8/24/2023　Iran　(VOM) Nearly 60 Iranian Christians were arrested in a sudden wave of arrests across the country in mid-July, crippling ministry work. These arrests follow the arrests of three Christians in May. Most ministries have stopped their activities. Agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Court confiscated mobile phones, laptops, books and pamphlets from the three Christians. One of them was able to make a short phone call and stated that they were being interrogated under severe pressure. Families of the three Christians report that they have not heard from them since then and that government authorities have not responded to requests for information. Also, the government has not confirmed their detention or allowed lawyers to be involved in the cases. Please pray… Pray for the three Christians arrested in May and the nearly 60 Christians that were arrested after that in July. Pray that the Lord will strengthen, comfort and encourage the arrested Christians and help them to endure the pressure and torture they are experiencing. Pray that the Lord stops the hands of the guards who want to harm them. Pray that the Lord will continue to grow His Church in Iran, where hundreds of thousands of Iranians have become Christians in recent […]

4/20/2023　Iran　(VOM) In February 2023, the Iranian government released thousands of long-held prisoners during a general pardon. Those released included several Christians imprisoned for practicing their faith. Upon their release, the government confiscated the work permits of the freed Christians, which means that they cannot work in order to provide for their families. Additionally, they are constantly under government surveillance. They have to be very careful about interacting with other believers. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will meet the needs of these recently released Christians. Pray that they will be able to adjust to life outside of prison and reconnect with their families. Pray that the Lord will protect them from being rearrested and that they will be careful when meeting with or contacting Christians.

3/24/2023　Iran　(Morning Star News) Iran is a country with severe persecution of Christians, but the Church in Iran is among the fastest growing Churches in the world. Owning, printing, importing or distributing Bibles in Iran is illegal. Since they are so difficult to obtain, Bibles are treasured by Iranian believers, and few have their own copy of God’s Word. Despite the prohibitions and scarcity, Christians in Iran are working on placing copies of God’s Word into people’s hands. When they receive a shipment of Bibles, our Iranian brothers and sisters hand-deliver the Bibles to strangers. They knock on the doors of people they don’t know and give Bibles to anyone who will accept the gift, sometimes placing the Bibles in mailboxes. Many Iranian Muslims are reading the Bible for the first time after unexpectedly receiving one in their mailbox and are becoming followers of Christ. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will guide those who are giving away Bibles to give them to those whose hearts are prepared by Him to believe in Christ. Pray that those who read the Bible and become Christians will find other Christians to fellowship and worship with. Pray that government officials will be saved and that […]

3/5/2023　Iran　(Morning Star News) Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, once sentenced to death in Iran for apostasy, was the third Christian convert recently released from prison as part of the government’s annual amnesty marking the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. Originally sentenced to death in 2010 for leaving Islam, Pastor Nadarkhani was freed on Feb. 26, following the pardon and release earlier in the month of two other Christians. He had been acquitted of apostasy in September 2012 but later sentenced to three years in prison for evangelizing. He was arrested again in 2016 for “crimes against national security” and he began serving a 10-year prison sentence after being declared guilty in 2018. The sentence was later reduced to 6 years. Please pray… Praise the Lord for the early release of Pastor Nadarkhani. Pray that he will be able to resume a normal life with his family now and that he will not be rearrested. Pray that the Lord will guide him and give him wisdom regarding the type of ministry He has for him now.

3/10/2022   Iran   (VOM) Four Christians imprisoned for their faith in Tehran’s Evin Prison are battling sickness following a possible outbreak of Covid-19 in their prison wing. Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, 60 years old, Yousef Nadarkhani, 44, Saheb Fadaie, 40, and Moslem Rahimi, 32, are serving prison sentences ranging from 4 to 10 years for participating in house churches and promoting Christianity in Iran. Though the prison is not testing or quarantining for the virus, the four prisoners are experiencing symptoms and receiving poor medical care. A new wave of the virus in Iran has led to a mass furlough of prisoners, but none of the Christian prisoners have been approved for furlough. Please pray… Pray for these brothers to be healed from their illnesses. Pray for their faith to be strong as they remain in prison. Pray that they can be faithful witnesses for Christ to their fellow inmates.

