Presbyterian Church of Cloquet Prayer List

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Last year, we prayed each week for churches in our Presbytery. This year, we'll pray each week for the believers in a country hostile to Christianity. We believers here in the U.S. face challenges in our congregations, but they pale in comparison to the situations facing our brothers and sisters who live in lands where Christian faith is illegal or accomplished only at extreme cost.

Brunei

Brunei is one of the richest states in Asia, and its king is considered the world's wealthiest man. Oil is the sole source of wealth. However, some experts predict that the oil reserves of this tiny country may be exhausted in the next 25-30 years.
Brunei has only 330,000 citizens; 66% of these are Muslim, about 11% are Christian, and 9% are Buddhist. The previously larger numbers of traditionalist and nature religious are slowly diminishing; many of their former members have converted to Islam.
The official government format is a Constitutional Sultanate; the Sultan, Sir Hassanal Bolkiah, rules as an absolute monarch, and he has declared the nation to be an Islamic state.
Constitutional guarantees of the free practice of religion are steadily eroding in Brunei. In 1991, most Christian leaders and groups were expelled; in 1992, Christian literature was banned. Law bans the celebration of Christmas and Easter. Conversion to Christianity is very restricted since it is illegal to evangelize Muslims. There are only three registered churches in the country. Brunei has 16 different spoken languages, but only 8 have translations of the Bible.
Last year, we prayed each week for churches in our Presbytery. This year, we'll pray each week for the believers in a country hostile to Christianity. We believers here in the U.S. face challenges in our congregations, but they pale in comparison to the situations facing our brothers and sisters who live in lands where Christian faith is illegal or accomplished only at extreme cost. Today, we lift up the country of Brunei in prayer ….

China

China was declared the People's Republic of China in 1949 by Chairman Mao Zedong, who quickly sought to purge the society of anything that would point to religion, causing China's people to endure great hardship ever since. China's human rights record is one of the worst in the world. Its system of "re-education through labor" detains hundreds of thousands each year in work camps. China's abysmal human rights record has, in our own country, made the granting of "most favored" trading status a subject of ethical and political debate.

China's population is the highest of any sovereign nation - 1.263 billion. One half of its citizens could be classified as "non-religious," with Buddhists claiming 8.5%, Christians 7.25%, and Muslims 2% of the population.

For our prayers: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. But the 20th century was a time beset by civil unrest, major famine, military defeat and foreign occupation. After WWII, the Communists established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life that has cost the lives of tens of millions of people.

The Chinese constitution provides for freedom of religious beliefs and the freedom not to believe; however, governmental policies greatly restrict religious practices of all faith traditions. According to the state-run Chinese media, over 1,500 churches, Buddhist temples, and Taoist shrines were shut down in the year 2000.

In other situations, officials worked closely with Buddhist, Catholic and Protestant groups to build schools, medical facilities, and retirement centers for poor communities. In these cases, local officials frequently worked with Western religious groups to help provide these services, provided that such groups did not openly proselytize.

Please pray that this most populous land might extend religious freedom to all believers within its borders, while at the same time reversing its tradition of human rights violations.

Comoro Islands

Background and Statistics: The Comoro Islands gained independence from France in 1975. Since then it has been plagued with 17 attempted coups, including military action by France. In October 1997, a new constitution was approved by 85% of the voters. This new document greatly increased the influence of Islam. The country was a one-party state until 1990, when a multi-party democratic government was instituted. The two islands, Nzwani and Mwali, declared themselves independent in 1997, and despite a successful military coup in 1999, abrogation of the constitution and a declaration of a looser federal structure have not unified the country.

Of the nearly 600,000 citizens, more than 98% are Muslim. Christians make up less than 1% of the population.

For our Prayers: Public witness by those who declare their faith in Jesus Christ is forbidden by law, and believers are not allowed to meet in any public place. Christians have suffered periods of harassment and persecution and are denied most social and civil privileges enjoyed by the rest of the population. There are 780 mosques in the Comoro Islands, but no official churches.

