Ramez Atallah the General Director of The Bible Society of Egypt writes, ‘Now when they had departed - behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.’ (Mat. 2:13) For many centuries Egyptians have been proud that when God’s Son needed refuge He came to their land for shelter and security. Today as the bright sunshine of the Arab Spring is being overshadowed by darkening clouds of the Arab Fall many Christians and moderate Muslims are seeking to flee from Egypt for freedom.’ For Ramez comments regarding ‘why Islamist parties have a majority of the votes’ and ‘unprecedented breakthroughs for the gospel’ in Egypt click the 'More' button for encouragement and prayer.

Pray: for God to continue to flood his Egyptian church with the love of Christ, that casts out all fear. (1 Jn. 4:18)

More: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/829923/8286a76943/1566502707/71f8713e24/

Thousands of people turned out to pay their final respects to Pope Shenouda III, the leader of Egypt’s Coptic Christians for the last 40 years. The funeral was held today at the Cathedral of St Mark in the Abbasiya suburb of Cairo. A day of national mourning has been declared and Copts were given time off work to pay their respects. Throngs of people have lined up to see Pope Shenouda’s body, which has been on display in the cathedral since his death on Saturday, at the age of 88. His death comes at a time of heightened tensions with Muslims and there were concerns that the turnout of large numbers of Christians onto the streets of Cairo would trigger unrest. Pope Shenouda’s four decades at the helm of the Church were marked by increasing restrictions on Christians and hostility from more radical Islamist elements.

Pray: for God’s anointing on the appointment of Pope Shenouda III’s successor. (Ex.29:7)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/funeral.held.in.cairo.for.coptic.pope.shenouda.iii/29504.htm

Egyptian Christians request our prayers for Parliamentary elections within the current context of protest, violence and lack of security. Christians are concerned that the pattern of protest and violent response is nurturing an environment of indifference towards violence, including sectarian violence. Christians continue to be a vulnerable group, disproportionately affected by the lack of security in Egypt, fearing the current climate of intimidation, violence and instability could lead to fewer Christians voting, which would impact their representation in Parliament. Also Christians are concerned that if some parties achieve power they intend to restrict freedom of expression and the religious freedom of minority communities. Although most parties have pledged to fight against sectarianism and discrimination, Christians fear that some parties, likely to have significant representation, would not honour such pledges. Please pray that the elections which are undetaken in stages on 10 March next year, will be conducted in a peaceful environment, in a fair manner, and that all Egyptians, including Christians, will have confidence in the process.

Pray: for an end to violence and for all political parties to uphold current commitments on freedoms of belief and expression.(Pr.2:20-22)

More: http://www.meconcern.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=464:egypt-concerns-of-christians-ahead-of-electio

A Cairo court has ruled the government must destroy all tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, a route for smuggled weapons and a lifeline for Palestinians. Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood has close ties with the Hamas movement that runs Gaza. Many Egyptians fear the enclave is a security risk for Egypt. The national security adviser said Egypt will not tolerate the two-way flow of smuggled arms through the tunnels that is destabilising its Sinai peninsula. Also this week for the first time since the dawn of Catholic and Protestant missions in the 17th and 18th centuries Egypt’s Christians formally stand united as the heads of the five largest denominations - Coptic Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, and Anglican - created Egypt's first Council of Churches. In recent decades, tension has dominated ecumenical relations with theological disputes, and accusations against minority denominations as sheep stealers. See: http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2013/02/egypts-five-largest-denominations-unite-for-first-time-egyptian-council-of-churches.html

Pray: for the light of Christ to shine on and be in every decision made by Egypt’s leaders at this time of transition. (1Tim.2:2)

More: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/02/201322619219970812.html

Egypt's Islamist-led parliament reconvened Tuesday - challenging the generals who dissolved it last month. The Supreme Court ruled the newly elected, Islamist president illegally summoned the assembly, heightening a confrontation between the head of state and an establishment that had served Hosni Mubarak. Muslim Brotherhood officials questioned the court's right to rule against the president's decree and vowed to fight on. Egypt's troubled transition to democracy is increasingly being fought in the courts, but that masks a much deeper conflict with an establishment rooted in six decades of military rule. In a war of attrition that may play out over years, Islamists are seeking to push generals out of politics and reform a wider establishment still filled with Mubarak-era officials. More battles lie ahead, such as a debate over the writing of a new constitution.

