CRCNA Calls for Prayer for Christians in Egypt

The Christian Reformed Church in North America is calling for prayer after nearly 30 Coptic Christians in Egypt were killed last week as ISIS terrorists opened fire on a bus taking the Christians to worship at a monastery.

News reports said the bus was driving down a desert road south of Cairo to St. Samuel Monastery when terrorists wearing military uniforms and masks fired on them from three four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Last week’s attack comes after two suicide bombers exploded bombs and killed some 50 Coptic Christians outside of two churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday, April 9.

CRC missionaries in the Middle East say they are asking people to be aware of the persecution taking place and to call on God and those who are in power to do what is needed to stop the killing.

In a statement Christian Reformed World Missions missionaries said, “Christians in Egypt are struggling to live by faith, without fear, and to bear witness, through their actions, to a spirit of forgiveness and love—but it is hard.”

It is hard when violence has become so common and Christians are killed or injured.

“It is hard when injustices occur, and when the religious and political turmoil of the region begins to move its target from random and distant peoples to nearby churches, or, now, to the bus of friends and family who are on the road to spend time together, and to be with God,” says the statement.

By way of background, the locations where the recent attacks took place — on Palm Sunday and on the road to the monastery — are unique and not actually representative of all of Egypt.

Both of these areas have a higher than average concentration of religious fundamentalists.

“Compared to Cairo, Egypt’s capital, with a little over 20 million people, most cities are smaller, have less wealth and government resources, and do not produce the kinds of positive associations between Christians and Muslims that Cairo sees,” says the statement.

Many areas outside of Cairo neither have quite the same kind of diversity nor as many moderate Muslims; nor do they have the higher levels of military and police presence available in large urban centers.

All these facts were affirmed in March when a small group of North American church members visited Egypt for what was called a Vision Tour, sponsored by Christian Reformed World Missions.

“In the course of the 10-day trip, visitors said over and over things like: ‘I feel so much safer than I had expected . . .’ and, ‘The people here are all so friendly, welcoming, and helpful.’”

The group visited Cairo and other parts of Egypt, and their experience attests to “the reality that such incidents of violence are still isolated,” says the statement.

At the same time, the situation in Egypt is complex, “politically and economically, historically and religiously, and affects those in authority.”

To be in a position of power in Egypt these days is difficult, and leaders cannot take immediate action or a simple course of actions.

So, in addition to praying for the Christians in Egypt, “we call on people to pray for all government officials, for their actions, for military and police, and for all who make decisions related to such events as these attacks,” says the statement.

In addition, the CRCNA asks prayers for all Egyptians and how these attacks may in one way or another affect them.

Many Egyptians are poor, and many are refugees, in Egypt and in the Middle East, living “at or below the poverty line, and too few of the educated remain, or have jobs. Jobless, educated youth are the largest growing segment of society and are understandably increasingly frustrated,” says the statement.

In conclusion, the statement says, “We grieve with the brothers and sisters, children and friends, neighbors and coworkers, of the Christian men, women, and children whose lives were lost to violence in the last six months because of their faith in Jesus, which we share, and because of the wickedness that others’ actions express.

“But, at the same time, we are grateful for the protection we enjoy. We are blessed by God with opportunities to act, a sense of responsibility, and a compassion that he fosters within us. It is our prayer that you, as you read these words outside of Egypt, will feel the same.”

To learn more about the CRWM Vision Tour to Egypt, click here.

For additional information, read a Christianity Today article that gives an in-depth look at the recent attack on Coptic Christians and reactions to it. See also a CRCNA Do Justice story about the ongoing situation and the need for prayer.