NEW DELHI, October 17 (AFP): At least 60 Christians have been killed over the past two months in eastern India in a brutal backlash to the murder of a revered Hindu holy man, a national bishops’ body said Friday. The figure is nearly double the official toll of 35 given by government authorities in the eastern state of Orissa.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India said scores of Christians were continuing to flee their homes in Orissa and called for action to stem the religious violence in the coastal state’s troubled Kandhamal district.
“Christians are afraid to return to their villages as threats of death have forced many of them to flee to the forest or to live in dehumanizing conditions,” the group said. ”The fear that has driven thousands into the forests for shelter and safety is a living reproach to those who should provide safety and security and not
leave the law and order situation to mob rule,” it added. The comments came less than a week after Pope Benedict XVI renewed his condemnation of the attacks on Indian Christians.

There was no immediate reaction to the figures from Orissa state government officials. The bishops’ group demanded a federal probe into the rape of a Catholic nun in Kandhamal, the epicentre of the violence. The 29-year-old nun was assaulted two days after Hindu religious leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati was killed by unidentified gunmen in Kandhamal on August 23. ”Christians of Kandhamal have lost faith in the state government and they feel their fundamental right to live has been taken away by the constitutionally elected-elected government,” the bishops added. The Orissa government, administered by a political party allied with India’s main Hindu nationalist grouping, says it has deployed enough troops to quell the violence. A missionary-run school was set on fire in the southern state of Kerala’s Kottayam district on Friday but there were no casualties, the Press Trust of India quoted police as saying. Attackers in Orissa have also targeted churches, prayer halls and Catholic-run schools in the region. At the root of the unrest are accusations by hardline Hindus that missionaries lure tribespeople and low-caste Hindus to convert to Christianity by offering free education and health care. The Hindu holy man had been associated with a radical group opposed to Hindus converting to Christianity. Christians account for 2.3 percent of India’s billion-plus Hindu majority population.[/lang_en]

NEW DELHI, October 17 (AFP): At least 60 Christians have been killed over the past two months in eastern India in a brutal backlash to the murder of a revered Hindu holy man, a national bishops’ body said Friday. The figure is nearly double the official toll of 35 given by government authorities in the eastern state of Orissa.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India said scores of Christians were continuing to flee their homes in Orissa and called for action to stem the religious violence in the coastal state’s troubled Kandhamal district. “Christians are afraid to return to their villages as threats of death have forced many of them to flee to the forest or to live in dehumanizing conditions,” the group said. ”The fear that has driven thousands into the forests for shelter and safety is a living reproach to those who should provide safety and security and not leave the law and order situation to mob rule,” it added. The comments came less than a week after Pope Benedict XVI renewed his condemnation of the attacks on Indian Christians.

There was no immediate reaction to the figures from Orissa state government officials. The bishops’ group demanded a federal probe into the rape of a Catholic nun in Kandhamal, the epicentre of the violence. The 29-year-old nun was assaulted two days after Hindu religious leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati was killed by unidentified gunmen in Kandhamal on August 23. ”Christians of Kandhamal have lost faith in the state government and they feel their fundamental right to live has been taken away by the constitutionally elected-elected government,” the bishops added. The Orissa government, administered by a political party allied with India’s main Hindu nationalist grouping, says it has deployed enough troops to quell the violence. A missionary-run school was set on fire in the southern state of Kerala’s Kottayam district on Friday but there were no casualties, the Press Trust of India quoted police as saying. Attackers in Orissa have also targeted churches, prayer halls and Catholic-run schools in the region. At the root of the unrest are accusations by hardline Hindus that missionaries lure tribespeople and low-caste Hindus to convert to Christianity by offering free education and health care. The Hindu holy man had been associated with a radical group opposed to Hindus converting to Christianity. Christians account for 2.3 percent of India’s billion-plus Hindu majority population.

November we focus prayer on the least-reached peoples of the Central Asian region. Trade and Islam beat a path through the Silk Roads of the 11 countries of Central Asia, much of which could not be changed by 70 years of Soviet rule. Most of the languages here have been Turkish-based since the early days of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire. Most other languages in this region are based on Farsi, the tongue of Persia, Central Asia’s other traditional world power. All but two of the countries in this region are over 90% least-reached peoples, with Pakistan by far the largest—150 million people within 468 people groups still least-reached in this country alone. Almost 800 people groups remain with less than 2% evangelical believers and less than 5% adherents to any form of Christianity. The marginally Muslim peoples of the Turkish World are looking for a new identity. Pray they will find their true identity in Jesus Christ.

