USA: Trump criticised over Saudi arms sales
06 Dec 2018
Politicians are challenging Donald Trump’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. Senator Elizabeth Warren said that the president has refused to halt weapons sales because he is more interested in appeasing US defence contractors than in holding the Saudis accountable for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder or for thousands of Yemeni civilians killed by those weapons. Senator Bernie Sanders is equally critical of Trump’s relationship with the Saudis, citing it as an example of his liking of foreign dictators. The Senate voted 63-37 to run with Sanders’ resolution to force Trump to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. That same day, it emerged that Riyadh had confirmed a $15 billion deal with defence contractor Lockheed Martin for a missile defence system. One observer said Trump’s determination to preserve Saudi arms sales was an example of the ‘stranglehold of defence contractors on our military policy’.
Turkey: Christian persecution
06 Dec 2018
The high degree of Turkey’s religious nationalism places incredible pressure on Christians. The government doesn’t target Christians directly, but its nationalistic bias leaves little room for Christians to preach the gospel, which is considered an opposing message. Converts from Islam face social opposition, and often lead double lives to keep their faith hidden from family and community. If found out, they might be threatened with divorce and loss of inheritance rights, and all Christians face employment discrimination. Pray for Muslim-background converts to minister graciously and wisely to their families, especially if they are labelled and treated as traitors. Pray for evangelist David Byle who was refused re-entry into Turkey to be with his family. He had lived and preached there for 19 years and had experienced increasing harassment. See
Syria: 31 Days of Prayer - December 2018
It’s easy to master the art of ignoring other people’s pain when we don’t recognize their faces, and the chaos is not right IN our face. You didn’t ignore the pain of the Syrian people or the opportunity to join us, stepping into the gap 4 years ago this month with a 31 Day Prayer Focus.
Together we answered the call to what we sensed God asking, “If not you, who, and if not now, when? What are YOU waiting for?” Together we took action because a more urgent and radical response to the situation was needed from Christ’s Church. We believed God had dislodged something in the hearts and minds of Syrians, and it was now time for them to hear the good news afresh, like no other time in history.
It’s still their time NOW, and we can’t miss it. The Church can’t miss it. Or, is it another tragedy of neglect and callousness toward God himself?
What God has done in the intervening years is another whole story. Within 2 weeks, over 1,000 people were praying from over 100 Nations. We’re not sure how all that happened so quickly. We can only attribute that to the more than 200 of you who said you would become a Circle Starter -- and gathered groups of friends and family to pray with you.
Several 1,000’s were activated through the prayer initiative to go work among the refugees in the harsh camps, tent settlements, and cities of Europe, Lebanon, Jordon and Turkey. Many have come to faith along the journey and in new host countries. Many dollars were given for relief, evangelism and church planting efforts, as well as training new believers to reach their own people.
We’re convinced there is a future story too. In some ways, a lot has changed, but many things have not.
What has changed? Many have come to faith and are now being discipled and discipling others.
These are estimates since the violence erupted:
• 500,000 have been killed (Total population in 2011 before the war was 21 million)
• 1.8 million have been injured
• 5.6+ million have fled the borders
• 6+ million are internally displaced
What has NOT changed?
• They have no guaranteed safety
• They’re still victims of other people’s wars.
• For most, they still haven’t been integrated into their host nations - many without jobs or warmth during winter, and some still hungry.
• Most children are still not being educated 7 years later.
Yet -- GOD is still drawing many to Himself in the midst of the loss, pain, and chaos. He’s not asleep, distracted or off duty.
Now is not the time to give up. Will we let the hope of future generations dissipate because we stopped praying? We must persevere and capture the lessons we’ve learned and press into the future with fervent prayer for the Syrian people and the region. We believe there is too much still at stake.
Will you prayer-push with us once again a few minutes each day this December?
