Turkey’s religious freedom record slides
Sentiment against Christians in Turkey has persisted long enough for a US religious rights monitor to recommend it as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ and pastor Orhan Picaklar knows such anti-Christian hostility first-hand. Picaklar, of Agape Church in Samsun, lives in the Black Sea region where Christians live under increasing pressure. He has seen his building attacked and his family and congregation threatened. Picaklar said. 'We have been here for 10 years, and people here still treat us like cursed enemies'. Picaklar’s son received death threats on Facebook. A man caused minor damage to Picaklar’s church building last month, the latest in a series of aggressions that has led the church to file charges after long declining to do so. Police called Picaklar in the middle of the night on March 4 because a young man had disturbed neighbours near the church building. Neighbours heard the suspect, yelling, ‘Corrupt, perverted Christians, we are going to bring this church down on your heads, get lost,’ among other threats, Picaklar said.
Pray: for pastor Picaklar and others like him as they lead the church in places of hostility. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/stories/index.php?newsitem=1&date=09apr2012&country=turkey
Turkey’s religious freedom record slides
Sentiment against Christians in Turkey has persisted long enough for a US religious rights monitor to recommend it as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ and pastor Orhan Picaklar knows such anti-Christian hostility first-hand. Picaklar, of Agape Church in Samsun, lives in the Black Sea region where Christians live under increasing pressure. He has seen his building attacked and his family and congregation threatened. Picaklar said. 'We have been here for 10 years, and people here still treat us like cursed enemies'. Picaklar’s son received death threats on Facebook. A man caused minor damage to Picaklar’s church building last month, the latest in a series of aggressions that has led the church to file charges after long declining to do so. Police called Picaklar in the middle of the night on March 4 because a young man had disturbed neighbours near the church building. Neighbours heard the suspect, yelling, ‘Corrupt, perverted Christians, we are going to bring this church down on your heads, get lost,’ among other threats, Picaklar said.
Pray: for pastor Picaklar and others like him as they lead the church in places of hostility. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/stories/index.php?newsitem=1&date=09apr2012&country=turkey
Russia: An affiliated Saddleback Church to open in Moscow
During a meeting with the leaders of the Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith, Tom Holladay, one of the pastors of the Saddleback Church led by Rick Warren, stated that Moscow together with 12 other world cities had been chosen for the creation an affiliated Saddleback Church, reports Christian Telegraph in reference to the Union Press Centre. The Christian leaders discussed Rick Warren’s future visit to Moscow scheduled for this summer. Pastor Tom Holladay noted that, according to Warren’s vision, their main task is to find Christian leaders within the culture where a Church is being created and then support them. More than 400,000 pastors from different parts of the world have already been trained in the Saddleback Church’s training centre. Also, the Church will be focused on covering non-believers. ‘We seek to find new people,’ underlined Pastor Holladay.
Pray: that the Saddleback training programme will bless Moscow and other cities in building the church. (1Cor.3:10)
Russia: An affiliated Saddleback Church to open in Moscow
During a meeting with the leaders of the Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith, Tom Holladay, one of the pastors of the Saddleback Church led by Rick Warren, stated that Moscow together with 12 other world cities had been chosen for the creation an affiliated Saddleback Church, reports Christian Telegraph in reference to the Union Press Centre. The Christian leaders discussed Rick Warren’s future visit to Moscow scheduled for this summer. Pastor Tom Holladay noted that, according to Warren’s vision, their main task is to find Christian leaders within the culture where a Church is being created and then support them. More than 400,000 pastors from different parts of the world have already been trained in the Saddleback Church’s training centre. Also, the Church will be focused on covering non-believers. ‘We seek to find new people,’ underlined Pastor Holladay.
Pray: that the Saddleback training programme will bless Moscow and other cities in building the church. (1Cor.3:10)
