THE PERSECUTON AND PRAYER ALERT

The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
www.persecution.net
Wednesday, October 21, 2009

A weekly news digest on the Persecuted Church and how you can respond.

Follow The Voice of the Martyrs on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vomc.
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In this week's edition: reports from Eritrea and Ukraine with updates from Pakistan and China
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1. Eritrean church leader's home raided, ten arrested

According to Open Doors Switzerland, ten more Christians were arrested last week after Eritrean security forces raided the home of Pastor Tewelde Hailom, the founding elder of the Full Gospel Church in Asmara. According to the report, three people were arrested on October 14. Seven others were taken into custody two days later. Pastor Hailom, who is suffering from an ulcer, was taken to prison, but remains under house arrest. It is unknown at this time where the ten believers, including two women, are being detained.

Please pray for their release. Pray that they will have courage in the face of the hardship that they will be facing. Pray for their families during this time of uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones.

For more information on the severe persecution facing Christians in Eritrea, go to www.persecution.net/eritrea.htm.
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2. Church bombed in Ukraine

In the early morning of October 14, a crude homemade bomb was thrown into the Calvary Chapel church building in Kaharlyk, Ukraine. The building is also the residence of Pastor Wayne Zschech and his family. At approximately 7:00 a.m., Pastor Zschech's wife awoke to the smell of smoke. Fire officials were called to the scene where they put out the blaze, which caused minor damage to the building. The six people asleep in the church at the time of the attack escaped without injury. The assailants spray painted "Out with Sects" and "OYH," an abbreviated name for a Ukrainian Nationalist movement, on the church wall.

Pastor Zschech later stated, "We pray that the Lord would call people to salvation and that He would build up His body. We rejoice in being chosen worthy to suffer for the sake of our Lord and His Gospel. We do also pray for safety but hold this prayer out with open hands." For more details on this story, visit Pastor Zschech's blog at www.wayne.calvarychapelkaharlyk.org.

Thank God that no one was hurt in this attack. Pray that the perpetrators of this attack will be brought to justice and come to faith in Christ. You can show your support for members of this church by posting a prayer on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall at www.persecution.net/prayerwall.

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3. Update: Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy appears in court

Asia Bibi (37), a woman arrested for blasphemy in Pakistan's Punjab province on June 19 after she and several Muslim women had a heated discussion about Islam (see www.persecution.net/pk-2009-06-24.htm), appeared in court on October 14. Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, and their two daughters were able to visit with her for 15 minutes before her court appearance. Bibi reported that she has been treated well in prison but misses her family. Another hearing has been scheduled for October 27.

To find out how you can stand in solidarity with this family, check out www.tinyurl.com/pnp-bibi.
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4. Update: Ten more Christians from China's Fushan Church arrested

Church members of the Fushan Church in Linfen City, China continue to face detention and intimidation from Public Security Bureau officials, according to an October 18 report from ChinaAid. On October 10, officials offered to release ten church leaders who were arrested in late September following an attack on their church site (see www.persecution.net/cn-2009-09-30a.htm), on the condition that one of the female leaders be held until further notice. The leaders refused to leave behind Pastor Yang Rongli, stating, "We are one team in the one body of Christ! We won't leave her behind alone. We will not leave prison without her." The officials then arrested Pastor Yang's youngest sister, Yang Linli, and ransacked another pastor's home. On October 11, ten more church members were arrested. Officials blamed Pastor Yang for the raids and arrests, and threatened the leaders with further violence if they did not comply with their orders.

Yang Linli was finally released on October 16 and ordered to not petition on behalf of her sister or the other detained Christians and cease further "illegal activities." Pastor Yang and another church leader, Hua Mei, were then formally accused of "illegal building and disturbing the social order by organizing masses." The next day, five other church leaders were sentenced to criminal detention. Three have since been released on parole. At last report, nine Christians remain in detention and the whereabouts of the ten Christians detained on October 11 remain unknown.
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5. Update: Chinese pastor released

Pastor Hua Huiqi, who was arrested by officials on September 17 (see www.persecution.net/cn-2009-10-14.htm), was released on October 10, according to an October 12 report from ChinaAid. He was not physically mistreated during his detention in a secret location. Upon his release, however, officials reportedly threatened to harm his 13-year-old daughter if he "caused any trouble." Pastor Hua, who is recovering at home, has urged the international community to continue praying for his ailing Christian mother, Shuang Shuying, who has also faced imprisonment. He has also requested prayer for his dying brother, Hua Huilin.
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6. Pray for the Persecuted Church this November!

On November 8, Christians around the world will join together for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) to uphold those suffering for their Christian faith. Can you devote some special time in prayer for the persecuted this year? Whether you take part as a church, a group or simply spend time in personal prayer, your prayers will be a powerful way to remember those suffering for their Christian witness.

To find out more and to download special IDOP 2009 resources such as prayer points, Bible references and children's materials, go to www.idop.ca. Or if you live outside Canada, go to www.idop.org.
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7. In this week's VOMC weblog (www.persecution.net/weblog.htm)

Join the growing number of Christians who follow VOMC's Persecuted Church Weblog regularly. Here are a few of the recent posts by our staff:

a) Be inspired and challenged by the faith of persecuted Christians in the past in our regular weekly post, "This week in persecuted church history (October 11-17)." (Posted October 18)

b) You are encouraged to remember to "Continue to pray for Christians kidnapped in Yemen in July." (Posted October 18)

c) Glenn Penner asks "Why can't we just pray on a 'Day of Prayer?'" in regards to the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. (Posted October 16)

d) Read from the inspirational writings of Richard Wurmbrand and Wong Ming-Dao in our new blog series, "From the pen of the persecuted." (Posted October 15 & 19)

e) Glenn takes us through a study of Philippians 2 in "Rights: Real but not grasped." (Posted October 20)

Throughout the week, we also post updates on incidents of persecution and suggestions/invitations on how you can respond and show your solidarity with your suffering brothers and sisters. Be sure to check out www.persecutedchurchblog.com daily!
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The Persecution & Prayer Alert is a ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 117, Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario L5G 4L5)
Tel. (905) 670.9721. Website: www.persecution.net
Contacts: Adele Konyndyk & Erin Vandenberg
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CONTACT us, use our online form at www.persecution.net/contact.htm.

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