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Churches in India have called for a three-day hunger strike July 25th, 26th and a rally to Parliament on the 27th demanding Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Christians and Muslims. It is a matter of great concern for the Church in India that its own people who belong to the Dalit community are denied Scheduled Caste status, the National Council of Churches in India statement said. NCCI along with Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India have taken many initiatives but now realize it's imperative to step on the gas to achieve the goal. Christians of Scheduled Caste Origin have been seeking the right for equal Constitutional provisions on par with Dalits of the country. The campaign coordinators have obtained the letters of support for the cause from major political parties except the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Pray: for a fair Constitutional mandate that will allow Christian and Muslim Dalits Scheduled Cast status. (Ex.23:6)
Two days ago the athletes village faulty infrastructure was highlighted when a bridge collapsed injuring 23 workers. On 31st July India Sports News and the Times of India reported New Delhi officials uncovering evidence of corruption in construction projects and illegal cash transfers for contractors developing the site. Officials of India's Government Watchdog reported construction quality certificates scrutinized in 16 games-related projects had turned out to be fake or suspect. Also another corruption scandal over money being transferred from the Commonwealth Games account to a little-known film company based in London was discovered in July.’ see The BBC reported, ‘From the time of winning the bid New Delhi was accused of influencing the voting in its favour by offering cash inducements to Commonwealth member countries and when building work began it was behind schedule and under the control of 20 competing organising committees. 45 workers have died in accidents since work began. See Pray: for an end to this corruption and any other hidden corruption and exploitation, resulting in future safe working conditions, honest dealings and security for the Games. (Is.56:1)
Churches are initiating steps to broker peace and restore harmony in the northeast Indian state of Assam, which has been rocked by bloody clashes between local ethnic Bodo people and Muslim migrants. ‘We have hosted leaders of both communities twice already. We are now preparing a larger meeting of both communities after Ramadan,’ Roman Catholic bishop Thomas Pulloppillil of Bongaigaon diocese that comprises the troubled region, told ENInews on 15 August. The clashes have left 78 dead and over 400,000 refugees. Three dozen leaders of Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran and other Protestant churches had to travel in tractors, motorbikes and even boats to reach relief camps sheltering displaced families in remote areas even as sporadic violence continued. ‘Brokering peace is not an easy task in the present situation. But we are trying our best to restore harmony,’ Benzjlaigra Moshahary of the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church (NELC) and a member of the Inter Church Peace Mission, told ENInews.
Pray: that God will protect His people as they seek to do His will. (Eph.4:3)
Two communities served by Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries could be demolished due to confusion over who owns the land. Church buildings, hundreds of homes and medical clinics in North West India have been served with eviction notices to move out in April because ‘their homes and church buildings were built on land that really belongs to the government.’ Most of the people have lived there for 30 years. In one area the residents are poor day labourers and a few government employees. Another area is home to middle class teachers, medical professionals, engineers and businessmen. Residents contend they legally purchased the land from a tribal group selling portions of it off before the state was created. A similar situation recently occurred elsewhere resulting in the demolition of several homes and a church. Pray: for God’s intervention and protection for the believers, their homes, places of worship and work. (Pr.2:6-8) More http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/churches-homes-disputed-land-face-demolition/
Christians have sought protection for a church in Madhya Pradesh state after an anonymous letter threatened to blast it if the Dove World Outreach Centre in Florida went ahead with its plan to burn Qur'ans on Sept. 11 to mark the ninth anniversary of terror attacks in the United States. The letter posted on Aug. 31 threatened to blast the Church of North India’s Bethlehem Church situated in Bhopal, the state capital. The church’s pastor Rev Sanjay Solomon told ucanews.com that the letter would hold the church ‘responsible’ if a Qur'an was burned. The church authorities ‘immediately approached’ the police for protection. Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal said he had already met Muslim leaders in the city soon after media first reported about the Qur’an burning plan early last month. The Archbishop said Christian groups condemn the plan because burning a Holy Book ‘is a serious crime that cannot be pardoned.’ Pray: against such actions that are done in the name of Christ the Prince of Peace. (Lk.10:19) More: http://www.cathnewsindia.com/2010/09/08/church-threatened-over-qur%E2%80%99an-burning/
Archbishop Marampudi Joji of Hyderabad sought police protection for conducting Easter services, particularly the Good Friday procession through public streets. The city witnessed Hindu-Muslim violence in the last week of March and police impossed a curfew in the violence-hit old city areas with propitiatory orders banning assembly of more than five people. Although the flare up was political rather than religion-related the Archbishop told UCA news, ‘We have requested police protection to conduct Holy Week services within our churches.' He also said that Christians in areas where curfew was imposed will ‘find it difficult to attend the Holy Week prayer.’ He has asked some parishes not to have processions and for
congregations to go home quietly after religious ceremonies. Police relaxed curfew in a few areas on April 1 after the situation improved.
