The Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey is inviting Christians worldwide to join in a day of prayer for the predominantly Muslim country.
The International Day of Prayer for Turkey will take place each year on April 18, the anniversary of the horrific murders of three Christian workers in a Bible publishing house in Malatya in 2007 by a group of young Muslim Turks.
“On 18 April 2007, Necati Aydin, Tillman Geske and Ugur Yüksel were murdered for no other reason than actively living and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. We know that their deaths, that saddened God’s heart and our hearts, were not in vain,” said a spokesperson for the group.
“We feel that more than any other event, mingling their memory in deep prayer for the country they and we all love, will honour their sacrifice.”
The group is asking Christians to pray that Turkey’s tiny Christian community can be strengthened in the Holy Spirit to live for the glory of God and that the people of Turkey will open their hearts and eyes to the Kingdom of God.
The initiative has received the backing of the European Evangelical Alliance and World Evangelical Alliance.
Gordon Showell-Rogers, General Secretary of the European Evangelical Alliance, urged members to pray “for the glory of God and the good of Turkey, as well as for the encouragement of our brothers and sisters in Christ there”.
Despite Turkey’s rich Christian heritage – the seven churches addressed in the Book of Revelation were located in Turkey - 98 per cent of the population are Muslims. Christians are believed to make up only 0.3 per cent of the population.
-
Christian pro-life volunteer denies five fresh charges in abortion buffer zone case
-
Immigration fears shape views of Britishness and Christianity, report finds
-
UK Christians unite for nine days of prayer as National Week of Prayer enters third year
-
US evangelicals more religious than other Christians, but still declining
News
-
Televangelist Jim Bakker dies at 86
-
Blackburn Cathedral puts the Bible where it belongs
-
When ‘my truth’ replaces the truth
-
The book that changed Sweden: 500 years of the Swedish New Testament
-
‘We don’t want to lose the Holy Spirit as well as our skills’: What AI means for the Church
-
UK Christians unite for nine days of prayer as National Week of Prayer enters third year
Most Popular
News
Immigration fears shape views of Britishness and Christianity, report finds
Concerns about immigration and cultural change extend beyond those most attached to Britain’s Christian identity, a new report by Theos has found.
Christian teacher challenges dismissal after sharing pro-life views in class
A Christian teacher is bringing a discrimination claim against a secondary school in Sunderland, alleging that she was dismissed after answering pupils’ questions about her pro-life beliefs and other personal views in class.
Who was the Ethiopian eunuch and what can we learn from him?
When we think about the history of Christianity in Africa, we may immediately think of European missionaries who travelled to the continent to spread the gospel. Yet Africa’s connection to Christianity stretches much further back, to the earliest days of the Church itself.
Christian campaign asks shoppers to reduce reliance on retail giant Amazon
The Challenge Amazon campaign is encouraging Christians to support local businesses instead.
