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Persecution Watch: Pray for Believers in India

(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us tonight in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.

INDIA: Population: 1.4 million, Christians 71 million

India is the largest democracy in the world – but Christians in many parts of the nation find themselves increasingly under threat. In 2023, persecution against Christians in India hit headlines. In early January, riots against believers broke out in Chhattisgarh, where gangs of armed Hindu extremists went door to door and assaulted believers. In May, ethno-religious clashes in Manipur have shaken the region and the country, disproportionately impacting Christians; the violence left 400 churches in ashes and 50,000 believers displaced.

This hostility in India is often driven by an ongoing belief among some Hindu extremists that Indians ought to be Hindu, and any faith outside of Hinduism is not welcome in India. This mindset has led to violent attacks across the country and impunity for the people who perpetrate this violence, especially in places where the authorities are also Hindu hardliners. Church leaders are particularly vulnerable.

More and more states are also implementing anti-conversion laws. These purport to prevent forced conversion away from Hinduism but, in reality, create an environment where any Christian who shares their faith can be accused of a crime, intimidated or assaulted. There is no equivalent law about coerced conversion to Hinduism, and there are mass ‘homecoming’ campaigns in which Hindu nationalists put tremendous pressure on Christian converts from Hinduism, telling them to return to their previous faith.

How are anti-conversion laws abused in India?

Any Christian who does convert from Hinduism is the most likely to come under intense pressure or even violence. They can face constant pressure to renounce their new faith, face job loss/discrimination, endure physical assaults, and even be murdered. Church leaders are also in danger in many parts of India: extremists target them (along with their families) to create fear and chaos in the Christian community.

Particularly in rural communities, men can also face an economic ‘boycott’, losing access to shared agricultural labor pools in villages. Additionally, since men are traditionally the primary earners in Indian families, this kind of persecution can result in the impoverishment of the entire family.

Prayer Points

  • Pray to the Lord for India’s general elections. That the results of this month’s elections will improve the situation for Christians and will help to create better conditions.
  • Pray to the Lord that elections will be favorable for religious freedom. If the pro Hindu movement wins more, most likely more anti-conversion laws will be passed which will put Christians in difficulties and anger.
  • Pray to the Lord for fair and peaceful elections and that people will not be deceived by propaganda and that all Christians will be bold to exercise their right to vote.
  • Pray to the Lord that He will hold His hands over these elections. Pray that elections will not be manipulated to discredit Christianity and accuse believers.
  • Pray to the Lord that the elected government will work for the welfare of all people, especially Christians.
  • Pray to the Lord to give strength and favors to pastors and leaders to preach the gospel undeterred by election results.
  • Pray to the Lord for the 11 million election workers who will ensure the integrity of the polling stations and that every eligible Indian can vote.
  • Pray to the Lord that our Indian brothers and sisters will be ”anxious for nothing“ and will experience his peace and comfort in these times of fear and uncertainty.
  • This month is the one-year anniversary of the violence that erupted in Manipur state between Kuki and Meitei tribes. Pray to the Lord for comfort to the families of the Christians killed in the attacks.
  • Pray to the Lord for the 50,000 Manipur Christians who were forced to flee from their homes to escape attacks and the many who remain displaced that they sense we are praying for them.
  • Pray to the Lord for Christian house church leaders who face beatings, face accusations and destruction of their homes. Ask the Lord to protect and strengthen them.
  • Pray to the Lord for churches that have been closed by Hindy extremists. Pray that they can gather one day and that the Lord will lead them in the meantime to new faith communities.
  • Pray to the Lord that He will build His church and that all powers of hell will not conquer it.

Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:    

  • Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
  • Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
  • Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family and for the church.
  • Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here.
  • The Harvest: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

Andy, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Moderator 

Please forward prayer points to your church, prayer groups and others who will pray.

