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11/18/2010 China (ChinaAid) Church in Tinghu District Facing Immiment Removal and Demolition by the Government Chengnan Church, also known as the Tinghu District Central Church, is facing imminent demolition and removal by the government. This Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) church is located in Yancheng, Jiangsu province. This is the second TSPM church that is being persecuted by the government and developers, resulting in illegal demolition and removal. They have requested assistance and prayer. A letter was written by the entire congregation to bring light to the situation in China and asking for international intervention. Full Story Pray for the Chinese church as they continue to face harassment, injustice, and consistent pressure from authorities to cease their worship of Jesus. Pray that the this local church will be able to maintain their facility and location so that they may resume their regular worship. Pray for the church in China, which despite immense persecution and pressure from the government, continues to be one of the fastest growing churches in the world.

11/17/2010 Pakistan (CDN) Pakistani Mother Condemned for 'Blasphemy' Stunned, Shattered Asia Noreen, a Christian woman, was convicted and condemned to death after being accused of blaspheming Muhammed and defaming Islam. A judge, under pressure from area Islamists, convicted her under Pakistan's widely condemned blasphemy statutes on November 8th. "I don't know why - when I walked into the court that day, I just knew," she said, her voice shaking as her eyes began to well. "And the when the judge announced my death sentence, I broke down crying and screaming. In the entire year that I have spent in this jail, I have not been asked even once for my statement in court. Not by the lawyers and not by the judge. After this, I have lost hope in any kind of justice being given to me." Noreen was arrested on June 19, 2009 after a heated argument arose when Muslim women that worked in the fields with her asked her to renounce Christianity. One of the women asked her for water and after she had fetched it, the others told the woman not to drink water brought by an "untouchable" and "dirty woman," she said. "I asked them if Christians were not human... why the discrimination?" she said. "This annoyed them, and they started verbally abusing me. We were soon engaged in a heated argument." Five days later, a mob led by Qari Muhammad Saalim burst upon her after some of the women told him about the incident in the fields and pressured her to admit that she had blasphemed. Noreen has said that she never confessed to any crime but did apologize if any word she may have said during the argument may have hurt their feelings. Her husband, Ashiq Masih, immediately consoled her following the verdict. "Everything will be just fine, you just have to stay steadfast in your faith," Masih told her. "All of us are here beside you. Everyone has been praying for you." A pastor from Sharing Life Ministry has been ministering to Noreen during her confinement and was present at all hearings. Noreen said that she has not lost faith in Jesus. "He will rescue me from this fake case and I will return home - please ask everyone to pray for me," she said. Full Story. Pray for Asia as she continues to fight the injustice of not having a fair trial. Pray for her children who have been harassed and emotionally scarred, and are frightened to lose their mother. Pray for Asia as she maintains her faith in Jesus during an ordeal that has brought immense turmoil on those close to her.

11/16/2010 Afghanistan (ICC) Afghan Imprisoned for Christian Faith- Sayed Mossa, an Afghan Christian, is scheduled to appear in court on November 21st, six months after he was arrested for his Christian faith. He has not been formally charged, given legal representation or equal protection. His arrest followed a televised baptism of Afghan Christians in May that was broadcast throughout Afghanistan. The broadcast triggered protests throughout the country and calls to execute Christians. Sayed, a father of six and an amputee with a prosthetic leg, explained in a letter written from Oullayat prison in Kabul that he had been beaten, forcefully sleep deprived, and sexually abused by prisoners. He added that Afghan judicial officers granted him no protection and at times encouraged the abuse. Sayed also pleaded for international intervention and ICC has subsequently published his letter on their website. ICC and others have alerted Western governments and appealed for his release. Diplomatic efforts were succesfull in moving Sayed to a safer prison, however, there is no indication that he will be released soon. Full Story. Pray for Sayed to remain strong, faithful, and encouraged during his time in prison. Pray for Sayed's safety while in prison, but also for his release to come soon so he can go back to his family. Pray that prison guards and those who are surrounding Sayed will see the love of Jesus in his eyes and will be changed by what they see in Sayed.

