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CHRISTIANS BEHEADED IN DRC AS ISLAMIC TERRORISTS EXPAND CAMPAIGN OF TERROR
(Missionary Network News) — Hundreds of Christians are killed every month in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Islamic State-linked militants continue to target believers with brutal attacks. Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs USA, says the latest violence included the beheading of 14 Christians by Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP).  ISCAP claimed responsibility for killing six Christians on June 3 and another eight on June 24. Nettleton says the group’s extreme violence is intentional: “There is an element of wanting to inspire fear.” He explains that this is why the attacks are so gruesome. Beyond killing believers, the militants seek to terrorize entire communities.
The group’s long-term goal is to establish an Islamic caliphate in areas under its control. “They would talk about setting up a caliphate, and once the Islamists control the territory, the Christians are given the choice to convert and become Muslims,” says Nettleton. Those who refuse often face severe persecution or death. Nettleton says one of the defining characteristics of persecution in the DRC is how suddenly it can strike. A local church leader told him about two men who were stopped and questioned about their faith. “One of the men said, I’m a Christian. “He was shot right there, instantaneously,” he recalls.
Nettleton says this is the reality many Christians in the DRC face: “They have to be ready at any given moment to stand strong in their faith, even in the face of death.” Such 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!
Please pray that the Lord will strengthen Congolese believers as they face ongoing persecution. Pray also that persecutors will turn to Christ through dreams, visions, and the bold witness of Christians.

THE CHURCH IN SOMALIA IS GROWING, DESPITE SEVERE PERSECUTION
Open Doors, a ministry started by Brother Andrew, who would smuggle Bibles into nations where Christians faced persecution, annually releases the World Watch List. The World Watch List highlights 50 nations with the highest levels of persecution. This List began in 1993; 2023 marked its 30th year of records. Over those three decades, the three countries that have appeared most often in the top ten are North Korea, Somalia and Afghanistan.
Dr Shute who serves as the Director of Development at the Somali Bible Society, reports that the Church in Somalia is underground because of the extreme persecution believers face in Somalia. However, the Somali Bible Society is operating openly inside Somalia but in undisclosed locations around the country.
The Somali Bible Society (SBS) is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian group serving all Somali Christians. Their mission is to translate and improve Somali versions of the Bible so every Somali can read, understand, and live by God’s Word.
SBS sees the Bible as the source of hope, peace, and healing for Somalia after years of conflict. They share the message of God’s love and invite Somalis to follow Jesus Christ. Their vision is to raise Christlike disciples through Scripture by partnering with churches and organisations to distribute and promote the Bible in print, audio, digital downloads, and online platforms.
Global Economy estimates Somali Christians at 500,000. Dr Shute says that this statistic, which is higher than the SBS census of 177,000, may be more accurate than the SBS figure, since it is difficult to get Somalis to identify themselves as Christians due to security concerns. However, despite that difficulty, 177,000 at least still confirmed their allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Despite Somalia being one of the most hostile and challenging places to be a Christian across the globe, Dr Shute reports that there is an amazing move of God happening. He claims that there are at least 200 Somalis a day becoming followers of Jesus, with 1 out of every 5 new believers having dreams of Jesus in the night. He also mentioned that there is a unique phenomenon that happens where there is a martyrdom in Somalia. Within a 5-mile radius of that martyr’s blood spilling on the ground, a cluster of churches arises within that radius. However, where there are no martyrs in an area, there might be a 20-mile radius between believers. Dr Shute believes that the Father has heard the prayers of our Somali brothers and sisters, who have cried out to Him for years. Now, He is moving powerfully—He has never forgotten the Somali church or the nation of Somalia. [Source: New life]

MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA SIGN PEACE ACCORD
On August 13th, more than 50 Muslim and Christian leaders signed an interfaith peace accord in Abuja, launching a new body to promote religious harmony across Nigeria. Various government officials were present at the signing, including the Deputy Senate President, representing President Bola Tinubu.
This followed the rescue of 308 Christian women and children from Islamic captors last week in the largest single-day rescue operation in Nigerian history. 163 of the victims were taken from a North Western State during a February 3rd raid. In that same attack, Muslims killed an additional 160 people in the village. The victims told the Associated Press they believed they had been taken as punishment for refusing to accept Islam. One woman, named Hauwa Saliu, said her captors constantly asked the victims if they had accepted Islam yet.
Focus on the ruthless killing of Christians, especially in the majority Muslim northeast, was heightened last November when US President Donald Trump called Nigeria a “disgraced country” and threatened military action over what he said was the treatment of Christians by ‘Islamic Terrorists’. Islamist insurgents such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWFP) have wrought havoc in the country for more than 15 years, killing thousands of Christians, which some have described as genocide.
The Accord was organised by the Muslim World League, an Islamic non-governmental organisation based in Saudi Arabia.  Christian and Muslim leaders from Nigeria described the pact as a turning point. John Praise Daniel, chairman of the Northern Christian Religious Leaders’ Assembly, said he hoped it would curb divisive rhetoric by clerics. “No hate speech, and no disrespect for other religious groups, no calling of people as infidels,” he said. Nigeria’s more than 200 million population is roughly divided  evenly between a predominantly Muslim north and a largely Christian south, with other groups practising traditional religions.
However, questions remain. While the accord proposes to counter extremist groups, such as Boko Haram and ISWEP, by delegitimising their ideology, establishing structured interfaith cooperation, and eradicating inflammatory rhetoric, it remains to be seen whether government forces can or will, curb attacks on Christians and their properties.
There is also the question whether this is a ploy by the Nigerian Islamic government, to shore up support from Christians for the coming elections in 2027. Religion will again be a factor in Nigerian politics, and when President Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress is running on the same presidential ticket of two Muslims that it fielded in 2023, breaking Nigeria’s long-standing practice of balancing presidential tickets between the country’s two main faiths. – Islam and Christianity. [Source: Reuter, Christian Daily International, Back to Jerusalem and other outlets]