Prayer Conference Call Details

Monday through Saturday, 6 nights a week

USA Time Zone:

9:00 PM Eastern

8:00 PM Central

7:00 PM Mountain

6:00 PM Pacific

Call in number: (667) 770-1476

Access Code: 281207#

MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and uncomplicated way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD, you can instantly dial into a conference call via a 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes

If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.

What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to join the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today

Iranians’ Stunning Response to Islamic Government’s Attack on Israel

Tehran, Iran

(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us, tonight, in a prayer conference call hosted by Persecution Watch.

(CBN) On Friday, explosions echoed through the air in Iran, just days after the Muslim-majority country launched some 300 missiles into Israeli airspace — a marked escalation for a country that has, historically, attacked the Jewish state only via proxies, like the Gaza-based terrorist cell Hamas.

Tehran, though, is downplaying the reported Israeli attacks. Jerusalem hasn’t taken responsibility for the explosions, which caused no casualties or injuries, but it’s believed the drone attack came from Israel. Regardless, Iran has not indicated any plans to respond, likely in hopes of avoiding a region-wide war.

There are some Iranians, however, who see war as the only way forward — and not because they oppose Israel, but because they are victims of their own corrupt government, and they see outside forces like the Jewish nation as the only way to topple the evil regime lording over them.

Lily Meschi of Iran Alive Ministries appeared on a recent episode of CBN’s “Faith vs. Culture,” where she revealed what she’s hearing from Iranians on the ground in the Middle East.

Born in Tehran to a nominally Muslim family, Meschi is well acquainted with the feelings of many in the Middle East. Now a Christian, she works closely with Iranians as she shares the Gospel in the region and collaborates with believers in the Islamic nation.

Please watch the video below.

“The Iranian government is totally separated from the citizens,” Meschi said. “The Iranian people are not for the government; they want the government to be toppled. They want to overturn this government, and they are seeking for democracy. Some of them — as heart-wrenching as a war could be — are looking forward to a war. They are saying, ‘We want Israel to attack Iran, because this might be the answer we’re looking for. We’re not living, but we’re just all surviving every single day.’”

She went on to explain many older Iranians she’s spoken to have told her they would “rather die in a war” so the “next generation [can] live a better life of freedom and democracy.”

“Some of them are saying, ‘This could be the answer that we’re looking for, because no matter how many protests, how many people gather in the streets of Iran to protest against the government, they’re not going anywhere,’” Meschi said. “They don’t get support from any other countries. … They feel hopeless, and they feel like this is not life, [so they] might as well do something for the next generation.”

Please join us on the prayer conference call tonight.

For His Kingdom,

Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader

Prayer Conference Call Details

6 nights a week, Monday through Saturday, on your phone

USA Time Zone:

9:00 PM Eastern

8:00 PM Central

7:00 PM Mountain

6:00 PM Pacific

Call in number: (667) 770-1476

Access Code: 281207#

MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes

If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.

What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church was moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.

Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.

Pray for Central Asian “Stan” Republics

(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us tonight in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.

In the 13th century, this territory was conquered by the Mongol Empire and Genghis Khan.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, these nations painfully changed.  Most ethnic Europeans left for Russia or Ukraine.

Tajikistan

10 million people: 96% Islam, 1% Christian

There is extensive corruption and violations of human rights, including torture, arbitrary imprisonment, worsening political repression, and a lack of religious freedom.

Tajik adherents of ISIS were part of assaults in Russia, Iran, Turkey, and foiled plots in Europe.

Tajikistan ranks among the world’s poorest countries.

Kazakhstan

18.9 million people, Islam 69%, Christian 17%

Human rights organizations have described the Kazakh government as authoritarian, and regularly describe Kazakhstan’s human rights situation as poor.

Uzbekistan – similar

Turkmenistan – similar

Kyrgyzstan – similar

Prayer Points

Tajikistan – Curbs on religious freedom include forcibly shaving beards in public, and hijabs torn off. Recently, society is pressuring the Christian minority to hide in the closet.

  • Pray that the government would ignore Christian believers.

