Persecution & Prayer Alert

"…fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your
God; I will strengthen you, I
will help you, I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10 ESV

Update: Imprisoned Christians released

^{Pastor Sompong
Photo from}^{Compass Direct}

Pastor Sompong (32), Boot (18) and Khamvan (18), three men who were arrested in Boukham village, Savannakhet province in early August (click here for more), have been released, according to a November 17 report from Compass Direct. The believers were released on October 16 -- against the wishes of the village chief, who had threatened to hand Pastor Sompong a life sentence at a maximum-security prison.

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

Further restrictions imposed in Kazakhstan's draft religion law

Kazakhstan's draft religion law was amended with further restrictions on November 7, according to a November 18 report from Forum 18. The amendments to the law include mandating a fixed fine of 50 times the minimum monthly salary for those found guilty of worshipping, building or opening places of worship, or publishing or distributing religious literature without government permission. The proposed amendment would also require both parents to give permission before a child can attend a religious event and would ban believers from expressing their faith beyond their "own circle."

Pray that this law will not be approved. Ask God to work in the hearts of Kazakhstan's leaders so that they too will know the Good News.

For more information on the persecution facing Kazakhstan's Christians, click here.

Chapel attacked in Hanoi

^{Catholics gather in prayer around the Thai Ha parish
Photo from}^AsiaNews

A group of communist party activists attacked the St. Gerardo chapel on the property of the Thai Ha parish in Hanoi on the evening of November 15. At approximately 10:00 p.m., hundreds of activists arrived at the monastery and asked for an urgent meeting with some of the believers. They began shouting, throwing stones at the building and trying to provoke the believers. Local Christians were quickly alerted to the attack by fellow believers and within an hour, a large group of Christians were on the scene. The attackers were eventually intimidated by the growing number of believers present and fled before they could cause serious damage to the premises. Local Christians suspect the attack is related to their ongoing battle for restitution of parish land seized by authorities.

Pray that these Christians will be encouraged to continue meeting together for worship despite opposition (Hebrews 10:23-25). Pray that the passion of God's people in Vietnam will be a light that draws others to Christ.

To learn more about how Christians are persecuted in Vietnam, click here.

Persecution & Prayer Alert

Archives