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India
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Church Building Destroyed and Pastor Beaten in Chhattisgarh State
On the evening of November 19, Hindu militants attacked a church at Manduwa in Chhattisgarh State, India, tied up and beat the pastor into unconsciousness and burned down a recently constructed church building. There are no reports on the present condition of Pastor Sudharu. The Hindus accused the church of being involved in the conversion of tribals in the region. According to reports, missionaries in this remote area face regular threats from Hindu militants.Pray for the continued witness of this church. Pray for healing for Pastor Sudharu as he recuperates from the assault.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
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Christians Beaten by Militants
On the morning of November 4, six Christians, including Pastor Vishnu Barad and his wife, were beaten by Hindu militants in the Thane district of Maharastra. The believers were reportedly targeted for attending prayer meetings in the area. Pastor Barad was detained when he went to the local police station to register a complaint against the militants.On November 10, a group of approximately fifty Hindu militants attacked Pastor P.C. Nayak of the Believers Church in the city of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India, local villagers called Pastor Nayak to a meeting regarding the construction of a church building. When he arrived at the construction site the militants beat him. He was hospitalized with internal injuries.
Pray that Pastor Barad will be released. Pray for healing for those injured in these attacks. Pray that Christians in India will maintain the attitude of Christ and respond to their persecutors with love and grace (Matthew 5:43-44).
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
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Violence against Christians Continues in India
The Voice of Martyrs has received several reports of violence against Christians in India in the last week, including the following:On the afternoon of October 27, evangelist Phiroj Lima (28) was beaten by a group of approximately thirty Hindu militants while distributing tracts and visiting with patients at the Bhadrak Government Hospital in Bhubanseswar, Orissa. The militants beat Lima for two hours, confiscated his gospel tracts and threatened to kill him. They then gathered the relatives of the patients together and told them that Lima was forcibly converting patients to Christianity. The militants called the police who took Lima into custody. He was detained at the local police station for nearly three hours before being released.
On October 28, Hindu militants attacked a Christian farmer, Bharat Bhai, and his family in Ambapani village, Gujarat, according the Evangelical Fellowship of India. The militants beat Bhai and told his family that they would be killed if they continued to go to church and serve Christ. Later that day, the militants went a local church and threatened the pastor and his congregation that they would be killed if they kept holding services in the building.
On November 2, Hindu militants disrupted a prayer service and beat and injured thirteen believers present in the village of Timnar, Chhattisgarh. The militants also stole jewelry, food and other possessions from the believers. Two days later, Hindu militants attacked several of the same believers again.
Ask God to enable these Christians to respond to their persecutors with love and grace. Pray for healing for those injured. Pray that the gospel will continue to go forth in India, despite threats and acts of violence against God's messengers (Acts 4:29-21).
For more information on persecution ofChristians in India, go to theIndia Country Report. To view videos on the situation of Indian Christians, go to www.vomcanada.com. The January edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter will feature the testimony of a Hindu militant whose life was changed by the power of Christ. Make sure to receive your copy by subscribing to our free newsletter today.
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Five Nuns Beaten by Militants in Madhya Pradesh
Five sisters of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC)--Jincy (40), Sayujia (27), Pavitra (26), Sweta (26) and Anna Maria (27)--were beaten by twenty Hindu militants in the city of Indore, Madhya Pradesh on October 25. At approximately 8.30 p.m. the militants surrounded the house of a local believer, where the nuns were attending a prayer meeting, and accused the nuns of forcibly converting local Hindus to Christianity. When the meeting was over, the militants attacked the nuns and were stopped only when police arrived and took the women to safety. All five were injured and Sister Jincy is in serious condition due to the head injuries she sustained in the attack.
Pray for healing for these five faithful believers. Pray that they will take comfort in the fact that God commends those who suffer for doing His work (1 Peter 2:20-21). Pray that Christians in India will not give in to fear but rest in the fact that the Good Shepherd walks with them through their trials.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
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Militants Disrupt Prayer Service, Beat Believers
Pastor Victor Periera was beaten by Hindu militants and a group of local villagers who were angered by his organizing of prayer meetings that were attended by Hindu tribals in the Thane district of Maharashtra state on October 23. Pastor Periera was conducting a prayer service at a local church when the attackers barged into the building. The militants shouted curses against the Christian faith and beat the pastor along with several other believers present. Pastor Periera's rib was broken in the attack.Ask God to give healing to Pastor Periera. Pray that he and his congregation will abandon all glory for themselves and embrace the fellowship of Christ's sufferings (Phil. 3:7-10). Pray that nonbelievers in India will come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
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Pastors Beaten and Detained
The Voice of the Martyrs has received several reports of attacks on Christian pastors in India in recent weeks.
