11/17/2022　India　(VOM) Pastor Nahtiya, his son and other church members had worshiped together and were walking home through the jungle when they were ambushed by Hindu radicals throwing stones at them. Some were able to break away, but they were then attacked by other villagers with axes, sticks and other tools. Pastor Nahtiya’s 16-year-old son and another believer were struck repeatedly. Police arrived and helped take the severely injured men to the hospital. When questioned, the attackers falsely claimed that Pastor Nahtiya had come to their village and threatened to attack them. The case against him is ongoing, but the attackers are already free. The medical and legal costs from the attack continue to rise. These believers are praying that their attackers as well, as the judicial officials who are treating them unjustly, will know Jesus and be saved. Please pray… Pray that Pastor Nahtiya, his son and all the church members who were injured in the attack will recover quickly and completely. Pray that the Lord will enable them to pay for the medical and legal costs. Pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of those who attacked them and the police and judicial officials involved in the case.

11/7/2022 　India　(Morning Star News) A Christian pastor in northern India who drives a taxi for a living didn’t think he had anything to fear when a well-mannered Sikh asked him to take a slight detour. Pastor Sukhdev Mark, 47, had taken him somewhere the day before without any problems. He had given the passenger a gospel tract the day before and told him he was a pastor of a small church. The next day, while taking the Sikh passenger somewhere, the taxi was stopped by three men, whom the passenger said where friends. When the pastor open the trunk to get the passengers suitcase, the three men stabbed him, cutting his hands and abdomen. He was able to drive to a police station, and eventually was taken to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery the next day. The police were able to arrest the three attackers and charged them with attempted murder. Please pray… Pray for Pastor Mark, that the Lord will heal him completely and enable him to work and continue his church ministry. Pray that the Lord will comfort and encourage him and his family, and provide for their needs as he recovers. Pray for a change […]

4/25/2022   India  (ICC) On April 16, a Christian Pastor was tortured for nearly 24 hours in police custody. He was arrested on false charges of conversion activities in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The injured pastor was released the following Sunday evening, and was unable to walk at that time. The police beat him with belt and sticks on three occasions. The Pastor and his family were visiting his relatives, and while they were singing and praying with his relatives, a police van arrived with over half a dozen police officers, who abused the family and accused the pastor of converting people to Christianity. At the police station, between beatings, he was commanded to shout a Hindu expression in praise of a Hindu deity. Please pray… Pray for the quick healing of this pastor, and for the safety of him and his family. Pray that the Lord will strengthen his faith and help him to continue to share the Gospel and the love of God with the lost. Pray that the Lord will bring about a change in the ruling party of India, which is anti-Christian and radically Hindu.

10/24/2021   India   (ICC) A prominent Hindu priest in India’s Chhattisgarh state has called for the beheading of Christians at a rally attended by members of India’s ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Many Christians in Chhattisgarh fear that the priest’s comments will spark a new wave of anti-Christian violence across the state. Speaking at a rally on October 1, Swami Parmatmanand called for the targeted killings of Christians involved in alleged forced conversions. “Behead them… those who come for conversion.” Parmatmanand is known for his violent anti-minority rhetoric. In recent months, BJP politicians leaders have used the issue of religious conversions to stir up political support and anti-minority sentiments. Across India, the false narrative of mass forced conversions to Christianity is used to justify anti-minority violence and laws limiting religious freedom. Please pray… Praythat the Lord will protect the Christians in Chhattisgarh State and prevent the violence being encouraged by Swami Parmatmanand. Pray that the Christians will have peace as well as the wisdom to avoid doing things that will instigate violence against them. Pray for a change in the government of India, that a more secular political party will be voted in.

9/10/2021   India   (ICC) In just the past 10 days, at least 10 separate incidents of anti-Christian violence have taken place in Uttar Pradesh State. Since late June, the number is over 30, with over 70 pastors and Christians taken in to police custody because of accusations made by radical Hindus. In some cases the Christians are brutally beaten and injured, and then arrested by the police under false charges of forced conversion activities. Local police often overlook violence perpetrated against Christians due to false accusations of forced conversion. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will sustain and comfort His children who are being persecuted in Uttar Pradesh and other regions of India. Pray that Christians will be wise in how they live out their faith. Pray that the Hindu nationalist government that now controls India will be replaced by one that honors the constitution and freedom of religion.

