Christians in Algeria request prayer for church leaders in Ait Atteli, a village in Tizi Ouzou, the province in which most Algerian Christians live, as officials have started proceedings to close their church.
The provincial governor filed a case on 2 February against the pastor and his father (who owns the land where the church is located). The case is based on a 2006 ordinance regulating non-Muslim worship. No date has been set for the court to hear the case. The church was established in 2006 and joined the EPA (Église Protestante d’Algérie), the legally recognised umbrella of Protestant churches in Algeria, in 2011. It has more than 90 members.
In recent years several churches have been closed under this ordinance, which requires non-Muslim worship to be held only in buildings licensed for that purpose. The licensing commission established under the 2006 ordinance, has yet to issue a single licence.
The government has waged a systematic campaign against Protestant churches since November 2017, leaving 16 church buildings closed and at least four other fellowships ordered to cease their activities.
Prayer Points
Algerian Christians ask for prayer:
- that the pastor, his father and all church leaders will know the peace of Jesus, the wisdom of the Father and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in dealing with this situation
- for the church to win the court case and avoid closure and all churches closed in the government campaign against the EPA to reopen soon
- that regulations governing non-Muslim worship will be amended and justly implemented, so that Christians will be able to worship freely
- thanking God for the resilience of Algerian Christians and praying that their patience would be rewarded soon, and for the campaign against Christians to end
