Defence lawyers have criticised a decision by the Pakistan Supreme Court to uphold the death sentence for “blasphemy” against Christian father-of-three Qaiser Ayub, 49. They described as “devastating” the court’s dismissal on 7 October of Qaiser’s appeal against his conviction under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code for allegedly defiling the name of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Read the full article: brnbs.link/psc

Hello Christchurch! Barnabas Aid is excited to be in your city for our final two Encourage events today. We'll be at Opawa Community Church at 10am and again at 7pm for our closing session. Across the country, we have been blessed so far by accounts from Christians that have faced persecution in their own lives and have come together in fellowship and prayer. If you haven't secured your free place yet, click here to join us: brnbs.link/Encourage

For marginalised and persecuted Christian children, a consistent and high-quality education can be especially difficult to find. By engaging in prayer, we include children in the global mission of supporting the suffering and persecuted Church, including helping to provide access to education and schooling for thousands of Christian children around the world. Our “A day in the life of a persecuted Christian child” resource looks at the lives of these children. Download it here: brnbs.link/day

Christian women and girls in Pakistan are at risk of forced marriage and forced conversion, and all believers are at risk of false “blasphemy” allegations. Through your donations we have supported vulnerable Christians across Pakistan with a project proving legal aid to 84 people, safe shelter to 85 people including women and children, and support for other survivors of violence and exploitation. Find out more about what it's like to be a believer in Pakistan: brnbs.link/whatitslikep

An Islamist insurgency that began in 2017 has now claimed the lives of thousands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in a campaign of calculated anti-Christian violence. Violence and suffering continue – but so does your help and support. Learn more about what's happening in the DRC and the difference your support is making in the lives of our brothers and sisters: brnbs.link/drc

The violence is never finished. In less than two years, the Islamic State Central Africa Province has slaughtered nearly 1,400 believers in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “In our Christian community, we seek to support one another.” You can be part of their community by joining us in raising prayers and donations for our brothers and sisters in DRC. Click here to take action: brnbs.link/congo #congo #rdc

Nearly 300 pastors, church leaders and Bible students in Sri Lanka received a study Bible because of your generous support. In remote parts of Sri Lanka, pastors and church planters faithfully serve their communities, often with little access to resources. Many carry the responsibility of teaching and discipling people who don't have quality study materials. Thanks to supporters like you, this situation has been transformed for hundreds of Christian leaders. If providing Bibles to those in need is a cause close to your heart, you can give to our Bibles and Scriptures Project (00-362): brnbs.link/bibles

Nine Christians were killed after being captured from the village of Bandisende, Ituri Province, north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on 29 September. The attack was publicised on Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) social media. Analysts reported that the nine were beheaded by militants from Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP). 🔗 Read the full article: brnbs.link/cnews

Through your donations, five auto-rickshaws have been purchased in Nepal, creating sustainable income opportunities for Christian ministry workers and their families. The vehicles generate income and provide stable employment for church workers who might otherwise need to emigrate in search of work. Christians in Nepal are often under social pressure and at risk of poverty because of their faith. This initiative helps strengthen local churches long-term and enables Christian families to stay in their homes. Thank you for your compassion for our brothers and sisters in Nepal! See more of the impacts of your donations in our magazine: brnbs.link/Z

Sovereign Lord, we lift to You the struggles of Christians persecuted for following You in Afghanistan. We pray that You will direct the paths of Your people who are faced with the choice to convert to Islam, leave the country or be executed as apostates. We thank You for congregations that are meeting, even though they must exercise the utmost secrecy. We ask for humanitarian aid to reach the country as it contends with acute hunger and poverty. Please provide for the Afghan people, especially Your Church, in the precious Name of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many Afghan Christians are converts from Islam. According to sharia law, people who have converted away from Islam should be put to death. The Taliban are strict followers of this law, and particularly target Christian converts, as the Taliban associate Christianity with Western powers. Our event Encourage, in New Zealand, is a chance for you to encounter the faith of Christians from Afghanistan who follow Jesus at great cost. With only 10 days to go until our first city, reserve your free ticket today: brnbs.link/Encourage

Through your donations, Barnabas Aid have provided food and other essentials, farming equipment, and vegetable seeds for around 2,100 persecuted Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “Your assistance has shown our community that God has not abandoned us despite everything we have suffered,” said a survivor of a major Islamic State Central Africa Province attack. Since December 2024, Islamist terrorists have killed nearly 1,400 Christians and displaced thousands more in north-eastern DRC.

We've reached 507 families in Sagaing Region, Myanmar, with our urgent food and essentials distribution project, and it couldn't have been achieved without you. These Christians escaped military attacks on their villages with nothing; they now have rice, chickpeas, cooking oil, blankets and sleeping mats. Thank you for donating to our Aid for Persecuted Christians in Myanmar fund, which supports work like this. You can learn about the impact of your support in our bi-monthly magazine: brnbs.link/Z

Our Outreach Lead was pleased to visit Emmanuel Word Center church in Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia, to talk to their congregation about our ministry. With prayer central to what we do, he was excited to introduce the upcoming 32-hour prayer event that Barnabas is holding for this year's International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, as well as the Malaysia Monthly Platform. Find out how you can keep prayer as the priority here: brnbs.link/zhpray Thank you for welcoming us, Emmanuel Word Center church!

At Encourage, you can hear stories from a range of our project partners, like Bruce Robinson in Haiti, who have seen how donations are at work, delivering aid to our family in Christ through sustainable projects. Join us in New Zealand between 13 and 20 October to learn how Barnabas Aid is bringing hope to those in both urgent and long-term need, and how you can get involved. Find out more and reserve your free place here: brnbs.link/Encourage

Lord Jesus, we praise You that You are the very foundation of our faith and the One who holds the Church, Your Body on earth, together. Thank You that we can have complete confidence and security in You and help us, we pray, to offer sacrifices of praise that are fitting to the One upon whom we depend for salvation. We ask You to assure those suffering for their faith in You that You are our cornerstone forever, for we ask in Your wonderful Name.

Update: Pastor Gabriel Joseph Dipak was freed by Islamist kidnappers in Plateau State, Nigeria, after witnessing the murder of Pastor Hills Emmanuel. Pastor Dipak said that the killers joked and boasted together after they slaughtered Pastor Emmanuel “like a goat”. Read the full update and how you can pray here: brnbs.link/2j

Thanks to your support, 395 vulnerable families have warm homes and fuel to cook with. People are in need of essential basic safety, comfort and normal life in the face of rising fuel costs and limited incomes. Thank you for donating to our Middle East and North Africa fund. Because of your compassion, Barnabas Aid, through our local church project partners, has given 200 litres of kerosene to rural villages in semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.

In the middle of the jungle, “Naw Wah” is 38 weeks pregnant and faces severe complications. She knows there is only one place she can go to find the life-saving, life-changing care she and her unborn child desperately need – a small clinic, supported by Barnabas Aid. Every step she takes through the dense jungle of war-torn Myanmar is a treacherous journey for survival. If you are a follower of Christ, then Naw Wah is your sister.  Please pray for her – and others in your Christian family – who desperately need medical aid and face unimaginable hardships yet live with constant uncertainty of where help might come from.

The lives of at least 72 Christians have been added to the growing death toll of Islamist terrorism in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These latest killings mean that more than 200 of our brothers and sisters have been massacred in Ituri Province since mid-July. In the worst incident on 28 August, fighters from Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) slaughtered 29 believers in the villages of Mabakoa and Biam, near Biakto. 🔗 Read the full article here: brnbs.link/2i