(Reading time: 1 minute)


Purna, one of the believers
who was beaten in August 2008
The Catholic Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in India's Orissa state has requested prayer from believers around the world this Christmas season for the victims of anti-Christian violence in the area. Please join him in remembering our brothers and sisters in Orissa. (Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

"Gracious Father, Lord of all the earth, we praise you for the gift of Jesus Christ, sent into the world to break down the dividing walls of hostility. Have mercy upon those in Orissa who suffer for bearing your name. Give them the peace and the justice that they crave, and cause the walls of bitterness and hatred in Orissa to be torn down. Comfort those who have been bereaved, counsel those who have been traumatised, provide for those who have lost everything. Give them the grace to forgive and confidence in your gracious favour. Do not let us forget them, our brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace and look forward to his coming again in glory."

Click here to learn more about the ongoing opposition facing Christians in India.

Current Ministry Projects

In addition to providing persecuted Christians legal support and rehabilitation assistance, VOMC cares for children of martyrs by ensuring they have a safe home in which to be nurtured both physically and spiritually. VOMC also partners to equip Christians in India with Biblical training and offers specialized ministry to further strengthen and support marginalized, persecuted Christian women.

Project Funds: Families of Martyrs, Equipping the Saints, Legal Defence, Relief and Development, Women’s Ministry

Country Information

Designation
Persecuted

Population
1,339,330,514 (July 2021 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Indo-Aryan (72), Dravidian (25), Mongoloid and other (3)

Religion (%)
Hinduism (79.8), Muslim (14.2), Christianity (2.3), Sikh (1.7), other (2)

Leader
President Ram Nath Kovind (2017)

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

Pray for India

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.

end

Select a Region

India News

  • Christians Denied Humanitarian Aid Rations
    A young girl cooking over an open fire just outside her home.
    A girl cooking for her family.
    Photo: Flickr / India Water Portal (cc)

    Ten Christian families in Bara Chomri village, Madhya Pradesh, have been denied government rations due to their faith affiliation. These families were summoned to a village gathering on January 26th where they were pressured to

    ...
  • Mob Violently Protests Alleged Conversion Activities
    The front of a church with destroyed property littering the floor.
    Property damage in the church.
    Photo: VOMC Source (screenshot)

    Hundreds of villagers converged on a Catholic church in the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on January 2nd. Spurred on by accusations of alleged religious conversions, the crowd entered the church building armed with wooden sticks an

    ...
  • Ministry Leaders Appeal for Pastors' Release
    Man's hands extending from prison bars with handcuffs on his wrists.

    A group of pastors in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is appealing for the release of 30 fellow pastors who are being detained in prisons around the state. According to Pastor Jitendra Singh, General Secretary of the Pastors' Association of Uttar Pradesh, all of the detained church leader

    ...