India: Police Interrupt Church over 'Forced Conversions'

ASSIST News Service reports that Karnataka state police barged into a church on Dec. 27, disrupting itsprayer meeting and accusing the church members of forcefully converting locals. According to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), police forced the pastor of India People Ministry Church in Karnataka state to stop the church's prayer service immediately. They allegedly threatened Pastor D.M. Kumar of his arrest if he continued to conduct worship or prayer service in this same location. They also accused the pastor and congregation of "forceful conversion" and verbally abused the pastor for conducting a worship and prayer service "without government permission."

Three churches attacked in Tamil Nadu, India

Window of the church in Sulur Photo from GCIC

Three church buildings were attacked within two days in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. On November 29, a bomb exploded at a church in Thammathukonam, badly damaging the building's wall. Later that day, a statue of St. Francis Xavier was desecrated by militants in Konamkade while the local congregation was preparing for an Advent procession. The next day, a group of Hindu militants broke the windows of a church building in Sulur and threw stones inside. A bag containing a container of petrol, a diesel can and cotton scraps was later found, suggesting that the attackers intended to set the building on fire.

Pray that Christians in Tamil Nadu will not give in to fear over these attacks but continue to be bold witnesses for Jesus. Pray that the perpetrators of this violence will be brought to justice.

Click here to find out more about how Christians suffer in India

SOMALIA -- Christian Leader Killed

On Sept. 28 an Islamic extremist shot and killed Mariam Muhina Hussein, an underground church leader, after discovering six Bibles in her possession, according to Compass Direct News. The day before the shooting, a leader of the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab reportedly sent his wife to visit Hussein's home in Marerey villange. She pretended she was interested in learning about Christianity...
Read the full story here

Update: Fushan church leaders detained by officials in China

Fushan Church after the destruction Photo from ChinaAid

Nine church leaders of the Fushan Church in Linfen City, China were seized by Shanxi Public Security Bureau officials on September 25, according to a September 29 report from ChinaAid. The leaders were travelling to Beijing to seek justice from the central government for the September 13 attack on their church site (click here for more information) when they were apprehended without warrant. Following the arrest, officials confiscated church-owned property such as computers and televisions, terming them "illegal materials," and placed the church's other leaders and members under house arrest and constant surveillance. The next day, state military police were stationed inside the church building to prevent believers from entering or holding services. More than 30 daughter churches nearby have also been prohibited from gathering together for worship. At last report, the whereabouts and condition of the detained Christians were unknown.

China- Believers Assaulted, Church Destroyed.

On Sept. 13, a mob of more than 400 people, including Chinese officials, barged into the Good News Cloth Shoes Factory on the site of the Fushan Church building in Linfin City, Shanxi province, according to China Aid Association.
Read the full story here

Anglican Head Urges Protection for Iranian Refugees

Agence France-Presse reports that the Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has called on the U.S. andIraq to do more to protect Iranian refugees. The head of the Church of England said Sunday that Iranian refugees trapped at Camp Ashraf northeast of Baghdad "constitute a humanitarian and human rights issue of real magnitude and urgency". "There is a strong argument in terms of international law that the Ashraf residents are 'protected persons'," he said in a statement. Eleven people were killed when Iraqi forces raided the camp in July. "Both the government of Iraq and the government of the United States -- as the agency responsible for the transfer of the residents to another jurisdiction -- have an obligation to secure the rights of these residents and to defend them from violence or abuse," he said.

Nigerians Elect New Anglican Primate

Religion News Service reports that a retired Army lieutenant colonel-turned-priest has been elected the new primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, one of the largest provinces in the Anglican Communion. The Rev. Nicholas Orogbodo Okoh, 57, will lead Nigeria's 20 million Anglicans following next year's retirement ofArchbishop Peter Akinola, who has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Episcopal Church's acceptance of homosexuality. Okoh was elected on Tuesday (Sept. 15) by the country's Anglican bishops, and is expected to follow Akinola's strong opposition to the ordination of women and homosexuals. "I am grateful to God and to the Church of Nigeria, particularly our laymen, clergy andHouse of Bishops, for thinking that I can do it,"Okoh said in his acceptance speech. "It is a lot of confidence reposed in me, and I pray to God not to allow me to fail."