Persecution

Millions of Christians around the world will pray for their persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ Sunday in observance of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

In its 14th year, IDOP is one of the largest prayer events in the world. Last year, an estimated half a million churches in 150 countries participated in the event, according to Open Doors, an international Christian ministry that supports persecuted believers.

“The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church presents a tremendous opportunity for millions of people to make a difference in the lives of those being persecuted for their faith in countries like North Korea, Iran, Iraq, China, India and many more,” said Open Doors USA President and CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. more >>

In observance of this year’s International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, the Southern California megachurch of popular preacher Rick Warren will host a forum on the persecuted church with some of the nation’s foremost experts on the subject.

According to an announcement, Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., will moderate the discussion on religious freedom and persecution this coming Sunday as millions worldwide unite for prayer. The civil forum will feature Michael Cromartie, vice-president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and vice chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom; Dr. Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA; and Pastor Dishan Wickramaratne, senior pastor of the 8,000-member Peoples Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Warren says Saddleback, in observance of IDOP, wants to remind people that the Church is still suffering around the world. more >>

The largest church that gives open, public services in Iran will no longer hold Friday worship services due to government pressure, local sources reported this past week.

According to reports, authorities had threatened the Rev. Sourik, the bishop and overseer of the Assemblies of God Churches in Iran, to completely shut down the Central Assemblies of God Church in Tehran unless it stopped holding Friday services by the deadline, Oct. 31.

Sourik, who had resisted the demands of authorities, finally relented and announced at the end of a Friday afternoon worship on Oct. 30 that there would no longer be Friday gatherings but only Sunday services. more >>

A ministry that supports persecuted Christians launched a campaign Thursday to press Iran to release two young female converts who have been detained for eight months in one of the most notorious prisons in the country.

Open Doors USA is calling on people to send a “respectful” message to Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaee to request that Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, be released immediately.

 “Maryam and Marzieh are suffering in an Iranian prison simply for refusing to recant their belief in Jesus Christ…they truly are modern heroes of the faith,” said Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. “We must speak out against this injustice.” more >>

JAKARTA, Indonesia (Compass Direct News) – In the past week hundreds of students from Arastamar Evangelical Theological Seminary (SETIA) were evicted from two sites where they had taken refuge after Muslim protestors drove them from their campus last year.

With about 700 students earlier evicted from Bumi Perkemahan Cibubur (BUPERTA) campground, officers appointed by the West Jakarta District Court on Monday (Oct. 26) began evacuating more than 300 students from the former municipal building of West Jakarta.

In response, the more than 1,000 evicted SETIA students demonstrated in West Jakarta on Tuesday (Oct. 27), clogging traffic and leading to altercations with police that led to the arrest of at least five students. Six officers were injured. more >>