On February 28^th fifteen uniformed police and five others in plain clothes were sent to the home of Christian married couple Hamid Shafiee and Reyhaneh Aghajary. According to the FCNN news agency, when they arrived only Reyhaneh was at home. The officials swarmed in, hand cuffed her, and then searched the house, confiscating books, computers, and personal belongings. When Hamid arrived an hour later, he too was handcuffed. It is alleged that when Reyhaneh resisted being taken away pepper spay was used.

            The next day the family of the couple contacted the information centre for the judiciary. They were told the authorities were preparing files for the Revolutionary Court. The place of their imprisonment was not disclosed.

            Hamid and Reyhaneh have been Christians for many years and have faithfully lived according to the traditional teaching of the historic church of Jesus Christ, as taught by the apostles, the church fathers, and all mainline denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches, and the Protestants. This includes the Christian’s duty to share their faith in Jesus Christ with their neighbours. There is little doubt that this is exactly what these two faithful Christians were doing.

            Their arrest in Isphahan follows that of Rev. Issavi, the Presbyterian priest from Kermanshah, when he was visiting an old friend in the city.

Pray for

• Hamid and Reyhaneh – peace in prison; immediate release; families;
• Revd. Issavi – peace in prison, immediate release, wife and family
• The prosecuting officials – to have a conscience sensitive to the Holy Spirit

According to the FCNN website security agents arrested Rev Wilson Issavi while he was visiting old friends in a suburb of Isfahan on February 2^nd. Neither friends nor family know his present whereabouts. Rev. Issavi is the long term serving pastor of the Assyrian Evangelical Church (a member of the Presbyterian denomination) in Kermanshahr, a city in the mid west of the country. He is responsible for an ageing church building in need of repair. Since the first election of President Ahmadinejad there has been a policy of intimidation towards Protestant Christians, whereby activists are arrested, and usually released, as a warning. It might be that Rev Issavi’s arrest is the latest in this pattern. However given that Rev. Issavi is an Assyrian Christian from an ancient community (i.e. not an apostate) and has served his church with impeccable respect for all the laws of the Islamic Republic there is another possibility. Perhaps paranoia has crept into the minds of some security officials, for the idea that this grey haired, unassuming pastor is a threat to Iran’s international security verges on the absurd. Whether intimidation or absurd paranoia, the harsh reality is that this faithful priest is now locked up in Iran’s opaque prison system and deserves both passionate intercession and courageous representation from the international church for his freedom –and all others whose religious liberty is threatened.

Pray for

• Immediate release of Rev. Issavi
• Comfort for his friends and family
• Christian politicians to raise issue of religious freedom with Iran

Even as the intimidation of the house churches continue, so does growth. It is the fruit of prayer. Before planting a new fellowship, believers will often travel quite long distances, just to ‘prayer walk’ a city. They seek for supernatural guidance to be led to the right people. It is true that some new churches have come into being through the impact of satellite TV reaching villages and small towns who have not heard the Gospel in the last thirty years; but some too are reached by this ‘prayer walking’ which then results in a small group coming into being and this grows into a church. Both men and women are engaged in this. And it is hard work. There is the long bus journey, then the walking round the town praying in the heat of the day, and back to the bus and the journey home. In the world’s eyes a complete waste of time: in God’s eyes a beautiful sacrifice which He honours.

Pray for

• Supernatural wisdom for prayer walkers
• Provision and energy as they travel and intercede
• The fruits of their prayers to be well cared for

2010 has started with news of the arrest of up to 85 believers gathering to celebrate Christmas. According to the FCNN website, 15 Christians were taken into custody on Christmas eve in Pakdasht, a township 25 km southwest of central Tehran and about 70 were detained the same evening in Karaj, a large town north of Tehran. After a week the fifteen Pakdasht Christians were moved to Evin prison, and in early January twelve were released, but the whereabouts of Maryam Jalili, Mitra Zahmati, and Farzan Matin is unknown. All the Karaj Christians were swiftly released, but two of the leaders remain in detention. This news indicates that the authorities are intent on maintaining a policy of intimidation towards the house churches to thwart the spread of Christianity. While the policy might have an immediate effect on individuals caught up in the traumatic process of being detained, overall there is no sign that there is any let up in the interest Iranians have in the Christian faith, an interest partly caused by the government’s insistence on banning its teachings.

Pray for

• Release of those still detained
• Comfort for families of those affected
• Change of policy of authorities towards Christians.

Fatimeh would bite her family and friends. She threw things around the house. So most people said she was mad. But her Christian neighbour, Setareh, thought it might be demonic. She became convinced when she prayed in the street for Fatimeh: the woman went stiff with anger. When Setareh asked the long-suffering husband if she could come and pray for his wife – but only in Jesus’ name – he agreed. Setareh fasted, made the visit and as she started to pray, the struggle began and the demon was eventually exorcised. Fatimeh was not even aware of what was happening. But after the demon’s departure, she was much better. Both Fatimeh and her husband came to faith.

