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“We have never held a Bible before today,” said “Chesa”, a 46-year-old Christian in a remote region of Myanmar. Chesa told our project partner that before this, only her pastor possessed a copy of the Scriptures. Praise God that Barnabas has been able to fund the transportation of 94,000 Bibles in a local language to believers in isolated and impoverished areas of Myanmar. Now, says Chesa, Christians in her village are praying more often, attending church more regularly, and showing love to one another. “God’s Word is alive, powerful, and can give peace in our heart,” she added. Ask the Lord that our brothers and sisters will continue to find His Word to be a lamp to their feet and a light to their path (Psalm 119:105).
Two church buildings in Chin State – a Christian-majority region within Buddhist-majority Myanmar – were destroyed in two airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw). The churches in Lungtak village near the town of Tonzang were hit as the military attempted to drive out rebels from the area. The bombardment also destroyed five houses and caused more than 1,000 residents to flee into nearby forests. Two weeks earlier, Tatmadaw airstrikes on a cottage hospital near Mindat township, also in Chin State, killed five people, including four patients. Pray for an end to airstrikes on churches and hospitals. Pray for God’s comfort for those bereaved and protection for Christians throughout Chin State from such attacks.
Church leaders in Bangladesh described themselves as “surprised and worried” after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina repeated the false allegation that Bangladeshi Christians are planning to “carve out a Christian country taking parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar”. In a statement the church leaders restated their commitment to the sovereignty of Bangladesh. “We serve our beloved country Bangladesh in fields of education, health, and human development,” added one. Pray that the Christian contribution to nation-building in Bangladesh will continue to be acknowledged, and that believers will be protected from the actions of extremists in Bangladeshi society.
Lift up in prayer six Christians in Tahae village, central Laos, who were arrested at a meeting at the pastor’s home on 22 June. Along with Pastor Mum, also apprehended were Mr Liang (aged 40), Mr Pa (24), Ms Laen (50), Ms Lan (23) and Ms Khoon (28). The group were meeting for prayer in preparation for the following day’s Sunday worship. The church of around 40-50 believers had met without harassment until the current village chief was appointed in May 2024. Pray that the six Christians will be released and that any attempts to prevent the lawful conduct of worship services in Laos will be defeated.
At least 81 Christian families were among those affected by severe flooding in the Malaysian state of Sabah in July. More than 400 people were forced to flee their homes. The worst-affected area was Penampang District. Thankfully the flash flood did not claim any lives. Pray for all those who lost property and even homes in the disaster, especially our brothers and sisters.
Lord Jesus, help us to remember those called to lead Your Church throughout the world, especially those serving in contexts of persecution or severe economic hardship. We thank You for their faithfulness in obeying their Divine calling and pray that You will ease their burden by surrounding them with godly servants to support them. Please enable their teaching and spiritual counsel to build Your Church as they trust You. We ask You to cause the Word of Christ to dwell in them richly by faith, to use them to make the Gospel flourish and to build Your Kingdom, for we ask in Your precious Name. (Hebrews 13:7; Colossians 3:16)
“God is my refuge, and I believe things will get better.” These were the words of “Amina”, a 27-year-old Christian who was abducted and abused by members of Islamic State Mozambique Province from February 2020 to August 2023. “I believe in God,” continued Amina. “I still believed that God was in control when I had no hope there and was seeing others being killed.” Give thanks that Amina’s faith remains strong despite her horrific ordeal. Pray that the Lord, who “heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3), will continue to heal Amina from the trauma she has endured.
Voters will go to the polls tomorrow in Mozambique to elect a new president and 250-member legislative assembly. Among other issues, the government of Mozambique faces an Islamist insurgency in the north of the country. Since 2017 terrorists linked to Islamic State have killed at least 6,000 people – many of them Christians. Pray that the Lord will enable whoever comes to power tomorrow to deal effectively with this crisis, for the sake of all people in Mozambique who desire peace, and especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Pray for the families of more than 80 people who were killed by suspected Islamist terrorists in a wave of attacks in Christian-majority North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), between 31 May and 9 June. According to survivors, many were killed while trying to flee from the militants, who were armed with guns and machetes. Ask the Lord to protect His people in DRC from further attacks, and to comfort those who were affected by this violence.
Pray for the family of Ugandan pastor Richard Malinga, who was attacked and killed on his way home from church on 17 June. He had been conducting prayer sessions in Pallisa District and was riding home by motorcycle when he was attacked, and his motorcycle was stolen. The 36-year-old’s body was found on the road the following morning, with multiple head wounds. Ask that the Lord will comfort those who grieve for Richard Malinga. Pray that violent crimes in Uganda will decrease, and the Christians who live there will be safe to travel at night.
