression. Pray that restrictions on Christians will be reversed and that believers will no longer be portrayed negatively in the media and school text-books.

Turkmenistan

urkmenistan’s first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in 2006, established a quasi-religious cult of personality around himself – as outlined in his book, the Ruhnama – that dominated public life. Despite the country’s constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion, Christians experienced severe repression under Niyazov’s leadership. Whilst persecution has eased slightly under his successor, Gurbanguly Bedrimuhamedov, strict religious laws remain enforced, the state retains high levels of control, and a pervasive cult of personality based on the president has once again emerged. Turkmenistan is the most closed of all former Soviet Union states. Since 2005, several churches have been able to register with the state; however many others have had their applications rejected. Some have not even applied because of the intrusive registration criteria. A revised Religion Law, introduced in April 2016 to combat terrorism and religious extremism, has made registration more difficult, with 50 founding members now needed to register a church (previously five were required). The amended law retains many of the restrictions that were in the previous version, including the banning of all unregistered church activity. Raids on unregistered churches are common and Christians can face fines and imprisonment. Even registered churches – whose freedom is limited by

state oversight, including strict control of literature and interference with activities, leadership and training – are prone to raids. Registered churches can own and rent buildings but in practice this is very difficult to achieve. For example, many building owners are unwilling to rent their buildings to churches because they could face threats from the authorities. Turkmenistan is mostly Muslim and ethnic Turkmen Christians who are from a Muslim background face pressure to return to Islam.

Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan Lift up in prayer all Christians in Turkmenistan, many of them facing challenges rarely publicised outside their country. Ask God to meet the needs of all His children, and that they will be comforted by the knowledge that God sees and rewards their faithfulness to Him. Pray that restrictive laws on Christians will ease, and that opportunities will be given for all Christians to meet together and share their faith freely and without reprisals.

Uzbekistan Barnabas Fund supports many projects to help Christians in Uzbekistan. Although we cannot publicise these for security reasons, gifts to the Uzbekistan General Fund (57-776) will be used to fund them

zbekistan, a Muslim-majority country (around 93%) and officially a secular state, is in transition following the unexpected death of President Islam Karimov in 2016. The 78-year-old had been in power for 27 years. Under his leadership, Uzbekistan was one of the strictest Central Asian republics and a very harsh and difficult place for the country’s small Christian population. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who previously served as prime minister, was elected as Karimov’s successor. After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Christianity enjoyed a brief period of growth and freedom in Uzbekistan. However, strict religion laws gradually introduced since 1998 have made it very difficult for churches to function. Churches are required to register with the authorities but the stringent registration requirements are impossible for some to meet. Raids on Christian meetings and homes, especially those involving unregistered church activity, are common. These often involve threats and physical violence; arrest and detention can follow. Protestant groups are often labelled as “extremists” by the government and converts from Islam regularly face pressure from their families and communities. All evangelism is banned. Persecution is especially severe in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan where it is even illegal to own a Bible.

Christians accused of storing, importing or distributing Christian resources are fined heavily. In one case last year, Uzbek pastor, Latif, a father of four, was arrested after police raided his house. Five other Christian homes were also searched. Pastor Latif, who suffers from poor health, was detained for 16 days in a very cold room and beaten by police. He was fined 3,500,000 soms, around 25 times the minimum monthly wage. Christian materials are often confiscated and destroyed.

Uzbek Christians are labelled “extremists“ by the state Lift up in prayer Christians in Uzbekistan who must tread very carefully because of their faith. Ask God to provide for all those who have been issued with heavy fines, and that those who have suffered physically and emotionally from threats, beatings and imprisonment will be healed. Pray for church leaders whose health suffers because of the pressures they face. Pray that President Mirziyoyev will ease restrictions on religious liberty.

