News of persecuted church. Aid for Christians suffering persecution

From Twitter

• Syrian bishop: "Our faith is under mortal threat, in danger of being driven into extinction", as in Iraq. http://ow.ly/usXSu 8 hours ago

• "We want to thank God, who made it possible for us to be here now". Syrian nuns kidnapped by Islamists released http://ow.ly/upTsF Mon, Mar 2014 12:36

• Dozens of North Koreans accused of helping detained South Korean Christian missionary rounded up; could be shot dead http://ow.ly/ugeJZ Wed, Mar 2014 15:39

• Thanks @1marcusmaximus, your generosity is greatly appreciated. God bless. Wed, Mar 2014 13:48

• PERTH, book now to hear Patrick Sookhdeo @BarnabasFund speak 4 APRIL! #auspol #sharia http://fb.me/26VARwYo8 Wed, Mar 2014 03:35

Daily prayer

• A camp venue owned by the Baptist Union in Uzbekistan has been seized by the authorities. A court ordered the confiscation of the site in September 2013, 13 years after the church body legally bought it from a restaurant chain. Tashkent City Economic Court ruled that the plot of land in Bostanlyk should be returned to its “lawful owner”, the state. The Baptist Union used the site for summer camps, which have been subjected to repeated raids, legal cases and media attacks. The affair illustrates the repressive treatment of Christians by the Uzbek authorities; pray that they will relent and allow Christians and others to practise their faith in freedom and peace. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 23 hours ago

• Two churches in the Russian republic of Tatarstan were torched in November 2013, the latest of seven to be attacked last year. Investigators believe that the incidents are the work of extremist Muslim groups that follow Wahhabism, a strict version of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia. The president of Tatarstan has offered a reward for information that helps to identify those responsible. Praise God that the authorities are trying to defend the republic’s Christians, but pray that our brothers and sisters will stand firm in their faith. As well as dealing with these destructive episodes, they are facing growing pressure from the Muslim majority to convert to Islam. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Mon, Mar 2014 00:00

• We praise You, our Father, for the ministry of “Firuza”, as she bravely shares the Gospel in a restrictive Central Asian country in the face of opposition. We pray for the home groups and women’s ministries that she runs in her home city, and for her long-distance travel to witness to villagers in another area. We thank You that she has continued to share the Gospel with them despite their initial hostility and attempt to stone her, and that since then, three families and more than 20 individuals have come to faith. We praise You for Firuza’s fearless commitment to the Gospel and for all those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as a result of her ministry. We ask You to bless her abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that she needs, she will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Sun, Mar 2014 00:00

• Pray for the grieving wife and children of Abdikhani Hassan, a Christian father in Somalia who was shot dead by gunmen suspected of belonging to Islamist militant group al-Shabaab. Abdikhani was killed as he came home from his pharmacy in Mogadishu on 20 October 2013; before the shooting, one of the attackers told the Christian’s Muslim neighbour, “We have information that Hassan is spreading wrong religion to our people, and we are looking for him.” At the time of his death, Abdikhani’s wife was pregnant with the couple’s sixth child. Ask the Lord to turn His face towards the martyr’s grieving family and give them peace (Numbers 6:26) and to provide for them. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Sat, Mar 2014 00:00

• Libya’s small Christian community, which is composed mostly of expatriates, is increasingly vulnerable as Islamic extremism grows in strength. On 25 September 2013, two Egyptian Christians living in Libya were killed by a group of Muslims after they refused to convert to Islam. Waleed Saad Shaker (25) and Nash’at Shenouda Ishaq (27) were surrounded by the assailants on a rural road in Derna district. The Muslims robbed and beat them and demanded that the Christians recite the shahada, the Islamic confession of faith. When the pair refused, the attackers tied them up and shot them. Praise God that Waleed and Nash’at remained faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10), and pray that this will be a source of comfort to their loved ones. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Fri, Mar 2014 00:00