Pray: for this and all Easter Christian services in India to be anointed, protected and a prevailing witness to non Believers. (Mt.28:18-20)
More: http://www.ucanews.com/2010/04/01/police-protection-sought-for-holy-wee
Two evangelists said they survived an attack in Madhya Pradesh on July 20th by playing dead when six Hindu extremists surrounded them and severely beat them. The assailants accused Mahindra Kharoley 20, and 30-year-old Munshi Prasaad Bahey of ‘forced conversion.’ The two evangelists were cycling home following a prayer meeting 25 kilometres (15 miles) away when the attackers on motorbikes with their faces covered attacked them at around 10pm. The assailants did not wait for them to respond to the charges of forced conversion before they began hitting and kicking them. ‘We lay motionless and pretended to be dead to escape their fury after they had beaten us about 20 minutes,’ Bahey added, ‘If we had not done so, they would have killed us.’ One of the attackers called another by name, saying, ‘Mahesh, stop hitting them, they are already dead, let’s get out of here.’ Pray: for all hidden and corrupt activity in Hindu fundamentalism to be destroyed and replaced by a widespread Christian revival. (Act.2:17,21) More: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/23231/
A local missionary reported, ‘Suspected Islamic militants killed two Christian teenagers on January 31st because they were reading the Bible in the disputed Kashmir valley. The area lies between India and Muslim Pakistan.’ It is believed the girls were shot by three fighters of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan based Islamic militant ‘terrorist’ group. Their Bible reading was part of an underground house church ministry, one of many projects of mission group Salem Voice Ministries (SVM), which supports evangelism and aid among Muslims and Hindus in India, including underground house churches in Muslim-majority Kashmir. Lashkar-e-Taiba, or the 'Army of the Righteous' seeks to introduce an Islamic state in South Asia and to ‘liberate’ Muslims in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India identified the group as masterminds behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 people. Since the killings local believers are in total fear but they will continue preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pray: for a powerful anointing of all that is needed to fulfil Gods purposes for their work in the area. (Dt.31:12)
Open Doors reported ‘Christians in southern Karnataka State are experiencing an unprecedented wave of persecution, having faced more than 1,000 attacks in 500 days, according to an independent investigation by Justice Michael Saldanha, a former state High Court judge. In the latest attack on 17 March, a mob of 150 people led by the Hindu extremist organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) and its youth wing, Bajrang Dal, stormed the funeral of a 50-year-old Christian identified only as ‘Isaac'. During his funeral, a mob pulled Isaac's coffin apart, threw his body onto a tractor and dumped it outside, saying his burial would have contaminated Indian soil. State authorities have denied the results of the inquiry, saying the number of attacks is significantly less. Many Christians face false charges of fraudulent or forced conversions. In his report, Justice Saldanha states that Christians are regularly ‘dragged to the police station under false allegations, immediately locked up, beaten and denied bail’
Pray: that Karnataka State will have a reliable justice system and that Christians will receive just treatment from the police and law courts. (Jas.1:12)
More: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/india/16634/
A pastor and two other Christians who were attacked by extremists have been charged with 'outraging the religious feelings' of others. Pastor Dilip Chakravarty, Ganga Ram and Shankar Lal of the Church of God in Chhattisgarh have been held at Dhamtari district jail since police arrested them on Aug. 29. Police officers were acting on a complaint made by Hindu extremists who accused the Christians of 'forcible conversion' by offering 'money and false hope'. The extremists had already taken the law into their own hands by launching several attacks on the Christians, which had reportedly left Ganga and Shankar with fractures to their hands and legs. The extremists had also tried to force the pair to return to Hinduism. The three Christians have now been charged with 'deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion'. Local Christian leaders strongly deny the church was involved in 'forcible conversion'. Pray: that Christians would be led by the Holy Spirit and protected from these accusations. (Nu.14:9)