Belarus:
Belarus saw the largest protest in its history as citizens congregated in Minsk over the weekend. Some have estimated as many as 200,000 people took part in the demonstrations. (For more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/christians-provide-hope-for-belarus/ to read for further news by Kevin Zeller, 25th Aug 2020 – from Mission News Network)
Maldives:
Challenge for Prayer:
The Maldivians are still among the least evangelized on earth. Neither mission work nor Christian literature has ever been allowed. Paradoxically, the government denies the existence of Christianity among Maldivians while arresting those who do believe. The perception of Christianity is so bad (largely due to Western media and tourist immorality) that political opponents use the term “Christian” to slander one another. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec12#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 23rd Aug 2020)
Iraq:
Senior officials met in Washington this week to discuss the future of U.S.-Iraq ties. The in-person meetings are a follow-up to virtual sessions in June. (For more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/believers-iraq-face-new-challenges-with-fewer-options/ to read for further news by Katey Hearth, 21st Aug 2020 – from Mission News Network)
India:
Monsoon season in India is wreaking havoc on villages already staggering under the weight of a global pandemic. India’s monsoon season typically lasts from June to September. In the last three months, nearly 900 people have been killed by floods and landslides in India due to heavy rainfall.
(For
more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/displaced-in-a-pandemic-indian-monsoon-victims-encouraged-by-christians/
to read for further news by Lyndsey Koh, 21st Aug 2020 – from Mission News
Network)
Iran:
Iran’s crackdown on truth grows more severe. A member of Iran’s coronavirus task force recently told reporters the COVID-19 toll could be 20 times higher than official figures. The next day, state officials closed down the newspaper that published his quote. (For more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/covid-19-and-christianity-surge-in-iran/ to read for further news by Katey Hearth, 12th Aug 2020 – from Mission News Network)
Lebanon – Beirut Blast:
Lebanon has entered a period of national mourning after a massive explosion tore through the city, leaving a smoldering crater in the city’s port. The government has declared a two-week state of emergency and has begun investigating the source of the explosion. Do pray for people of Lebanon to find freedom from the oppressive corruption that has shrouded the country for so long. (For more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/lebanon-mourns-the-deadly-beirut-explosion/ to read for further news by Kevin Zeller 7th Aug 2020 – from Mission News Network)
“I’ve never seen Beirut like that,” says Wissam Nasrallah of the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development. “Parts of the city lie in apocalyptic ruin.” LSESD is located on the outskirts of the city of Beirut, where yesterday a massive explosion crippled the port. The resulting shockwave shattered glass all across the city. The death toll has reached 137, with 4,000 wounded. Many more are still missing. Do pray that people in Lebanon will get the food and medical supplies they need following the explosion. Do pray for the Church in Lebanon to bear witness to the hope of Christ, even in the midst of this tragedy. (For more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/beirut-lies-in-ruins-after-massive-explosion/ to read for further news by Kevin Zeller 6th Aug 2020 – from Mission News Network)
Shock remains in Lebanon following yesterday’s catastrophic blast in Beirut. The explosion shook buildings hundreds of feet away, and the death toll continues to rise. Do pray alongside believers in Lebanon as they face yet another challenging situation. Do pray that they will demonstrate the hope of Christ in word and deed.
(For more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/believers-grapple-with-beirut-blast-aftermath/ to read for further news by Katey Hearth 5th Aug 2020 – from Mission News Network)
Russia:
Do pray for the Gospel to go forth unhindered by political upheaval in Russia. Ask God to protect Christians in Russia from COVID-19 and other health threats. Do pray for justice would be done in this Russian political situation.
(For more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/russians-protest-putins-interference-with-local-government/ to read for further news by Kevin Zeller 29th July 2020 – from Mission News Network)
Russia:
“I’m already a Christian.” This is the response Christians in partnership with Slavic Gospel Association often hear when they share the Gospel with families in the former Soviet Union
(For more info, do click onto this link – https://www.mnnonline.org/news/religious-nationalism-a-barrier-to-the-gospel-in-the-former-soviet-union/ to read for further news by Kevin Zeller 8th July 2020 – from Mission News Network)
Indonesia – Java:
Challenge for Prayer:
The creeping Islamization of Indonesia is eroding religious freedom and the long-prevailing communal tolerance. Islam itself is remarkably varied – the santri puritanical Islam; the abangan, a more Sufist interpretation heavily influenced by pre-Islamic Javanese mysticism; the Islam of modern secular-moderate Muslims.
(For more info, do click onto this link – http://www.operationworld.org/jul06#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 6th July 2020)
Indonesia – Sumatra:
Challenge for Prayer:
Sumatra is the largest unevangelized island on earth. Most of its largest people groups are staunchly Muslim; many others practice folk Islam.
