Home
News
Archives
Praying for the Persecuted Church in Len...

Email:

Praying for the Persecuted Church in Lent - Algeria

To

Email address:
Separate multiple addresses with a comma (,). Maximum of 10

From

Your name:
Your email address:
Security test:
Please enter the numbers that appear here in the box below.
 refresh captcha
CAPTCHA Image
Security code:

Details provided here will never be used in any other context

Published: Thursday 18 February 2010

Praying for the Persecuted Church in Lent - Algeria

Project(s): 02-036, 02-367, 02-570

Country: Algeria

By 200 AD there were many well-established churches in the region that is today’s Algeria. Yet after the invasion of Arab Muslims in 670 AD, Christianity began to decline. A further influx of Arabs in the 11th century tipped the balance decisively in favour of Islam, and it is held that by 1160 the Church in Algeria was extinct. Despite the endeavours of many missionaries over the following centuries very few Algerians responded to the Gospel. It was not until the 1970s that the Church began to grow significantly.

Algeria-2
A Christian church in Algeria meets for worship
The young Algerian Church, made up mainly of converts from Islam and their children, had to operate underground throughout the civil war period (1992-2000). But during this time many Algerian Muslims turned to Christ. Many of the new Christians were not Arabs but Berbers, amongst whom the Lord worked in a most remarkable way.

Since independence in 1962 Algeria has been a secular state, with 99% of its population being Sunni Muslim. After six years (2000-2006) of relative religious freedom, radical Islamists are again pushing for more restrictions, especially on Christian mission. New regulations were passed in 2006 imposing fines and imprisonment on anyone who “seduces” a Muslim to convert to another religion or possesses materials likely to “shake the faith of a Muslim”.

The right to assemble for worship or outreach is also severely limited, and several well-established churches were briefly closed in 2008. The importing of Christian literature has been made more difficult, and Christians working for the government are less likely than Muslims to gain promotion. However, many courageous Christian leaders have boldly resisted the new regulations, including the closure of churches. In the face of this, it seems that the Algerian authorities may have decided not to enforce the new law in a rigorous way.

Barnabas Aid projects in Algeria include:

Training Christians for ministry (Ref. 02-036)
Provision of church buildings (Ref. 02-367)
Support for pastors (Ref. 02-570)
Please Pray:
There is increasing violence in some areas of Algeria, and Christians are enduring more threats and attacks from their Muslim neighbours. Pray that they may respond with love and forgiveness to their persecutors. Give thanks for new converts and pray that the churches in Algeria will continue to thrive, growing in numbers and maturity despite increased limitations. Praise God for the courage of church leaders in resisting the new restrictions, and that the authorities do not now seem to be enforcing them very rigorously. Pray that the government will resist further pressure from Islamists to restrict the freedoms of Christians.
christian, persecution, charity, church, persecuted, sookhdeo, Islam

Follow Barnabas

or

receive news & appeal emails as they are published

From Twitter

From Twitter_icon

  • Church leader martyred while helping wounded parishioner in Syria http://t.co/5xfMsf0V 21 hours ago

  • Sharia court issues fatwa ordering expulsion of pastor from Indian state http://t.co/WmolORuB Wed, Feb 2012 08:54

  • Christian converts in Cameroon under threat from militant Islamists http://t.co/At7ndHJk Tue, Feb 2012 10:23

  • Acid attack on pastor highlights growing religious intolerance in Uganda http://t.co/4BRXLXfh Mon, Feb 2012 09:50

  • Court ratifies death sentence for three men convicted of 2010 attack on Iraq church that left more than 50 dead http://t.co/ZVI9p68G Fri, Feb 2012 16:33

Read more...

Daily prayer

Daily prayer_icon

  • “Whomever we kill, we kill because Allah says we should kill and we kill for a reason.” With these words the spiritual leader of Boko Haram urged his followers to carry out more assassinations and bombings. The group is fighting to establish an Islamic state in the North of Nigeria, and in 2011 its violent campaign claimed the lives of more than 280 people. Tensions have been particularly high since April, when Muslims went on the rampage in protest against the re-election of the country’s Christian president, unleashing their rage against Christian targets among others. Pray for order and stability in Northern Nigeria, and that Boko Haram will not succeed in its objectives. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 6 hours ago

  • On 3 November a prayer meeting was drawing to a close at a church in Tabak Village, Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria, when gunmen burst into the building. They opened fire on the congregation, which was made up mainly of women and children. Two women died at the scene, and twelve other people were wounded, some critically. The next day six churches in the mainly Christian neighbourhood of Jerusalem in Damatura, Yobe State, were bombed as part of a wider series of attacks by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. One minister said that gangs of young men were roaming the streets throwing improvised bombs into church buildings. Pray that God will comfort His people in their grief and distress. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Thu, Feb 2012 00:00

  • Just as Paul worked as a tentmaker while bringing the Gospel to others (Acts 18:2-4), so nine recent Bible school graduates in Senegal learned a practical skill to support themselves in their ministry while also receiving a solid nine-month Biblical training. Support from Barnabas made this possible. Every weekday morning the students immersed themselves in theological training, and in the afternoons they learned skills such as farming, baking and breeding livestock. Pray that God will inspire and lead them as they work and witness amongst non-believers in Senegal, where the overwhelming majority is Muslim. Ask the Lord that their Muslim neighbours will respond with faith to their message. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Wed, Feb 2012 00:00

  • Since the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in February, hard-line Islamist groups that his regime had kept on a tight leash have grown in strength and influence. They have emerged with the largest share of the vote in the first parliamentary elections since the revolution. Key figures from the leading party, the Muslim Brotherhood, have made statements revealing their intention to implement sharia law, which would be a very worrying development for Egyptian Christians and also for the revolutionaries who wanted to see Egypt become a secular democracy. Pray that the country will not become an Islamic state and that all citizens will be fairly represented in the new political order. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Tue, Feb 2012 00:00

  • The protest in Cairo (see yesterday’s prayer point) was sparked by the destruction of St George’s Church in Aswan province on 30 September 2011. Muslims, angry about renovation work that was being carried out on the dilapidated building, had previously threatened to demolish the church. A mob descended on St George’s after Friday prayers and demolished the dome, walls and columns before torching the building. Other property owned by Christians was also burnt. This incident was the latest in a long line of violent attacks on Christians in Egypt, which have intensified since the revolution. Pray that the Lord will encourage the congregation that has lost their building and provide them with alternative premises in which to meet and worship Him. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Mon, Feb 2012 00:00

Read more...

Quick navigation

© Barnabas Aid 1997 - 2012 All rights reserved.
Barnabas Aid is a registered trade mark