Although all adult members of a village are usually invited to such meetings, on this occasion the Christian s were deliberately excluded. Pastor S and two other believers from the village, C and K, remain in detention in the nearby district police detention cell. It was earlier reported that police have held the men in handcuffs and wooden foot stocks since their arrest on Aug. 3, causing numbness and infection in their legs and feet due to lack of blood circulation. Authorities have said they will release the three only if they renounce their faith.

Remember those suffering for the sake of Jesus.

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Lots more at   www.infomekong.com

16 November is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). The focus of IDOP 2008 is Secret Believers in the Muslim World. Many Muslim-background believers face discrimination in the workplace, rejection from society and harassment by the authorities. Some may face torture, imprisonment and even death. They are in great need of our prayers. Let us have a look at resent news headlines: CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ FLEES TARGETTED TERROR; KAZAKHSTAN’S DRACONIAN RELIGIOUS LAWS TIGHTENED; THE TALIBAN EXECUTES CHRISTIAN AID WORKER IN KABUL, CLAIMING ‘PROSELYZING’; AT LEAST 24 CHRISTIAN AID WORKERS KILLED IN SOMALIA THIS YEAR; THE NUMBER OF ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS DRIVEN OUT OF MOSUL IN IRAQ IN THE PAST WEEKS HAS RISEN TO MORE THAN 15,000; SOLDIER PROTECTING CHRISTIANS MUTILATED AND KILLED IN ORISSA, INDIA. These and many more news reports show that persecution of Christians are increasing as militant Islamic and other religious extremism increases. (www.opendoorsuk.org/news)

Let us pray for these Christians that they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that they may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power (Col.1:9-10). Pray that governments will successfully intervene in the violent actions of militant extremist groups and protect minority groups such as Christians and aid workers.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Matthew 5:10-11

Dear Ethne Friends:

As we pray together this month for least-reached peoples of Central Asia, did you know these 17 peoples here have no Bible in their language? And, of these, only 3 have the Jesus film available in their language. Please pray that God calls forth resources, projects and people to meet these needs. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

People Click name for Profile)	Country	Population	10/40 Wndw	Primary Religion	% Evangl	% Chr Adhernt	Least Reached	Progress Scale	Priority Rank	Church Status	Bible Status	Jesus Film
Pashtun, Southern, A	Afghanistan	12,047,000	Y	Islam	0.02%	0.02%	Y	1.2	90	1	None
Hazara	Afghanistan	3,633,000	Y	Islam	0.03%	0.03%	Y	1.2	84	2	None	Y
Uzbek, Southern	Afghanistan	1,816,000	Y	Islam	0.01%	0.01%	Y	1.2	84	1	None	Y
Qashqai, Kashkai	Iran	1,690,000	Y	Islam	0.03%	0.03%	Y	1.2	81	0	None
Shahsavani	Iran	146,000	Y	Islam	1.00%	1.00%	Y	1.2	75	1	None
Talysh, Lenkoran	Azerbaijan	85,000		Islam	0.00%	0.00%	Y	1.1	77	0	None	Y
Mandaean	Iran	24,000	Y	Other / Small	0.01%	5.00%	Y	1.2	75	2	None
Gujur Rajasthani	Afghanistan	20,000	Y	Islam	0.03%	0.03%	Y	1.2	78	0	None
Afshari	Afghanistan	11,000	Y	Islam	0.04%	0.04%	Y	1.2	75	1	None
Gypsy, Domari	Afghanistan	8,200	Y	Islam	0.01%	0.01%	Y	1.1	79	0	None
Arab, Tajiki	Afghanistan	5,900	Y	Islam	0.20%	0.20%	Y	1.2	75	0	None
Budug	Azerbaijan	5,500		Islam	0.03%	0.09%	Y	1.2	70	0	None
Arab, Tajiki	Uzbekistan	4,000		Islam	0.01%	2.00%	Y	1.1	76	0	None
Deaf	Azerbaijan	Unknown		Islam	0.10%	4.64%	Y	1.2	70		None
Deaf	Pakistan	Unknown	Y	Islam	0.40%	2.31%	Y	1.2	78		None
Deaf	Tajikistan	Unknown	Y	Islam	0.10%	1.38%	Y	1.2	74		None
Deaf	Uzbekistan	Unknown		Islam	0.30%	1.28%	Y	1.2	78		None
Totals: 17 Peoples-by-Ctry		19,495,000	12				17					3

And an opportunity exists for a country director  for a ministry focused on the nation of Afghanistan. Are you the one who could meet that need? Pray God raises up just the one to fill that opening quickly!