Four hundred Ugandan Christians living in an area subject to attack by Islamists have received a Barnabas-funded female goat under an initiative to create small farming enterprises. The goats reproduce quickly, and their milk and their young can be sold, providing an income. Each recipient is encouraged to give one kid goat to another Christian to establish even more ventures. Praise God for the hope this project is giving families. Pray for His blessing on them and ask that these micro-businesses will grow and thrive, helping to strengthen the Christian community in their love of the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:8).
A church building in the Sudanese capital Khartoum has become a makeshift IDP (internally displaced persons) camp as the civil war that began 18 months ago continues to rage. At the time of writing, around 80 IDPs are living in and around the building. Children often have only boiled leaves to eat while adults are forced to skip meals. When they hear gun or artillery fire, the IDPs take shelter inside the damaged church. It is not safe for them to try to evacuate the area. More than 10 million people have been forced from their homes by the ongoing violence, and around 50 million – more than half the population – are experiencing a hunger crisis. Thousands have been killed. Ask the Lord to bring an end to this conflict and to the resulting humanitarian disaster that threaten to take many more lives.
Heavenly Father, we intercede for our brothers and sisters whose faithfulness and obedience to You is being tested severely by serving prison sentences for their faith in You. We pray that their faith will grow in these most trying of conditions and that they will understand that their imprisonment is serving to advance the Gospel. Please strengthen them by Your Spirit to speak the truth to their captors and with the assurance that the Word of God is not in chains. We ask You to fill them with hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom there is perfect freedom, in whose Name we pray. (Philippians 1:12; 2 Timothy 2:9)
Please pray for an Iranian convert from Islam sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for “acting against national security”. At the time of writing Esmaeil Narimanpour was awaiting the summons to begin his sentence. He was arrested on 24 December 2023, along with around 50 Christians during the Christmas period, when his home was raided in a search without a warrant and Christian books were confiscated. He was detained for more than four months before being released on bail a month before being sentenced. Ask the Lord to grant comfort and courage to Esmaeil through this trying process and keep his faith strong.
A Christian Armenian citizen has been given a ten-year prison sentence for supposed “proselytising” while on holiday in Iran. Intelligence agents arrested Hakop Gochumyan and his wife Elisa in August 2023 and accused them of participation in “illegal Christian activities”. The charge stems from his possession of seven Farsi (Persian)-language New Testaments, visits to Armenian churches and a visit to a Farsi-speaking “house church”. Elisa was later released on bail. Please pray that God gives Hakop and his family strength and comfort at this testing time.
Eight Iranian Christian converts from the western city of Izeh have been given prison sentences ranging from nine months to 15 years. They were among nearly 50 Christians arrested over the Christmas period in 2023. Yasin Mousavi received the stiffest sentence of 15 years. Pray that Yasin and the other believers will continue to know the Lord as their light and salvation (Psalm 27:1).
Two churches in Iraqi Kurdistan were seriously damaged, and several houses destroyed in a series of bombing raids by the Turkish military at the end of June. The attacks, supposedly aimed at Kurdish terrorist groups, targeted an area of Dohuk containing several Christian villages near the borders of Turkey and Iran. The Turkish bombs also caused huge fires in the nearby mountains, which also threatened the homes and property of local residents. Pray for an end to these attacks on Christian areas and other civilians.
Large numbers of Iraqi Christian families remain displaced in semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, having fled their historic homelands to escape the advance of Islamic State in 2014. Many live in poverty in Kurdistan and suffer discrimination as an ethnic and religious minority. Attacks by Turkey against Kurdish militants add to believers’ insecurity. Lift up in prayer our brothers and sisters in Kurdistan, and give thanks that, through the generosity of supporters, Barnabas recently provided food parcels to 2,000 impoverished families. Pray that Iraqi Christians will continue to be strong and courageous, knowing the Lord is with them always (Joshua 1:9).
Terrorists affiliated to Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) have taken responsibility for 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria in the first half of 2024. Defence experts have warned that if this trend continues the total number of attacks for the year could be more than double the number in 2023. IS fighters in Iraq and Syria are also attempting to free former comrades from prison and plotting attacks in other countries. Christians are among those most at risk of IS brutality. Ask the Lord to deliver His people from the hands of their enemies (Psalm 31:15).
Our loving Lord, we lift up to You Christian women and girls living in contexts of marginalisation and persecution, where they are often doubly despised – for being women and for being Christians. Please provide for all their needs and protect them from those who plan to harm them. We pray especially for vulnerable Christian widows and their children, without a human defender, and we praise You that You are a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows. We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ. (Psalm 68:5)
“This project has turned my life around,” said Egyptian Christian “Hanan” as she thanked Barnabas for giving her the machinery and training to start a digital printing business. Hanan used to worry constantly about how she could support her children after her husband was injured in a work accident. Now she has a stable income. Hanan is among 93 Christians (mainly widows) whom Barnabas has enabled to become financially self-sufficient through the latest phase of our small business programme. Praise God for opening the door to new opportunities for believers who would otherwise struggle to find work because of their faith.