1/20/2022   Iran   (VOM) Naske placed her trust in Christ after hearing a Christian friend’s testimony of faith. She then began reading the Bible, praying and fasting with her friend for Naske’s family to find Christ. She received Bibles, food and a Christmas card with blessings from a Kurdish church. Naske’s father found the Christmas card and began asking questions. Though she feared how her father would respond, Naske shared that she was in contact with Kurdish Christians and even owned a Kurdish Bible. Her father, astonished to discover a Bible in his own language, wanted to know more and began reading the Bible. Naske was then able to share the gospel with her family. Since then, her father has reached out to Naske’s house church leader to ask many questions about Christ. Please pray… Pray for Naske’s father to place his trust in Christ for salvation. Pray for Naske to continue sharing the gospel boldly with her family and friends. Pray for the Lord’s protection for Naske and that her father and her family will not have a change of heart regarding her faith.

9/5/2021   Iran   (ICC) (Update on July 22, 2021 post) Three Iranian Christian converts have had their sentences reduced from five years to three years. Amin Khaki, Milad Goudarzi and Alireza Nourmohammadi faced charges for “propaganda that educates in a deviant way contrary to the holy religion of Islam”. During an appeal hearing on August 25, the three converts’ sentences were upheld, but they were reduced from the maximum 5-year sentence. Their original sentencing on June 26 mandated the maximum prison sentence plus a fine of approximately US$1600. Following the raid on their houses in November 2020, none of the three were arrested at that time, though they did face continued harassment for their Christian faith activities. Their lawyer will continue to appeal their guilty verdict and incarceration. Please pray… Praise God for a reduction in the length of Amin, Milan and Alireza’s prison sentences. Pray that they will not lose heart but will continue to remain firm in their faith, strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit while they are in prison. Pray that their lawyer will be able to get the court to consider further reducing their sentences and even releasing them from prison.

7/22/2021   Iran   (VOM) Three Christian men in Iran who converted from Islam were recently sentenced to five years in prison after they refused to renounce Christ. In November of last year, Iranian authorities raided the homes of the three men and seized Bibles, cell phones and computers. They ordered the men to stop all Christian activities. When the men refused to stop pursuing their faith, they were charged under a newly amended law aimed at halting the spread of Christianity in Iran. The new law permits large fines, the loss of basic rights, and up to five years in prison. When the Christians appeared in court last month, they were denied access to their attorney and told that they had received the maximum allowable sentence. The believers are planning to appeal the decision. Please pray… Pray that these brothers in Christ will remain firm in their faith while they await their appeal. Pray for their families to not lose hope as their loved ones face imprisonment for Christ. Pray that the Iranian authorities overseeing the case will experience the love of God through the witness of these men.

6/10/2021 Iran (VOM) A Persian house church leader had two boxes of Farsi New Testaments in the trunk of his car. When he saw that he was approaching a police checkpoint, he pulled over and left the boxes of Bibles on the side of the road. Later that night, the police chief saw the boxes on the roadside and thought they might contain contraband, so he put them in his truck and took them home. Once he got home and opened the boxes, he discovered the boxes were filled with Bibles and wasn’t sure what to do with them. Since the Persian New Year was approaching, he decided to give the Bibles to each family member and guest at his home. A Christian worker reported that when one of the women who received a Bible called the contact information inside the Bible and was asked who gave her the New Testament, she replied, “My family friend. He is the police chief.” Please pray… Praise the Lord for how he used this police chief to distribute Bibles. Pray that the police chief and those who received the Bibles will find salvation in Christ through them. Pray that those distributing Bibles in Iran […]

4/8/2021  Iran  (VOM) A Christian couple in Iran received a package of gifts from fellow believers outside the country. It included a small gift for a child and a children’s Bible, but the couple doesn’t have any children. When their neighbor girl came over to visit them, they decided to give her the gift, and after some hesitation, they also decided to give her the children’s Bible. It was a risky move because the girl’s parents were not Christians and could turn in the Christian couple to be arrested. The little girl was very happy and proudly showed her Bible to her parents. Then, because she could not yet read, she asked her father to read it to her. Her father was moved by the Bible stories he read. The next day, he secretly visited his neighbors to ask more questions about the gospel. Since then, they have been meeting weekly to read the Bible together. Please pray… Pray that the girl and her family will find faith in Christ. Pray that the Christian couple who is sharing the Gospel with their neighbors will have wisdom as the teach and answer their neighbors’ questions. Pray that the government will not discover […]