For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face. Psalm 11:7
Indian Church Leaders (2001)
Defied Threats
Three Indian church leaders were shot dead at a training centre in the north-eastern state of Manipur on 15 May 2001 amid a systematic extortion campaign against Christians.
Around 20 separatist groups who were fighting for self-determination in the region were funding their war against the government by demanding money from church schools and using violence when their “tax” was not paid, according to Christian leaders. The three murdered church leaders had received an extortion threat from one of these groups. Other church leaders were killed and Christian schools were closed because they refused to pay up. Hostility towards Christians was fuelled by militant Hindu groups who falsely claimed that church workers were supporting the rebels, whereas in fact they were falling victim to them.
O Lord our God, in whose hands is the issue of all things, and who requirest from thy stewards not success but faithfulness: Give us such faith in thee and in thy sure purposes, that we measure not our lives by what we have done or failed to do, but by our obedience to thy holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Parish Prayers (no. 34)