(Source: VOM-USA)
A pastor arrested and charged with blasphemy against Islam was released on bail on August 27. Pastor Matthias Haghnejad was arrested 10 days earlier while making a pastoral visit in the city of Rasht, Iran. He was held until his family paid $30,000 in bail. While Pastor Matthias is currently free, he still faces a trial on the blasphemy charge.
Earlier this year, Matthias and 10 other church members were detained and charged with partaking in activities against the Iranian order. They were later acquitted. At least eight other Iranian Christian leaders are currently in prison.
Pray that Pastor Matthias will be fully acquitted of the charges. Pray also for Youcef Nardarkhani, another imprisoned pastor, and for all Iranian Christians who have faced increased pressure from the government. Pray that suffering Iranian believers will rejoice in the opportunity to grow in Christ-likeness through the ongoing opposition they face (James 1:2-4).
You can post a prayer of solidarity for suffering Christians in Iran on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. For more information about the persecuted Church in Iran, go to the
Iran Country Report.
Update: Church leaders released in China
(Source: ChinaAid)
Several church leaders from the Linfen-Fushan house church in Shanxi province, China, have been released from detention. The released Christians were among those arrested following a police raid on their church's grounds in September 2009. More than 30 believers were seriously injured and 17 buildings were destroyed in the attack.
Three women -- Gao Fuqin, Zhao Guoai and Yang Hongzhen-- were released, along with a Christian man, Li Shuangpin. Yang Caizhen, who was also imprisoned with the women, was released earlier on medical parole (for more information, click here). All five of these leaders suffered physical and mental torture while detained at labour camps.
The released Christians have shared, "We sincerely urge all brothers and sisters around the world to pray for Linfen church.... At the same time, we also ask brothers and sisters to remember in prayer the Linfen leaders who are still suffering in jail: Brothers Xiao Guang, Yang Xuan and Cui Jiaxing, and sisters Yang Rongli and Zhang Huamei. May the Lord move the police to release them early so that they can be reunited with their families. We who have been released express our most sincere gratitude to the brothers and sisters around the world who have been concerned about us and who have helped us. May God remember your prayers and what you did."
Praise the Lord for the release of these Christians! Pray that the Lord will heal their hearts and bodies. Pray that the remaining detained believers will soon be released. Pray that those who oppress Christians in China may experience repentance and salvation, just as Paul did (Acts 9:1-19).
For more on the trials Christians face in China, please visit the
China Country Report.
Update: Pastor remains detained in Turkmenistan
(Sources: VOM-USA, Forum 18)
Family and friends of Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev were disappointed in late August when the president did not include the pastor in what has become an annual amnesty of prisoners. Pastor Ilmurad was arrested at his home in Mary in south-eastern Turkmenistan on August 27, 2010. He was charged with extracting money from three people -- an accusation his wife, Maya, and fellow church members strongly deny (for more, please go to
Link).
A friend of the family told Forum 18 that Maya is "so disappointed" that her husband was not released and that "she sits at home and cries." Family and friends were heartened, however, to hear that the pastor has finally been treated for his diabetes for the first time since his arrest. Maya has been able to visit her husband on approved visiting days.
Please continue to pray for Ilmurad's release. Pray for comfort for Maya while her husband is in prison. Pray that, as they suffer, they will rely on the Lord's strength and not on their own (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Pray that many more in Turkmenistan would come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Encourage Pastor Nurliev by sending him a letter! To download our Letter-Writing Guide & Prisoners' List, go to our
Writing Letters page. To create a letter using phrases in Pastor Nurliev's own language, please visit
Link. For more on suffering believers in Turkmenistan, please visit the
Turkmenistan Country Report.
Will you pray with us?
In the traditional church calendar, "All Saints Day" and "All Souls Day" stand out in the month of November, set apart to remember the saints of the church and the souls of those who departed this world. It is fitting, then, that the modern church has set apart the month of November to remember and pray for the persecuted Church, through the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).
November 13 is IDOP Sunday -- a day dedicated to lifting up our persecuted family in prayer. Talk to your pastor about getting your church involved by showing a short video about Christian persecution or having a congregation-led prayer time.
To share this day with your church, Sunday school class, or small group, visit
IDOP Canada or IDOP International for downloadable resources.
