Praying for the Persecuted Church in Lent - Victims of violence

From Twitter

• 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

Daily prayer

• “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