The ISIS Terror Group ISIS-K draws half its recruits from tiny Tajikistan.

  • Pray Tajiks would be radical for Jesus, rather than for terrorism.

In Tajikistan, Men under 18 and women are banned from praying in mosques, and group religious instruction at home is forbidden.

  • Pray that in this vacuum Tajiks will consider the claims of Christ.

Praise – In Kazakhstan there has been church growth. Almost 0 evangelicals in 1990 to 15 thousand in 2010. 

  • Pray the church continues to grow and mature!

Most people in the ‘Stan republics follow a version of Islam strongly influenced by shamans and indigenous practices.

  • Pray that Muslim extremism would not gain a foothold.

New oil wealth goes to an elite few, but many live in poverty.

  • As new “Stan” identities grow, alongside Muslim identity, pray that minority rights be respected.

Need for Mercy Ministries. There is a lot of brokenness in these nations.  People who lose their documents sometimes are forced to live in garbage dumps.

  • Pray Christian ministries are allowed to help!
  • Pray for the power of Christ to break through alcoholism, drug use, and broken families.

Nearly 100 people were killed in the recent border clash between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

  • Pray for protection to our brothers and sisters living in these nations
  • Pray for access to Bibles, Christian literature, and training.

Many Christians are from the ethnic Russians or belong to the Orthodox church, the same people who emigrate to other nations.

  • Pray for new believers from the Asian majorities.
  • Pray for cultural bridges between different ethnic groups and languages.  We are all one in Christ!

Converts from Islam face retribution from the government, Immans, family and neighbors.

  • Pray for Holy Spirit grace.

Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:    

  • Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
  • Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
  • Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family and for the church.
  • Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here.
  • The Harvest: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

Michael Laird, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Moderator 

Please forward prayer points to your church, prayer groups and others who will pray.

Prayer Conference Call Details

7 nights a week on your phone

USA Time Zone:

9:00 PM Eastern

8:00 PM Central

7:00 PM Mountain

6:00 PM Pacific

Call in number: (667) 770-1476

Access Code: 281207#

MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and uncomplicated way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD, you can instantly dial into a conference call via a 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes

If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.

What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to join the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.

Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.

Pray for the Christians in China 

(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us, tonight, in a prayer conference call hosted by Persecution Watch.

Chen Yu released on parole from prison two years early

(Jinhua, Zhejiang Province – April 17, 2024) On April 4, 2024, Christian Chen Yu, who was sentenced to seven years in prison and heavily fined for “illegal business operations” for selling Christian books online, was granted parole from Jinhua Prison and returned his home in Linhai, 2 years and 5 months early. Because he is on parole, he is not allowed to leave his place of residence in Linhai after returning home. More than a dozen Christians from various places and Chen Yu’s mother, Zheng Jinmei, went to Jinhua together to pick up Chen Yu and bring him home.

Verdict announced: Elder Hao Ming and Wu Jiannan found guilty of fraud

(Deyang, Sichuan Province – April 18, 2024) On April 9, 2024, the Jingyang District People’s Court in Deyang City, Sichuan Province, tried the case of Elder Hao Ming and Elder Wu Jiannan of Deyang Qingcaodi Reformed Church, who were accused of “fraud.” Elder Hao Ming was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years, and fined ¥30,000 yuan (~$4,148 U.S. dollars). Elder Wu Jiannan was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for five years, fined ¥30,000 yuan, and required to return ¥100,130 yuan (~$13,845 U.S. dollars) of offerings given to his family by the church.

Son struggles with the pressure of having both parents imprisoned

(Beijing – April 15, 2024) Beijing human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan’s son, Yu Zhenyang, have once again fallen into despair due to the continued detention of his parents. Over the past few months, Zhenyang has been rescued from a life-threatening situation twice due to overdosing on medication.

