The family of Reverend Jesús Noel Carballeda, the 44 year-old Cuban pastor of an unregistered church in Havana, is calling for his release from Valle Grande prison in San Antonio de los Baños, Havana Province, where he has been imprisoned for approximately a month without charge.
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
COUNTRY OF THE WEEK
THE CSW Nigeria team (STAFF,VOLUNTEERS,PARTNERS AND FRIENDS) WILL BE PRAYING FOR iRAQ PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO JOIN US.
IRAQ: ( capital – Bagdad)
Population: 32,585,692
Official Language: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions),
Assyrian, Armenian
Religion: The
major religion in Iraq is Islam (97%, Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), The
other 3% consist of those following
Christianity and other religions.
Location: Located in the Middle East,
bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait. It border
Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km,
Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km.
PRAYER REQUEST
1.
Safe shelter for all who are fleeing the violence.
2.
The provision of food, water, clothing, medications and daily necessities.
3.
We ask the Lord to move powerfully to protect and shelter His people, that His
name would be magnified in Iraq.
4.
Please pray for the believers in the areas where many of the refugees are
finding safety and shelter, that they will know how to provide comfort and encouragement
as well as how best to handle the large influx of individuals and families.
5.
Please pray for wisdom for Christian organizations, that seek to help in this
crisis, that they will be guided by the Lord as how best to come alongside to
support and provide for those most in need.
Thank you for
prayerfully standing with our brothers and sisters in Iraq in this critical
moment.
May God bless you.
Keep me as the apple
of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me
violence, my deadly enemies who surround me. Psalm 17:8-9
Monday, 22 September 2014
Monday, 19 May 2014
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)
- 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)
- 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.
- for their healing from the de-humanisation
, anguish and humiliation and for justice to be served.
- Prayer
for the National Conference that is still going on in Abuja (federal
capital).
- 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.”
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.”
Monday, 7 April 2014
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 Eritrea. 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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ERITREA ( capital –ASMARA)
Population : 6.131 million
Official Language: Tigrigna Language, English
Language, Arabic Language
Religion : The
north is associated with Islam
as the dominant religion ( mostly Sunni Muslims )and
the south with Christianity as the second-largest religion in the
country and Other indigenous
religious groups include Buddhists, Bahais, followers of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness, and Bossonists, who follow traditions of the
Akan ethnic group.
Location : Eritrea is located along the Red Sea, north of
the Horn of Africa, between Djibouti and Sudan. Eritrea’s longest border is
shared with Ethiopia to the south, Eritrea shares a 1,626-kilometer border with
three nations: Sudan to the north and west (605 kilometers), Ethiopia to the
south (912 kilometers), and Djibouti to the southeast (109 kilometers).
Eritrea is
one of the world’s most repressive regimes, often likened to North Korea. It is
a single party state dominated by a dictatorial president, and the military
pervades every aspect of society, including the economy. The regime demands
total allegiance, thus Christians are perceived as a threat to national unity
due to their ultimate allegiance to a higher being.
PRAYER REQUEST
- Pray for the Lord’s intervention in Eritrea and for the salvation of the president and other influential government leaders.
- Pray That the Lord will sustain all those believers who are being kept in prison; Particularly for the wives and children of jailed church leaders to stay strong in the Lord.
- Pray For underground churches and their leaders to experience God’s protection from prying eyes so that they can continue to minister to people.
- Pray That the Lord will provide for His children in the face of food shortages.
- Pray That the Lord will build His Church in Eritrea for His own glory.
- Pray For protection of and provision for Eritrean Christian refugees residing in other countries.
NIGERIA: CURFEW IN KAFANCHAN FOLLOWING PROTESTS.
A 24-hour curfew was imposed on Kafanchan, Jema'a Local Government Area,a major town in southern Kaduna on 2 April after local youths reacted angrily to the discovery by law enforcement agents of weaponry in a truck carrying about 22 Fulani herdsmen to the area in a truck.
According to an eyewitness report received by Christian Solidarity Worldwide -Nigeria (CSW-N), following the discovery the youth of Kafanchan took to the streets demanding instant justice. The military responded by shooting at the protesters and wounding several, many of whom received medical attention. However a confirmed report states that two protesters died.
The southern part of Kaduna State, which has witnessed several deadly attacks by Fulani herdsmen since 2011, saw a steep rise in this violence during 2014.
The most recent violence involved the destruction of three communities and the killing of over a hundred people in the Manchock area of Kaura Local Government Area (LGA). Amidst heightened local anger at a seeming official inability to prevent these attacks, on 30 March soldiers from the Nigerian Army raided Ladunga Village, an infamous Fulani settlement in Kachia LGA, southern Kaduna State, arresting 18 people and recovering several weapons. On 31 March, a major military offensive was launched to end similar attacks in Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa States.
Rev Yunusa Nmadu, CEO of CSW-Nigeria said: "While commending recent pro-active interventions by security operatives to avert violence, we urge the government to illustrate consistent commitment to ending the culture of impunity surrounding attacks on rural communities, as insufficient intervention encourages such violence to continue. In addition, while understanding the source of the deep frustrations felt by young people in southern Kaduna in the face of the continuing attacks against their communities and deeply lamenting any deaths or injuries ensuing from the events, we caution against communities taking the law into their own hands, as this inevitably leads to further violence that undermines the rule of law." we also urge the government to take necessary precautions to safeguard lives and properties.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)