Prayer List for February 22-28, 2009

Sunday, please pray for Rev. Walter Hoye and his family. “A pro-life African-American pastor has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for sharing a pro-life message outside local abortion centers. Walter Hoye was previously found guilty of violating what pro-life attorneys call an unconstitutional city law designed specifically to target him.” (Debbie’s emphasis) The sign he held said, “God loves you & your baby, Let us help you.” “Oakland officials had enacted the law, which has been heavily criticized as an unconstitutional limit on free speech. The ordinance prohibits contact within eight feet of women entering abortion businesses without their consent.(Thursday), Hoye was sentenced by Judge Hing of the Alameda Superior Court to serve 30 days in county jail . The court will allow Hoye to serve his time by an alternative method such as community service. However, Hoye will be forced to pay a $1,130 fine and has been ordered to stay away from the abortion business and no longer help women find abortion alternatives. Allison Aranda, a staff attorney with the Life Legal Defense Foundation, a pro-life law firm representing Hoye in the case, says an appeal is forthcoming.” (LifeNews, http://townhall.com/columnists/StarParker/2009/02/16/root_of_nations_economic_crisis_is_moral_crisis)

Monday, please pray for the Christians of Sri Lanka. “The Jathika Hela Urumaya (National Heritage Party), which is led by Buddhist monks, introduced the (anti-conversion) bill under the title "Prohibition of ForcibleConversion of Religion Bill" on Tuesday, January 6. Though proponents claim that the bill would only restrict "fundamentalist" groups from using monetary rewards or coercive methods to convert people, the language is so broad that it would criminalize any form of humanitarian assistance from religious groups.” In India similar bills have precipitated attacks on Christians. (International Christian Concern)

Tuesday, please pray for the Christians of China. “As public anger mounts due to unemployment and government corruption, Chinese authorities are reacting with increased social and political control, Compass Direct News sources report. Concerned by the growth of unregistered house church groups, the government is ramping up its efforts to identify Christians and to publicly portray Christianity to the public eye as a subversive foreign force. Despite this situation, growth of the Christian church continues. One Beijing pastor reports more than 1,000 new converts were baptized last year in his church alone.” (Open Doors, Compass Direct)

Wednesday, please pray that the new Awami League-led Grand Alliance which has come to power in Bangladesh will reopen investigations into a bomb blast against a Catholic church. The party includes no radical Muslims and has given non-Muslims hopes for justice. (Open Doors)

Thursday, please pray that justice will be done in the heinous murder of 3 Christians in Turkey. “A Turkish court has charged two more men for instigating the murder of three Christians in Malatya in 2007 Huseyin Yelki, a former employee of the Christian publishing house where the Christians were killed, and Varol Bulent Aral an ex-journalist suspected of ties to a group that tried to engineer a political coup.” Others hope that these men will turn informant and lead them to those who ordered the murder. (Open Doors)

Friday, please praise God that “(c)hurches in Northern Iraq have reported that nearly 300 new believers from various non-Christian backgrounds were recently baptized.” (Open Doors)

Saturday, please pray for the Christians of Jos, Nigeria. “Christians in Jos are traumatised by the religious riot of November 28. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reports that 129 Christians, including five pastors, were killed. About 45 churches were torched and looted, and more than 30,000 people were displaced during the violence.” Open Doors is providing aid. (Open Doors)