MAY/JUNE 2021 MAY/JUNE barnabasaid.org Church Persecutedfor the Pray Help You To barnabasprayer BARNABAS AID - AN AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH May/June 2021 2021 May/June BRINGING HOPE TO SUFFERING1 CHRISTIANS Thank you for your prayers for our in heaven. Thank You for their courage persecuted brothers and sisters in and faith, as they made their decision Christ, which make such a difference to to follow Your Son knowing that it was them. We sometimes have to change or likely to bring down persecution on omit their names for security reasons, them from the authorities, whether local and we have only limited space to share or national. May they be encouraged their stories. But the Lord knows the and strengthened to stand firm by people and places we are praying about. knowing that He Himself was hated and Please do not feel limited by the specific persecuted by the authorities of His day. prayer requests, but pray as you feel led. We ask it in Jesus’ mighty Name. On each Sunday we have provided a set prayer; please feel free to use these in MONDAY 3 Thousands of Christian their current form, to adapt them as you villagers fled military bombardment prefer, or to use the information they in Karen state, Myanmar (Burma), contain to frame your own prayers. on February 1, the same day that the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was ousted in a military coup. This May incident followed many similar ones from December 2020 onward, as the SATURDAY 1 Today new laws come army tried to clear land for new roads 2 into effect in China to establish a and military installations. Pray for our database listing all those authorized brothers and sisters, trying to survive by the communist state to engage in in the mountainous jungle after the religious activities, whether leading army shelled their homes in Papun and worship, teaching or studying religion. Nyaunglebin districts, that they will The law, which applies to all religions, not be downcast or disturbed but will May/June 2021 May/June states that religious organizations put their hope in God their Savior and must conduct formal assessments praise Him (Psalm 42:11). of their leaders and apply “rewards and punishments,” which will also TUESDAY 4 The military government be recorded in the database. The ruling Myanmar (Burma) from authorities can insist that a religious 1962 to 2011 frequently attacked the organization cancel the religious villages of ethnic minorities, including qualifications of an individual, thus the mainly Christian Chin and Kachin depriving that person of the right to as well as the Karen. Those who did engage in religious activities. Pray that not escape were killed or captured. At Chinese Christians will have wisdom least 100,000 displaced Kachin still from above as they learn to live with live in camps. Even during Myanmar’s these new regulations and that the ten years of “democracy”, the military message of the gospel will continue to retained 25% of parliamentary seats be proclaimed. and some key government positions. Their ruthless and deadly response to SUNDAY 2 Heavenly Father, we praise popular protests after the February You for the growing church in China and coup suggests that anti-Christian rejoice to know that we have so many violence (which never completely new brothers and sisters, even though stopped under Aung San Suu Ki) we may never meet them until we are will probably rise again. Ask King Jesus, who came gentle and riding on a donkey, to proclaim peace to Myanmar (Zechariah 9:9-10). WEDNESDAY 5 On Sunday, March 7, the OLF Shene, a fringe group of the Oromo Liberation Front, attacked a church service in Horo Guduru Welega zone, western Ethiopia. Armed men surrounded the church building, gathered the worshipers together and removed their mobile phones so they Barnabas sent funds for food, water, could not call the authorities for help. bedding, medicine and trauma counseling They killed two church ministers on for displaced Christians in Tigray. the spot, then took the 22 members of the congregation to a nearby forest FRIDAY 7 Praise God! Seventy and killed them. “Christians are living Christians (43 men and 27 women) in utter fear day in and day out,” said were released from three prisons a Barnabas Aid contact. Pray that the in Eritrea in late January and early God of all comfort will console and February. Some had been in prison strengthen the grieving loved ones of a few months, others for up to 12 2021 May/June these martyrs. years. Several hundred more believers remain in prison, mostly without THURSDAY 6 Since November 2020, trial or sentencing. Pray to the Lord hundreds of Christian civilians Jesus, sent to proclaim freedom to have been killed in Tigray region, the prisoners, that those