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Give thanks that believers from every part of the world are knit together as one body through our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that any of the Lord’s people who endure suffering and persecution will be an example and encouragement to those who live in safer parts of the world. May they be a powerful witness to all those around them. Ask that He will sustain them in their Christian faith, until the day when those from the east and those from the west will “will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11).
The Christian community in the Pakistani city of Jaranwala, Punjab, was devastated by anti-Christian riots on 16 August. Armed mobs, incited by local mosque leaders, attacked 27 church buildings, burning five. More than 100 houses belonging to Christians were ransacked, and many set on fire. Bibles and hymnbooks were also burned. The violence followed a spurious accusation of “blasphemy” against two Christian men. Lift up to the Lord these two men and their families, our brothers and sisters in Jaranwala, and believers across Pakistan, asking that He will continue to keep them safe in this day of trouble (Psalm 27:5).
“It appeared as if we’d all be killed like animals,” said Martha, who thanks the Lord for protecting her family when Muslim extremists rampaged through the Christian area of Jaranwala in Pakistan in August. Twenty-seven churches as well as pastors’ houses were ransacked, Bibles burned and the homes of more than 100 Christians attacked. Martha thanks Barnabas for providing more than 170 families with food and practical aid. “Barnabas stood side by side with us ... and gave us hope.” Pray that Christian families will be enabled to rebuild their lives following their ordeal. Ask that Muslim and Christian communities will live together in peace.
More than ten new “blasphemy” cases have been registered with police in Pakistan in the weeks since anti-Christian riots swept through the city of Jaranwala, according to Barnabas Aid contacts. Most of these accusations were levelled against Christians. Our brothers and sisters in Pakistan are vulnerable to false accusations of “blasphemy”, as simply stating certain Christian beliefs can be construed as “blasphemy” by zealous Muslims. Accusations are often a result of animosity towards individual Christians or the Christian community in general. Pray that the Lord will protect His people from those who devise false accusations (Psalm 35:19-20).
Lord Jesus Christ, we bring before You the anguish that is often felt when we read of the suffering endured by our persecuted, marginalised and impoverished Christian family around the world. We also bring to You the suffering that we all experience to one degree or another. We recognise that nobody in this world is fully free from poverty, ill health or loneliness. Encourage us, we pray, even amidst “affliction … bitterness and hardship”, that however greatly we are afflicted it is never as much as You suffered when You carried our sins. (Lamentations 3:1, 5; Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:46)
“There are reports of mass killings, raping and torturing of people. A scene of war crimes is unfolding.” These were the words of Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate of the Armenian Church of the UK and Ireland, in the days following an invasion of the Armenian Christian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh by Muslim-majority Azerbaijan on 19 September. At the time of writing more than 100,000 people – almost the entire Karabakh population – have fled into Armenia itself to escape the violence. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this was because they fear “the danger of ethnic cleansing”. Pray for the suffering Christians of Nagorno-Karabakh, asking that the Lord will be their strength and shield (Psalm 28:7) throughout their traumatic experience.
Prior to the Azerbaijani invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, senior Christian leaders had already called on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden to intervene urgently to prevent a new Armenian Genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh. Warnings of a new genocide also came from the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention in early September. The Armenian Christian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh had been under a blockade by Azerbaijan since December 2022, causing widespread shortages of food, medicine and fuel. Pray that the invasion will cause the international community to take these warnings seriously as Christians in Armenia itself remain vulnerable to future attack.
Praise the Lord that more than 700 Christians affected by the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine have been helped with Barnabas-funded aid, including drinking water, bread, clothes, sleeping bags and toiletries. The dam, in the Kherson region of conflict-affected Ukraine, collapsed on 6 June 2023. Surging waters hit hundreds of towns and villages in the region, destroying homes and displacing thousands of people. Give thanks to God for enabling this swift response. Pray that those affected by the flooding will receive guidance and courage to be able to rebuild their lives (Psalm 71:20-21).
Give thanks that a Christian charity worker and her daughter who were abducted in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 27 July were released, safe and unharmed, 13 days later. Alix Dorsainvil – a nurse from New Hampshire, United States – is a staff member at a Haitian Christian humanitarian organisation. She and her daughter were taken from the organisation’s headquarters. In a statement the charity announced, “It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release,” adding, “Today we are praising God for answered prayer!” Rejoice with our brothers and sisters as they rejoice (Romans 12:15).
A Christian taxi driver in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, was attacked by her passengers for playing a Christian song as she was driving. Mariana Domingues Fidelis, 27, asked two passengers to get out of her taxi after they began swearing at and threatening her. After leaving the taxi the couple began punching Mariana and pulling her hair. A parking attendant nearby intervened, and the couple were arrested. Pray for Mariana, asking that she will recover from her injuries and the shock of her experience. Ask that the Lord will strengthen believers in regions of the world where hostility towards Christians is increasing.
