Barnabas Prayer Focus

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Mildred McDaniel
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1 Barnabas Prayer Focus HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH Prayer Focus Update Number 264 October 2018 Pray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV) A monthly resource for individuals and prayer groups produced by Barnabas Aid. For more information visit

2 China - Church leaders take a brave stand for freedom of religion Prayer Focus Update Number 264 October In response to rising persecution, 279 Chinese pastors issued a public declaration on September 12, 2018 calling for full religious freedom. Pressure on Christians has increased since February 2018 when new religion regulations came into force and in September, further measures were announced to control online activity and ban the live streaming of church services. Officials also closed one of the largest unofficial churches in Beijing such congregations are known as house churches after church leaders refused to allow authorities to install CCTV cameras inside the building. The declaration, which appears in full on the Barnabas Aid website, concludes, For the sake of the gospel, we are prepared to bear all losses even the loss of our freedom and of our lives. Like church leaders in Germany, who took a stand against Hitler s regime in 1934 and those in Romania who spoke out against Ceausescu s government in 1989, these courageous pastors are placing themselves at grave risk of imprisonment. Thank God for the quiet courage of the 279 Chinese church pastors in publicly standing for the Gospel and religious freedom. Pray that they will be wise as serpents, but innocent as doves in their dealings with the authorities (Matthew 10:16). Pray that the declaration will prompt China s leaders to allow Christians greater religious freedom and that whatever happens in China, God s people will stand firm and not compromise or deny Christ.

3 Thailand - Authorities round up ethnic minority Christian refugees Authorities in Bangkok rounded up and detained 181 refugees from ethnic minorities on August 28. The majority are ethnic minority Montagnards from Vietnam, many of whom are understood to be Christians. At least 50 are children. Most of those detained have official refugee status from the UNHCR, but now face potential deportation back to Vietnam. Vietnamese authorities often prevent Montagnard Christians, who are indigenous to the Central Highlands of Vietnam, from meeting to worship and they also face intimidation and arbitrary detention. Many have sought asylum in neighboring Thailand and Cambodia to escape persecution. Thai authorities have a track record of refusing to recognize the status of refugees. Pakistani Christian asylum seekers, fleeing anti-christian persecution in Pakistan, have been detained in squalid conditions in immigration centers in Thailand. A number have died while in detention due to a lack of medical care. Pray for the swift release of the Montagnard Christian refugees from detention and that they will take comfort in the knowledge that the Good Shepherd carries His flock close to His heart (Isaiah 40:11). Ask that Thai authorities will have compassion on those seeking refuge in Thailand and will heed Scripture s warning against those who withhold justice from foreigners (Deuteronomy 27:19). Prayer Focus Update Number 264 October

4 Nigeria - Pastor and family burned alive in Fulani attack Prayer Focus Update Number 264 October Nigerian pastor Adamu Jang, his wife and three children were burned alive when their house in Abonong village, Plateau State, was set on fire by Fulani on the night of August 28. The attackers, armed with machetes and AK- 47 rifles, stormed several villages in Barkin Ladi county, killing at least eight people and settling churches and houses alight. A local politician stated that many houses and churches were burned to ashes. The Christian Association of Nigeria estimated in June that attacks by Muslim Fulani herdsmen have claimed the lives of more than 6,000 Christians so far in Attacks by Fulani in Nigeria are often reported as a conflict between Muslim herdsmen and Christian farming communities, but Christian homes and churches are often deliberately targeted. The leadership and educated elite of the Fulani ethnic group, living in towns and cities, are Muslim, although many of the uneducated nomadic Fulani herdsmen follow traditional African religions. Pray for Pastor Adamu Jang s community and the families of the eight people who were killed on August 28. May they know God as their refuge, strength and very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1) and continue to show great faithfulness in the face of persecution. Ask that the Lord will soften the heart of President Buhari, himself a Fulani Muslim, to heed the calls of Christians to take decisive action to halt attacks.

5 Kenya - Al Shabaab jihadists stop Kenyan bus and murder Christians aboard Al-Shabaab terrorists murdered two Kenyan Christians traveling on a bus on September 14 after they refused to recite the shahada Islamic creed. The terrorists flagged down a bus traveling to the city of Garissa and separated three non-local (assumed to be non-muslim) passengers and asked them to recite verses from the Quran and the shahada Islamic creed. Recitation of the shahada is considered conversion to Islam. Two passengers who refused, a boy called Joshua who assisted the bus driver and a laborer from the town of Masalani were tied up and killed. In 2014, 28 Christians traveling on a bus in Mandera country, north-east Kenya, were singled out and killed by Al Shabaab jihadists. As in this recent attack, passengers thought to be non-muslim were ordered to recite the shahada. Kenya is around 80% Christian and 10% Muslim. Most of the country s Muslim population, many of whom are ethnic Somalis, live in the north-east of the country. The Somalibased terror group Al Shabaab has repeatedly targeted Kenyan Christians. Ask Lord Jesus to wipe away the tears of the families who mourn for the two martyred Kenyan Christians and that they will be comforted in the knowledge of His promise to bring an end to all suffering (Revelation 21:4). Pray that the Lord who makes wars cease (Psalm 46:9) will end Al Shabaab s campaign of terror against Christians in Kenya. Prayer Focus Update Number 264 October

6 Syria - Nine killed in rebel shelling of Christian town Prayer Focus Update Number 264 October 2018 Nine civilians from the Christian-majority Syrian town of Mhardeh died on September 7, when shells or rockets fired from a rebel-controlled region hit built up areas. According to local sources, a further 20 people were reportedly injured in the attack on the town, which is located around 14 miles north-west of the city of Hama. Throughout the conflict, Christian civilian areas in Syria have been deliberately targeted with rocket attacks and shelling by jihadist rebel groups, although these attacks have gone largely unreported by Western media. Lift up in prayer the Syrian Christian community in Mhardeh, who live under the threat of bombardment. Pray that they will find refuge under the wings of the Most High whose faithfulness will be their shield (Psalm 91:4). Pray that the Lord will bring about an end to Syria s long-running war and that the international community will work for a lasting and just peace that will allow the Christians who remain in Syria to live in safety and security. 6

7 Barnabas Aid provides practical aid for persecuted Christians in over 60 different countries. USA 6731 Curran Street, McLean VA Tel: (703) or toll-free Fax: (703) United Kingdom 9 Priory Row, Coventry, CV1 5EX, UK Tel: Fax: From outside the UK: Tel: Fax: info@barnabasfund.org Australia PO BOX 3527 Loganholme, QLD 4129 Tel: or Fax: bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org South Africa Office 301, 3rd Floor, Eikestad mall, 43 Andringa Street, Stellenbosch 7599 Tel: bfsa@barnabasfund.org New Zealand PO Box , Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Tel: or office@barnabasfund.org.nz Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone or ireland@barnabasfund.org Barnabas Aid

Barnabas Prayer Focus

Barnabas Prayer Focus HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH Prayer Focus Update Number 261 July 2018 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. (1 Chronicles 16:11) A monthly resource for