A leader of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria pleaded for help on a video released on Sunday. “I have never been discouraged, because all conditions that one finds himself are in the hands of God”.

Muslim government officials attended the Christmas service of Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church, a congregation the previous government harassed for years.

Pastor Wang Yi is accused of “subversion and illegal trade”. He will be deprived of his political rights and his personal assets will be seized. Another elder of his church has been sentenced to 4 years.

Requests for government intervention were ignored, and nearby churches are providing the displaced believers with emergency supplies and lodging.

Ethnic Wa rebels closed the churches in September 2018, destroyed at least 10 church buildings and detained more than 200 Christians who were later released.

The UK Prime Minister recalls Christians who celebrate Christmas “in secret”. Queen Elisabeth says: “Through His teaching, Jesus Christ shows the world how small steps can overcome divisions”.

Around 1,000 people joined silent protests on the same evening. “The fate of those persecuted for their faith should not leave us cold”.

Persecution rising toward levels under Chairman Mao. “The days are coming when whole Christian families will find themselves unable to access not merely transport, but schools, hospitals, bank loans and jobs”, a source says.

Civil society reports estimate that in 2017 alone at least 50 individuals were imprisoned on charges of blasphemy, with at least 17 facing possible death sentences.

False blasphemy charges can be devastating for the entire family: ‘My life is ruined without him,’ says Zafar’s wife Nawab Bibi.

Gunmen opened fire during the worship service. This is the fourth attack against Christian communities in the last eight months.

Police detained students and church leaders during a meeting  of the Ethiopian Fellowship of Evangelical students in Debark and pressured them to sign an agreement to never meet again in the city.

Open Doors UK displayed 16,000 squares of fabric at Westminster Abbey, “to amplify the voices of persecuted Christian women and to have a lasting impact on UK government policy”.

Police registered a report against the Hindu extremists but have taken no action. Another report was registered against the pastor and seven family members.

The NCCP has spoken out against the heavy government policies against drug trafficking. 5,300 have been killed in the past three years.The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches supported the NCCP.

As part of a larger prison sentence delivered in 2013, Ebrahim Firoozi, 33, was sentenced to two years in exile in Sarbaz, a frontier town on the Iranian-Pakistani border known for its isolation and prevalence of Islamic militant groups.

This year International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is on November 10th. One out of every nine professing Christians face persecution, isolation and violence worldwide.

Police have bowed to political pressure from the assailants to make no arrests and have stopped investigating.

The Luhansk People's Republic (Ukraine) has banned all Protestant worship, and believers try to meet in small gatherings. Uzbekistan raids worship services that have not been approved by the authorities.

Video of the moment police officers enter a Protestant evangelical church near Tizi-Ouzou to close it. Church members do not stop singing, and peacefully resist later.

“I had periods where I was suicidal, but realized God is worthy of all my pain and suffering”, Pastor Andrew Brunson said about his imprisonment in Turkey. He has released a book telling his story.

Police use force to eject Christians resisting in protest. The closures this week bring to 15 the number of worship buildings sealed since the government launched a campaign againt churches.

Peaceful demonstrations call authorities to “stop closure of worship places”. Churches re-organise themselves in houses as the government threatens to close more buildings.

Armed herdsmen stormed the community and shot indiscriminately into houses, forcing residents to flee into bushes surrounding the village.

Algerian Christians think the governmental campaign against Protestant churches will continue. But “the churches of Algeria have a very firm and mature leadership with a clear vision of God”.