Reports of persecution of Christians from Mid-India Christian Mission

Christian friends,

Although Vivert Lall and family are in the United States, these reports of continued atrocities against Christians come from their co-workers in Damoh, India. Please pray for courage and peace for these brothers and sisters in Christ who live under threats against their property and persons just because of their faith in Jesus instead of the Hindu panoply of gods. Ask God to put a desire for justice in the hearts of Indian government officials.

Thanks for your concern.

Gene Jarrett

Christians in the state of Orissa are facing severe persecution.  Their houses are being burnt, religious leaders and youth are being put to death and women are being raped. Bibles and Christian literature are being put to fire.  Many people have had to desert their houses and villages and take refuge in the forest.

 

Last year also, in December 2007, houses of Christians were burnt and Churches broken down.  The leader behind the incidents that time was one Laxmanananda Saraswati, member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.  On Saturday, August 23, 2008 unidentified people killed him and his five supporters. Although the state government has said that the Maoists are behind the killings but the supporters of Laxmanananda have put the blame on Christians.  This has led to agitation against Christians in the State of Orissa.  In this recent spate of atrocities against Christians, a Children's home in Bargarh has been set on fire by the miscreants.  The care taker of the orphanage, a lady was burnt alive.  An evangelist Rasanand Pradhan of village Rupa at Kandhamal, was also burnt alive.  At Phulwani and 22-year-old Catholic Nun was burnt alive.  According to local reporters, many  Christians have been put to death in Phulwani and Kandhamal.

 

The mission has its Churches in Bargarh area.  This area has also been the target of the miscreants.  At Chichinda in this area, 15 houses of Christians have been broken down and people beaten up.  They have been searching Rajendra Nand, mission's evangelist for the area.  He has taken shelter in the nearby forest.  Along with him are also women and children of that area.  Two of the women are pregnant.  The plight of these people is beyond imagination.  Reports say that the state government has disallowed one of the Central Ministers to visit the affected areas, perhaps to prevent people from knowing the exact situation.  Please pray for the evangelists, leaders and their families who are facing atrocities in this state. 

 

In Damoh about a month back, we hosted a seminar of Christian leaders of the area.  The purpose of this seminar was to educate people, to make them aware of their legal rights and the procedure they should follow in case of incidents of atrocities.  Also effort was to encourage them to report all such incidents.

 

We need your prayers and financial assistance for the victims so that we may go and give  them help to repair their houses and provide them with some of the very basic household needs and some food articles.  Also we would guide them what legal steps they need to take in such situations.  We plan to provide this help to fifteen affected families and for this we would be needing $ 15000.00.  Any assistance from you towards this need of the suffering evangelists and their families would be greatly appreciated.