There is no better time than when it’s no longer in the news, and many have forgotten! Fire up those “prayer circles” once again. We will send out revised and daily prayer prompts and also have available a downloadable 31-Day prayer guide.
31 - Day Prayer Guide and Flipboard Magazine
You can click on the link here to download a printable pdf of the guide.
We launched a Flipboard Magazine to curate articles on the crisis. Click on the link here
The Syrian Circle Team
Thankful to God for the Past, Anticipating His Wonders for the Future
Some history
The International Prayer Council (leadership team) and eventually International Prayer Connect (network of prayer leaders, ministries and networks) came into being shortly after 9/11 in 2001 – when a simultaneous terrorist attack took place on the twin towers in New York and on the Pentagon in Washington – an horrific day which we all knew would go down in history. A few weeks later the IPC was formed in New York (close to what became known as Ground Zero), with prayer leaders from around the world pledging to work and pray together on a global level, over global issues.
Before that year many of us had begun to discover each other through fresh global initiatives, like the Lausanne Movement (formed in 1974), the first International Prayer Assembly in South Korea (1984) and through involvement in the AD2000 and Beyond Movement in the 1990’s. The IPC as a prayer entity was to be both the successor to these initiatives and involve many of the key prayer leaders from within those structures. It was important for us to stay connected, find out more about what was happening in our world, and to pray more strategically about some of the pressing needs facing the world.
Our focus was to be the transformation of our world, encapsulated in our motto “Globalising Prayer, Transforming our World” and this was adopted at our first international consultation in South Africa in 2002. (Please see this video about its founding and early history IPC Prayer Globalizing Prayer Transforming Our World https://youtu.be/5ZYVFLML1sU).
Much of the experience of the church around the world was about praying for its work – its daily activities, including mission and evangelism. For many of us, however, transformational prayer became our work. Praying for mission in all its aspects was included, along with issues of international and national importance.
Networking with prayer leaders and their ministries both internationally and regionally was a priority. To that end global and regional consultations were held in many nations, including South Africa, Egypt, United States, Canada, England, Germany, Switzerland, UAE, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cyprus.
The World Prayer Assembly envisioned and arranged by the IPC in partnership with the powerful Indonesian prayer movement (involving up to three million Indonesians in 380 cities as well as many others worldwide through satellite TV and internet) was in a sense the culmination of such networking and resulted in a further explosion of prayer ministry around the world that continues to grow, thanks be to God!
“God by His Spirit was working so many agendas in the lives of those who took part that it is impossible to recount all that happened or was reported. So many said their lives and ministries would never be the same. We have received encouraging reports from a number of nations as participants have begun to implement strategies of prayer mobilization and other actions that they were inspired to undertake during the WPA. Praise God for all He did and continues to do through this gathering!”
Here is an inspiring video report about this great gathering that God used and continues to use so wonderfully to ignite so many other things: World Prayer Assembly https://youtu.be/qmDeuokTQ7I
Prayer initiatives, with teams of intercessors, have been undertaken over strategic issues in many nations, especially those caught up in awful wars and ethnic conflicts. By the grace and goodness of the Lord, several hopeless wars have so far been ended, soon after national prayer initiatives (sometimes within a day or few days) that IPC teams were able to facilitate with local Christian leaders. In addition, three international initiatives were held within and for the United Nations with ambassadors, hundreds of prayer leaders and praying children from around the world as well as another arranged for Hollywood (the home of the film industry).
Children in Prayer has been an important part of IPC initiatives, with leadership being given from the United States, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia, and more recently India, but including CiP coordinators from 70-80 nations. Consultations and leadership gatherings have been held in many nations along with three global CiP events that brought adults and children from scores of nations to pray, learn, and plan for the future of this movement.
