(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Tuesday, August 7, 2023, in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.

Dear Prayer Warriors, I’m happy to announce that Blaine Newhouse will be our special guest on Tuesdays Prayer Conference Call. Join us!

Blaine is the Senior Pastor of the English Language Congregation of the National Evangelical Church of the Kingdom of Bahrain. 

He also serves as the Chair of the Common Council of the National Evangelical Church – a single church of over 5000 members comprised of 7 different language congregations.

The RCA ministry in Bahrain includes the church together with the Al Raja School and 5 Campus American Mission Hospital.

BAHRAIN is a country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country’s landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The current population of Bahrain is 1,870,817 as of May 14, 2023, based on elaborations of the latest United Nations data, of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometers (290 sq mi) and is the third smallest in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.  The capital and largest city is Manama. source

Can you practice Christianity in Bahrain?

They enjoy many equal religious and social freedoms. Bahrain has Christian members in the Bahraini government. Bahrain is one of two GCC countries to have a native Christian population; the other country, Kuwait, also has a Christian population but in smaller numbers, with less than 400 Christian Kuwaiti citizens. Christianity in Bahrain – Wikipedia

Are churches allowed in Bahrain?

There are 16 registered churches and numerous other Christian places of worship, mostly in Manama. There is no legal prohibition against apostasy. BAHRAIN 2022 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT

Is there freedom of worship in Bahrain?

The constitution declares Islam to be the official religion and sharia the principal source for legislation. It provides for freedom of conscience, the inviolability of places of worship, and freedom to perform religious rites. 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bahrain

Is Bahrain a Christian country?

The ruling family and many of the wealthier and more influential Bahrainis are Sunni, and this difference has been an underlying cause of political and social tension. Christians constitute about half of the remaining one-fifth of the population, with the rest consisting of Jews, Hindus, and Bahāʾīs. Bahrain – Islam, Shiʿism, Sunnism | Britannica

How many Christians live in Bahrein?

According to the government, there are approximately 689,000 citizens, constituting less than half of the total population. According to 2018 U.S. estimates, Muslims make up 73.7 percent of the total population, Christians 9.3 percent, Jews 0.1 percent, and others 16.9 percent (Hindus, Baha’is, Sikhs, and Buddhists). 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Bahrain

Dress Code in Bahrain

Generally, the citizens of Bahrain dress conservatively. By tradition, women wear the Abaya (long dress) and Hijab (head scarf), while men wear the Thobe (dress-like apparel) and Ghitraa (head scarf). Meanwhile, non-Muslims are free to wear any modest, comfortable clothing, depending on the location. source

Is Bahrain friendly to foreigners?

It is easy to meet Bahrainis and they are generally friendly and enormously proud of their country and culture. Many expats have good Bahraini friends. Living in Bahrain: an expat guide

Does Bahrain have women’s rights?

Women’s rights – In 2002, an amendment to the Constitution of Bahrain gave women in Bahrain the vote and the right to stand in national elections, the second country in the GCC to do so. Women in Bahrain

What are the discrimination issues in Bahrain?

Bahraini family laws discriminate against women’s right to divorce, inherit, and transmit Bahraini nationality to their children on an equal basis to men, and deprive their children of the right to obtain citizenship on an equal basis with children of Bahraini men. World Report 2021: Bahrain | Human Rights Watch

What is it like to live in Bahrain?

Bahrain is considered to be a liberal state, but most of the local population is conservative. Even though there is a high level of religious tolerance in daily life, it is important that local and religious customs are not disregarded. Foreigners, especially western women, are expected to dress modestly in public. What Is It Like To Live And Work In Bahrain? – Expat Focus

Is Bahrain USA friendly?

The U.S. designated Bahrain as a Major non-NATO ally in 2002. The American Mission Hospital, affiliated with the National Evangelical Church (Bahrain), has operated continuously in Bahrain for more than a century. Bahrain–United States relations

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. 

• Pray for Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.

• For 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

• UPDATE (March 17, 2023): Ryan Kolher, a pilot for the U.S.-based ministry Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), and two of the ministry’s South African volunteers were released from a Mozambican prison Tuesday afternoon, the organization announced. The trio had been held at a high-security prison inside the southeastern African country for four months. Their release is a provisional one and they are required to remain in the country, while their case is still ongoing, according to MAF. Kolher is said to be “doing well” following his release and is with his wife, Annabel.  

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

In the Shadow of His Cross,

Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader

Prayer Conference Call Details

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

From any location 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 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 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. 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 have been 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 Team

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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.