Persecution & Prayer Alert

"I fear neither death
nor fire. I am prepared for
both, so do your worst!"
~ William Lithgow, tortured
during the Spanish inquisition.

Authorities Close Church in Burma's Capital

^{Rev. Dam Suan Mung with his wife, Vung Za Niang}

A rapidly growing church in Rangoon, the capital of Myanmar (Burma) has been closed by military officials, according to a news report on September 9 from "The Irrawaddy" news agency. The Full Gospel Assembly has been very active in the city, but is now unable to carry on any activities, according to a pastor from the church.

According to Christian sources in Myanmar, authorities have been cracking down on several Christian churches in recent months because of the large numbers of Buddhists who have converted to Christianity.

Pray for Pastor Dam Suan Mung and the leaders of the church, as they look for the best way to minister to the church members in the coming days. Pray for a continued outreach so that many will come to faith in Christ.

For more information on Myanmar and the persecution facing Christian there, click here.

Christian Compound in India Under Siege

Hundreds of Hindus surrounded a Christian compound in the village of Sikaria in Bihar, India on August 31. They demanded the arrest of Rev. Augustine Jebakumar, director of the Gospel Echoing Missionary Society (GEMS) compound. The crowds remained for three days until police succumbed to pressure and arrested Rev. Jebakumar.

The incident began when a group of young people were passing by the compound in a religious procession. Jebakumar asked them to turn down the volume of their loudspeakers, since students were studying inside. The young people proceeded to attack Jebakumar and others who came to his rescue. Several Christians were injured. Two required hospitalization. Someone in the mob managed to disconnect the power to the compound and, in the confusion and dark, an idol that was being carried in the Hindu procession was broken. The mob claimed that Jebakumar was responsible and demanded that he be arrested for desecrating the idol. As word of the incident spread, hundreds of Hindus joined in demanding Jebakumar's arrest. Inside the compound were around 100 families and 900 children.

On the afternoon of September 3, police arrested Jebakumar, holding him for several hours before releasing him. Following his arrest, the crowds dissipated and the tension appears to have abated. According to GEMS, this is the fourth such incident.

A representative of GEMS requests prayer that everything will return to normal as soon as possible. Pray that the violence will not restart with the return of Rev. Jebakumar.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here.

Indian Christians Detained for Worshipping with Accused Couple

The harassment of Jagdish and Grace Nayak, accused of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity (click here for details), continued when police detained two Christians who were worshiping in the Nayak home in Indore, India on September 4.

According to a September 8 report from Compass Direct, police entered the home during the worship service and told Atul David and Antar Singh to come out and sit in their jeep. Outside the home was a mob of approximately 500. The leader of the mob threatened to burn the men alive if they attended the worship service again. The police then took the two to the police station where they were warned by the police to not worship again with the Nayaks. The police inspector Mohan Singh Yadav has since denied giving any such warning.

Continue to pray for the Nayaks, as they await their trial. Pray for protection for other Christians in the area, as they meet together for worship.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here.

Persecution & Prayer Alert

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