8/23/2021　India　(ICC) On August 15, eleven Christians were brutally attacked by anti-Christian activists in Madhya Pradesh. During the incident, a mob of nearly 250 people, led by the village chief physically assaulted the Christians for refusing to denounce Jesus. Of the eleven attacked, four sustained serious internal injuries and are being treating at a local hospital. The village chief had summoned the village Christians to an area where the large mob was assembled, and when they arrived, the village chief threatened them and told them to either leave Jesus or leave the village. When the Christians refused to leave Jesus, the mob immediately started to beat them with their hands and stones. The incident was reported to the local police, but they refused to file a complaint against the attackers. Anti-Christian attacks in Madhya Pradesh have increased since the enactment of anti-conversion laws implemented by the BJP led government. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will comfort and heal those who were beaten. Pray that they village chief will be touched by the Lord and change his mind about the Christians. Pray that the Christians will be able to show the love of Jesus to the villagers and that more villagers […]

8/4/2021   India   (Morningstar News) A 24-year-old Christian woman in northern India went into shock after being attacked by a Sikh family who choked her unconscious and attacked her sister and mother. Meenu Kaur Tank remains bed-ridden on strong medications, sometimes continues to fall unconscious and still barely speaks following the assault in Punjab state. During the attack, five Sikh family members also partially stripped the Christian women as they beat them and reviled them for believing in Christ. Meenu was rushed to a hospital immediately after the 45-minute ordeal, and when she regained consciousness there, she was unable to speak. Police initially refused to register the victims’ complaint, doing so only after Christian leaders intervened. They are trying to get the family to drop the charges against the wealthy Sikhs. A court hearing is scheduled for some time in November. The Christian family said they were receiving threats from the Sikh family’s relatives and were fearful as pressure continued for them to either settle or be expelled from village. Please pray… Pray for the Lord to heal Meenu Kaur Tank physically and emotionally from the terrible trauma she experienced. Pray that her family will be strengthened by the Lord […]

7/22/2021   India   (Morningstar News) A pastor in northern India was forced to leave his village and flee with his family more than 600 miles away after police tortured and threatened him last month. Officers arrested pastor Sanjay Kumar Bharati, his wife, children and several members of his church following a complaint of violating COVID-19 restrictions, but as police were beating him their questions and accusations concerned only conversion to Christianity. They made him lie on a bed, and beat him with a leather belt. Before releasing him, the officer ordered him to leave the village, warning that if they received just one more complaint of conversion, they would arrest him and send him to jail. When contacted by the Pastor Bharati’s attorney, the police officers denied assaulting him. Without any source of income, Pastor Bharati moved his family in early July to a village nearly 650 miles away. He is deeply concerned for the Christians he left behind because of pressure from villagers to abandon their faith. Please pray… Pray that the Lord will heal Pastor Bharati physically and emotionally and encourage his heart. Pray that the Lord will provide for his family’s material needs. Pray that the Christian […]

2/4/2021  India  (Morningstar News) Leela Bai, eight months pregnant, rushed outside a house she was visiting in central India after hearing the commotion of a Hindu extremist mob attacking tribal Christians. The mob pushed her down and kicked her stomach until she fell unconscious, and later that evening she miscarried on the way to a hospital – which declined to give her any care. Accusing the tribal Christians of converting people, the 30 Hindu extremists were carrying wooden batons and stones as they attacked the Christians. The tribal Christians said they suspect the assailants were members of a Hindu extremist politics party associated with the Indian government’s current ruling party. Because of intense political pressure, when the police arrived, they took the side of the assailants, as did the hospital workers at the hospitals Leela was taken to. Several hospitals refused to accept Leela for treatment, and the one that did did not treat her injuries in any way. In the morning, she was told her to leave the hospital. Please pray… Pray for the Lord’s healing for Leela — both physical and emotional. Pray that the tribal Christians will not lose heart, but that the Lord will comfort, encourage and […]

12/10/20 India (Morningstar News) The last thing pastor Shelton Vishwanathan recalled happening before he lost consciousness in a village in northeast India was Hindu extremists threatening to offer him as a sacrifice to their god as they beat his head. After radical Hindus stopped him and told him to quit handing out tracts, one of them took his scooter keys and phone and signaled the others to attack him. When he regained consciousness, he found himself locked in a dark room. He shouted for help but no one came. He had no food or water for seven days. Eventually, an elderly woman who lives nearby heard his cries and unlocked the door, and he managed to find his way home on foot. He has decided not to press charges against his attackers. Violence against Christians in this region have increased in the past two years, with attacks on house churches and pastors happening weekly. Despite all he has been through, Pastor Vishwanathan plans to continue distributing tracts. Please pray… Pray for complete healing for Pastor Vishwanathan. Pray that the Lord will provide for all his needs, including a new scooter and phone. Pray that his church members will not lose heart […]