(For more info, do click onto this link – http://www.operationworld.org/jul05#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 5th July 2020)
Venezuela
About 80% of the population live along the Caribbean coastal belt in the north; the centre and south are’ grasslands and tropical forest. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec16#prayer & http://operationworld.org/dec17#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 16th & 17th Dec 2012)
Vanuatu:
Answer to Prayer:
Thousands have turned to Christ, coming out of the “John Frum” cargo cults, despite these groups forbidding contact with Christians and the gospel. (These cults emerged from WWII and a belief that loads of supplies on ships and planes would come from “John from” America.) Recent work by Presbyterians, the JESUS film and WBT sees a new wave of over 7,000 positive responses to the good news. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec15#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 15th Dec 2012)
Uzbekistan:
Challenges for Prayer:
Expatriate Christians serving the Lord in Uzbekistan have almost all been expelled and foreign agencies shut down – a mixed blessing as it forces the indigenous Church to unite, mature and stand firm. Do pray for those whom the Lord has called to minister to Uzbeks to find ways and places to serve them and win them to Christ. The unreached – only a small fraction of the Muslim majority have ever had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Almost every Muslim people group is less than 0.1% Christian.
(For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec14#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 13th Dec 2012)
Uzbekistan is the strategic key to Central Asia, hence the intensifying struggle between the post-Soviet regime and the Islamist movements. The government’s “iron fist” policy is not deterring thousands of jobless young men from joining these movements. But much of the population is torn between these two and tired of the poverty, corruption and failure to progress. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec13#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 13th Dec 2012)
Uruguay:
Challenge for Prayer:
Lack of knowledge of God gives opening to a spirit of error. Afro-Brazilian Spiritism is the fastest growing religion in Uruguay. The largest non-Catholic religious bodies are cults and sects of questionable orthodoxy. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec12#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 12th Dec 2012)
USA:
Challenge for Prayer:
Hispanics are now the US’s largest minority. Predominantly from Mexico, they have immigrated in huge numbers, not always legally. Around 68% are Catholic, but 23% of Hispanics are Protestant or Independent, and this number is growing rapidly. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec11#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 11th Dec 2012)
The American Church needs revival – not the slick mass evangelism and theatrics associated with the word, but true revival with conviction of sin, repentance and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec08#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 10th Dec 2012)
America’s Christian legacy is undeniable and foundational to its identity. The Pilgrim Fathers were determined to establish a land in which they were free to exercise their Christian faith. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec09#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 9th Dec 2012)
US Christians have pioneered and generously supported missions on a massive scale for more than a century. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec08#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 8th Dec 2012)
USA:
Challenge for Prayer:
Student ministries continue to play a vital role. (For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec07#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 7th Dec 2012)
United Kingdom:
Challenge for Prayer:
The growing ethnic-minority populations form a significant part of UK urban life. Some cities have large minority populations; in some areas, specific ethnic-minority communities form the largest single group.
(For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec06#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 6th Dec 2012)
United Kingdom:
Britain’s contribution to world evangelization and the Protestant missions’ movement in the last 220 years is unique, but interest is waning as the Church weakens. Fewer’ than one in six Protestant churches has missionaries serving on the field. Widespread misconceptions are that the job is largely completed or that efforts should be concentrated on Britain’s needs.
Scotland:
Challenge for Prayer:
Revivals in past centuries, localized revivals of the northeast coast in 1925 and Lewis in the Hebrides in the 1950s – as well as notable missionaries such as David Livingstone, Robert Moffatt, Mary Slessor and Eric Liddell – brought blessing to Scotland and the world. May new revivals and a new wave of God’s servants make a great impact on this land; 27.5% of Scots claimed no religion in the last census.
Wales:
Challenge for Prayer:
Wales struggles to preserve its own language and culture. About 22% of the population speaks Welsh, and Welsh-language education is flourishing. With ageing congregations, however, the decline in Welsh-speaking churches is dramatic.
(For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec05#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 5th Dec 2012)
U:K;
Challenge for Prayer:
Students in higher education are exposed to great pressures. A largely godless, consumeristic and hedonistic younger generation is being formed by the secular system. Less than 2% of students are actively involved in church.
(For
more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec04#prayer to read for further news by Operation World
Prayer News, 4th Dec 2012)
United Arab Emirates:
Answer to Prayer:
Increased
numbers of people coming to Christ from other backgrounds; This is shifting
from a trickle to a flow as more and more Arabs, South Asians, East Asians and
others meet Jesus in a personal way. Some ministers are overwhelmed by
responses to the gospel – praise God for such a challenge!
(For
more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec03#prayer
to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 3rd Dec 2012)
Ukraine:
Challenges for Prayer:
Expatriate
agencies – Light in the East, SGA, SEND, IMB and others faithfully served the
persecuted church before 1989 and continue to do so today.
(For more info, do click onto this link – http://operationworld.org/dec01#prayer to read for further news by Operation World Prayer News, 1st Dec 2012)
