North Korea: World Watch update
North Korea is in total crisis. Persecution of Christians is more severe there than anywhere else in the world. Famine holds vast swathes of the nation in its grip and untold thousands live in poverty and misery. The populace are kept ignorant of the outside world and forcibly indoctrinated into ‘Juche’ ideology focusing on the self-sufficiency of man. It teaches a trinity consisting of the father (deceased leader Kim Il-Sung), son (current leader Kim Jong-Il) and the ‘Juche spirit’ of self-reliance. Christians in North Korea are forced to keep their faith secret as all religions are harshly suppressed and those who are discovered face torture, labour camp and even death. Please pray for strength and courage for the estimated 50,000 Christians currently in North Korea’s prison camps. Pray also for secure printing and distribution of Bibles to North Korean Christians, and safe outreach work amongst North Korean defectors in China’s border areas. Pray: that many North Koreans respond to the hope and truth of the triune God, and for Christians to be strengthened. (Mal.4:2)
Afghanistan: Campaign to free Christians
We can rejoice over the release of prisoner Said Musa, a Muslim convert to Christianity under threat of execution for apostasy, as Christian human rights organizations continue to work for the release of other converts who remain behind bars for their faith. Barnabas Aid remains deeply concerned about Shoaib Assadullah, an Afghan convert to Christianity facing execution for apostasy, and other converts in prison in Afghanistan who have not received international publicity. In a letter dated February 17 Shoaib expressed fears that he will ‘most definitely’ be sentenced to death by the court. He has been incarcerated since being arrested last October for giving a New Testament in the national Dari language to another Afghan, who later reported him to the authorities. Pray: for God to strengthen and protect all struggling for religious freedom in Afghanistan, and for God’s sprit to embrace every prisoner. (Rev.2:10)
Zimbabwe: Bishops warn of rushed elections
Last month scores of supporters of Tsvangirai's party sheltered in churches after being attacked and forced out of their homes by militant supporters of Mugabe's party. The work of the compromise government has been characterised by fighting over allocation of key government posts. The drive to collect people's viewsof the new constitution has been disrupted several time by violent clashes between the two main political parties. Catholic Bishops have warned ‘Conditions in the country are not conducive to elections in 2011. We believe holding elections at this stage would be dangerously premature.’ The bishops are from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The statement was released on 22 February. Pray: for incidents of violence to decrease, an end to fear, for elections to safely go ahead in Gods timing. (Is.9:6)
Honduras: Murder of pastors – Evangelicals vulnerable
Christians in the evangelical church in Honduras fear they are being deliberately targeted following the murder of several pastors in recent months. Pastor Carlos Roberto Marroquín, the founding pastor of the Pentecostal Church of God and a prominent figure in other Christian organisations was shot last week as he walked his dogs near to his home. The police are treating the pastor as a victim of robbery. Some in the church fear he was deliberately targeted as part of a wider attack on the work of the church. A pastor of Harvest Ministry called the authorities to launch a full investigation saying, ‘There are already six pastors who have died in Honduras in recent months. There must be a project, the authorities must investigate who is behind everything.’ Pray: for God to provide a canopy of protection over His evangelists in Honduras. (Mk,16:20)
‘Better Life Chances’ initiative
Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Against Crime (GMAC) have recently invited Redeeming Our Communities to join the Integrated Neighbourhood Management Partnership Team. The purpose of this team is to pilot an initiative across 10 targeted areas in the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester. This initiative, called ‘Better Life Chances’, is a 12-week pilot programme designed to bring service-providers into a streamlined effort to tackle deprivation problems experienced by families. Redeeming Our Communities’ role is currently focused on rolling out ROC Cafés across these targeted areas. As a proven model in reducing anti-social behaviour among youth, the ROC Café has been identified by GMAC as a key project which meets the objectives set out in Better Life Chances. Praise: God for the partnership of professionals and enthusiastic workers as they bring resources to needy areas. More: http://www.redeemingourcommunities.org.uk/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=246111
‘Better Life Chances’ initiative
Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Against Crime (GMAC) have recently invited Redeeming Our Communities to join the Integrated Neighbourhood Management Partnership Team. The purpose of this team is to pilot an initiative across 10 targeted areas in the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester. This initiative, called ‘Better Life Chances’, is a 12-week pilot programme designed to bring service-providers into a streamlined effort to tackle deprivation problems experienced by families. Redeeming Our Communities’ role is currently focused on rolling out ROC Cafés across these targeted areas. As a proven model in reducing anti-social behaviour among youth, the ROC Café has been identified by GMAC as a key project which meets the objectives set out in Better Life Chances. Praise: God for the partnership of professionals and enthusiastic workers as they bring resources to needy areas. More: http://www.redeemingourcommunities.org.uk/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=246111
Russia: Prison Ministry
An offender writes, ‘I understand how baptism will clean our heart from all evil and allow God’s love within our soul. It has taken a lot of faith to get where I am in my life now, deep soul-searching too. Sometimes we are all faced with things in our life that are challenging and which we have no control over. I certainly made very bad choices in my past and realize that I had to pay a high price for those mistakes. But at least I can say I’ve learned my lesson! My deliverance came when I personally accepted Jesus Christ into my life. Everything for me became very clear, and the road was chosen for me. JESUS is my life now and I must always do the right thing. I love life and my family.’ Over the years it has become much more difficult for prisoners to receive Christian literature. Praise: God that this prisoner is practicing his new found faith, and ask that many more prisoners meet Jesus. More: http://www.stsilas.org/
Russia: Prison Ministry
An offender writes, ‘I understand how baptism will clean our heart from all evil and allow God’s love within our soul. It has taken a lot of faith to get where I am in my life now, deep soul-searching too. Sometimes we are all faced with things in our life that are challenging and which we have no control over. I certainly made very bad choices in my past and realize that I had to pay a high price for those mistakes. But at least I can say I’ve learned my lesson! My deliverance came when I personally accepted Jesus Christ into my life. Everything for me became very clear, and the road was chosen for me. JESUS is my life now and I must always do the right thing. I love life and my family.’ Over the years it has become much more difficult for prisoners to receive Christian literature. Praise: God that this prisoner is practicing his new found faith, and ask that many more prisoners meet Jesus. More: http://www.stsilas.org/
This is an international network of Bible schools, campus ministry organizations, denominations, and mission sending agencies, serving a grassroots mission mobilization initiative among today’s emerging generation toward the fulfillment of the great commission in our lifetime.
SVM2 offers many materials and proven methods for catalyzing the Student Mission Movement and is “enthusiastically” endorsed by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. Please visit www.svm2.net and guide Christian students in your area to this valuable resource. Please pray: for God to lead students to this site as well as to personally call many into missions; pray for this ministry to effectively support, educate, and equip these students.
International Christian Concern (ICC) learned that Said Musa, an Afghan Christian who was arrested in May and scheduled for execution in February for his conversion to Christianity, was released from prison in late February after aggressive international diplomacy. He is now safely out of the country and will be re-united with family. However, Shaoib Assadullah, also an Afghan Christian, is still behind bars for giving a Bible to a man who later reported him to authorities. He faces the same charges of apostasy (leaving Islam) with the death penalty.
Please pray: give thanks to God for Said Musa’s release from prison; continue to ask for the release of Shaoib Assadullah; for Afghan Christians to not fear death and to remain faithful, and for ultimate religious freedom in Afghanistan.