VOM News and Prayer Update: November 6, 2007

"Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him." (Ephesians 1:9-10)

ISRAEL
Church Set on Fire - Compass Direct News
On October 23, suspected arsonists set fire to the Narkis Street Baptist Church, in Western Jerusalem. According to Compass Direct News, the arsonists forcibly entered the building through a side door and set three fires in the sanctuary. The fire damaged 60 chairs and also caused smoke and water damage in the building. Compass News reported that although the police had not yet determined those responsible for the attack, it was suspected they were Jewish militants. According to Pastor Victor Blum, the leader of a Russian Messianic Jewish congregation that meets in the building, an anti-missionary organization named "Yad L'Achim" has threatened him and his congregation over the past few years. The group opposes the church's local evangelistic work and claims that the believers are members of a "dangerous sect." Pray God gives these believers boldness to stand against this attack. Pray the testimony of Christians in Israel will draw the attackers and other nonbelievers into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Joshua 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:7

INDIA
Five Nuns Beaten; Militants Attack Church Service - VOM Sources

• MADHYA PRADESH - On October 25, five nuns were beaten by 20 Hindu militants in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The militants surrounded the house of a local believer, where the nuns were attending a prayer meeting, and accused the nuns of forcibly converting local Hindus to Christianity. When the meeting was over, the militants attacked and beat them until the police arrived and took the nuns to safety. All five nuns were injured, and one is in serious condition due to head injuries she sustained in the attack. Pray God encourages them as they heal from their injuries. Psalm 107:20
• MAHARASHTRA - On October 23, Pastor Victor Periera and a group of local villagers were beaten by Hindu militants. The militants were angered because the pastor had organized prayer meetings attended by Hindu tribes in the Thane district of Maharashtra state. Pastor Periera was conducting a prayer service at a local church when the attackers stormed the building. The attackers shouted curses at Christianity and beat the pastor and several believers. The pastor's rib was broken in the attack. Pray for Pastor Periera's healing. Ask God to give believers in India boldness to share Christ with nonbelievers, despite persecution. Psalm 91:16

COLOMBIA
Evangelical Pastor Killed - Associated Press
Pastor Diego Armando Bejarano, 27, was killed recently in the region west of Bogotá. Witnesses say hooded men took Bejarano by force and stabbed him. The motives for the killing are unknown; however, it is common knowledge guerrillas groups view Protestant pastors who encroach on territory under their control as military objectives. In the last 10 years, guerrillas have assassinated 133 pastors, Protestant missionaries and Catholic priests, according to the Evangelical Council of Colombia. Ask God to encourage and minister to the pastor's family and church as they mourn. Pray his testimony draws his attackers and nonbelievers into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Matthew 5:4


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