Authorities in Iran's Fars Province detained seven Christians in a church raid on Friday, even as five other Christian converts who were detained eight months ago from the same province will face trial on Monday. Over 300 Christians have been arbitrarily arrested and detained over the last two years.
Security personnel on Friday evening raided a house church belonging to the Church of Iran denomination in the city of Shiraz, and detained seven Christians, U.K.-based charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported.
The seven, identified as Mohammad (Vahid) Roghangir, Suroush Saraie, Roxana Forughi, Eskandar Rezaie, Bijan Haghighi, Mehdi Ameruni and Shahin Lahooti, were being held in Plaque 100, the Intelligence Ministry's notorious detention center.
Security men threatened older people at the prayer gathering, and then allowed them to leave while detaining the others.
CSW said the latest detentions were part of a "marked upsurge in a campaign of harassment of Christians of all denominations, with reports of a significant increase in arrests during recent weeks. "There appears to be an increasing tendency by the Iranian authorities to characterize legitimate religious activities as crimes against the state," CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said. "In reality, people are being harassed merely on account of their faith."
Meanwhile, five Christian converts arrested eight months ago from Shiraz officially received a trial date through a lawyer for Monday, Mohabat News, an Iranian Christian news agency, reported.
The trial will be held in Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz.
The accused were identified as Mojtaba Hosseini, Mohammad-Reza Partoei (Kourosh), Vahid Hakkani, Homayoun Shokouhi and his wife Mrs. Fariba Nazemian. The charges against them include "creating illegal groups," "participating in house church service," "propagation against the Islamic regime," and "defaming Islamic holy figures through Christian evangelizing."…
Reuters last month quoted Ahmed Shaheed, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, as saying that he estimated that "over 300 Christians have been arbitrarily arrested and detained throughout the country since June 2010."
"Scores of other Christians appear to remain in detention for freely practicing their religion," Shaheed said. "Churches continue to report undue pressure to report membership, in what appears to be an effort to pressure and sometimes even detain converts."
Christians have faced a wave of arrests since the disputed presidential elections in June 2009. And persecution of minorities intensified as international pressure began to build over Iran's secret nuclear enrichment program leading to sanctions in the following months, World Evangelical Alliance's Religious Liberty Commission notes.
Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering this abuse at the hands of the Iranian regime. Pray for their encouragement, protection and release and for the political transformation of this important and potentially dangerous nation.
Pastor Thanks Those who Prayed for his Release
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, recently released from an Iranian prison, has written a letter of thanks to all those who brought attention to his plight and prayed for his release.
Nadarkhani said God's goodness and protection was overwhelmingly evident during his imprisonment. He added, "I also want to express my gratitude towards those who, all around the world, have worked for my cause, or should I say the cause that I defend. I want to express my gratitude to all of those who have supported me, openly or in complete secrecy. You are all very dear to my heart. May the Lord bless you and give you His perfect and sovereign Grace."
Nadarkhani said while he had been tested, he had never felt lonely. He continued, "I was all the time aware of the fact that it wasn't a solitary battle, for I have felt all the energy and support of those who obeyed their conscience and fought for the promotion of the justice and the rights of all human beings. Thanks to these efforts, I have now the enormous joy to be by my wonderful wife and my children. I am grateful for these people through whom God has been working. All of this is very encouraging."
Nadarkhani said while imprisoned God comforted his family and gave them the ability to get through the difficult time. He said, "He has comforted my family and has given them the means to face that difficult situation. In His Grace, He provided for their spiritual and material needs, taking away from me a heavy weight." Nadarkhani said God provided wonderfully during the trial, allowing him to face the challenges ahead.