The country was almost completely non-evangelized before 1973. There is large evidence of an occult presence despite the fact that this is primarily an Islamic nation. In more recent years, the quiet witness of Christian medical teams and veterinary workers in the Republic and on Mayotte has won credit and public honor. There are signs that, among some, the doors are opening to allow some sharing of the gospel message. Still, Christians face an incredible challenge to live and practice their faith, and face much social persecution.
March 21 - Comoro Islands

Of the nearly 600,000 citizens, more than 98% are Muslim. Christians make up less than 1% of the population.

Cuba

Cuba lies only 90 miles off the Florida Straits and stands as one of the last "champions" of communism. In 1959, Fidel Castro Ruz came to power, threatening Cubans with socialism or death. Some 45 years later, little has changed. Citizens seeking escape for political, economic, and religious reasons continue to try and cross the treacherous waters between Cuba and the U.S.; many lose their lives.
Nearly half the citizens of this island nation of just over 11 million people claim Christianity as their faith; 35% would call themselves atheist/communist, 18% follow native pagan religions.
In the 1960s, Castro labeled both Catholics and Protestants "social scum" and forced lay people and clergy into labor camps under inhumane conditions. The furor and resilience of the faith community continued to brew under Castro's blanket of suppression, and in 1992, bowing to growing public outcry, the Cuban constitution was amended to guarantee freedom of religion. Still, the Christian community in particular faces imprisonment and harassment from official government entities. Applications for governmental approval to repair churches continue to largely go ignored.
There are signs of hope, however, for the Christian community. In 1999, Castro allowed for the first time the broadcast of religious services on the government-controlled TV station. Our own Mission Yearbook of Prayer has noted in recent years that, with the government's inability to meet the needs of its citizens, they are more and more turning to the Church to help deliver medical and health services to the people. Let us pray for the continuation of freedom, religious and political, for the citizens of Cuba.

India

{ Rev. David Butler, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church of Rice Lake WI, today provides the information for our prayer focus. The Rice Lake Church has recently entered into an intentional ministry among the "untouchables" in India. }

In 1947, India achieved its independence from the British Empire. At that point, sweeping changes took place in Indian life. One such change was made despite thousands of years of Hindu culture: it became illegal to persecute those known as "untouchables." The problem - the practice of persecution had existed for perhaps as long as 6,000 years! Many people, particularly in rural areas, still don't know how to change. Another change that took place was that, in an effort to protect its independence, the Indian government discouraged, and ejected, most mainlines churches.
In 1983, the Rev. Philip Prasad traveled home to Uttar Pradesh, a province in northeastern India. He saw that, especially in the rural districts, the persecution was still debilitating. He also found that there was virtually no Christian witness, particularly to his people, also known as "daliths."
He and his wife, Elizabeth, began to envision a church that equipped "untouchables" for ministry through evangelism, education and economic development. Their goal is to establish economically self-supporting church networks in all 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh. There are more than 18 million "untouchables" in the province. Since their work began, the Prasads have recruited, trained, and released into the field clergy couples that have built the church to over 500,000 members. Lives are changed in deep, gospel ways through the ministry of the Rural Presbyterian Church of India. Please pray for the safety of our Christian brothers and sisters as they live the gospel in an increasingly threatening environment.

Pakistan

Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947, but has been mostly unstable ever since.

Its people have suffered through three wars and endured both military regimes and corrupt governments. Shariah Law has been increasingly applied, even to Christians and Hindus, despite its contravention of the constitution. For recent decades, policy has increasingly been dictated by a growing Islamic extremist element, which had very close recent ties to the Taliban in Afghanistan. President Pervez Musharraf is hard-pressed between an extreme Islamic minority and the

petitions of the worldwide coalition against terrorists. Al-Qaida members are known to hide in the mountainous western region of the country, and have strong local support. While 96% of the nation's 157 million people are Muslim, President Musharraf has tried to help the worldwide community in the war.

Many Pakistani Christians have been falsely accused of breaking Law 295c, blaspheming Mohammed, by militant Islamic forces. This crime is punishable by death. Christians are barred from many occupations, and their testimony in court is only half the value of a Muslim's. The growing network of Islamic schools (madrasas) is commending students to die fighting for Islam against the infidels, making life increasingly difficult for Christians and small congregations.