The recent Youth-focused prayer movement called the UPRising (United Prayer Rising) developed out of the World Prayer Assembly in Indonesia in 2012 and has seen further prayer and worship events in many nations since 2016. Both of these key initiatives (Children and Youth) have produced another tier of leadership. The Global UPR called “World Generation” being held in Jakarta (January 23-26, 2019) is challenging the participants to find and engage in the unique missions the Lord has for each one, especially reaching the unreached with His Gospel in order to fulfil the Great Commission.
The Global Issachar Group developed out of an initial consultation in Cyprus, with its focus on the dark places and powers, and it too has held gatherings in several nations in N. America, Europe & Asia.
Each of these various above initiatives has developed out of or come under the umbrella of the IPC. But separately, and also strategic, have been a number of initiatives that others have spear-headed, and which have been incorporated into or led by those with close association with the IPC. Among these would be the emphasis on the 4/14 Window (led by Luis Bush) on mission to the generation included in that age range. This has focussed the minds of missiologists the world over.
The Global Day of Prayer ran annually out of a vision stemming from South Africa, and was led by Graham Power and Dawie and Isebel Spangenberg for great blessing to the international prayer movement and the many nations touched by it.
Praying through the 10/40 Window (led by Beverly Pegues) which originally emerged in the 1990’s has continued to be featured in our communications.
The IPC has sought to reflect the importance of praying for the Persecuted Church, for Muslim nations, for Governments, for war zones, and on issues concerning historic sins and brokenness with the need for identificational repentance and reconciliation.
In short, the IPC started off as a networking structure, but it has developed into taking many initiatives as well. National Prayer initiatives have been undertaken in over 50 countries over the last 20 years, many in the really difficult nations on the planet. Generally, these initiatives have consisted of three days of prayer by local ministry leaders of all denominations in the spirit of 2 Chron. 7:14 led by John Robb with IPC colleagues on the ministry teams. It was discovered over and over again that as His people focused on repentance for corporate sins and reconciliation, God would bring about stunning breakthroughs, such as unexpected peace agreements ending wars, governments of national unity being formed, and spiritual revival happening among participating church and political leaders. Glory to the Lord!
The IPC has always sought to connect with and support other global initiatives - like Ethne - who are focused on Unreached People Groups and now we are focusing on the Go 2020 initiative to see a billion unreached people reached with the Gospel by May 2020 and the raising up of hundreds of millions of additional intercessors to engage for the fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commission, even as early as 2025- http://go2020.world. We are interested to maintain a close connection between prayer and mission in the spirit of the Moravians as we describe in this video: “The Spirit of the Moravians” (9-min & 3-min).
Links have also been maintained with the International Reconciliation Coalition, Global Church Planting Network, and prayer for the Persecuted church etc.
Our emphasis has always been on prayer for socio-political transformation and mission. We continue to be open to Spiritual Warfare, Spiritual Mapping, understanding the Spiritual Powers, Identificational Repentance and Reconciliation, on-site prayer, and governmental connections. We continue to have a deep desire for the unity of the Body of Christ and Word-based prayer.
Remaining challenges - unfinished business for the IPC and the international prayer movement
- Identifying and developing prayer in and for the “global gates” (major international institutions like the U.N., World Economic Forum, etc.) and international cities.
- Seeking God’s strategy and deliverance for the ‘dark places’ on planet earth.
- Developing technology and language translation in support of global prayer.
- Finance - raising more substantial support through the Transformation Prayer Foundation to meet ongoing costs of all we do and hope to do for the future.
- More effectively connecting prayer leaders, their ministries and networks in an ongoing way so that we can flow together, coordinating and supporting one another.
- Integrating more fully with the rising youth and children’s prayer movements and co-working with the Lord to raise up the next generation of mighty men and women of God to lead His people and reach our world with the Gospel
Important questions to consider for the future
- Are we to be just a “network” of prayer movements, or are we called to do things together? Or both?
- What else are we being called to be and do? What priorities should we focus on for the next 5-10 years?