Vietnam Barnabas Fund Projects include: Vietnam General Fund (83-799)

hen police arrested Tran Thi Hong they subjected her to hours of physical abuse, including beatings. They demanded she sign a false statement that the church pastored by her husband is a “subversive” organisation. She refused and was abused for a further three hours before being released. Tran Thi Hong’s husband was already in jail, serving an eleven-year sentence for “anti-government activities”. Christians in communist Vietnam are viewed as enemies of the oneparty state and have been the victims of persecution by the authorities for decades. They are under constant surveillance and face arbitrary arrest; many can tell stories of police brutality. More than half of Vietnam’s Christians are from ethnic minorities, including Montagnards from the Central Highlands who are also victimised for their support of US forces during the 1955–1975 Vietnam war. In addition to persecution from the state, Christians have also been targeted in attacks by local animists, who have forced believers to leave their homes. Churches are required to be officially registered with the authorities, but the regulations, which were introduced in 2013, make it almost impossible for unregistered congregations to obtain legal status. House churches, which are unregistered, are especially targeted by the security police. Christian lawyers campaigning for religious freedoms have

also been singled out by the authorities, who highlight their connections to Western human rights organisations, and falsely accuse them of “conducting propaganda against the state”. A new religion law, passed in November 2016, was hailed by state media as guaranteeing religious freedom, although the vague legislation bans religious activity that could “harm social order and/or national unity”.

Barnabas has assisted Vietnamese Christians from ethnic minorities who have been forced to flee Lift up in prayer Vietnamese believers who live daily with the possibility of arrest, detention and torture at the hands of their own government. Pray that they will know that the Lord upholds the righteous (Psalm 37:17). Ask for God’s special protection for church pastors and for ethnic Montagnard Christians, who have been particularly persecuted. Pray that efforts to persuade the Vietnamese government to increase religious freedom will be successful and that Christians detained in prison will be released.

Martyrs Barnabas Fund Projects include: Support for families of 21 martyrs (11-1240) Widows of War, Aleppo, Syria (41-1095)

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you … Be faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” (Revelation 2:10)

and we sometimes provide funeral costs when families cannot even afford a coffin for their loved ones.

June 2016, Bridget Agbahime, a pastor’s wife in Kano State, Nigeria, was beheaded in broad daylight by a Muslim mob who claimed she had insulted Muhammad. Today, Christians are killed for Jesus’ sake in many contexts. The year 2016 saw believers martyred for their faith in Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan and many other countries. Jihadists seek to please Allah by murdering the followers of Christ; repressive regimes can execute Christians as a subversive “enemies of the state”, and elsewhere converts to Christianity from other religions are at particular risk of being killed, often by their own relatives. The grieving families of martyrs have often lost their breadwinner as well as their beloved husband/father/ son. Barnabas is supporting the dependants of the 21 Egyptian martyrs beheaded in Libya in 2015. Similar regular support is given to the families of many other martyrs, including many in Aleppo, Syria. We also assist widows with one-off grants to help them start small businesses to support themselves

Barnabas has helped widows and their children in Aleppo Thank God for His gift of eternal life to all who believe in Jesus. Praise Him for believers who, trusting God, persevered in faith and did not cling to life in the face of death (Revelation 12:11). Pray that their sacrifice will inspire others to endure and will convince their persecutors of the truth and power of the Gospel, and, by the grace of God, encourage the growth of the church. Pray too that their bereaved families and churches will not grieve without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13) but be comforted by the knowledge that their loved ones died for Christ.

Zimbabwe Barnabas Fund Projects include: Zimbabwe feeding programme (91-721) Agricultural training (91-751) Zimbabwe General Fund (91-806)

