Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus

We regret to report that in the early evening of Tuesday 6^th May three men approached the Kurtulus Church in Ankara. One of them wore surgical gloves and carried a gun. The church building was locked but a church member was outside. The armed man pointed the gun at the church member and demanded to know where the pastor was. The believer calmly explained that the pastor was not present. The gunman told the believer to inform the pastor that they “were determined to get rid of him”. The three men then drove off.

Turkish Christians are thankful that nobody was physically hurt in this incident.

The pastor spent much of the evening with police officers who have apparently taken the incident with due seriousness.

Christian news agency Compass Direct report that this is the seventh incident in past four months where threats have been issued against other Turkish pastors. Tensions continue to run high as the trial of the five men caught at the scene of the murder of three Christians in Malatya, eastern Turkey, on 18^th April 2007.

Turkish Christians requests our prayers that:

a.       This pastor and the believer confronted will know the deep inner peace of Jesus

b.      This pastor and all members of this church will know the protection of Jesus

c.       They will know the Spirit’s daily guiding as they seek to live, act and speak with appropriate boldness

d.      Likewise for all Turkish believers

e.       The three men that issued this threat will respond to the loving call of Jesus and adopt His way of peace

f.        The Turkish authorities will act decisively to confront all who seek to harm those who choose to follow Jesus