The Persecuted Church

Giving Their Lives

Three brothers in Christ were murdered recently in Malatya, Turkey. They were members of the Malatya Kurtulus Church, sister church of our church in Ankara. Their throats were slit.

Brothers Necati, Ugur and Tillman were working in a church-related Bible bookstore when extreme right-wing attackers bound and murdered them in the latest attack on religious minorities. A fourth man is being treated for severe head injuries after he jumped from a third-floor balcony to escape, while a fifth sustained stab wounds.

Your prayers are coveted for the families of the church in Malatya, and for our pastor Ihsan Ozbek who immediately left for Malatya with three other brothers. Please pray for strength, courage and faith for the whole church in Turkey.

As we and our other ministers and families continue to serve the Lord in a Muslim land, we ask for prayer for protection and boldness to "reach the lost at any cost." We know that the believers who lost their lives have gained new ones in paradise with our Lord.

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© 2007 Church of God World Missions