Christian young people in the West are unlikely to meet with the kind of pressures and persecution that are faced by those in many other parts of the world. Nevertheless, many who have recently started college or university may have found greater hostility and opposition to their Christian beliefs than they were expecting. Ask that these young people will be given a heart of wisdom (Proverbs 2:10) in knowing how they should respond if this is their experience. Pray that they will be sustained by their fellowship with Christ and with their Christian brothers and sisters.
Lord God and Heavenly Father, we give thanks we are not consumed, because Your compassions never fail. Nevertheless, we pray that You will help us to examine ourselves when we suffer, humbling ourselves and confessing our sin and our rebellion before You. We ask this grace also for our persecuted brothers and sisters, that they will remain humble before You even as they endure the hatred of this world. Thank You in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that if we confess our sins, then You are faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Lamentations 3:22; 1 John 1:9)
Over the past 20 years tens of thousands of believers have been slaughtered across Africa, with Nigeria the worst affected, followed by Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Pray that African governments, helped by the international community, will be able to respond to the terrorist threat and protect vulnerable Christian communities. Ask that our African brothers and sisters will be comforted knowing that the Lord is a strong tower and a place of refuge for His people (Proverbs 18:10).
Twenty-one people were killed in two Christian villages in Plateau State, Nigeria, in the early hours of 9 August. Large numbers of Fulani Islamist extremists first attacked Batin village, killing 17. The gunmen went on to murder another four people in nearby Rayogot community. Twelve of the dead were internally displaced people who had fled to the area to escape previous extremist violence. Local Christians say they had warned security services that the latest attacks were planned but claim the authorities failed to take action. Ask the Lord to comfort the bereaved with the assurance that their loved ones are “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Pray for an end to the persistent anti-Christian violence that afflicts Middle Belt Nigeria.
Extremists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) claimed in early July the killing of 17 Christians in separate attacks. In the first, fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – which is affiliated to Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) – massacred 13 Christians in the Beni area of North Kivu Province. Four more Christians were killed in subsequent attacks in Ituri Province. Ask the Lord to bring an end to this ongoing violence in north-eastern DRC. Pray that He will continue to be a refuge for His people, delivering them from all who pursue them (Psalm 7:1).
In a shocking incident in northern Mozambique in early July, a Christian was abducted and beheaded by jihadists affiliated to Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh). The Christian was one of two fishermen abducted by the extremists – the other man was allowed to go free because he was a Muslim. While Islamists in Mozambique have said clearly that they will kill moderate Muslims who do not join the Islamist cause, this incident underlines the particular threat faced by Africa’s Christians. Pray that the Lord will restrain the hand of the extremists, bringing about peace for all people in troubled northern Mozambique, especially our brothers and sisters.
“God, you see and hear the cries of your people,” said a Nigerian Christian as he sang and danced in joy, praising God for the arrival of Barnabas-funded aid for six Christian-majority villages in Kaduna State that have endured incessant attacks by Islamist terrorists. Kaduna State endures high levels of jihadi violence. At least 23 pastors have been murdered and more than 200 churches forced to shut across the state in the last four years. Pray for God’s protection over His people and His Church in Nigeria. Ask that Christians remain steadfast in their faith, in spite of the ever-present threat of violence against them.
Thousands of people were forced to flee from their homes as fighting intensified in the Sudanese state of South Kordofan. South Kordofan is home to many Christians, most of whom live in the Nuba Mountains region in the north of the state. Observers have predicted that the state might lapse into a full-scale civil war as conflict continues to rage across the entire country. Lift up to the Lord His people in South Kordofan and throughout Sudan, as well as those who have fled for safety in neighbouring countries. Pray that there will be peace for all the people of Sudan.
Heavenly Father, we intercede for Your church in Eritrea and call upon You to fortify our brothers and sisters amid much persecution. We particularly bring before You those imprisoned under harsh conditions for their love and devotion for You. Please enable them to endure, and bring about their release from captivity. We thank You that the Word of God is never in chains and that Your truth can reach the darkest corners of society. We pray for a mighty strengthening of Your people across Eritrea, for we ask in the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:9)
Thousands of people were displaced from their homes by devastating flooding that struck parts of Oromia, Ethiopia, during the June-September rainy season. Ethiopia and some neighbouring countries have suffered drought for several years, leaving the ground so parched that it could not soak up the sudden rainfall. There are around 20 million Oromo Christians. Pray for our brothers and sisters, and all those affected, asking that they will receive the help that they need. Ask the Lord, who “supplies the earth with rain” (Psalm 147:8), to bring an end to both flooding and drought in the Horn of Africa.