Separate attacks were launched by Muslim extremists earlier this year on two Christian communities in southern Minya Governorate, Upper Egypt. Several houses belonging to Christians in one village were set alight in response to an attempt to build a new church. Just days later, extremists attacked Christians in a neighbouring village after learning that a congregation had obtained a permit to construct a church building. Give thanks that the authorities were able to prevent either incident escalating. Pray for continued protection of Christians in Egypt’s rural areas. Ask that homes damaged will be rebuilt, and that God will use His people to build His Church, whatever the opposition (Matthew 16:18).
Please pray for the family of Eritrean pastor Ghirmay Araya, who has died in prison. He was arrested in his home in July 2021, for his faith in Jesus Christ. He was in his mid-70s at the time of his arrest. Eritrea’s Marxist government legally permits only three Christian denominations (Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran). Christians from prohibited denominations are often subject to arrest and lengthy imprisonment without charge or trial because of their faith. Ask that all Christians in Eritrea will be able to practise their faith freely. Pray for those who have been imprisoned for their faith in Christ, and for the family of Ghirmay Araya, that they will find comfort in the Lord.
The authorities in North Korea have launched a crackdown on South Korean and Western cultural influence. It was recently reported that around 30 teenagers were shot for watching South Korean TV shows smuggled into the country. Christianity is one of many things deemed unacceptable by the rulers of North Korea. If discovered, believers will be killed or placed in prisons (often along with their families) where they are singled out for abuse and torture and will eventually die. Pray for an end to the suffering of all North Koreans, and especially our brothers and sisters.
China’s official Protestant church, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, will soon enter the third year of a “Five-Year Work Plan for Further Advancing the Sinicisation of Christianity”. “Sinicisation” refers to a process of “making Chinese”. While this can be useful in helping Chinese church leaders to apply Christian theology to their particular cultural context, there is also the risk that theology and the Gospel can be compromised, distorted or even abandoned. Ask the Lord, who gives wisdom and understanding to those who ask (Proverbs 2:6; James 1:5), to give such wisdom to Chinese church leaders as they navigate these challenges.
Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka. Despite making up only 8% of the population, a recent study found that Christians in this Buddhist-majority country are the targets of 60% of online religious hate speech. These included stereotyping, threats of violence, and calls for exclusion or boycott. Pray that Christians in Sri Lanka will remain strong in their faith despite the hate shown towards them (Luke 6:22). Ask that the Lord will stay close to them and fill them with His peace and strength.
Heavenly Father, on this Lord’s Day we think of those who meet for worship knowing that they may face imminent violent attack. We consider those who cannot meet, because their faith must remain hidden, or because their churches have been closed down. We think also of those who meet in secret, not knowing whether this will be the last Sunday before they are discovered. For all such we pray that You will send blessings, comfort and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, causing them to place their hope and their confidence in the One who has overcome the world, because we ask it in His Name. (John 16:33)
Pray for the family of a 13-year-old Christian who was beaten and killed by a group of Muslim teenagers in a Kyrgyzstan village. The incident was reported to the authorities, who have declined to investigate. The attackers threw the boy’s body into a river to make it appear that he had taken his own life. This murder comes after a campaign of persecution waged against the small community of Christian converts from Islam in the village, instigated by a Muslim leader who declared that there should be no Christians in the area. Ask that the Lord will be gracious to the anguished family and friends of this young man, and deliver His people from their troubles (Psalm 25:16-17, 22).
Uzbekistan’s parliament is drafting a law to introduce punishments for parents or guardians who allow their children to receive “illegal” religious education before the age of 18. The aim is supposedly to “further strengthen the rights of children”. Planned amendments to existing laws could lead to fines of a month’s wages or jail terms of up to 15 days for parents failing to comply. Such a law could have serious consequences for Christians seeking to educate children in the faith. Pray that the planned law does not reach the statute books and there will be no further restrictions on the education of Christian children.
Barnabas contacts in Indonesia report that at least three pastors in one part of the country have received death threats. One of the pastors is believed to be on the hitlist of an Islamist extremist organisation. Some parts of Indonesia are very hostile to the Gospel, and despite government attempts to curb extremism Islamist groups persist. Ask the Lord to be a refuge and a stronghold to these three pastors in their time of trouble (Psalm 9:9).
Continue to pray for 40 Barnabas-supported church planters in Java, Indonesia, labouring to build God’s Church. Praise God that many congregations have been established, and that new Christians are growing in faith and understanding. Pray for these faithful pastors and evangelists as they seek God’s direction and guidance. Intercede especially for secret believers such as “Ramelan”, a young man whose parents are janitors in a local mosque and who is unable to share his faith openly. Pray that he and others like him will grow in their relationship with the Lord and draw others to Him.