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President, the people are suffering. Proverbs 21:13,” read Pastor Patrick Magadza’s protest placard when he was arrested last year. Magadza was released, but, in April 2016, Scripture Union was banned from meeting in schools. In May new legislation stipulated that children must begin their school day reciting a pledge of loyalty to the government and President Mugabe. Churches objected to the humanist indoctrination agenda of this new rule for schools, and the government responded by banning church meetings on government property, affecting thousands of rural congregations that worship in schools. In July, Pastor Evan Mawarire was arrested for treason, his “This Flag” movement calling for the restoration of justice. Thousands of Christians gathered outside the court to witness his acquittal on a technicality. Zimbabwe has a long history of widespread human rights violations that spans the 36 years since Mugabe came to power in 1980. The country has become a de facto totalitarian state where the allpervasive security police control every aspect of daily life. The government’s contempt for the rule of law means many of Zimbabwe’s Christians, especially those who speak out for justice and righteousness, face great pressure under the regime of the ruling ZANU-PF. The country is coming out of the worst drought in living memory that has left

over four million people starving because of an almost-total crop failure. Some families are reduced to less than a meal a day, children are too weak to attend school, there are almost no jobs, and there is virtually no money supply save worthless government “bonds”. Through it all, Barnabas Fund continues with its Project Joseph via its Church partners to distribute maize meal, the staple diet, as well as supporting a farming project that trains subsistence farmers, especially in drought conditions.

Project Joseph is providing 1 million meals each month to starving Christians in Zimbabwe Pray that the calls for justice continue as Christians unite in their increasingly bold demands for the re-establishment of the rule of law. The hand of God in this is surely evident with Pastor Evan Mawarire’s release. Pray also that the rains continue and bring to fruition a crop and subsequent harvest in May/June that will avert total desolation and starvation; and pray that the government will allow the importation of foreign food aid to see the country through its darkest of days.

A living hope “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” (1 Peter 1:3,4)

God’s promises. Some have had their lives cut short at the hands of those to whom the truth of the Gospel is an affront. They have gone to their reward.

Easter Day, Christians everywhere celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is this “living hope” which keeps our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters around the world steadfast in the face of poverty, disadvantage, discrimination, harassment and violence. Though their faith is tested in ways that ours may never be, they turn to God in their hour of need, and He is faithful. Barnabas Fund has the privilege of partnering with those brothers and sisters in Christ in their sufferings, through prayer and practical help: they are not alone and not forgotten; neither left, nor forsaken. Through Jesus’ arrest, trial and agonising crucifixion we know that He identifies completely with the persecution of Christians at the hands of their oppressors. Through His glorious resurrection, Christians know too, even in their suffering, that they share in the eternal victory that is His. Through the strength of the Holy Spirit, poured out on all flesh, these persecuted believers find power in

Persecuted Christians in Bangladesh, who have been supported by Barnabas Give thanks to God for the living hope that He has given us in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that Christians who suffer for His Name’s sake will endure, be encouraged by the promise of an eternal inheritance and so stand firm in their faith. Pray too that in our own sufferings we will be sustained by this hope. Lift up to the Lord those Christians in the countries and situations featured throughout this booklet and pray that His joy and resurrection power will be their strength, today and every day.

YES, I WANT TO HELP PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS* Title..................Name........................................................................................................................ Address............................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................................... Postcode............................. Telephone........................................................................................... Email.......................................................................

PPC 17

GIFT AID DECLARATION (Applicable to UK tax payers only) Boost your donation by 25p of Gift Aid for every £1 you donate

Gift Aid is reclaimed by the charity from the tax you pay for the current tax year. Your address is needed to identify you as a current UK taxpayer, please fill in the box to the left. In order to Gift Aid your donation you must tick the box below: I want to Gift Aid my donation of £......................and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years to: Barnabas Fund I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. Date....................................... Please notify the charity if you: • want to cancel this declaration • change your name or home address • no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains

If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. GOL 2016

For Single Donations I / We want to bring hope to the persecuted Church by a single gift, to be used: where it is most needed (General Fund) or for ........................................ (give reference number of project to be supported)*.

Here is my single gift of £ ............................................................. I enclose a cheque/voucher payable to “Barnabas Fund” OR Please debit my Maestro

Visa

Mastercard

American Express

CAF card /other charity card

Card Number Maestro issue number Expiry Date

or issue date

Signature............................................

I do not require an acknowledgement of this gift

Please return this form to your nearest Barnabas Fund office (addresses on the back cover).

If you are a UK tax-payer, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration above to enable us to reclaim tax on all your donations at no extra cost to you.