- How can we best steward the “New Wave” of transformational prayer and mission engagement coming out of the World Prayer Assembly and all that the Lord has done through the last couple of decades of various prayer initiatives seeking to unite Christ’s global prayer movement and see His breakthroughs?
- Finding a new wineskin for the global prayer movement. How can we best reflect the inter-generational nature of what God is doing in global prayer at the current time?
If you have any suggestions in this great task of transforming our world through united prayer, we welcome your getting in touch with us. Please write to us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Please also pray with us as our leadership meets to consider future directions and new leadership for the IPC just before the Global UPR youth prayer and mission event in Jakarta, January 23-26.
Brian Mills and John Robb
On September 27-29, coinciding with the Feast of Tabernacles, ‘tent city’ gatherings of worship, music, prayer, and gospel proclamation were held simultaneously in hundreds of locations throughout the USA. Every state capital city, over 100 college and university campuses, plus Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and Jerusalem all participated in Tent America. We are convinced that our nation will never be the same again.
God is truly raising up a family that is carrying His culture, a culture that
will redesign our nation through the presence of God!
We are beyond grateful for all God has done in and through His beautiful people during Tent America, and we deeply desire to honor each and every one of you.
Awaken The Dawn would not be what is is -- without YOU.
Friends, your endless prayers, financial support, sacrificial laboring, vision casting, mobilizing and perpetual encouragement has moved His heart -- and the hearts of many.
Since Tent America, we've heard from multiple nations desiring to link arms!
The centrality of the presence of God is a revelation that is needed not only in our nation but in all nations!
Your 'yes' is producing much fruit!
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever."
A quick update on testimonies:
We are currently in the process of organizing and cataloging both written and recorded testimonies.
Here are just a few of many:
50 hours of worship at over 150 sites all over the nation. Such an honor to partner with Awaken The Dawn to host our NC capital gathering. Hundreds of worshipers and intercessors rallied from across our state for an amazing weekend. We prayed in unity for revival in our state and nation. Our hearts were bonded in love and divine connections. Hundreds heard the Gospel on the streets of downtown Raleigh along with multiple physical healings. We all encountered God's presence and will never be the same!!! Jesus is worthy!' - Matthew Lilley
We had 75 people hit the streets of Tallahassee tonight and share of the love of Jesus. At 25 people gave their hearts to the Lord and people where healed and set free! A team from Celebration Baptist prayer walked the streets and prayed for the ending of human trafficking. Tent America has been so awesome!
- Awaken The Dawn Florida
'We had seventy total workers that went out during our three Tent America outreaches. Five people put their faith in Jesus for the first time!! Dozens of believers who had backslidden prayed a prayer of repentance. Around 350 people heard the Gospel! There were multiple physical healings - pain was instantaneously leaving people's bodies! One person's injured foot was healed. They felt heat on their foot as God was touching them. The heat was so intense that the person's shoe even got hot. God was moving miraculously! We are thanking God that a bluegrass festival was happening in downtown Raleigh the same weekend, which provided us hundreds of people on the streets to whom we could minister. May every seed that was sown bear fruit!'
- Awaken The Dawn North Carolina
So, again... Thank you for your heart for Jesus- and for your willingness to link arms with us in this hour.
YOU are greatly, greatly valued.
We believe 2019, 2020 and beyond will be just as historic as Kingdom family continues to form, impart, and unashamedly demonstrate the beauty and worth of Jesus.
More updates will be coming your way in the week’s ahead, as we seek the Lord together in our next steps. Our goal is simply to hear His heart for His people, and obey! As we do so, your patience, feedback, and continued prayers are very much appreciated.
Looking forward to the miraculous things that God is going to do in this nation, and in the nations.
Testimonies? Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Questions? Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For the worth of Jesus,
Awaken the Dawn
Muslim refugee had dream about God, found Him in Spain
Fearing for their lives, Achmed and his family left Syria’s raging civil war and managed to make their way to Madrid, Spain. Before they left Syria, Achmed had a powerful dream that God told him He wanted to know Him. He couldn’t get the dream out of his mind, but he didn’t fully understand it, so he continued to ponder it in his heart, according to a report by Christian Aid Mission (CAM).
