Release International

At the close of the year, we at Release would like to thank you for your faithful prayers on behalf of persecuted Christians worldwide – and remind you that your prayers are powerful.

There has been no easing of the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters in many countries in 2010 but we can never measure the impact that our prayers have had in mitigating their potential suffering.  Their constant request is for us to pray and we know that through this God comes alongside to strengthen them and give them hope.  Sometimes we see more directly that our prayers have been answered, and here are a few examples to encourage you.

Your prayers for Vietnamese pastor and pro-democracy campaigner Nguyen Van Ly were answered on March 15 when he was released from jail on medical grounds – five years early. Pastor Van Ly was sentenced to eight years in 2007 for 'harming national security' but suffered a serious stroke in 2009. We pray that he will not be made to serve the rest of his sentence.

In late-March, Pastor Wilson Issavi, leader of the Assyrian Evangelical Church in Karmanshah, Iran, was released on bail after spending almost two months in custody. Reports that he had been tortured in jail (Prayer Alert, March 2, 2010) prompted international prayer on his behalf. He still needs our prayers that any charges against him will be dropped.

In May, Iranian prisoners of faith Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Esmaeilabad were acquitted, 14 months after their arrest (Prayer Alert, May 25, 2010). The two Christians, who were raised as Muslims, had been charged with 'apostasy' and 'propagating Christianity' – and held for several months in 2009 at Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Maryam and Marzieh are now safe abroad.

And in August, 25-year-old Rubina Bibi from Punjab in Pakistan was acquitted of blasphemy after a judge ruled that officials had pressured her into making a false confession (Prayer Alert, August 18, 2010). Rubina and her infant son were detained for five months after she had an argument with a grocer, prompting locals to accuse her of blasphemy. Rubina and her family have moved from the area, due to the threat of extremist attack.

Your prayers are vital to our ministry – now as much as ever. In April, 14 months of prayer and campaigning on behalf of jailed Christian lawyer Gao Zhisheng apparently paid off as reports that Gao was free began to circulate (Prayer Alert, April 13, 2010). Indeed, for two weeks Gao was allowed back to his flat in Beijing and even to his in-laws' home in Xinjiang province. But, by late-April, Gao had disappeared again and he has not been seen since. His family have fled to the US for their own safety.

Across the world, persecuted Christians in desperate situations need our support: Asia Bibi in Pakistan, sentenced to death for blasphemy in November; churches in Iraq targeted by renewed extremist violence in recent months; and Christian communities in Nigeria's Plateau state who have suffered attacks this year which have claimed hundreds of lives.

Thank you for standing with us – and with them. We wish you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.

• Please pray for persecuted Christians around the world for whom Christmas can bring the fear of attack or persecution. Ask God to protect them so they can celebrate Jesus' birth in freedom and peace.
• Pray particularly for those who are imprisoned and separated from their families at Christmas – for Jesus' sake. Pray that our Lord, Immanuel, will be with them.

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