PROTESTANT PASTOR IMPRISONED IN AN ATTEMPT TO SILENCE CHRISTIANS
A Protestant pastor in Vietnam has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail for ‘undermining national unity’. Pastor Y Nuen Ayun is from Montagnard, the mountainous region of central Vietnam. Christianity is a major religion in Montagnard areas, accounting for at least 40% of the population, in some parts almost 80%, according to Christian Today. By contrast, the Christian population of Vietnam is around 7%.
Mervyn Thomas, founder President of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, says Vietnam continues “to flagrantly flaunt international standards of human rights law in its targeted campaign against freedom of religion or belief”. Pastor Nuen was accused of organising and leading unregistered Protestant activities, associating with groups sponsored by the USA, and receiving 7.7 million Vietnamese dong (around Au$410) to fund his activities. Vietnam often resorts to fabricated or vague criminal charges to silence Christians. [Source: Christian Today]

THE LAST MILE: FLYING HOPE INTO PAPUA NEW GUINEA’S REMOTE VILLAGES
UKARUMPA, Papua New Guinea — This is one of the most isolated places on Earth. Towering mountain ranges, dense jungles, and deep river valleys have kept entire communities separated from the outside world for thousands of years. In many parts of the country, there are no roads; no highways; no easy way in or out. “There were people who had never had any contact with the outside world because of how rugged this place is,” said Greg Raychard, a missionary pilot with Jungle Aviation and Relay Service (JAARS).
Papua New Guinea is unlike anywhere else on Earth for another reason. “Entire villages spend years building airstrips by hand, hoping that one day, an airplane would connect them to the outside world, “said  Dr. John Marselus, who leads JAARS’ aviation ministry in Papua New Guinea.
It is home to more than 840 languages, the highest concentration of languages anywhere in the world. For the men and women dedicating their lives to translating the Bible into those languages, simply reaching the people they serve can be the greatest challenge of all. That’s where JAARS comes in.
With its aeroplanes and helicopters, the Christian aviation ministry has spent nearly eight decades helping Bible translators reach some of the world’s most isolated communities, using specially equipped aircraft to cover what they call ‘the last mile’. “JAARS is really committed to the most remote areas because we want to go to them. We have to get the gospel to these people,” said Dr. John Marselus, who leads JAARS’ aviation ministry in Papua New Guinea. “It’s going that last mile. And that’s sometimes the hardest. But if we don’t go the last mile, we won’t get there. We need to reach them with the gospel.”
“In some cases here in Papua New Guinea, aviation is really the only practical way to reach some of these people groups,” says missionary pilot Greg Raychard. “Aviation here is not a convenience—it’s often the only practical option.” For Bible translator Matt Taylor, aviation made it possible to answer God’s call. In 2004, Matt and his wife Christy moved into a remote part of Papua New Guinea and spent the next six years learning the Nukna language; language that, at the time, had no written alphabet. “Our goal has been to translate the New Testament into the Nukna language,” Taylor said. The work is painstaking. “It’s not just about a book,” he explained. “It’s about seeing changed lives and transformed hearts.” Translating a single book of the Bible can take years. “If I had to give a number, I’d say maybe like three years for one book of the Bible. Completing an entire New Testament can take decades.”
“JAARS doesn’t look for the easy answers,” Marselus said. “We look for the hardest answers to ease burdens, reduce barriers, and bring God’s Word to these people.” And for the people waiting in villages scattered across Papua New Guinea’s mountains and jungles, that commitment means one day being able to read God’s Word, not in a foreign language, but in the language of their own heart.

EVERY HOME GLOBAL CONCERN YOUTH MISSION TO SAMOA – A MINISTRY SUCCESS
The recent Every Home Global Concern Youth Mission to Samoa was a huge ministry success. Running from 11-18 July 2026, the Australian youth on the mission ‘hit the ground running’ in their enthusiasm to make a positive difference to this South Pacific Island nation. Boosting essential water supplies to Samoan communities, the mission team delivered a 5,000 litre water tank to the village of Samalaeulu on the main Island of Samoa. These tanks will provide a vital source of clean water for local families, helping to improve health, hygiene, and everyday living.
The team also distributed more than 70 kilograms of quality second-hand clothing to underprivileged families in village communities, providing practical support to those in need and demonstrating Christ’s love through compassionate action.
During the mission, the team visited Moto’otua General Hospital, where they prayed with new mothers and their families while distributing essential supplies for newborn babies and their mothers, offering both practical care and encouragement during an important time in their lives.
Partnering with Samoan youth from Every Home for Christ Samoa, the mission team carried out street ministry and rolled up their sleeves to paint a local school. To spread the Word of God, EHGC delivered 60 Bibles in the Samoan language to a village church on the island of Savaii and 150 Pocket Voice Audio Bibles to churches on Upolu. These resources will enable people of all ages and literacy levels to engage with God’s Word in their own language, strengthening faith and supporting ongoing discipleship.
The team also visited TV1 Samoa, where the mission was featured in a national news story broadcast in both Samoan and English, helping to share the impact of the humanitarian and gospel outreach with audiences across the country. With the work of the mission appreciated by the Samoan government, the youth were honoured to be guests at the Samoan National Parliament. [Source: New Life Magazine]world news

– compiled by Guido Kettniss