European Union and Spanish authorities sent the family to the province of Cadiz in southwestern Spain, where a Christian ministry was helping to integrate refugees into society.
The ministry proposed putting refugees in apartments rather than camps, with the government subsidizing part of the cost.
Achmed was stunned that Christians would give so much time and effort to total strangers. One day he approached the ministry director, Pablo, with a question: “Why are you helping us in so many ways?” he asked.
“We believe in God, who loves people and wants us to help other people,” Pablo replied. “Jesus Christ came to die for us, and He asks us to die for you.”
His reply prompted even great curiosity about the Christian God, and he asked Pablo to tell him more. They had several more conversations, and soon Achmed began to attend Sunday worship services and some other activities. He began to read the Bible online.
One day he told Pablo, “All I have read, I believe. The only problem I have is God having a child.”
Like many Muslims, he had trouble with the idea of God having a Son. But in spite of that difficulty, he confessed that he couldn’t save himself from the death and eternal punishment that sin brings.
He confessed to Pablo his need for Jesus Christ, put his faith in Him as his Lord and Savior, and was born again.
Then God reminded Achmed of the powerful dream.
“He said that he remembered having a dream in Syria in which God told him He wanted him to know Him, and now he knew what it meant,” Pablo said. “He became a believer three months ago.”
“Thousands of such Muslim refugees are streaming into Spain as other countries of Europe turn them away, and many are coming to Christ every month,” according to the report by CAM.
“The former Muslims face daunting pressures. Achmed’s wife sought to divorce him after he became a Christian, and only after many talks with native missionaries did she and her mother accept Achmed – and Christ.
“Now they also come to church, and God is working in their lives,” the ministry director said.
Pray: that God would continue to reveal Himself with the dreams and visions among refugees, as promised in Joel 2
Pray: that those refugees who came to faith in Jesus Christ would grow spiritually in a local fellowship(church)
Pray: that the local fellowships and churches would be established and planted among those refugee believers. Send more workers to Your harvest field!
More:http://silkwavemission.com/board.php?board=english&command=body&no=1012
260,000 Syrians returned to ‘Euphrates Shield’ operation area: Turkish defense minister
A total of 260,000 Syrian nationals have returned to a swathe of land in northern Syria where Turkey carried out a cross-border operation dubbed “Euphrates Shield,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Nov. 1.
Turkey launched Euphrates Shield in 2016 to drive away ISIL and YPG militants from its border with Syria. Ankara regards the United States-backed YPG as a terrorist organization due to its ties with the illegal PKK. The operation ended in 2017.
Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees who fled the conflict in their homeland.
“As a result of the infrastructure work and the security and stability in the region provided by the Turkish Armed Forces, around 260,000 Syrian nationals have returned to the Euphrates Shield Operation area,” Akar told lawmakers at the planning and budget commission in parliament.
The defense minister also touched upon the Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S., saying that “despite the promises” made for the YPG’s withdrawal from the city, the group was still deployed there.
“The terror group is digging ditches in Manbij as they have done in Afrin,” he said.
The YPG “should know it will be buried in the trenches it has dug,” Akar said.
The Manbij deal focuses on the withdrawal of YPG militants from the city to stabilize the region northeast of the Aleppo province in northern Syria.
Pray: that God would open ways for those 260,000 to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ even after they return to their home.
Pray: that the on-going conflicts between Turkey and PKK and other groups of Kurds would find a peaceful resolution, and ultimately end in peace.
Pray: that the Prince of Peace and His Kingdom would come in power in those areas.