11/16/2010 Vietnam (SundayTimes) Two Men Jailed for Threatening Vietnam Unity Two members of a Christian ethnic minority group have been jailed in Communist Vietnam after having been found guilty of undermining national unity, the state media said. A court jailed a man in his forties for six years and another man, aged about thirty, for four years. The pair, both ethnic Montagnards, have been sentenced respectively to three and two years of house arrest after their prison terms. Around 2,000 members of the largely Christian Montagnards community fled to Cambodia in 2001 and 2004 after security forces crushed protests against land confiscations and religious persecution. Full Story Pray for these two men and that their faith will remain strong as they remain in jail simply because they are Christians. Pray for Vietnam, whose resistance and violence towards Christians has become increasingly more violent and frequent. Pray for the Montagnard community which is facing intense pressure and persecution and is being forced to flee their homeland to seek relief from government harassment.

11/16/2010 Iraq (AP) Gunmen Kill Two Christians in Northern Iraq Iraqi officials have confirmed that gunmen have killed two Christians in a northern city in Iraq. This assault is the latest in a string of violence targeting the country's Christian community. According to a police officer in the city of Mosul, the two Christian men were sitting in their living room when gunmen broke into the house Monday night and shot them. Iraq's Christians are still reeling from last month's assault on a Baghdad church that killed 68 people. Full Story Pray that the increasing violence towards Christians will subside soon so the Iraqi Christian community can live and practice their faith without fear of death or violence. Pray that the Christian community in Iraq will not be persuaded from the greatness of Jesus Christ due to the threat of violence. Pray for the comfort, peace, and encouragement of these brothers and sisters as they deal with significant losses in their fellowships.

11/15/2010 China (ChinaAid) Guangzhou Bans Prayer Meetings Local pastors and their congregations in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou have been warned not to meet during the 16th Asian Games, which run from November 12th through November 27th. The ban prohibits "house churches" from holding any meetings. "The authorities have been seeking out the pastors of these groups and ordering them to stop holding meetings." said Tang Jingling, a rights lawyer and house church member. Some of the groups are responding by splitting into small groups and meeting at locations which never remain the same. Full Story Pray that these brothers and sisters in Christ will be unharmed and free to gather and worship during this time. Pray that the Chinese government will show lenience and a willingness to allow the Chinese house churches to worship Jesus Christ freely. Pray for providence and divine opportunities as these pastors continually interact with local authorities so that they might come to know the Lord.

11/13/2010 Vietnam (ANS) Degar Christian Dies From Inhumane Torture by Vietnamese Security Police Vietnamese security police have been implicated in the torture and death of a Montagnard Degar Christian believer. According to the Montagnard Foundation, Inc (MFI), a security police officer from the communal village of la Piar and a security police officer from the district of Phu Thien, both dressed as civilians, went to Siu Wong's house on September 25, 2009 and ordered him to go with them to their office in the district of Phu Thien. When they arrived at their station, the security police asked Siu Wong if he intended to celebrate Christmas this December. When Wong replied, "Yes, of course I will celebrate Christmas and this is what we do every year," the police told him that Degar people are not allowed to celebrate Christmas and are not allowed to worship God. The security police were so angry at Wong because he had bravely admitted he was a Christian that they began to mock him, threatening to punish him like Jesus was punished. MFI states that the security officers then tied Wong's left arm to one of the house poles and his right arm to another pole, stretching him out like he was on a cross. They began to beat and torture him, kicking him on both sides of his ribs and his chest with heavy military boots, struck him on the back of the next, punched him in his face and continued to beat him even after Wong fell in and out of consciousness, limply hanging by his two arms. It was after they kicked him in his groin that he completely passed out. It was after this brutal beating that the security police officers took him back to his family to die. Wong's family did not have money to take him to the hospital so they treated his injuries as best as they could. They eventually sold everything they had after his condition continued to deteriorate and were finally able to take him to the hospital on February 25, 2010. Siu Wong died on March 4, 2010 as a result of the internal injuries he received from the beating. Full Story. Pray that justice will be served in response to these horrific beatings. Pray that Siu Wong's family will be able to recover both emotionally and financially after the devastating loss of everything they own. Pray that the hatred by the Vietnamese government towards Jesus and His followers will be shaken by unconditional love by Christians in Vietnam.

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