Psalms 67:4 says, “May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.” As a follower of Christ, you know that the nations urgently need to hear of His justice, mercy and salvation. But as the father of modern missions, William Carey, pointed out over 200 years ago, most people don’t have a choice to choose Christ. For centuries their forefathers have offered them something other than God’s perfect ways. Isn’t it only right that they have the chance to be glad and sing for joy to the One who rules justly and guides the nations? Don’t they have the right to worship the only One worthy of our praise? Don’t we owe them that chance? May God’s rule soon extend to the unreached peoples![Global Prayer Digest, Nov. 17, 2008]

“In everything give thanks for this is God’s will concerning you in Christ Jesus!” Join with our brothers and sisters in America in offering Thanksgiving this season; may God find your hearts overflowing with gratitude to the One to whom we owe everything!

Thanks for continuing to pray!

Remember to pray for the least-reached peoples of Central Asia this month as well as for the persecuted church, which includes many in this region including the Church in Iran. Today pray along with this Global Prayer Digest item for today on Praying for the Persian Church. You can subscribe to this daily email version of Global Prayer Digest, by e-mailing to:subscribe-brigada-pubs-globalprayerdiges@hub.xc.org and nothing in the body.[/lang_en]

“The church in Iran is like a rose petal; the more you press it, the sweeter the perfume.” This quote, stated by Persian martyr Pastor Mehdi Dibaj, sums up what has been taking place in the Persian Iranian church since the 1979 Revolution. As the government continues its push to destroy anything Western, the Persian people are meeting in secret to seek the ways of Christ.

According to Canada Free Press, apostasy is currently punishable by death in Muslim Iran, but it is not a required punishment. However, there is a proposal before the Iranian government that would require mandatory execution for those who leave Islam for another religion.

Canada Free Press reports that house churches are doubling in size every six months, although there is no way to safely verify the actual number. Police raids have resulted in members of these house
churches being arrested and interrogated. If they are caught worshipping or witnessing in prison, they are punished even more severely. New believers receive training in house churches as well as by the prevalent satellite TV broadcasting.

Thank the Lord for this move of His Holy Spirit! Pray for easy flow of Farsi language materials to the right people. Pray that the Persian people will look to biblical teaching and to Jesus for life’s answers. Pray for a spiritual revolution in Iran that will lead millions of Persians to put their trust in the King of Kings.-KW

Psalms 71:19b Who, O God, is like You?

Can anyone honestly say that they created a galaxy? Absolutely not! No one is like the Lord! But mankind is constantly trying to shrink the Lord and put Him on the same god shelf as all the others. In the interest of political correctness, Westerners refuse to acknowledge that Christ is far above all others. Members of unreached people groups have been deceived into worshipping spirits that cannot help them. To not acknowledge His superiority over all others is to lie. Worship today, this unique and all powerful God!

Pray that the unreached nations will soon know that the Creator is far beyond any god they worship.

In response to a year of persecution and the imminent passing of a law making the death sentence mandatory for all Muslim men who turn to Christ and life imprsonment for Muslim women who turn to Christ, Iranian church leaders are calling for prayer and fasting from November 21 – 23, 2008.

They know they have no influence in the courts of men – but they want to take their case to the courts of heaven..

And like Esther of old, the queen of Iran who told Mordecai to ask all the people of God to pray and fast for three days, so Iranian Christian leaders are asking the world-wide church to also set aside these three days for prayer and fasting.

If you are a prayer leader in your church, please contact other intercessors to be involved in these three days, and please approach your pastor to see if special prayers for Iran can be made at your church service on Sunday November 23. [/lang_en]

In response to a year of persecution and the imminent passing of a law making the death sentence mandatory for all Muslim men who turn to Christ and life imprsonment for Muslim women who turn to Christ, Iranian church leaders are calling for prayer and fasting from November 21 – 23, 2008.

They know they have no influence in the courts of men – but they want to take their case to the courts of heaven..

And like Esther of old, the queen of Iran who told Mordecai to ask all the people of God to pray and fast for three days, so Iranian Christian leaders are asking the world-wide church to also set aside these three days for prayer and fasting.

If you are a prayer leader in your church, please contact other intercessors to be involved in these three days, and please approach your pastor to see if special prayers for Iran can be made at your church service on Sunday November 23.

In northern Vietnam at least 120 people are now confirmed to have died after floodwaters from southern China caused river levels to rise,further inundating a region lashed by heavy rains since Friday.  The
government has warned that more downpours, flash floods and landslides could be in store in mountainous provinces in the country’s north-central region this week.

