Message for year 2017

Luke 24:47--49"And then repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem".

Peace among men with whom God is pleased

The Lord has declared 2017 as the year of Forgiveness and Reconciliation

October, 2017 – We pray for Forgiveness and Reconciliation between authorities and subjects.

Week-1

1. That the rulers and authorities do not lord it over the subjects (Mat, 20:25)
2. That great men do not exercise authority over the subordinates (Mat, 20:25)
3. That authorities have the basic attitude of being servants (Mat, 20:26)
4. That authorities commit themselves to serve and not to be served (Mat, 20:28)
5. That authorities who would be first among others must be their slaves (Mat, 20:27)

At Least 21 Dead In Bombing At Egyptian Church

The blast struck as Egypt's Coptic Christian community marked Palm Sunday.

Cairo: A bomb blast at a church north of Cairo killed at least 21 people and wounded dozens who had gathered for Palm Sunday mass, state media reported, in the latest apparent attack on Egypt's Coptic Christians. Some 59 people were wounded in the blast, which struck at a Coptic Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta, 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Cairo, the reports said. A medical official at a hospital in Tanta confirmed to AFP that at least 13 people had been killed. Palm Sunday is one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar, marking the triumphant entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem.

ISIS Claims Egypt Church Bombings That Killed 38: Report

Egyptians gather by a Coptic church that was bombed on Sunday in Tanta, Egypt. (Reuters)

Cairo: The ISIS claimed responsibility for bombing two Egyptian churches as worshippers gathered to mark Palm Sunday, killing at least 38 people in the deadliest attacks on the Coptic Christian minority in recent memory. The attacks followed a Cairo church bombing in December and came weeks ahead of a planned visit by Catholic Pope Francis intended to show support for the country's Christian minority.

The first bombing struck the Mar Girgis church in the city of Tanta north of Cairo, killing 27 people, the health ministry said. Emergency services had scrambled to the scene when another bombing rocked the Saint Mark's church in Alexandria where Coptic Pope Tawadros II had been leading a Palm Sunday service. Eleven people were killed in that attack, which the interior ministry said was caused by a suicide bomber who blew himself up when police prevented him from entering the church. The ministry said Tawadros was unharmed, and a church official said he had left the church before the bombing. At least 78 people were wounded in Tanta and another 40 wounded in Alexandria, the health ministry said.

Iranian Christians Celebrate New Believers in Mass Baptism

Being a Christian in Iran is very dangerous. Christian converts face persecution in many forms, but that hasn’t stopped 20 Iranian Christians from recently getting baptized. CBN News reports that many in the group of Christians converted to Christianity years ago, but have had to wait to be baptized due to the danger it places them in. For that reason, neither the identities of the converts nor the exact location of the baptism has been revealed. The group of converts reportedly got together to make a pilgrimage to the baptism site which was outside of Iran. "I've been waiting for this moment for nearly nine years," said one convert. "This was my wish before I die," said another.

The mass baptism was a joyous event for these fervent believers who ranged in age from teenagers to the elderly.Nearly all of them have faced consequences and persecution for deciding to put their faith in Christ, but they have persevered. And although Iran is one of the most dangerous places for Christians and government authorities fear the spread of the Gospel, it is also one of the places where Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds. There are many reports of Muslims encountering Jesus through dreams and visions. "We have been praying for years that Iranian people believe in Jesus and get baptized. Now, this dream is coming true,” said a Christian convert whose brother was murdered for his faith in 1994.

Four Nepali Christians Released After Nine Months of Wrongful Imprisonment

International Christian Concern (ICC) is elated to report that four Nepali Christians, Lali Pun, Bimkali Budha, Ruplal Pariyar and his wife Ganga, were finally released from prison when their sentences for "violence and witchcraft" after praying for a mentally ill woman were reversed.  This news comes after ICC's advocacy team led a petition to the Nepali government demanding their release earlier this year.

These Christians were originally convicted in December of last year in the District Court in Salyan after the father-in-law of a mentally ill woman accused them of abuse and witchcraft against her.  The father-in-law had brought the woman to a local church for prayer in the hopes that their efforts might heal her.  The mentally ill woman, Seti Pariyar, left the prayer service and was later found in a forest harming herself and yelling before being taken home.

After reading a media report of the incident, a complaint was made by Bhisma Pariyar. This led to the hearing and following conviction in District Court, despite the mentally ill woman and her husband testifying that the four did not act in a forceful or abusive manner. The woman also testified that she was healed because of their prayers. This wrongful imprisonment was further indication of Nepal's continued backslide on issues of religious freedom.  Earlier this year, the Nepali parliament passed a new law criminalizing conversions to non-Hindu religions. The parliament passed the law despite Article 26 (3) of Nepal's 2015 constitution already restricting religious conversion and expression. Nate Lance, ICC's Advocacy Manager, said of these Christians' release, "International Christian Concern is so pleased that this situation has reached its rightful resolution.  However, the imprisonment of these Christians should have never taken place as the facts of their innocence were clear. This is a step in the right direction for religious freedom in Nepal, but there is still much work to be done.  No one should fear imprisonment for the free expression and practice of their religion."

US Efforts to Assist the Victims of Kim's Regime Cross a Major Legislative Hurdle

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2061, formally known as the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017. This bill not only provides much needed relief to many displaced citizens of Kim Jong-un's cruel regime, but it also provides tools for the United States to more effectively respond to the North Korean crisis. The bill also renews the responsibilities of the Special Envoy to North Korea and provides congressional oversight for all US endeavors concerning North Korea, including technology and information drops, radio broadcasting, and refugee assistance.

This bill, introduced in April of this year, renews legislation that was passed in 2004, granting relief to the North Korean people. For almost 70 years, North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family. Countless thousands have fled the state in order to avoid execution, starvation, or life imprisonment for trivial offenses against the state. In an effort to provide aid to those who have fled the atrocities of the Kim regime, H.R. 2061 will place much needed resources in the hands of those who can directly assist the most destitute individuals.

In a statement prior to the vote in yesterday's session, Congressman Ed Royce asserted, "The Kim regime wants to pose a mortal threat to the United States, and to our democratic, treaty allies: South Korea and Japan. But in facing this reality, we cannot afford to forget the regime's greatest victim and longest-held hostage: The North Korean people themselves." In a time when tensions with the North Korean government are at an all-time high, H.R. 2061 provides the necessary tools for the US government to help address this human rights crisis.

Nate Lance, ICC's Advocacy Manager, stated, "ICC is pleased to see H.R. 2061 pass through the US House of Representatives.  This bill is critically important in allowing the US to address the human rights crisis in North Korea through its special envoy on human rights and the variety of programs to enhance humanitarian support outside of the country and promote freedom of information.  I agree with Chairman Royce when he says that although we are in a tense security situation with North Korea, the North Korean people cannot be forgotten.  The House has demonstrated that commitment, and I hope the Senate will follow shortly."