A CALL TO PRAYER AND FASTING
From Athens, Greece, I pass along a call to prayer and fasting this Wednesday, December 11, for the churches of Syria and Burkina Faso.
SYRIA
With the fall and self-exile of the President Bashar Assad, the historic and vibrant churches of the Alliance face a time of uncertainty and threat. Almost all of the 24 congregations fall within what was government controlled territory, which now has been occupied by rebel groups whose governing and tolerance toward religious diversity is yet to be discovered. The president of the national church has asked us to join in a day of prayer and fasting.
BURKINA FASO
During this year 9 Alliance pastors and hundreds of Christians were martyred at the hands of Jihadist Islamic insurgents in that land, seven since June. According to the data from early June 2024: :
189 pastors had to abandon their places.
2 pastors were killed.
1 pastor was kidnapped by terrorists.
163 churches were closed.
17 churches were destroyed.
37 Christians were killed.
19,603 Christians were internally relocated.
The president of the national Alliance church in Burkina has asked us to pray for them, that “we would love our enemies.”
Timothy Dale Westergren
Plymouth Alliance Church 