For His Kingdom,

Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader

Prayer Conference Call Details

6 nights a week, Monday through Saturday, on your phone

USA Time Zone:

9:00 PM Eastern

8:00 PM Central

7:00 PM Mountain

6:00 PM Pacific

Call in number: (667) 770-1476

Access Code: 281207#

MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes

If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.

What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church was moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.

Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.

Persecution Increasing: Pray for Believers in India

(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us tonight in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.

“They want to remove us from society,” a Christian farmer said of Hindu extremists.  The possibility that some Indians would reject Hinduism for Christianity is a threat to extremists’ dream of turning India into a pure Hindu nation.

Pressure is greatest in central and northern India, where the governing party of Prime Minister Modi is in control, and where evangelical Christians are making inroads among lower-caste Hindus. 

Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literature, attacking schools, and assaulting worshipers. 

Please Pray

  • Pray that despite pressure, Christians would not be isolated from each other.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus

  • Pray that where extremists have cut off water and food, the Lord will provide miraculously.
  • Pray that evangelical Christians will continue to make inroads among lower-caste Hindus.

Corinthians 8:2 While they were being severely tested by suffering, their overflowing joy, along with their extreme poverty, has made them even more generous.

  • Pray that poor believers would have joy and Fruits of the Spirit.
  • Pray that new believers would remain strong, and those born in church would have a strong belief.

Luke 21:12 “They will seize you and persecute you. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends, they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me.”

  • Pray that believers would not be overwhelmed by the persecution.
  • Pray that lower-caste Hindus would not support the dominant Hindu party.

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  • Pray where there is Anti-Christian violence, God’s grace would be more apparent to the believers.

Psalm 18:26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.

  • Pray that the courts, Christian lawyers, and lawyers who love freedom would have favor of protecting the rights of minorities.

General elections will be held in India starting April 19, lasting 44 days. Narendra Modi, 10 years as prime minister, will win a third term. His campaign is making chaos in every state his party does not completely control.  

  • Pray that Satan’s plans for the election will be upended.

The central state of Madhya Pradesh passed a vaguely defined anti-conversion law, that carries prison sentences of 10 years for any person found guilty of leading conversions.   

  • Pray against legal persecution of conversions.

In large cities, armies of Hindu nationalist lawyers file complaints against Christian charities, starving them of funds and shutting many down. 

  • Pray that Christian NGOs and charities can continue no matter how the government tries to stop them.

Last year, in the state of Manipur alone, 150 people were killed and 60,000 displaced.  Mobs from the Hindu ethnic Meitei community burned down villages of the Christian Kuki, and other tribes.  

  • Pray for the Kuki and other Christians in the northeastern state of Manipur.

Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:    

  • Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
  • Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
  • Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family and for the church.
  • Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here.
  • The Harvest: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

Michael Laird, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Moderator 

Please forward prayer points to your church, prayer groups and others who will pray.

Prayer Conference Call Details

7 nights a week on your phone

USA Time Zone:

9:00 PM Eastern

8:00 PM Central

7:00 PM Mountain

6:00 PM Pacific

Call in number: (667) 770-1476

Access Code: 281207#

MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and uncomplicated way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD, you can instantly dial into a conference call via a 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes

If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.

What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to join the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.

Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.

Pray for Peace in the Middle East

(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us, tonight, in a prayer conference call hosted by Persecution Watch.

Days after an Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria on April 1, 2024, Iran’s Supreme Leader warned it would hit back in response to the strike which Iran claimed the Iranian consulate in Damascus was targeted.

“According to our intelligence, this is no consulate and this is no embassy,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told CNN. “I repeat, this is no consulate, and this is no embassy. This is a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building in Damascus.”

Iran Retaliates

Around midnight on Saturday, April 13, 2024, Iran launched an unprecedented multi-front attack on Israel. It is claimed to be the largest combined missile and drone attack in history based on the timespan of Iran’s attack. Hundreds of military drones were launched from both Iran and Iraq toward Israel. Subsequently, several waves of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and rockets followed, originating from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon – all directed at Israel.

