Christians in Algeria request prayer that the government will cease discrimination in the reopening places of worship closed due to COVID19.
All worship and entertainment places have been closed since mid March. In early August, it was decided to reopen places of worship gradually, beginning with mosques that can hold more than a thousand worshipers. This decision didn’t mention churches.
On 27 October 2020, authorities in Tizi Ouzou province in the Kabylie area, where most Algerian Christian live, listed 183 mosques planned for reopening, including some known to hold fewer than 1000 worshipers.
Tizi Ouzou has some 25 churches affiliated with the EPA (Eglise Protestante d’Algérie), the umbrella organization of Protestant churches in Algeria. None were on the list for reopening. They, and all other EPA churches in the country, remain closed due to the pandemic.
For three years, authorities in Algeria have engaged in a systematic campaign against EPA churches, which has seen thirteen churches forcibly closed by the authorities. Others received orders to cease all activities..
Algerian Christians ask for prayer:
- that pastors and the EPA leadership will know the peace of Jesus, the wisdom of the Father and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in dealing with this situation
- that all churches, both those closed as part of the government campaign against the EPA and those closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, will be permitted to reopen soon
- that regulations governing non-Muslim worship will be amended and justly implemented, so that Christians will be able to worship freely
- thanking God for the resilience of Algerian Christians and praying that their patience would be rewarded soon,
that there will be an end to the campaign against Christians in Algeria and more freedom and tolerance toward them. - that those responsible for the closure order will know the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness and new life offered by Jesus.