            A few months later Setareh invited Fatimeh to come and pray for a seemingly successful pilot who had severe marriage problems. When Fatimeh entered the home, the pilot exclaimed he had seen her in a dream the night before. Fatimeh felt so grateful that God had not only set her free, but was willing to tell others in dreams about her future ministry. The prayer started, and the estranged couple were dumbstruck as the power of God fell on the husband. They both came to Christ – and their marriage is stronger than ever before.

Pray for

• Fatimeh to grow in her faith
• Continued anointing on Setareh
• Many more to be delivered through Christian exorcisms

Over the Christmas period many will have heard the Christmas message, either through the media, or from friends. This year Christmas fell on a Friday, Iran’s day off, so some of the Christians in house churches will have managed to have had small ‘parties’ in their homes. Sadly other Christians were in prison. One, Hamideh Najafi, was arrested in Mashad at 8.00 a.m. on December 16^th. Security officers confiscated her hand painted pictures of Jesus. Desperate for information her husband eventually managed to find out that she would face political charges – for contacting foreign Christian TV stations.

Pray for

• Swift release of Hamideh Najafi and all prisoners of conscience
• For those who heard Gospel for first time this Christmas
• More moderation from security officers dealing with Christianity

RELEASED!  Maryam and Marzieh set free after 259 days in prison

Praise the Lord! Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh were released from Evin prison in Iran today, Wednesday November 18, 2009 at 3:30pm, without bail. However, they may yet have to face a court hearing and still need our prayers.

 “Words are not enough to express our gratitude to the Lord and to His people who have prayed and worked for our release,” they said.

Maryam and Marzieh were arrested because of their Christian faith on March 5, 2009. Though their health has suffered greatly while in prison, they are doing as well as could be expected, and are rejoicing in the Lord’s faithfulness to them.

“Maryam and Marzieh have greatly inspired us all. Their love for the Lord Jesus and their faithfulness to God has been an amazing testimony,” says Sam Yeghnazar, Director of Elam Ministries.

We hope to share more details soon.

In the mean time, please pray:

• For their health to be fully restored.
• For their continued safety.
• For their full acquittal. 

On Friday October 30^th Rev. Sourik, overseer of the Assemblies of God Churches in Iran, announced at the Central Church in Tehran that their two weekly Friday services, held since the 1960’s, had been forced to close by government officials. The congregation were stunned, some wept openly. This church has long been the largest for Iranians and these services, held in Persian, have been attracting the large number of Iranians for many years: the worship is exuberant, the preaching Biblical, the praying passionate. Extremists have long wanted to end them as many Persian speakers have come to faith in Jesus, and so become ‘apostates’. This action underlines the determination of hardliners to enforce the belief that Christianity in Iran is only for ethnic Christians – the Armenians and Assyrians – and that Christian services should only be in their ethnic languages. Historically these attempts to stop the Gospel spreading among all peoples in a country have always failed. Jesus Christ’s orders to make disciples of all nations, including Persian speaking Iranians, will still be obeyed whatever temporary orders come from men who think they know better than Him.

Pray for

•  That this closed door will lead to a thousand new ones opening
• Wisdom for the leaders of the Assemblies of God Churches in Iran and around the world and that those who used to attend these Friday services to be able to meet with believers
• The authorities who acted against the church to fear Jesus Christ

For evangelism, many house church Christians see their journeys as the destination. Bus travel is particularly good as people end up sitting next to someone else, a captive audience, for several hours. Recently a lady from a church shared with another lady about Jesus on a bus and as she started to explain the Gospel, the lady began to cry. The reason for the tears was not just the message, but the fact that the night before her father had come to her in her dreams telling her the next day she would hear a message she must listen to. Right there on the bus this woman came to Christ. She then went home and told her husband and children and the whole family repented. As in the days of Philip, the Holy Spirit still knows how to lead his people who are ready to share the Gospel, and to make their journey, their destination.

Pray for:

• This lady and her family to grow in Christ
• Christians to be led as they travel on buses and taxis
• Protection from the enemies of the Gospel

Last week, Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirzadeh, in prison now for over seven months solely for their faith in Christ, were called into revolutionary court without warning. The judge told them they faced three charges: anti-state activities; propagation of the Christian faith; and apostasy from Islam. Unlike their previous judges who had been indifferent to them, this judge has a more sympathetic attitude. He cleared them of the charge of anti-state activities which was a huge encouragement to Maryam and Marzieh. Their case will now be transferred to the general court to determine what happens with the remaining two charges. While in prison the two women have both endured solitary confinement and suffered poor health. Recently Maryam was sick with food poisoning. Their determination to remain faithful to Jesus in the face of persecution has been a great inspiration to their brothers and sisters in Iran.

Pray for

• Sympathetic judges in the general court
• Maryam and Marzieh’s acquittal from both remaining charges
• Iranian believers to know the strength of the Lord as they
  follow him daily