Victory for evangelist in freedom of speech case
A Christian evangelist was cleared of criminal charges by Dartford Magistrates after being arrested for distributing leaflets outside a Tesco supermarket. Mr Bachoo was temporarily imprisoned and charged with public order offences in January after handing out leaflets disapproving of Tesco’s decision to fund the 2012 Gay Pride parade. He was due to stand trial last week for allegedly using ‘threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour’ but magistrates dismissed the case after the prosecuting barrister failed to give evidence. The National Director of Christian Voice, Stephen Green, said: ‘Christians just keep winning these freedom of speech cases. It is not against the law to preach against sodomy, to tell the public the facts about homosexual lifestyles, nor to display graphic images of the effects of abortion. These things might upset people, but they are not threatening, they are not abusive, they are not insulting and they are not against the law.
Praise: God for the clarity of understanding by the magistrates and for the dismissal of this case.
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/religious-freedom/victory-for-evangelist-in-freedom-of-speech-case
Victory for evangelist in freedom of speech case
A Christian evangelist was cleared of criminal charges by Dartford Magistrates after being arrested for distributing leaflets outside a Tesco supermarket. Mr Bachoo was temporarily imprisoned and charged with public order offences in January after handing out leaflets disapproving of Tesco’s decision to fund the 2012 Gay Pride parade. He was due to stand trial last week for allegedly using ‘threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour’ but magistrates dismissed the case after the prosecuting barrister failed to give evidence. The National Director of Christian Voice, Stephen Green, said: ‘Christians just keep winning these freedom of speech cases. It is not against the law to preach against sodomy, to tell the public the facts about homosexual lifestyles, nor to display graphic images of the effects of abortion. These things might upset people, but they are not threatening, they are not abusive, they are not insulting and they are not against the law.
Praise: God for the clarity of understanding by the magistrates and for the dismissal of this case.
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/religious-freedom/victory-for-evangelist-in-freedom-of-speech-case
Don’t be ashamed, Franklin Graham tells UK’s Christians
Franklin Graham has called on Christians to be faithful in preaching the Gospel message as he visited the UK to launch this year’s Operation Christmas Child an annual Christmas initiative aiming to deliver 8 million shoeboxes filled with Christmas gifts for children in impoverished communities around the world, including parts of Europe. ‘Secularism has conquered much of Europe and the West and it came in overnight,’ he told reporters. ‘As evangelicals and Christians we need to be more outspoken than we’ve ever been about our faith and not be ashamed.’ Mr Graham said some schools in the UK had dropped out of the project because they were upset about the Christian faith being shared with children receiving the boxes. However, he said: ‘I don’t apologise for sharing Christ. This is who we are. This is what we do.’ Mr Graham encouraged everyone giving a box to say a prayer for the child receiving it. ‘For many of these children, it’s the first gift they’ve had in their lives.
Pray: for all those involved in Operation Christmas Child and for the children as they receive their gifts. (Ps.100:5)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/dont.be.ashamed.franklin.graham.tells.uks.christians/30714.htm
National Day of Prayer – 29 September
The Bishop of Pontefract, the Rt Rev Tony Robinson has backed a call for a month of prayer for the Street Angels network which will be launched at a National Day of Prayer event at Wembley Stadium on 29 September. Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at the stadium to pray for our nation in an event which features artists including Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Noel Robinson. Street Angels founder, Paul Blakey from Halifax, said: ‘Following on from the fantastic day at Wembley, when tens of thousands of people will gather specifically to pray for our nation, we want to encourage people to pray for the communities where our local projects are making a massive difference. We also want to encourage prayer for new opportunities to open up, for a greater reduction in crime, for those we partner with and those who volunteer.’
Praise: God for the gathering of His people in prayer.
More: http://www.wakefield.anglican.org/news/story/national_day_of_prayer_29_september
National Day of Prayer – 29 September
The Bishop of Pontefract, the Rt Rev Tony Robinson has backed a call for a month of prayer for the Street Angels network which will be launched at a National Day of Prayer event at Wembley Stadium on 29 September. Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at the stadium to pray for our nation in an event which features artists including Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Noel Robinson. Street Angels founder, Paul Blakey from Halifax, said: ‘Following on from the fantastic day at Wembley, when tens of thousands of people will gather specifically to pray for our nation, we want to encourage people to pray for the communities where our local projects are making a massive difference. We also want to encourage prayer for new opportunities to open up, for a greater reduction in crime, for those we partner with and those who volunteer.’