The attack was a direct response to the killing of Iranian General Mohammad Reza Zahedi (also known as Hassan Mahdawi) in Israeli airstrikes on April 1. Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi who was a senior commander in the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon. He was allegedly responsible for terror attacks against Israel and the arming of Iranian proxies in the region. His death occurred while he was in a building adjacent to Iran’s consulate in Damascus – a location the Iranians claimed is protected by international law.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say seven officers have been killed in the air strike. Brig-Gen Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahimi, his deputy, was also named among the dead.

Israel Destroyed Dozens of Iranian Ballistic Missile in Air with Its New Power

Confidence in God our Refuge 

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
 I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

As the news unfolds before our eyes, as Christians let us focus on the needs of those who are suffering and those who are lost and pray for the Harvest.

Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader

Prayer Conference Call Details

6 nights a week, Monday through Saturday, on your phone

USA Time Zone:

9:00 PM Eastern

8:00 PM Central

7:00 PM Mountain

6:00 PM Pacific

Call in number: (667) 770-1476

Access Code: 281207#

MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes

If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.

What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church was moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.

Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.

Christian Couple in India Sentenced to Prison

(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us, tonight, in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.

India ranked 11th on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year.

According to Morning Star News, a Christian couple in India has been sentenced to prison after Hindu extremists instigated a false case of forcible conversion against them, sources said.

A woman they are accused of pressuring denied in court that the Christians tried to forcibly/fraudulently convert her or her husband, but Pastor Ramesh Ahirwar and his wife Sakshi Ahirwar of Viveknagar Bhansa village near Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, were convicted under the state’s anti-conversion law on March 11. The district court sentenced them to two years in prison and a fine of 25,000 rupees (US$300) each, the pastor said.

“I am shocked at the conviction,” Pastor Ahirwar told Morning Star News. “The charges against us are baseless and utterly untrue.”

If the conviction stands, it would be the first under Madhya Pradesh’s anti-conversion law.

Pastor Ahirwar was on a trip to Delhi in October 2021 when members of the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) instigated a man from the neighboring village, Abhishek Ahirwar, to accuse the couple of abducting his estranged wife and pressuring her to convert to Christianity, the church leader said. Pastor Ahirwar, who had helped arrange the marriage of the Hindu couple, said the wife returned to her parents’ home when she left her husband.

The complainant, Abhishek Ahirwar, alleged that the pastor tried to fraudulently convert him as well.

“Abhishek said that I kept his wife against her wishes, and that I am not allowing her to go back to her husband’s house – also, that I pressured her to convert and offered to construct a house for her and give her 20,000 rupees [US$240] every month in return,” Pastor Ahirwar told Morning Star News. “The mason’s son [Abhishek] said that I offered him 20,000 rupees every month if he converted to Christianity.”

Abhishek Ahirwar’s father is a mason the pastor had hired in the construction of his house church in 2021.

“I suspect that members of the RSS offered to help the mason’s son to intervene in saving his marriage and in return asked him to help them frame me in the case, so that my church is shut,” Pastor Ahirwar said.

Abhishek Ahirwar’s Hindu wife testified in court that she was neither coerced into changing her religion nor offered any monetary incentives, the pastor said. She testified that the pastor did not offer any money to her husband either, and she clarified that Pastor Ahirwar did not pressure her to refrain from returning to her husband’s house.

“There was a lot of chaos and discrepancy among the statements of the complainant, his father, their witnesses – I was very confident that after recording everybody’s statement, the court will set us free,” Pastor Ahirwar said. “But sadly, that did not happen. The court pronounced us guilty.”

The judge seemed prejudiced or under duress to convict them, a Christian leader from Madhya Pradesh told Morning Star News on condition of anonymity.

“It is not uncommon to have only adverse judgments against religious minorities in lower courts or even high courts nowadays,” the source said. “It is only in the Supreme Court and in selective cases that justice can be expected.”

