Pray for healing for Pastor Fernandes and the other injured believers. Pray that Christians in India will put their hope in the Lord as the One who upholds their cause (Psalm 146).
Find out more about India's suffering church by visiting the India Country Report.
VOMC assists persecuted Christians with legal support and rehabilitation assistance, and cares for children of martyrs by providing them with a safe place to be nurtured physical and spiritually. VOMC also partners to equip Christians in India with Biblical training and works to strengthen and support marginalized and persecuted Christian women. Additionally, VOMC helps to provide medical assistance to believers who have faced injuries after being attacked.”
Project Funds: Families of Martyrs, Equipping the Saints, Legal Defense, Relief and Development, Women’s Ministry, Medical Fund
Population
1,399,179,585 (2023 est.)
Ethnicity (%)
Indo-Aryan (72), Dravidian (25), other (3)
Religion (%)
Hinduism (79.8), Muslim (14.2), Christianity (2.3), Sikh (1.7), other (2)
Leader
President Droupadi Murmu (2022)
Government type
Federal parliamentary republic
Legal system
Based on English common law; separate personal law codes apply to Christians, Hindus and Muslims.
Source: CIA World Factbook
Despite the intimidation and violence that have taken place in many of India's states, may Christians wisely yet unashamedly preach the Gospel. Pray that indigenous Christians and foreign missionaries will minister in ways that do not hint at fraudulent conversions, unmasking the intentions behind the anti-conversion legislation. Intercede for India's leaders, that they may reign with justice and righteousness.
A wave of violent incidents marred Christmas celebrations across India, even as Prime Minister Modi extolled the virtues of "love" and "harmony" in his Christmas speech and social media posts. The recently occurring acts of violence against followers of Jesus, which took place in at least ten states across India, were particularly instigated by Hindu nationalist groups in their determination to rid the nation of Christian influence.
Thank you for your continued faithfulness, compassion and partnership in praying for our Christian brothers and sisters who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness. This week's special video edition of the Persecution & Prayer Alert focusses on the importance of prayer.
On November 17th, the leaders of eight villages in Sukma, a district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, passed a joint resolution that prohibits Christians from staying in their communities. As a result of the decision, all Christian residents have been required to renounce their faith or leave. The order impacts around 100 believers, whose fields, properties and belongings were threatened with confiscation if they did not comply. One local chief who supported the decree claimed that the village council supersedes the Indian Constitution, thus negating any arguments about the believers' right to freedom of belief.
As police officers stood by and watched, hundreds of people attacked 14 Christians in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on October 30th. The violent incident occurred after the victimized followers of Jesus refused to abandon their Christian faith, despite orders from tribal leaders to do so.