Vietnam, the world’s third-largest rice exporter, has not released any crop damage estimates in the northern Red River delta region, but the government said nearly 260,000 hectares of rice, corn, sugarcane and fruit had been submerged. (Source: News Agencies – 04 Nov 2008)

Pray for the people in North Vietnam as they go through this difficult situation.  Pray that God’s love will be shown to them through our co-workers and other Christian groups in the north.  Pray also for protection and God’s provision upon our co-workers who were affected by the flood.

FrontierScan, May 2009, Keith Carey, Managing Editor

Condensed from the May 2009 issue of the Global Prayer Digest

May, 2009

Headlines: Canada: North America’s Beautiful Ethnic Quilt!

Dear Praying Friends,

About 15 years ago, I called a full-time mission mobilizer in Canada in hopes of finding out about the unreached people groups in his country. His feedback was clear: The research was not yet available.

Ever since that time, I have wanted to have the GPD focused on Canada. All I could do was wait.

Fortunately, due to information posted on the Internet by Multicultural Canada, (www.multiculturalcanada.ca), the wait is over.

This month we will pray for the unreached Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Sikhs that have the chance to hear of Christ’s ways in their adopted country of Canada. That organization also provided good background information about how immigration has changed in that country over the years. Please take time to read the background article before praying over this issue.

Keith Carey,

Managing editor, GPD

Pray for a Strong Fellowship Among Every Ethnic Group in Canada

Canada: A Quilt, Not a Melting Pot

-by Keith Carey

Can you believe it; one in five people in Canada is foreign born! The only country with a higher percentage of immigrants is Australia, according to a Dec. 5, 2007 article in BBC News. Among these recent arrivals in this country of 33.5 million, nearly 60 percent come from Asia and the Middle East, the places where the vast majority of the world’s unreached peoples originate. Once again, we are seeing a situation where the unreached people groups are going where they have the opportunity to hear and respond to the life-changing ways of Christ.

The changes have been rapid and recent. Traditionally, Canada was a nation built upon both English and French language and culture. After the British drove the French out in 1759, they did allow the French language and culture to continue in Quebec, France’s former colony. Canadian governors James Murray and Guy Carleton refused to yield to pressures to Anglicize Quebec with British institutions, and the situation worked fairly well for many years, according to Multicultural Canada (www.multiculturalcanada.ca), the main source for this article. This was the beginning of the “pluralistic” ideal, where various cultures were allowed to exist side-by-side under the overall tent of the place we call Canada. By accommodating the large French minority, Canada developed very peaceably, considering what usually happens in such situations. The Quebec Act of 1774 and the British North America Act of 1867 built British-French pluralism into the Canadian constitution.

Canada remained part of the British Commonwealth well into the 20th century, but seldom did they have to accommodate cultures other than the French. There were Native American tribes that were conquered and pushed onto reservations, and many Canadians hoped that these tribes would eventually become like the White Canadians. As late as the 1960s, more than 70 percent of Canada’s immigrants came from Europe and the United States. There were also Chinese and Japanese immigrants, but their numbers were far too small to have any significant power. White, European-based peoples were given preference in immigration policies.

In the culturally-similar United States, the ideal for immigrants has always been that they be thrown in America’s “melting pot” where the best of all cultural attributes blend together, and the worst elements of all cultures will be purged. Though the British-based culture changes slightly, and becomes uniquely American, there is one dominant culture. Encouraging ethnic groups to remain unassimilated is thought to lead to disunity in this “melting pot” model. In Canada, on the other hand, the ideal is cultural “pluralism” where various cultures live side by side with mutual respect and harmony. Loyalty is given to Canada, but ethnic differences remain. Traditionally, with only two cultures to deal with, this was not difficult. But what would the Canadians do if they had to accommodate multiple cultures and languages? They are in the process of dealing with that question in today’s world.

Pluralism Becomes Official in the 1970s

The first year when a majority of immigrants to Canada were of non-European heritage was in 1971. That same year, the pluralistic, multi-cultural ideal was sanctioned by the Canadian government. When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau addressed Canada’s House of Commons, he affirmed the federal government’s recognition and commitment to a policy of multiculturalism. “There is no official culture, nor does any ethnic group take precedence over any other. No citizen or group of citizens is other than Canadian, and all should be treated fairly,” he said to the enthusiastic legislators. Though English and French would still be the two national trade languages, ethnic pluralism was declared to be a positive feature of Canadian life, worthy of development and preservation.

Some people wrongly thought this would mean the federal government would shower ethnic community organizations with money, but this was not the intention. Small amounts of tax money have been used for this purpose, but the ethnic groups usually have to fund their own organizations.

