Prayers for the Persecuted - Pastors Hassan Abduraheem & Andrew Brunson

In December of last year, I asked our faith family and grace partners to pray for Pastors Hassan Abduraheem and Andrew Brunson. Both are facing trumped up charges and are be persecuted for their Christian faith.

The Sudanese judge on Sunday has handed down a 12-year sentence to Pastor Hassan on the grounds of espionage, inciting strife between communities and spreading rumors that undermine the respect for the state. 

This sentence is particularly disturbing for the future of religious freedom and the rule of law in Sudan, as Pastor Hassan and others were originally arrested on false charges in late 2015.   The men attended a Christian conference in Addis Ababa, Ethopia in November 2015 and the charges against them stem from financial aid given to an injured young man who was also attending the conference.  The men were simply living out their Christian faith by helping a young man in need of medical attention, but the Sudanese security forces falsely claimed that their charity masked a sinister agenda to support rebel forces.

American Pastor Andrew Brunson sits in an overcrowded prison in Turkey, persecuted for his Christian faith.

Please pray for both men of faith. As believers, we need to keep all those who are being persecuted for their faith in our prayers.