More:http://silkwavemission.com/board.php?board=english&command=body&no=1013
SILK WAVE MISSION USA
Many thousands of Christians came to Melbourne for ‘Awakening Australia’, as part of a mission to bring 100,000 Australians to Jesus. Leaders spent the weekend preaching the gospel, leading people to Christ, and commissioning them to share the love of Jesus with others.
Participants included Bethel Music, Todd White, Heidi Baker, Jake Hamilton, Daniel Kolenda, and Bill Johnson.
‘Hundreds were born of God as they responded to Jesus. There is truly something remarkable happening in Australia! There is an Awakening, a sound in God's people here, that will shake the nation’, said Ben Fitzgerald, leader of Awakening Europe.
The weekend saw powerful moments of freedom, deliverance and salvation, followed by mass baptisms for those who gave their lives to Christ. Thousands proclaimed the gospel in the streets. ‘I can't believe this is happening in Australia,’ Fitzgerald said.
IPC colleague, Donny McGregor from Generation Fire, Sydney, was involved with a team who ran 100 hours of prayer in the lead up to the Awakening Australia event. Just that event saw 200 lives saved!
‘We experienced a change in the spiritual atmosphere during the 100 hours of Prayer', said Donny. 'Our prayer focus moved from targeting the strongholds to speaking open heaven, breaking discouragements and hearts to be receptive to the Gospel… and we saw God move! The hunger for God was off the chart!’
Awakening Australia saw an estimated 1,600 first time and renewed commitments and 250+ baptisms. Thousands of believers were involved in the witnessing around the city.
Praise: God for the changed spiritual atmosphere in Melbourne; thank Him for breaking strongholds and opening hearts to respond to His truth. (John 8:32)
More: https://www.awakeningaustralia.org/ AND www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/cwn/2018/november/i-cant-believe-this-is-happening-thousands-experience-gospel
Bulgaria Revises Proposed Restrictions on Churches
Update: After considering laws to halt training, foreign funding, and missionary outreach, the European nation eases its approach.
Following an outcry from evangelicals and other faith groups, Bulgaria opted to revise a controversial proposal to restrict religious activity before putting it up for another parliamentary vote.
The initial draft amendments to its Religious Denomination Act would have kept members of minority faiths, like Protestants, from operating seminaries, holding activities outside church, and obtaining legal status. It also regulated foreign missionaries and funding. (See CT’s initial reporting below.)
The revised version adjusts the formula for state subsidies so that groups beyond the Bulgarian Orthodox and Muslims—which together comprise 95 percent of the population—are eligible, the Sofia Globereported. The adjustments follow a round of feedback from religious groups and discussion between two political parties in the legislature, after a November 16 deadline.
The updated law also would allow greater freedom to foreign missionaries than the first proposal; they could preach in the country as short-term residents or as visitors coming with advance notification. The new amendment also does away with a ban on anonymous donations by foreign groups.
As of Tuesday, the parliament had not yet voted on the restrictions, according to the Baptist Standard. TeodorOprenov, a Sofia pastor and leader in the Baptist Union of Bulgaria, told the site that evangelicals expected “some softening” after the meetings.
Thousands of Christians have been gathering before the parliament building each Sunday to protest and pray against the restrictions. They plan to continue rallying this Sunday, November 25, Oprenov said.
Original post (November 16): A controversial new law before the Bulgarian Parliament would keep Protestants and other minority faiths from freely worshiping, teaching, evangelizing, and tithing in the southeastern European nation.
Today’s vote marks the legislature’s second hearing for amendments to Bulgaria’s religious denominations act, which were initially approved October 4.
Over the past month, leaders from all faith groups in the former communist country have condemned the proposed additions, which prevent minority religions from offering clergy training, restrict worship services to designated sites, and place new regulations on international missionaries and giving.
“Should the law pass, existing theological seminaries are at risk of shutting down, evangelical church pastors may no longer be able to conduct worship services, and the acceptance and use of donations will be subject to government approval and limitations,” stated the World Evangelical Alliance, which has joined with the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance to oppose the legislation.
