Easter is a time of great joy for those of us who celebrate – large family meals, extra church services, visits to the Show and Easter egg hunts. Our long weekend here in Australia is often so filled to the brim with festivities, we may
Authorities in Pakistan fear that a terrorist linked to Islamic State is planning an attack that could target Christians in Punjab province at Easter. The bomber is likely to try to carry out a suicide attack in Lahore, according to a contact of VOM’s partner
A married couple has been convicted and sentenced for their part in the bombing of three churches in Surabaya in May 2018. Agus Satrio Widodo received a sentence of eight years, and his wife Damayanti received 40 months after a court found them guilty of
Pastor Raymond Koh disappeared on 13 February 2017 when his car was forced to stop and he was abducted in broad daylight by masked men. On 3 April this year, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia released findings that placed blame for the attack on
Hope awakens in northern Iraq as another church is built with the support of the government. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) supervised the construction of the first Armenian Orthodox Church in Erbil through their department of religious affairs. According to a local news source, a
India’s 2019 general election will take place in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May. The new parliament will be announced on 23 May. The Hindu nationalist BJP has ruled with a simple majority for the past five years. Its electoral success is the
Officials have rejected the registration application for the Pentecostal Your Will Be Done Church in Minsk for the sixth time, after a government official pressured a potential landlord to not rent their facility to the church. Due to fear of punishment, the congregation has chosen
Many Christians in Pakistan earn their living making bricks. Most are bonded labourers. Bonded labour in brick kilns usually occurs when a person is forced to work in order to pay off a loan owed to the brick kiln owner. In times of family crisis,
A VOM partner ministry worked with 144 evangelists in Niger last year, providing discipleship training and opportunities to help them support themselves. The evangelists then visited communities throughout the country, sharing the Gospel and teaching people about Jesus. As those hearing the Gospel began to
Fulani herdsmen continued their string of attacks early on Saturday 23 March, starting with three young Christian siblings returning home from a community feast. Fulani herdsmen beat, raped and killed a 19-year-old Christian woman while her younger sister and brother were able to escape. Though
After fleeing domestic abuse, Aansa Bibi took a job as a house cleaner for a Muslim family. Her employer’s daughters enjoyed listening to Aansa sing Christian worship songs, but the girls’ aunt cautioned her brother about allowing an infidel Christian to work in their home.
Brother Cho’s* impactful ministry in Myanmar meant he was imprisoned and tortured for his faith. Because of this, he was in desperate need of medical attention. Health problems resulting from imprisonment didn’t stop Brother Cho from his current ministry which provides Christian cassettes and literature
Last year, Voice of the Martyrs Australia was able to help support a group of orphans from the Caraga region in the Philippines who are now in the care of a local pastor and his wife. Over the last few years, an insurgent communist group
In the slum area of Medan in Indonesia, much of the water is unsafe to drink and highly polluted, leaving many communities at risk. Voice of the Martyrs Australia, with the help of our supporters, was able to step in and help one church community
A young female pastor was found dead this week in the Oki District of South Sumatra, Indonesia. The body of Pastor Melinda Zidemi was found on Tuesday. Melinda Zidemi was a pastor and church activist in the Sungai Baung area. The “polite” and “kind” pastor
Many churches in eastern Ukraine have stopped meeting after Russian-backed rebels ordered a ban on services. Rebel leaders in the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic, seized from Ukraine in 2014, have declared all unregistered religious groups illegal. Protestant, Seventh Day Adventist and Pentecostal churches have all
When five people died within a week in a small Nepalese village in January, the only Christian family in the Hindu village was blamed for the deaths. Gianprakash and his family were asked to leave the village because they were following a foreign God. One
Our Front Line Ministry fund directly assists pastors, evangelists and full-time Christian workers who courageously minister in the face of hostility and persecution. Last year we supported 105 Front Line Ministry projects. In Pakistan we helped provide monthly support for 15 local pastors in different
The mission of a Bible college in Mindanao is to train and equip committed men and women from different areas of the Philippines in the Gospel, and send them around the country to minister. The discipleship training program is open to anyone committed to furthering
Dear Friends, This month provides us with an opportunity to report on our ministry activities and expenses for 2018. This publication explains how your generous donations have been used to assist persecuted believers and further this most crucial work, which now spans some 68 countries.
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