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UPDATE ON SENTENCING TRIAL OF EGYPTIAN CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY

Thank you to those who prayed for our Egyptian brother who had his court date on Monday 15th June. Over 35,000 people worldwide have called for his release. He faces the death penalty for converting to Christianity from Islam. His family were in contact with us yesterday with an update, saying, “By the will of God the case has been adjourned till the 6th September.” Had the trial gone on yesterday, as was planned, the defence would have had no ability to question the prosecution. This delayed court date now means the defence team will be allowed to put forward a proper defense. [Source: Back to Jerusalem]

URGENT RACE TO PRESERVE INDIGENOUS SCRIPTURE
Across Australia today, more than 120 indigenous languages are still spoken. Yet tragically, only one of those languages has a complete Bible translation available.  Jessie Murrargirrargi is an indigenous translator who completed a certificate in Bible translation at Nungalinya College in the Northern Territory and has been working faithfully to bring Scripture into her people’s heart language. When reading to her people in their language from  a translation she had been labouring over for months (the Gospel of John), the congregation said to her, “Those are not your words. We could feel God speaking to us.”
Bible Society Australia is now hoping to raise funds to train many more indigenous translators so that God’s Word can be available in the heart languages of communities across the nation. [Sources: Bible Society Australia & Faith News]

CHRISTIANS IN PAKISTAN CONTINUE TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF UNJUST BLASPHEMY LAWS.
While a court in Pakistan on Monday (July 6) acquitted a Christian accused of blasphemy, others continue to be unlawfully imprisoned. The Lahore High Court  acquitted 37-year-old Dennis Albert, jailed since April 27, 2024, after a Muslim accused him of desecrating pages of the Quran in Lahore, capital of Punjab Province, by allegedly standing barefoot on them on a roadside. Albert was charged under Pakistan’s Penal Code, which criminalizes deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and  which pertains to the desecration of the Quran and is punishable by life imprisonment. The court found significant legal deficiencies in the police investigation and noted inconsistencies in the testimony of prosecution witnesses,
As early as 1994, Amnesty International published its findings in regard to these blasphemy laws: “Several dozen people have been charged with blasphemy in Pakistan over the last few years; in all the cases known to Amnesty International the charges of blasphemy appear to have been arbitrary, founded solely on the individuals’ minority religious beliefs or unfounded and malicious accusations brought by individuals against others in the majority Muslim community.” And now the Pakistani provincial home secretaries and senior police officials have reported the following on July 8 to the Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights: “…that a majority of the 333 blasphemy cases registered in the past five years in four provinces were fabricated.” Below is just one example of an unjust arrest, leading to the death of the arrested person.
  On July 1, a 61-year-old Christian suffering from advanced dementia, died after nearly a year in jail awaiting trial on a false blasphemy charge. Amir Peter died due to poor medical care, days before a court was scheduled to hear medical testimony supporting his bail application, said Katherine Sapna, executive director of the advocacy organization Christians’ True Spirit (CTS). Peter was arrested on July 19, 2025 after a Muslim shopkeeper, in retaliation for Peter accusing him of overcharging him, accused him of violating Section 295-C of Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which criminalizes derogatory remarks about Islam’s prophet Muhammad and carries a mandatory death sentence.
International advocacy groups continue to rank Pakistan among the world’s most difficult countries for Christians. In its 2026 World Watch List, Open Doors ranked Pakistan eighth among the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, citing systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversions, bonded labour and gender-based abuses. The organization also said weak law enforcement and widespread impunity have enabled perpetrators of anti-Christian violence to evade accountability. [Sources: Morning Star News, Amnesty International, and CBN News]

CHRISTIANS ARE ON THE FRONTLINE AGAINST POVERTY
Around the world, Christians are on the frontline against poverty. They are planting churches, educating children, and loving their neighbours. A spokesperson for Anglican Aid says there are many evil systems in this fallen world that exacerbate poverty. Anglican Aid, based in Sydney, is in partnership with the global Church.
They work in over 30 of the poorest nations to improve food security, provide access to education, strengthen churches and help communities. Bishop Aime Kimararunga in Burundi told Sydneyanglicans.net – it’s very hard to preach the Gospel to people who are not sure of their next meal. An Anglican Aid Burundi partner is working to relieve malnutrition by providing training in agricultural skills, and gifting seedlings and tools.
Bishop Aime says many people are turning in faith to Jesus. They are enfolded into the church and their lives are transformed. The local church runs a demonstration garden to model effective farming techniques. [Source: Sydneyanglicans.net]