About 2,000 Christians gathered at the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on Sunday to pray and protest against the proposed amendments, The Baptist Standard reported, and they have continued smaller demonstrations in hopes that the law will be rejected.
Evangelical Protestants make up less than 1 percent of the population in Bulgaria, where about 85 percent of citizens consider themselves Eastern Orthodox and about 10 percent are Muslim. Because of their small size, Protestants—along with Catholics, Jews, and others—fail to meet the threshold for certain government recognition under the draft law, which legislators say is meant to protect against foreign threats but religious groups see as a threat to their own religious freedom.
Christian churches across the country—including the United Methodist Church, Bulgarian Baptist Union, Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance, Catholic Church in Bulgaria, and National Alliance United Churches of God—each released statements against the proposal, reportedVladyRaichinov, an evangelical leader and pastor in Sofia.
The European magazine Evangelical Focus summarizes the biggest concerns with the amendments:
Only Bulgarian citizens will be able to carry out liturgical activity if they have had theological training in Bulgaria or their foreign school is approved.
Only Eastern Orthodox and Muslim believers will be able to train clergy and run schools.
A foreigner will only be able to preach if doing so with a Bulgarian ordained minister.
Foreign donations will only be allowed for building construction or social aid and will need government approval. No salaries of pastors, for example, could be paid from abroad.
No religious activities can take place outside of buildings designated for them.
Only religious groups with +300 people will have legal status.
Two years ago, Russia adopted similar restrictions on missionary activity and evangelism, also citing national security concerns. The 2016 “Yarovaya law” bars the non-Orthodox from sharing their faith outside of government-recognized church buildings.
Though only about 60,000 Protestants live in Bulgaria, according to 2011 census figures, the population has received vocal support from evangelical leaders in Europe and beyond.
European Baptist Federation general secretary Anthony Peck and Baptist World Alliance general secretary Elijah M. Brown wrote Bulgarian Prime Minister BoyokovBorissov with concerns that “… the implementation of this law could lead to unintended restrictions on religious freedom and the direct persecution of churches and individuals of faith.”
“These efforts to interfere with theological education, restrict missionary and worship activity, and control international donations in fact wrongly extends government power into the internal life of Bulgarian religious communities,” they said. “No state, we believe, should be in a position to control the training and activities of ecclesiastic ministers, nor should a state favor one faith expression over another.”
The proposed law, opponents worry, would represent a step backwards for their country, which was under Communist rule until 1990.
“The legislative proposal is a sad reminder of a bygone Communist past, which we believed would no longer return,” Christo Proykov, Catholic bishop of Sofia and president of the Bulgarian Bishops, told SIR.
Bulgarian media report that larger religious groups have likewise condemned the restrictions. Orthodox bishops stated that the amendments are “ambiguous and will fail to deliver the expected results. They must be seriously reconsidered to shun any doubt on the consolidated, positive cooperation between the State and the Church.” Major Muslim leaders also met with the prime minister to object to the law, including the provisions against smaller faiths.
Protestants have had to fight for their place in Bulgaria, from being driven underground during Communist rule to fighting back against what Christianity Today called “a swelling wave of religious intolerance that includes government restrictions, vitriolic media attacks, and even violent assaults” in the 1990s.
A year before the 2002 religious denominations act was adopted in Bulgaria, Sofia-based religious liberty lawyer Viktor Kostov wrote for CT about the struggle to grow a healthy church in a country “stuck in a wounded culture” and “haunted by totalitarianism.”
Pray: That the full freedoms of the churches and missionaries are protected.
Pray: That this legislation will be overturned.
Pray: For the protection of those who are campaigning and representing the church on these important issues at the highest level.
Pray:for the Spirit of Antichrist to be bound.
Pray: for Bulgarian Christians to have a voice, and to be listened to.
Pray: for better relations between the Bulgarian Church and Government.