Pray: for any legal struggles around the constitution and the law to be peaceful and result in an open and fair society for all Egypt’s citizens. (Ps.19:7)

More: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-parliament-set-meet-defying-army-044341899.html

Many Coptic Christians in Egypt have reacted gloomily to Mohamed Morsi’s election, fearing they could suffer with an Islamist in power. Representing over 10 percent of the population, the Christian community already complains of discrimination and has been the target of many violent attacks. However, one senior Christian told Euronews of his satisfaction at the democratic process, after decades of military leaders. ‘Thanks to the people’s will, it is really the first time that Egypt has chosen a civilian president in 60 years,’ said Coptic Archbishop Salib Matta Sawiris, explaining that since the July 23 Revolution in the 1950s, all of the country’s presidents have come from the military. In the election run-off, Christians overwhelmingly backed Morsi’s rival, former general Ahmed Shafik. While some in the Christian community might now fear for their freedom and safety, others seem willing to give the new president a chance.

Pray: for the new regime in Egypt that it will learn to work together in peace fully with the military. (Ps.133:1)

More: http://www.euronews.com/2012/06/25/egypt-coptic-christians-wary-of-islamist-president/

Coptic Christians are 11-15% of Egypt’s population and the largest Christian community in the Middle East. The Zabbaleen, known in Arabic as ‘the garbage collectors,’ are the largest single concentration of Egyptian Coptics (70,000). For eight generations they have been Cairo’s unofficial trash collectors, living in harsh conditions harvesting garbage from streets and businesses and transporting it to their communities in the hills where it is sorted and sold. Father Samaan Ibrahim presides over the Zabbaleen’s ‘garbage city. His church has supported many of the social services vital to the Zabbaleen people since the 1970’s. Like many in Egypt Samaan is uneasy about the future. Sectarian attacks have increased over the past year and conditions in the community have not improved since the fall of Hosni Mubarak’s government. ‘We are awaiting the new constitution that we might expect something good for us in it, especially the article concerning building churches in Egypt,’ he says. The building or repair of churches is outlawed.

Pray: for those who are and may become leaders in Egypt to represent the values of a society which God can bless; and for positive reforms for Christians.(1Tim. 2:1-2)

More: http://www.rescuechristians.org/2012/03/20/egypt-the-zabbaleen-who-live-in-garbage-city-are-coptic-christians/ Article

In the wake of the high-profile case of Rimsha Masih, a 14-year-old Pakistani Christian girl arrested for allegedly blaspheming the Qur'an, two Coptic Christian boys face similar accusations in Egypt this week. Nabil Nagy Rizk, 10, and Mina Nady Farag, 9, were arrested Wednesday for insulting Islam, but the attorney general ordered both boys to be released the next day ‘due to their young age.’ Both families agreed to return to court for questioning, but the boys

previously had been placed in a juvenile detention centre to await their hearing on Sunday. The village imam accused the children of tearing up pages of the Qur'an. Other reports say the boys also urinated on the pages, but the police chief said no one witnessed this incident. According to Ahram Online, Nabil's father Nagy Rizk says the boys are illiterate and did not know the content of the papers which they found in a bag near a pile of street trash.

Pray: for the protection of vulnerable young people from apparent false accusations. (Ex.20:16)

More: http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2012/10/coptic_children.html

Christians and rights activists expressed frustration over spreading anti-Christian violence in Egypt after another Church was destroyed by Muslims in an attack that slightly injured several believers. Hundreds threw stones then set fire to 20 year old St. Georgas Coptic Church which ministered to 200 families. Local Muslims claimed the church was ‘illegal’ and needed demolishing because of its close location to a largely Muslim neighbourhood. Recently ‘reconciliation’ meetings were arranged over similar persecution attacks. These are traditional forms of conflict resolution arranged by authorities to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians. An independent advocacy group said ‘The rights of Christians, which are now practically nonexistent in Egypt, are all but taken from them at compulsory reconciliation meetings. By their very nature meetings are used to excuse those responsible for attacks and shift blame onto victims, contributing to Egypt’s climate of impunity and encouraging further assaults.’

Pray: Egyptian officials would fairly and honestly investigate attacks on Christians and Church buildings. (Mt.16:18)

More: http://vineoflife.net/2013/02/19/egypt-christians-tense-after-muslim-mob-destroys-church/