Abhishek Ahirwar registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the couple and the pastor’s father-in-law, Nathuram Ahirwar, on Oct. 20, 2021.

“Abhishek narrated a completely made-up story in the FIR, stating that on Oct. 10 and 11, 2021, I allured him to convert to Christianity,” Pastor Ahirwar said.

Six months after the filing of the FIR, prosecutors produced two new witnesses from the area. They told the court that the pastor was forcing them to convert to Christianity and had offered them 20,000 rupees each. The witnesses testified that they were not there as witnesses for Abhishek Ahirwar in his case, but for themselves.

Pastor Ahirwar said that Abhishek Ahirwar did not provide accurate dates, and that his father, the mason, was not a direct witness to the allegations against the couple.

The pastor and his wife, both 41, have been ministering in Sagar since 2012 and live with their three children, ages 20, 18 and 14. Pastor Ahirwar, who has been leading the independent Prarthana Bhawan (House of Prayer) church since 2018, said the mason had requested he search for a matrimonial match for his then-bachelor son in 2021.

Pastor Ahirwar found a Hindu match for the mason’s son, and they married. Within the first few months of marriage, the groom’s family began to trouble the wife for a dowry. Weary of their demands, she returned to her parents’ home and refused to go back, the pastor said.

The husband’s family repeatedly asked Pastor Ahirwar to intervene, but he insisted they speak with the wife’s family directly, he said. The RSS then apparently found the occasion to offer to help the husband regain his wife in exchange for him framing the Christian couple, Pastor Ahirwar said.

Police summoned Pastor Ahirwar on Oct. 20, 2021, and after interrogation he left. Around 20 days later, police arrested the pastor, and the district court released him on a bail bond.

Police arrested Sakshi Ahirwar and her 75-year-old father and presented them before the district court about 10 days after Pastor Ahirwar was detained, and they were sent to jail until they obtained bail three days later.

Pastor Ahirwar, his wife and father-in-law attended court proceedings every month for more than two years.

“All three of us had to be present in the courtroom, sometimes once a month and other times twice a month,” Pastor Ahirwar said.

In the March 11 verdict, the court acquitted Nathuram Ahirwar for lack of evidence but convicted the couple, Pastor Ahirwar said.

The Christian couple’s attorney filed a bail application the same day of the verdict, which was subsequently granted, allowing them to remain free until April 12.

An appeal challenging the verdict was filed in the High Court on March 22, and Pastor Ahirwar’s case was registered with the High Court on Monday (April 1), he said. The next hearing is scheduled for Friday (April 5).

“I had no finances to appeal in the High Court,” the pastor said. “I had to arrange for 50,000 rupees [US$600] before I could appeal. It seemed impossible to arrange, with my current situation, until someone whom I don’t want to name offered to help me with the fees and arrange for an attorney for me.”

He has been unable to lead his house church since the March 11 verdict, he said.

“The right-wing mob has been eyeing me,” he said. “They came to my house in my absence with sticks and threatened my family of dire consequences if I held the church worship services.”

Since the court’s judgment on March 11, Hindu nationalist have been circulating messages against Pastor Ahirwar and his family daily.

“They are bringing up my matter on social media and newspapers to create pressure on the judiciary and to turn the villagers against me,” he said.

Though encouraged by Scripture, the couple fear their children will be left alone. The family has no source of income.

“I am not discouraged, because whatever is happening to us is according to the Bible,” the pastor said. “But, when we look at the children, we fear what will happen to them when we are sent to jail.”

He also worries about his wife, who has medical conditions.

“My wife has health issues, and I fear how will she manage in the jail,” Pastor Ahirwar said. “We do fear the uncertainties of the future but choose to trust God.”

Please pray with us, tonight, for our brothers and sisters suffering persecution in India.

Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:    

  • Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
  • Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
  • Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family and for the church.
  • Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here.
  • The Harvest: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

Merlaine, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Moderator 

Please forward prayer points to your church, prayer groups and others who will pray.