Canada Loves Refugees

The Canadian public and government have a soft spot for persecuted minorities and refugees. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Canadian government took in political refugees from Czechoslovakia and Hungary who found themselves on the outs with the domineering Soviet government. In the late 1970s, when South Asians were fleeing for their lives from Idi Amin’s Ugandan army, Canada took in many of them. In 1978, Canada recognized refugees as a class distinct from other immigrants, worthy of legal protection and entitled to sanctuary. From that year forward, Canada’s immigration policy was changed to make way for a percentage of refugees each year. By the end of 1980, Canada agreed to take in 60,000 Southeast Asian refugees from the aftermath of the wars that gave communism domination in that region.

To this day, Canada is a practical leader in celebrating World Refugee Day. Last year, they took in 1,300 persecuted Karen refugees from Myanmar, and 2,000 Iraqi refugees. Canada is currently taking in refugees from Bhutan and Nepal who are suffering from violence in those Himalayan nations. Antonio Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said last June, “Through their generous support for the world’s uprooted people, Canadians have shown not only humanitarian concern but a recognition of the enormous contributions that refugees can make to their new communities.” But the situation isn’t always rosy; many non-refugees have attempted to obtain refugee status to gain priority. With the world economy in the doldrums, many Canadians question the wisdom of taking in more immigrants, even those with legitimate refugee status.

The Situation Today

Cultural pluralism sounds good at a distance, but there are real challenges on a day-to-day level. For example, the Canadian Islamic Congress demanded that Maclean, a Canadian magazine, publish their rebuttal to an article that they deemed offensive. The Islamic group tried but failed to get the Canadian government to force them to print their rebuttal, according to a Jan. 6, 2008 article by Randall Palmer.

According to an Aug. 14, 2006 article found on Bolojii.com, marriages between Canada’s younger generation of Hindus and the majority people are on the rise. These marriages are done without the blessing of Hindu parents, which is anathema in Hindu cultures where parents formerly arranged marriage for their children. Hindus fear losing their cultural identity. Will Canada become a melting pot like their neighbors to the south? Only time will tell.

Since 1985, 60 percent of Canada’s new arrivals have been non-Europeans, mainly from nations with high concentrations of unreached people groups. What will the future hold for them? Will they assimilate into Canada’s culture, which is a blend of secular humanism and Christian values of human rights? The Hindu youth mentioned above could easily slip into a pattern where family needs matter far less than individual freedom. In a secularized culture, individual desires trump the biblical values of “putting others before yourself.” Will Canada’s Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist groups see Christian values, or secular humanist values at work? That will depend on whether or not believers reach out to them.

Let us Pray!

Pray that Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim peoples in Canada will hear and respond to the life-giving claims of Jesus Christ.

FrontierScan

The Lord of the harvest is bringing thousands of Nepali people to North America. Are we ready?

Bhutan is a remote Himalayan kingdom of about 600,000 people that borders Nepal. Hundreds of thousands of people from that country lost their homes, jobs, and civil rights because they were originally from Nepal. Some teens and children never remember living anywhere except refugee camps.

Today several countries are receiving these refugees. The United States is accepting 60,000, while 5,000 are resettling in Quebec and Ontario, Canada. This kind of move requires a huge adjustment for Nepal. Most lack education and are taking jobs doing menial labor. The children are benefiting the most; they are receiving a better education.

At long last, these individuals have reason to hope for a better life on earth. With a Hindu background, Nepalis may never have heard that the hope for eternal life is available to them only through Jesus Christ. God is giving Canadian and U.S. citizens opportunities to minister to people they never expected to meet.

Let us pray for both the refugees and the people receiving them as neighbors and co-workers. Pray that Nepali immigrants will experience the love of Christ in North America. Ask the Holy Spirit to give them spiritual understanding. Pray that believers will share the good news that offers the only assurance of security people can ever have.-AK

Canada’s Sikh population has found great opportunities in business and in agriculture. But there are areas where the old ways clash with the new ones. For example, how can a high school football player keep his turban on under a helmet? The Sikh religion requires males to not cut their hair and wear a clean turban. Pray that thousands of Sikhs will soon find freedom in Christ that will show them the true way to please God.

Being a very small minority can be difficult for the Mongolians in Canada. Few of them can find other Mongolians who are facing the same challenges. Pray that they will soon find Christ as their best friend and guide as they navigate Canada’s secular culture.

In Canada, there are 35,000 Muslim Somalis who need to hear of the grace and forgiveness of God through Christ. To many of them, clinging to their ancient traditions is all they have left, and putting their faith in Christ is paramount to being a traitor. Pray that their new culture would not be a stumbling block for them to hear and respond to the person of Jesus Christ. Ask God to raise up culturally sensitive believers in Canada willing to familiarize themselves with the Somali culture.