On the morning of October 11, Pastor Ganesh Murthy (42) was attacked by two Hindu militants along with fifteen men while he was distributing literature and praying for local people in the village of Rampura, Karnataka. The militants verbally abused him, beat him and dragged him to the local police station where he was detained on charges of forcible conversion. The militants also tried to forcibly convert Pastor Murthy to Hinduism by promising to meet the financial needs of his wife and three children if he complied. However, the pastor refused the offer and stood firm in his faith.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. on October 14, Pastor Joseph Thadikal (58) and his wife, Ammini, were attacked in their home by two Hindu militants in the Vayandu district of Kerala. Both sustained serious head injuries. Pastor Thadikal, who pastors the local New Indian Bible Church, has been living and working in the area for ten years. He has twice received threats from militants who oppose his Christian work.
Thank the Lord for the boldness of faith of these believers amidst intense persecution and pressure. Pray that their passion for Christ will be a light that draws others to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16). Pray for healing for Pastor Joseph and his wife. Pray that Pastor Ganesh will be released.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
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Christian Worker Martyred
Ajay Topno, a missionary with a Christian media organization, was shot and killed in the Ranchi district of Jharkland state on September 19 for converting three tribal families to Christianity, according to a September 28 report from Compass Direct. Local Christians reported that villagers had been angered by the recent conversion of these families to Christianity. On September 11, the villagers drove the families from their homes. Then, after a meeting on September 14, the villagers forcibly "reconverted" the families to Hinduism and then arranged for a local criminal to murder Topno. Topno went missing from his home on September 16. His body was found in a jungle near the village of Sahoda three days later.
Thank the Lord for Ajay's life as a cross-bearing disciple of Christ. Ask God to comfort those who mourn for him. Pray that Indian Christians will be emboldened to follow in their Saviour's footsteps and remain faithful to Him at all cost (1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16).
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
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Christian Attacked by Militants in Karnataka
A Christian named Jayanthi (38) was attacked by her neighbours while she was being visited by a group of local Christians in her home in the district of Banaswadi, Karnataka on September 20. Jayanthi and her family have recently been experiencing harassment from local people because of her faith. Her husband has left home in fear of violence. Jayanthi was previously beaten by her neighbours in mid-August after an incident involving another local Christian, Uma Jasmine, who had been beaten for sharing her faith with Jayanthi (click here for more).
Pray that God will enable Jayanthi to proclaim the Gospel even while suffering (2 Timothy 4:16-18). Ask Him to strengthen and protect Jayanthi, her husband and two children during in this time. Pray that Christians in this area will boldly proclaim their faith in Christ despite persecution.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
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Militants Beat Pastor, Disrupt Church Service in Chhattisgarh
Pastor Pradyuman Meshram (35) was beaten and severely injured when 20 young Hindu militants joined by approximately 20 local residents disrupted a worship service in the Kanker district of Chhattisgarh on September 23. The assailants first stood outside the church building and called for Pastor Meshram to come out. When he refused to do so, they forcibly entered the building and beat him until some of women present were able to rescue him. The militants then went outside and destroyed some of the church members' two-wheelers. When the police took the militants to the police station, a large group of local people gathered outside the building and complained that the Christians were involved in forcible conversion activities and conducting noisy meetings.
Pray for healing for Pastor Meshram. Pray that he and his congregation will keep their eyes on Jesus, finding their encouragement and strength in Him (Hebrews 10:32-39; 12:1-3). Pray that those who persecute Christians in India will come to repentance and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
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Three Christian School Girls Assaulted by Militants in Orissa
Three daughters of Pastor Abraham Burdhan were molested by Hindu militants and chased down by a tractor while on their way to school in Nuagada Village, Orissa on September 12. The assailants were the same militants who attacked and seriously injured their father in late March (click here for more). This attack has made other local believers' children fearful to attend school. Over the past month, armed Hindu militants in the area have been daily threatening Christians and are determined to kill all believers in the village.Ask God to give these girls healing from the emotional and physical scars of their assault and fill their hearts with His love (Matthew 5:43-44). Pray that Christians in this area will rely on God to be their Protector and Guide in this time (Psalm 46:1).
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to theIndia Country Report.