PRINTED BIBLES & AUDIO BIBLES DISTRIBUTED IN REMOTE INDIAN VILLAGES
Barnabas Aid partners have distributed 8,000 printed Bibles and 1,000 audio Bibles to Christians in remote villages and forest regions of the two states in central India. Special care was taken to identify new believers, and families who could not afford to purchase a Bible.
Audio Bibles were distributed among the elderly and those unable to read. Church leaders have reported that believers are becoming more rooted in Scripture. Family devotions have given Christians great spiritual strength since the arrival of printed Bibles, they say. Bible study groups have increased, and new fellowship gatherings have begun in several villages.
A spokesman for Barnabas Aid says this personal engagement with the Word has produced visible transformations in character, conduct, and commitment to Christ. Christians who once relied only on Sunday messages are now spiritually nourished throughout the week, leading to maturity, stability and boldness in their faith. [Source: Barnabas Aid]

CHRISTIANS IN DRC BEING INCREASINGLY KILLED BY ISLAMIC MILITANTS
Hundreds of Christians are killed every month in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Islamic State-linked militants continue to target believers with brutal attacks. Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) says the latest violence included the beheading of 14 Christians. He told Mission Network News that one of the defining characteristics of persecution in the DRC is how suddenly it can strike.
Two men on the street were stopped and questioned about their faith. One man said he was a Christian and was shot on the spot. Mr Nettleton says this is the reality many Christians in the DRC face. They must be ready at any given moment to stand strong in their faith, even in the face of death. These attacks leave deep trauma and fear throughout Christian communities. Yet they also reveal the remarkable endurance of believers who continue to follow Christ despite the danger. [Source: Mission Network News]

RESCUING CHILDREN FROM SEX-SLAVERY
SYDNEY—According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 12 percent, or around 3.3 million of the 27.6 million people who are trafficked globally, are children—and more than half are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation.  
Few people spend their lives walking into brothels and trafficking dens alongside police, in search of missing children. Yet this is the mission of volunteers with Destiny Rescue (DR)  – a global Christian non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating in regions throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America,  that has restored hope to thousands of children enduring sexual exploitation and human trafficking through rescue operations and reintegration programmes.
Rescue alone doesn’t ensure freedom. When a child enters their care post-rescue, the staff of Destiny Rescue  carefully address each unique vulnerability that led to their exploitation. Each survivor enrolled in their programmes receives support to return to school or achieve financial independence. During their enrolment, children participate in dynamic trauma resilience training and hear the saving message of the Gospel.
Sonia Qutami, a film producer, who organized the Unchained Rescue Banquet in Sydney to raise  funds in the fight against child trafficking, started the proceedings with prayer, asking  God to assist in combatting the human trafficking trade. “Every person and every child deserves a voice …  because we know child trafficking and human exploitation is a $500 billion industry, and it’s outsourced almost the weaponry and the drug industry,” she said. “So with drugs, you use it once. With a weapon, the bullets you use once. But unfortunately, these children are used repetitively, five, six, seven times a day….. I just have a love for children and a love for justice. I’m simply a mum who just wants to protect these children, and I believe in accountability.”
Chris Lawley, an active volunteer with DR, also a non-executive director for Destiny Rescue International, and who received two years’ training from a former police officer who was stationed in Sydney’s former red light district of Kings Cross during the 1990s,  shared his experiences during the Dinner. “We specifically focus on child rescue,” Lawley said.
He personally has been involved in more than 1,000 overseas raids with law enforcement agencies. “We have seen more than 1,500 people get arrested and face the justice that they deserve, and this year alone, we have been successful enough to claim the freedom of 2,500 [victims] in 2026—that’s on average over 13 a day.” But Lawley says it’s not like the Hollywood movies, and sometimes endings are sad or uncertain.
Also a speaker at the Dinner was Gary Raymond, a former police inspector and Australian Federal Police officer who spoke of  his unshakable faith in God, instilling a strength in him when dealing with terrible crimes. Raymond spoke of the contrast with the anguish of victims and the jubilation of those who scream with gratitude and thank God for being rescued. [Source: Epoch Times and other sources]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss