country and neighboring Pakistan, a major mission group said Friday, February 24.
Hopegivers International (HI) organized the prayer chain after several reported attacks by Hindu militants in recent weeks against individual Christians and Christian properties, including churches and an orphanage in the Indian state of Rajasthan as well as other areas of India.
On Thursday, February 23, HI said it was forced to abandon what would have been the largest ever graduation ceremony for 10,000 Christian ‘dalit’ students in the city of Kota in Rajasthan, because police warned of Hindu violence against them.
MANY ORPHANAGES
The students, aged 19 till 30, finished a seminar or related education in orphanages and other HI centers. HI operates over 90 Hope Home orphanages in India, nearly 200 schools and 500 outreach programs to people with leprosy.
Most of the graduates are ‘dalits’, the term used for the so-called "untouchables" of India, up to 300-million people, who occupy the lowest place in the country’s ancient caste system of Hinduism.
HI President, Samuel Thomas, said he hopes "believers around the world will join with thousands of needy orphans to pray for peace and religious freedom in India and Pakistan." The two nuclear arch rivals have both Christian minorities, who have complained about religious extremism directed against them.
MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS
Christians, comprise about 2.3 percent of India’s predominantly Hindu population of nearly 1.1 billion, while in Pakistan Christians make up less than 3 percent of its nearly 163-million people.
The main prayer request on the first day’s prayer was based on naming the "Lord God by His biblical title, The King of the Nations," and focused on an upcoming visit by United States President George W. Bush to the region, HI said.
"King of the Nations we pray for the impact of President…Bush’s visits to India and Pakistan next week. Bless him as he speaks out for freedom of speech and religion. May this visit prompt investigations of abuses against minorities and greater support for persecuted Christians," the prayer statement obtained by BosNewsLife said. (With BosNewsLife and other reports from India and Pakistan).
*** PLEASE HELP OUR CHILDREN ***
HELLO SIR,
I would like to introduce myself. I am Rev Varghese Thudian. The Director of Emmanuel orphanage, Azakam, Ankamaly, Kerala, South India. We came to know about you through the internet. We running an orphanage named “EMMANUEL ORPHANGE” near Ankamaly. The organization is registered under the societies registration act. Emmanuel Orphanage currently supports just over 162 children from different communities. Together, we are the doors of hope for the poor orphaned children. May God bless you and minister to your needs as you meet the needs of those in distress. We are providing food, shelter, and education, health and recreation programs. So we need fund for the smooth functioning of the orphanage. Now we are in financial crisis, we are functioning with the help of local collection and donation from kind hearted peoples. It is not at all enough to meet the needs of the unprivileged children. So we humbly request you to help us for the glory of God. We have a sponsorship program. “IF YOU CAN SPONSOR A CHILD IT WILL BE VERY HELPFUL”. “GOD BLESSES YOU”.
FOR MORE CONTACT;-
PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITES/YOU CAN VISIT DIRECTLY TO OUR ORPHANGE
WEBSITE: – http://www.emmanuelorphanage.org , http://www.emmanuelchildrenshome.com
VARGHESE THUDIAN