For Regular Donations

PPC 17

I / We want to bring hope to the persecuted Church by a regular gift, to be used: where it is most needed (General Fund) or for ................................................ (give reference number of project to be supported)*. Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms / Rev / Dr / Other... (delete as applicable) Name �� Address �� ........................................................................................ Postcode �� Telephone ........................................................ Email �� DIRECT DEBIT (for UK supporters only) I would like to give a regular gift of: £..........................(amount in words) ................................................................ Please start on 1st/3rd/7th/11th/15th/21st/28th (delete as applicable) of ........................................(month) and then every month/quarter/year until further notice. This Direct Debit is a new one/in addition to/replaces an earlier Standing Order/Direct Debit in favour of Barnabas Fund. THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEE Please fill in the whole form using a ball Service user number point pen and send to: Barnabas Fund, 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Name and full postal address of your bank or building society To: The Manager

Bank/building society

Address Postcode

Name(s) of account holder(s)

Bank/building society account number

Branch sort code

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society Please pay Barnabas Fund Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured to by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Barnabas Fund and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

This Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Barnabas Fund will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Barnabas Fund to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Barnabas Fund or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society. If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Barnabas Fund asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

Signature(s)

Date

Reference (Barnabas Fund to complete)

Alternatively, Direct Debits and regular credit card donations can be set up via www.barnabasfund.org

Please return this form to Barnabas Fund and not to your bank. See back cover of this catalogue for address details. If you are a UK tax-payer, please complete the Gift Aid Declaration on p.i to enable us to reclaim the tax on your regular payments. *If the project chosen is already sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts for another project of a similar type.

Barnabas Fund is a company registered in England number 4029536, Registered Charity no. 1092935

barnabasfund.org

Lent prayer diary For those who are using this prayer booklet in Lent 2017, the following schedule of readings and prayers is suggested. It begins on Ash Wednesday, 1 March, and finishes on Easter Day, 16 April. 1 March

2 March

3 March

4 March

5 March

6 March

Afghanistan

Algeria

Bangladesh

Brunei

Victims of violence

Cameroon

7 March

8 March

9 March

10 March

11 March

12 March

CAR

China

Egypt

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Children

13 March

14 March

15 March

16 March

17 March

18 March

Holy Land

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Kazakhstan

19 March

20 March

21 March

22 March

23 March

24 March

Refugees

Kenya

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Libya

Morocco

25 March

26 March

27 March

28 March

29 March

30 March

Myanmar (Burma)

Women

Nepal

Nigeria

North Korea

Pakistan

31 March

1 April

2 April

3 April

4 April

5 April

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Converts

Somalia

Sri Lanka

Sudan

6 April

7 April

8 April

9 April

10 April

11 April

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Elderly

Turkey

Turkmenistan

12 April

13 April

14 April

15 April

16 April

Uzbekistan

Vietnam

Martyrs

Zimbabwe

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Living Hopeâ&#x20AC;?

International Headquarters The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030 Email info@barnabasfund.org UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718 From outside the UK Telephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email info@barnabasfund.org Registered charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536 For a list of all trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above. Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org Germany German supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe für Brüder who will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for “SPC 20 Barnabas Fund”. If you would like your donation to go to a specific project of Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund office in Pewsey, UK. Account holder: Hilfe für Brüder International e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart IBAN: DE89520604100000415600 BIC: GENODEF1EK1

New Zealand PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07875 539003 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org Singapore Cheques in Singapore dollars payable to “Olive Aid Trust” may be sent to: Olives Aid Sdn Bhd, P.O. Box 03124 Subang Jaya, 47507 Selangor, MALAYSIA Singaporean supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund online via Olive Aid Trust: Beneficiary: OLIVE AID TRUST Bank Name: United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad Swift Code: UOVBMYKL Location: KUALA LUMPUR Account Number: 140-901-654-0 USA 6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101 Telephone (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525 Fax (703) 288-1682 Email usa@barnabasaid.org

Registered charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536

barnabasfund.org