Praise: God for the gathering of His people in prayer.
More: http://www.wakefield.anglican.org/news/story/national_day_of_prayer_29_september
South Korea: Taxis drive passengers to Christ
Moon-ja Kang is one of 450 Christian drivers who belong to the Missionary Taxi Club in Busan, South Korea. They have devoted themselves to telling their passengers about the Lord by playing Christian radio programmes and through personal testimony. ’Each day we spread the gGspel on the road,' said the group's president, Myeong-Woong Ban. ‘If a driver gives us the name of any contacts they make, we'll pray for them, embrace them in our heart, and have them connected to a church so they can get to know Jesus.’ The taxi missionaries see the streets of Busan as a mission field. Their goal is to deliver all of their passengers safely to an eternal destination. ‘I consider serving God as my primary job, and the rest of what I do in this world, secondary,’ explained driver Gil-hong Jin.
Praise: God for the work of the taxi missionaries and pray for those that God calls to himself. (Is.55:6)
More: http://ausprayernet.org.au/newsletter/DisplayNewsletter.php
South Korea: Taxis drive passengers to Christ
Moon-ja Kang is one of 450 Christian drivers who belong to the Missionary Taxi Club in Busan, South Korea. They have devoted themselves to telling their passengers about the Lord by playing Christian radio programmes and through personal testimony. ’Each day we spread the gGspel on the road,' said the group's president, Myeong-Woong Ban. ‘If a driver gives us the name of any contacts they make, we'll pray for them, embrace them in our heart, and have them connected to a church so they can get to know Jesus.’ The taxi missionaries see the streets of Busan as a mission field. Their goal is to deliver all of their passengers safely to an eternal destination. ‘I consider serving God as my primary job, and the rest of what I do in this world, secondary,’ explained driver Gil-hong Jin.
Praise: God for the work of the taxi missionaries and pray for those that God calls to himself. (Is.55:6)
More: http://ausprayernet.org.au/newsletter/DisplayNewsletter.php
Youth 'blackout' for the persecuted
Young people across the UK and Ireland will be standing in solidarity with the persecuted church this November. They will unite in a 'blackout' for 48 hours to raise thousands of pounds for young Christians suffering because of their faith. From social media, to mobiles, to TV, gaming, eating or speaking, the challenge is to stay 'silent' in a symbolic gesture of the censorship and isolation experienced by many Christians on account of their faith. The creative fasting is being organised by Open Doors and the idea is to ‘make a big noise by keeping quiet’. Open Doors hopes the event will be just as well supported as last year's which raised £30,000 for child victims of persecution. Krish Kandiah, of the Evangelical Alliance and a Blackout supporter said: ‘Too often out of sight is out of mind for the persecuted church. This is an opportunity to give time to this important challenge.'
Pray: for a huge response to this challenge and for those who will be taking part. (Jas.1:2-4)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/youth.blackout.for.persecuted.church/30673.htm
Tory MPs targeted by US gay marriage campaigners
Tory strategists have held meetings with US lobbying experts ahead of a drive to try to win hesitant Conservative MPs around to supporting gay marriage. It is understood that senior Tories met a group of lobbying experts, who have worked with the US campaign group ‘Freedom to Marry’, ahead of a renewed charm offensive within the party. ‘From what we know, the battle that there is, is really to try to convince Conservatives,’ said Benjamin Cohen, co-founder of the Coalition For Equal Marriage, which campaigns in support of same-sex unions. ‘We are working with them to try to determine the best way of presenting the argument to conservative backbenchers.’ The drive is expected to focus less on arguments about equality and rights and more about gay marriage as something which could be ‘good for society’. David Cameron has repeatedly stressed his determination to bring in same-sex marriage by 2015.
Pray: for an honest debate that addresses people’s concerns rather than one that tries to bully people into submission. (1Pe.3:15)