Pastor Jailed, Church Construction Opposed
Raheem Nayar, a pastor, husband and father of two, is currently in jail after anti-Christian activists made a false accusation against him.
Raheem knows what it’s like to face opposition, however. He came from a highly respected, upper-caste family. At age 19, when he decided to wholeheartedly serve Jesus for the rest of his life, his father kicked him out of the house, and his brother told him never to return home.
Now Raheem is ministering in a village as a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported missionary. He is witnessing God’s amazing work: Regularly, people are choosing to follow Jesus and start attending worship services. Someone even donated land so his congregation could build their own church building.
As the church building started to go up, a group of anti-Christian extremists pressured the village leader to stop it. The village chief filed a complaint at the local police station. Although the land was registered in the name of Raheem’s church, the complaint falsely stated that the land where the church is being built is disputed property.
After keeping Raheem at the police station and filing the case against him, the police put him in jail. GFA leaders in the area intend to meet with a local magistrate in hopes he will release Raheem. His arrest has understandably caused a lot of distress in his family and for the believers in the village.
He would greatly appreciate prayers for both his family and his congregation to remain strong in the Lord during this situation. Also pray God will lead the village chief and the anti-Christian extremists toward the saving knowledge of Jesus, and Raheem will be released soon and cleared of all the charges.
