COUNTRY OF THE WEEK

It's the beginning of another week and as we go about with our activities, The CSW-Nigeria team,(staff, volunteers, coordinators , partners and friends) would be praying for Nigeria. please be faithful in doing so and don't hesitate to drop a comment where ever the need arises. God bless you as you do so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NIGERIA : ( capital – Abuja)

 

Population :   168,833,776 

Official Language:  English Language

Religion : Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Location : Location: Nigeria is located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea between Benin and Cameroon, has an area of 923,768 square kilometers, including about 13,000 square kilometers of water. Nigeria shares borders with Cameroon (1,690 kilometers) in the east, Niger (1,497 kilometers) in the north, Benin (773 kilometers) in the west, and Chad (87 kilometers) in the northeast.

PRAYER REQUEST

1.       Pray and ask for God's mercy upon our nation, our leaders and also Pray for the Church to be strong in their lamentation prayer, Let God arise and defend his name (Psalms 3:7). .

2.       Pray for God to remove violent spiritual roots that have been allowed to grow in the nation; pray that every altar raised against God’s purposes for Nigeria shall fail.

3.       Pray for God to strengthen the military who are struggling to protect civilians from this insurgency. Pray for God to give the government His strategies for victory over death and destruction. (Pr.11:11)

4. Pray for our military and security personnel who are obviously ill equipped and not skilled in fighting terrorism. They need help from experts and advanced countries of the world. Pray for Nigeria's armed forces who face an uphill battle against the insurgents. (Ps.58:9). Pray protection for communities across the country's porous desert borders. (Ps.58:10,11)
5. Prayer for God's judgement on Boko Haram, their sponsors and supporters .Pray for the girls' release, pray for the countries that have pledged to assist track the abducted girls and to assist us fight terrorism. Pray that God will help them to track and release these girls. Pray for the parents of the victims.
6.  for their healing from the de-humanisation , anguish and humiliation and for justice to be served.
7. Prayer for the National Conference that is still going on in Abuja (federal capital).
8. Pray for peaceful elections in 2015.

CHINA: CSW BRIEFING EXPLORES TENSIONS BEHIND ZHEJIANG CHURCH DEMOLITIONS

 

A new briefing by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) analyses the context and possible reasons behind the demolition of churches and removal of religious symbols in Zhejiang, China, and recommends consistent dialogue between the authorities and religious leaders. 

The briefing highlights that “the demolitions in Zhejiang and the reaction of the Christians there highlight tensions between churches and the state, but also between local and provincial authorities, and between the approaches to different religions.”

Wenzhou, known as “China’s Jerusalem”, has a large Christian population and numerous churches. From April to May 2014, at least 20 churches in Wenzhou and elsewhere in Zhejiang Province have had all or parts of their structure removed or demolished, or have been threatened with demolition. The churches affected include both Protestant and Catholic, registered and unregistered. Some have moderate numbers, while others are mega-churches with hundreds or thousands of members. 

Most recently, China Aid reported the demolition of two churches in Longwan, Wenzhou on 8 and 9 May. Longwan is home to several churches established by missionaries over 100 years ago; one of the demolished churches, Shangwan Church, was built in 1868. 

The most well-known demolition occurred on 28 April at 3000-member Sanjiang Church. Weeks earlier, the church leaders had entered into negotiations with the local authorities in an attempt to avoid the demolition of the church and the removal of its cross. It is unclear whether officials ignored an agreement made at this time, or whether the deal “broke down”. 

Some Zhejiang Christians believe the removal of crosses and the demolition of some churches was triggered by a visiting provincial secretary’s complaint about the number of Christian crosses in the province. The authorities responsible for the demolitions maintain that they are simply complying with the Three Rectifications and One Demolition campaign targeting illegal structures. It is noticeable, however, that in the majority of cases, it is specifically the cross, or another religious symbol, which has been hidden or removed. 

Freedom of Religion or Belief in China is a complex issue. According to the briefing, “while there has been a de facto improvement in the level of religious freedom enjoyed by Protestant churches in urban areas such as Beijing and Shanghai, this has been not reflected in, or the result of, improvements in the law.” Nor is this the case in rural, remote or conflict-prone areas, where Christians continue to experience violations of their freedom of religion or belief. 

CSW’s Chief Operating Officer Andy Dipper said, “This timely briefing explores the context in which these worrying incidents take place and contains a number of important recommendations. We urge the Chinese authorities to make consistent efforts to enter into dialogue with religious leaders on all matters relating to their activities, with a view to promoting mutual trust and positive relations; to provide clear instructions about the process of applying for permission to build a religious structure; and to establish a complaints mechanism for religious buildings which have been refused permission to build.”