Prayer Conference Call Details

7 nights a week on your phone

USA Time Zone:

9:00 PM Eastern

8:00 PM Central

7:00 PM Mountain

6:00 PM Pacific

Call in number: (667) 770-1476

Access Code: 281207#

MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and uncomplicated way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD, you can instantly dial into a conference call via a 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes

If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.

What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to join the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.

Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.

Urgent Prayer for Believers in Pakistan

(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us, tonight, in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.

Christians in Pakistan need our prayers. Please read the articles below as we will use these reports to focus our prayers for our Pakistani brothers and sisters.

Arson Suspected in Church Fire in Pakistan

Christians suspect a Muslim who vowed to keep them from celebrating Easter was behind a fire allegedly set to their church building on Saturday (March 30) in Rawalpindi District, Pakistan.

The Rev. Adeem Alphonse of the United Presbyterian Junior Church in Gujar Khan tehsil said the fire in the pre-dawn hours burned everything inside his church’s building.

“Our church was targeted around 3 a.m. on Saturday,” Pastor Alphonse said. “The huge fire burned everything inside the church, including holy books, the sound system, furniture and curtains, etc. We strongly suspect that it’s a case of arson, but the police and administration are trying to hush up the matter by terming it an outcome of a short-circuit in the electricity wiring.”

The congregation suspects a Muslim businessman, identified only as Sheikh Ahmed, who publicly threatened that he would not let them hold an Easter service, as he has been trying to force them to leave in order to add the property to an adjacent plaza he is developing, Pastor Alphonse said.

Ahmed disrupted the church’s Good Friday service when he tried to tear down tent coverings set up outside the building, the pastor said. Read full report here.

Family of Slain Christian in Pakistan Receives Death Threats

Muslim relatives of the alleged killer of a 20-year-old Christian in Pakistan are threatening the victim’s family with death if they do not drop charges, sources said.

Muhammad Zubair initially confessed to killing Farhan Ul Qamar in his house in Talwandi Inayat Khan village, Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot District, Punjab Province, shooting him in the presence of the Christian’s family members on Nov. 9, 2023. He later retracted his confession in court.

The victim’s father, Noor Ul Qamar, said that on the evening of March 18, his family was busy in their routine chores when six armed Muslims led by the alleged killer’s father, Afzal Bajwa, intruded into their house and held them all at gunpoint.

“The intruders threatened us that if we do not stop pursuing the case and reach a settlement with them to free Zubair from prison, they would kill us all,” Ul Qamar told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Read full report here.

Christian Laborer in Pakistan Shot for Requesting Wages

Muslim farm owners in Pakistan on March 23 beat a Christian laborer with iron rods and shot him in the leg for requesting his wages owed him, sources said.

Waqas Masih, a 42-year-old farm laborer in Chak No. 8 Panj Garaiyan Kamalpur village in Faisalabad District, Punjab Province, had asked for his wages in order to buy clothes for his two children for Easter celebrations, said his brother, Akash Masih.

Farm owners Luqman Jutt and Imran Jutt attacked Waqas Masih, a Catholic, after he pleaded with them to pay his wages, his brother said.

“The two men first brutally tortured Waqas with the iron rods, and then Luqman pulled out a pistol and opened fire on him, resulting in a bullet injury on his right thigh,” Akash Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, adding that they continued beating his brother as he lay bleeding from the bullet wound. Read full report here.

Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:    

  • Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
  • Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
  • Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family and for the church.
  • Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here.
  • The Harvest: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader 

Please forward prayer points to your church, prayer groups and others who will pray.

Prayer Conference Call Details

7 nights a week on your phone

USA Time Zone:

9:00 PM Eastern

8:00 PM Central

7:00 PM Mountain

6:00 PM Pacific

Call in number: (667) 770-1476

Access Code: 281207#

MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and uncomplicated way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD, you can instantly dial into a conference call via a 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes

If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.

What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to join the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.

Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.