released will 3 northern Ethiopia, by troops from recover from their ordeal and those the massive army of Marxist Eritrea, still held will be released at the time He a country with a long track record chooses (Luke 4:18-21). of persecuting Christians. “Torture, killing, atrocities and overall SATURDAY 8 A Christian couple with deteriorating situation in Tigray their newborn baby and two other region became day-to-day events,” Christian women (one from Ethiopia) emailed a church leader from Tigray were arrested in Somaliland on to Barnabas Aid, after four months suspicion of “spreading Christianity”. of the Eritrean violence. “Forced The arrests came four months after removals and displacements, rape, another Christian couple were human rights violations and abuses arrested in Somaliland for being are another face of the situation.” “apostates and evangelists spreading According to Amnesty International, Christianity”; they were later released it could amount to a crime against and deported. Local Christians humanity. The survivors of the requested prayers for those arrested slaughter and scorched-earth policy that they will experience God’s were in desperate need of food. Pray closeness and strength and will soon for an end to the terrible violence be released; for the whole of the tiny and for practical aid to reach all Christian community in Somaliland, those in need. who are feeling very vulnerable; and for the church leadership to have emanating from a secular government, wisdom to know how to respond. will result in blessing for the Rwandan church as its leaders become better SUNDAY 9 O Lord Jesus, we pray for equipped for their spiritual tasks. Christians in Somalia, one of the most dangerous places in the world to follow WEDNESDAY 12 At this writing, the You. Give courage and endurance to Commonwealth Heads of Government Somali Christians, who face the real Meeting (CHOGM) is scheduled to take possibility of being murdered for their place in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, decision to commit their lives to You. in the week beginning June 21. The Help them to live by faith, not by sight, biennial meeting should have been in as they fix their eyes on the eternal. Keep June 2020 but was postponed due to them from fear and fill them with Your the pandemic, so it is three years since peace and with an unwavering faith and the last CHOGM. The theme will be hope. Remind them that although they “Delivering a Common Future.” Please will have trouble in this world, You have pray that Barnabas Aid’s campaign to already overcome the world (John 16:33; end the killing of Christians in northern 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; 5:7). Nigeria will gain attention at CHOGM and action to bring the slaughter to an MONDAY 10 Many Muslims ran for end, for unless things change, they have 4 election to be mayors or members no future at all. of parliament at Uganda’s elections earlier this year. Although Muslims THURSDAY 13 Praise God for answered are only about 15% of the population, prayer and the safe release of Pastor they won five of the 10 constituencies Bulus Yakuru, who had been abducted in the capital, Kampala, as well as by Boko Haram militants from May/June 2021 May/June Lord Mayor of Kampala and three of a Christian village in Nigeria on the five Division Mayors of Kampala. Christmas Eve 2020. Pastor Bulus was They did not do so well, however, in freed on March 3, the day on which other cities, even though there were Boko Haram had said they would many Muslim candidates running. kill him if their demands were not Pray that Uganda’s Christian majority met. Pray for the protection of many will be active and alert in governing Christians and other innocent civilians their country and will guide it still held by Boko Haram; the Lord according to biblical principles. knows each by name, though we do not. TUESDAY 11 The Rwandan government has ordered that every religious leader in the country must have a bachelor’s degree in theology. This applies not only to pastors of local congregations but also to leaders of faith-based organizations. At present, many Christian leaders in Rwanda do not have theological qualifications. Many church leaders have now started to Leah Sharibu is now 18 and still held study for degrees. Pray that this rule, captive by Boko Haram. FRIDAY 14 Today is the 18th birthday that convert churches will be given legal of Leah Sharibu, who has been held status and that individual converts will no captive by Boko Haram militants in longer be stigmatized and rejected. We Nigeria since he was kidnapped at the pray this in Jesus’ Name. age of 14. Many other girls at her school in Dapchi were seized in the same raid MONDAY 17 A 43-year-old Algerian but have been released.