More than 30 heavily armed Islamists set fire to a church building and at least ten houses in Lamu West on Kenya’s coast on 21 August. Members of al-Shabaab struck Salama village, looting homes and stealing goats. The gang went on to ambush and kill a lorry driver and his co-driver nearby. Salama village was also attacked in June by suspected militants who killed five people and razed six homes. Ask for comfort for villagers who lost their church and homes in the attack, and ask that they receive the strength to rebuild. Pray for the bereaved, and ask that attacks by al-Shabaab will cease.
Potentially hundreds of lives were saved as Ugandan police foiled an Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) bomb plot that targeted a church in the national capital of Kampala on Sunday 3 September. A jihadi bomber was arrested as he was about to enter the church with an improvised explosive device. Five more suspected IS fighters were arrested in the days that followed, and five other bombs discovered in Kampala. Praise the Lord for protecting the lives of His people from their opponents (Psalm 64:1). Pray that any other planned attacks will be thwarted.
“Your support and prayers make us feel healed and our tears are wiped away,” said Alganyira, a survivor of a massacre at a Christian boarding school in Kasese District, Uganda, in which 42 believers – mostly pupils – were killed by Islamists. Barnabas met the medical bills of survivors and provided counselling for them and the bereaved. We also supported members of the traumatised community, including providing food for 700 vulnerable households. Pray that God, who makes wars cease, will bring peace to this community and help it rebuild (Psalm 46:9-11). Ask that they remain strong during these difficult times.
Four hundred Cameroonian Christians – mostly women and children – thanked God for “this testimony of love” after Barnabas provided clean water at a refugee camp in Chad. They had escaped Islamist violence in their homeland, but began falling ill with stomach upsets on arriving at the camp because its water supply was dirty. Two Barnabas-funded boreholes drilled on church land just outside the camp provided clean water and the refugees are no longer becoming ill. Space on the land was also set aside for the refugees to worship. Praise the Lord for the project’s success and give thanks to Him for His loving kindness (Psalm 103:1-4).
Cameroonian pastor Godwill Nkese has found his ministry opposed by followers of African Traditional Religion, who see Christianity as nothing more than “the white man’s tradition” and a form of Western colonialism. “There are times I have been verbally assaulted and driven away,” says Pastor Godwill. He is one of more than 800 Global South ministry leaders from more than 30 countries receiving ministry training with Barnabas Aid’s The Shepherd’s Academy. Pray that the Lord will protect him and other believers from any harm. Ask that the Holy Spirit will use the training given through TSA to equip these church leaders further for their Christian ministry.
Sovereign Lord, we pray for the tiny Christian minority in Saudi Arabia. We thank You for reforms recently introduced that have softened some of the harshest laws in the birthplace of Islam. We ask You to encourage and build up our Saudi brothers and sisters, almost all converts from Islam who are secret believers. We ask that they will receive Divine wisdom to know how to build on the foundation of their faith, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose mighty Name we pray. (1 Corinthians 3:10)
More than 4,000 people have died (with, at the time of writing, another 8,540 still unaccounted for) in devastating floods that struck Libya in September. The floods have also displaced more than 43,000 people. Muslim-majority Libya has experienced chaos and civil war since the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The small Christian community consists mainly of migrant workers and refugees, but there is a small number of indigenous Muslim-background believers. Pray for the ongoing relief effort in Libya as it recovers from this terrible disaster.
Many poor and marginalised Christian women and young men struggle to find work in rural areas of Egypt. Christian women are especially vulnerable, particularly if they are widowed. Barnabas is helping our brothers and sisters to become self-sufficient by helping them to set up in business. “Mary”, one of 51 Christian women whom we helped to start a sewing enterprise, can now pay her daughter’s school fees. “I feel that I have … provided them a secure future,” she said. Give thanks to God for the opportunities He is opening for Mary and other believers. Pray that we can help many more Christians to become independent financially.
“The support we are receiving from Barnabas is a great answer to prayer, and our ministry is revived,” said Pastor Ahmed from Algeria. Barnabas is helping to meet the living costs of Pastor Ahmed and other ministers whose churches have been shut down by the Algerian authorities, leaving them without incomes to support their families. Our provision means pastors are relieved of the worry of feeding their families and can focus on ministering to their hard-pressed church members through home groups and visits. Give thanks for the Lord’s provision. Ask that Algerian Christians take strength in the joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10).
Praise God for enabling Barnabas Aid to respond swiftly to the Morocco earthquake, which struck on 8 September, killing around 3,000 people and displacing thousands more. Within days we sent funding for blankets, food, medicine and tents, which were distributed to those most in need by a local ministry team. “Your dedication and commitment to people who are affected by the earthquake is evident,” said a Moroccan pastor. “Please keep us in your prayers.”
